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DUMBARTON OAKS MEDIEVAL ~IBRARY

The Histories
Jan M. Ziolkowski, General Editor
Alice-MaryTalbot, Byzantine Greek Editor
LAONIKOS CHALKOKONDYLES
Byzantine Greek Editorial Board
AJexanderAJexakis
VOLUME I
Chatles Batber
John Duffje
Niels Gaul
Richatd Greenfield
Anthony Kaldellis
Translated by
Derek Krueger
Eustratios Papaloannou
ANTHONY KALDELLIS
Claudia Rapp

Byzantine GreekAdvisory Board

AJbrecht Berger Antony Littlewood
'1lUMBARTON OAKS
Wolfram Brandes Margaret Mullett
J1;EDIEVAL oQJlRARY
Elizabeth Fisher Jan OlofRosenqvist
Clive Foss Jonathan Shepatd
·11 HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS
John Haldon Denis Sullivan
RobertJordan John Wortley CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

LONDON, ENGLAND

201 4
 Contents

Copyright © 2014 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College

Introduction vii
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Printed in the United States of America

Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data THE HISTORIES

Chalkokondyles, Laonikos, approximately I43o-approximately 1490. BOOKI 2
{De rebus Turcicis.}
BOOK 2
The histories / Laonikos Chalkokondyles ; translated by Anthony
Kaldellis. BOOK3
volumes em. - (Dumbarton Oaks medieval library ; doml33)
(Dumbarton Oaks medieval Iibrary ; dom134) BOOK 4
In Greek with English translation on the recto. BOOKS
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-674-599I8-5 (volume I , alkaline paper)-
ISBN 978-0-674-59919-2 (volume 2: alkaline paper) r. Byzantine.
Empire-History-ro8r-I453-Ear1yworks to 1800. 2. Turkey- Note on the Text 47I
History-I288-1453-Ear1yworks to 1800. 3. Istanbul (Turkey)- Notes to the Text 47S.
History-Siege, I453-Ear1yworks to 1800. 4. Greece-History- Notes to the Translation 479
323-1453-Ear1yworks to 1800. I. Kaldellis,Anthony. II. Title.
DF600.C47 2014
949·5'04- dc23 2014004768
 Introduction

THE LIFE OF LAONIKOS CHALKOKONDYLES

Nikolaos Chalkokondyles, the real name of our author "Lao-

nikos," was born around '430 into one of the leading Greek
families of Athens, a city that was then ruled by the Acciai-
uoli of Florence; his father's name was Georgios.! When the
duke fultonio I died in early '435, his widow tried to secure
power for herself and Georgios Chalkokondyles, but fulto-
nio's nephews Nerio II and fultonio II prevailed in the en-
suing struggle and expelled the Chalkokondyles family from
Athens. 2 Theyare attested in the summer ofI447 at Mistra,
the court of the despot Konstantinos Palaiologos (subse-
quently the last emperor of Byzantium, I449-I453). The·
traveler and antiquarian Ky:riacus offulcona met "the youth"
Nikolaos there in the company of the despot and the great-
est philosopher of the age, Georgios Gemistos "Plethon."
Kyriacus says that Nikolaos was fluent in both Greek and
Latin and that he gave him a tour of the antiquities of nearby
Sparta. 3 In the years before this encounter, the despot had
been building up his power in southern Greece at the ex-
pense of the Ottoman sultan Murad II (I42I-I45I) and the
Acciaiuoli, and having the leading Greek family of Athens
by his side would have been advantageous. Those ambitions,

vii

however, were shattered in I446, when Murad smashed
through the Isthmia wall and subjected the despotate of the
Morea to vassal status. The young Nikolaos may have been
present at that battle, which he vividly described later as the
historian Laonikos; his father had been used by Konstanti-
nos as an envoy to Murad. 4
We have no more definite information about the life
of Nikolaos-Laonikos, except for the fact that he stopped
work on his monumental Histories sometime between I464
and I468.5 The work cannot be said to be finished, as it pe-
ters out in the midst of discussing the opening phases of the
first great Venetian-Ottoman war in I464, but we do not
know why the author stopped working on it.
The influence of the neopagan Plethon on Laonikos's
thought is pervasive, including the idea that the Byzantines
were really Greeks and not Romans, an indifference to
Christian belief and ritual, an acceptance of the World Soul,
and the ability to break from Byzantine tradition and view
Islam not as a theological error but, in Herodotean terms,
as a legitimate set of cultural norms given by the nomothetes
Oawgiver) Muharomad to his people. 6 Laonikos also ob-
tained from Plethon his personal copy of Herodotos, Lauf.
Pluto 70.6 (Florence), a manuscript created in I3I8, corrected
in Plethon's own hand, and used by Bessarion in I436 to
make another copy. Laonikos added his own subscription to
the end 040v):
{Belonging to} Laonikos the Athenian. It seems to me
that the Greeks displayed a virtue greater than what
is merely human, and that they made a demonstra-
tion of deeds such as to amaze us when we learn about
viii
INTRODUCTION
them in our inquiries. They {the Greeks} were also
fortunate to have a herald who himself did not fall far
short in worth of the deeds themselves, I mean He-
rodotos ofHalikarnassos, who recounted these events
in the way in which each happened, in a manner akin
to a divine procession {i.e., of events}. 7
Laonikos's astonishment at the valor displayed by the
Greeks against their oriental assailants in Herodotos could
have stemmed only from his personal experience of their
dismal failure to repel the Ottoman Turks in his own day. In
his Histories, which begins with the saroe classical naming
formula, he asserts that the Greeks have historically enjoyed
a better fortune than their virtue would warrant. 8
It was probably in the I450S that Laonikos conceived the
project of writing an imitation of Herodotos replete with
ethnographic digressions, but one in which the barbarians
of Asia prevail, especially under Mehmed II (I45I-I48I).
Unfortunately, we have no information about Laonikos's
movements after I447. Scholars have wanted to situate him
against a Western humanist context and place him (on no
evidence whatsoever) either in Venice or in Venetian Crete.
This bias is partly due to the attraction exerted by the ca-
reer of his faroous cousin (?) Demetrios Chalkokondyles,
who relocated to Italy, took up the chair of Greek estab-
lished at Padua by the Venetian senate in I463, and was a
major player in the dissemination of Greek learning. 9 We
should resist this reading. Laonikos was not writing in the
I490S, as used to be believed, but in the I460s, when there
were few Italians who could read his level of Greek. At-
tempts to identifY him with individuals mentioned in other
ix
 INTRODUCTION
sources fai1. l0 Laonikos was writing for a Greek audience,
r INTRODUCTION
most likely in postconquest Constantinople. That was
where the first extant manuscript of the Histories was cop-
ied,ll only a few years after the work acquired its final form.
Moreover, he reveals no bias against the Turks or Islam and
does not overtly support a Crusade, which his cousin was
calling for at the same time. In his reporting and some of
his sources, Laonikos is rooted in the transitional world
of the postconquest Balkans; for example, he had access to
Mehmed Irs accountants and may have attended the cir-
cumcision of the sultan's sons at Adrianople in 1457. 12 His
knowledge of the West, by contrast, is spotty and often gar-
bled. The Histories is a post-Byzantine work, not a protohu-
manistone.
THE HISTORIES: STRUCTURE, MODELS,
SOURCES, AND STYLE
Laonikos is one of the four Greek historians of the Fall of
Constantinople: the other three are the anti-Turkish and
pro-Union Doukas, writing at the same time but indepen-
dently; Kritoboulos, who wrote a panegyrical account of the
early years of the reign of Mehmed II, studiously avoiding
the question of religion throughout, and who may have
known Laonikos's Histories; and the anti-Turkish and anti-
Union Sphrantzes, whose scattered notes about his own ca-
reer are not exactly a work of history. These works are dra-
matically different from each other in terms of structure,
style, and outlook, and Laonikos is the least studied among
them.
The Histories is basically an attempt to write a new He-
x xi
rodotos for the fifteenth century. The backbone of the nar-
rative is the sequence and conquests of the Ottoman sul-
tans, exactly the role played in Herodotos by the Persian
kings. Greek history is again related in pieces and inter-
ludes, against the backdrop of barbarian history. Laonikos
does write as a Greek-praising the Greek language and
hoping for the restoration of a national Greek kingdom in
the future-but his narrative focus is Turkish. He presents
the conquest of Constantinople, for example, through Ot-
toman eyes, just as Herodotos's narrative follows Xerxes's
expedition from Asia into Europe. Moreover, Laonikos crit-
icizes no one in his work as harshly as he does the Greek
kings and rulers, for the incompetence that cost them their
freedom. He praises many Ottoman conquerors, especially
the early sultans, and seems to be neutral toward the Turks
and Muslims in general, though he criticizes the cruelty of
Mehmed II, especially in Books 9-10.
The Histories begins by tracing the prehistory of both
Greeks and Turks (starting with the god Dionysos and the
Oguz, respectively), their stories slowly coalescing at some
point in the early fourteenth century. The narrative be-
comes increasingly more detailed and focused. Book 1 ends
with the first battle ofKosovo.in '389, after which a steadier
sequence of historical events follows the succession of the
sultans, except for Book 3, which focuses on the reign of
Timur. The narrative becomes more detailed as it reaches
the time of composition (ca. 1464); the final three books are
devoted to the first twelve years of Mehmed II.
There is not a single date in the Histories, probably the
result of a zealous attempt to imitate Herodotos, which re-
sults in many chronological errors. Book 1 is especially gar-
 INTRODUCTION
bled: Laonikos has no framework (other than the sequence
of the sultans) by which to coordinate events, and so he was
often unable to integrate Ottoman and non-Ottoman his-
tory when his sources did not do it for him. He seems to
have relied primarily on oral sources in any case. There is no
evidence, for instance, that he had access to the works of
the last Byzantine historians, Nikephoros Gregoras and 10-
annes Kantakouzenos, whose narratives end in the 13605, so
he was just as much on his own before that decade as after. 13
His coverage of early Ottoman history bears the imprint
of Turkish oral (or at least poetic) tradition, as shown by a
comparison between his account and the earliest Ottoman
sources. 14 Laonikos was essentially an Ottoman historian,
albeit one writing in Greek and enmeshed in the classical
tradition. In his coverage of the early phase of Turkish ex-
pansion, many of his episodes are clearly modeled on pas-
sages in Herodotos, which he has adapted. But this feature
rarely appears after Book I (e.g., in Book 3, Timur's war
against the Golden Horde is modeled on Darius's campaign
against the Skythians). And as he comes closer to the pres-
ent, his narrative becomes less garbled chronologically and
more detailed. It is especially valuable as a primary source
for events after '42' (the accession of Murad II).
Another Herodotean feature of the Histories, which also
sets it apart from the middle Byzantine tradition, is its eth-
nographic and geographic digressions. Laonikos pauses to
comment on the location and customs of many people, from
Britain to Arabia and Central Asia. He characterizes most
nations positively and reveals no religious bias. These di-
gressions are fascinating for being the products of a Byzan-
tine, but they are not always reliable or informative. Laoni-
xii
INTRODUCTION
kos tends to make generic comments about abstract cultural
categories: e.g., the French are arrogant and have a more
luxurious way of life than the Italians; the Russians follow
the Greeks in religion, the Germans the pope. His coverage
of the recent history of Italy is the fullest (though an Ital-
ian might cringe at some of the errors), followed by that of
Spain and France (and the Hundred Years' War). Book 3 con-
tains most of his information on Muslim peoples and Asia,
including an excursus on the tenets and practices of Islam.
There are some mistakes (e.g., Muhammad's tomb is not at
Mecca, and the hajj does not involve a pilgrimage to it), but
he also attempts to counter Christian slanders against Islam
(e.g., the accusation that the tomb was believed to float in
the air). Laonikos can also be shown to have used the West-
ern roman tradition for his information about Charlemagne
and possibly also about battles in Spain and the Hundred
Years' War. IS This complements his use of oral Turkish tra-
dition, making him a valuable source for oral history in the
fifteenth century. It seems that he preferred this type of ma-
terial over histories and chronicles, resulting in an episodic
and romantic coverage of foreign history, all transposed
onto a high Thucydidean register of Greek prose.
Laonikos's foreign information peters out for all regions
in the mid-1450s, which suggests that he had by then col-
lected most of that material, possibly with the aim of writ-
ing nine books that would begin, like Herodotos's Histories,
with ethnography linked to barbarian expansion, and end
with the final conquest of Constantinople, the Pelopon-
nese, and Trebizond.
The Histories tacitly breaks from Byzantine tradition. La-
onikos does not mention any previous Greek or Byzantine
xiii
 INTRODUCTION
historian. He was not at all interested in the Roman and
Christian dimensions of Byzantine civilization, preferring,
like his master Plethon, to view the Byzantines exclusively
as Greeks. For example, he calls their former capital Byzan-
tion and not Constantinople, and he tries to avoid mention-
ing Constantine. He has no interest in the details of Chris-
tian disputes, as he probably stood with Plethon outside the
Christian tradition. While he does not mention Herodo-
tos and Thucydides, his prose style imitates and combines
theirs in curious ways.16 He emulates the syntactical com-
plexity and obscurity ofThucydides, making his text some-
times difficult or impossible to understand. The prose is re-
petitive, minimalist, and dry. There are hardly any poetic
allusions, metaphors, or images. More generally, Laonikos
exhibits a kind ofThucydidean austerity that moderates po-
tential Herodotean flights of fancy. There are no tall tales in
the Histories, or strange creatures at the ends of the earth, no
dreams, visions, miracles, or gods; there are few anecdotes
and almost no humor. Motivation of his protagonists is re-
stricted to the ambition to conquer and the fear of being
conquered. It is in such terms that the ancient drama of
East versus West, or of Asia versus Europe, plays out in the
Histories.
NOTE ON THE TRANSLATION
In the sixteenth century Laonikos's Histories was translated
loosely into Latin and French. In the twentieth century it
was translated fully only into Romanian and partially into
English, Turkish, and Modern Greek (see the Bibliography).
This is the first complete English translation.
xiv
INTRODUCTION
Laonikos's style presents many challenges, in part be-
cause the Histories was left unrevised and probably uncor-
rectedYThere are numerous grammatical errors, and these
may be attributable more to the author than to the few
cOpyists who transmitted the text between him and our
(very early) first witness, Par. gr. '780. Case endings often
have to be changed so that sentences make sense; the sub-
ject of genitive absolute clauses is sometimes also the sub-
ject of the main clause of a sentence, violating the rules of
Greek grammar; there are abrupt and unannounced changes
of subject even within individual sentences, and subjects are
not always identified, so that translation requires an uncom-
fortable degree of guesswork. There are often two "kings" or
"rulers" interacting in some passages, and it is sometimes
hard to know who is meant each time, and other passages
are syntactically garbled or corrupted in the transmission.
As a result, there are many parts of the text whose mean-
ing remains opaque despite the best efforts of expert phi-
lolOgists to decipher them. I have tried to give what we take
to be the intended sense, but there is room for more guess-
work. Still, most of the Histories is not in such a bad state.
The prose, as mentioned above, is repetitive, minimalist,
and dry, and so the translation will sometimes have those
qualities too. Punctuation is one area where a new edition of
the Greek text can be dramatically improved. As it stands,
the punctuation feels almost as if it was randomly placed,
but in English I have tried to break the text into coherent
sentences and clauses. I have introduced the term "sultan"
to clarity passages full of generic "kings" (see below), and I
often name subjects where they are not specified by Laoni-
kos and are unclear from the context.
xv
 INTRODUCTION
The text is divided into ten books (the first five of which
appear in this volume, and the remaining five in volume 2,
DOML 34), but the section divisions beyond that (between
60 and lID per book) are introduced here for the first time.
The corresponding volume numbers and page numbers of
the latest critical edition of the Greek text, that by E.
Dark6, which is reproduced here (see the Note on the Text),
are given in square brackets within the facing Greek text.
The notes also posed a challenge. The policy of the Dumbar-
ton Oaks Medieval Library is to limit notes to what is ab-
solutely necessary, but the Histories range over the entire
known world from Portugal to Central Asia, and readers
cannot be presumed to know all the people, places, and
events mentioned in the narrative. In these days of extreme
specialization, there is no guarantee that even Byzantinists
will know the basics of Ottoman history, or vice versa, to say
nothing of material that ranges farther afield. Therefore, to
make the two volumes accessible to the broadest possible
audience, the notes clarity most references in the text and
correct some of the major errors. I have stopped short, how-
ever, of giving a detailed commentary, because there is no
space and that is not the goal of the series. A separate note
must now be made on how I have rendered names, places,
titles, and some technical terms.
NOTE ON NAMES, TERMS, AND TITLES
Laonikos uses classical ethnonyms for contemporary peo-
ples (e.g., he calls the French Celts, the Hungarians Paioni-
ans, the Wallachians Dacians). In most cases, I have used the
modern names in the translation; the reader can in any case
xvi
INTRODUCTION
easily glance over at the Greek version. The exceptions are
a few names that cannot easily be deciphered (e.g., the As-
syrians in 2.9, 3.36) and the Skythians, by whom Laonikos
means the Mongols, but not only them: like many Byzantine
writers, he seems to have believed in a Skythian type that
remained in existence from antiquity to the present. So I
have left that term as is, because "Skythian" was a charged
ethnonym in the Byzantine worldview; designating the no-
madic alternative to settled agricultural and urban life.
I have also used the geographical names that correspond
to the modern ethnonyms, except where Laonikos uses
well-known classical toponyms. In a few cases, I have con-
verted his classical place names to Byzantine ones, e.g.,
Sparta to Mistra and Epidauros (Limera) to Monembasia.
Some of his place-names cannot easily be deciphered and so
they have been left as they are, e.g., what he calls "Hun-
garian Wallachia" (Paionodakia), which must roughly corre-
spond to Transylvania, except that he also uses the name Ar-
deal, which means roughly the same. I have used the term
Byzantion for the city ("Byzantium" is a modern term,
which refers to the empire as a whole). The Appendix lists
the "classical" forms of place-names and ethnonyms that La-
onikos used.
As for personal names, I have generally used the forms
that correspond to their current "native" spellings, though
in this matter there is much variation in scholarly conven-
tions,18 and culturally sensitive spellings that are established
today were not always the forms used in the fifteenth cen-
tury, In any case, there is no justification for the Latinization
or Anglicization of Byzantine names, which I have spelled
as they are in the Greek (e.g., Ioannes, Theodoros). The ex-
xvii
 INTRODUCTION
ceptions are Manuel and Michael, which Laonikos, going
against Byzantine convention, renders as Emmanouelos and
Michaelos, possibly in order to formalize or further Helle-
nize them. I use their more familiar forms.
Laonikos's political vocabulary is minimalist, again be-
cause of his imitation of Herodotos. He has "kings" (basi-
leus), autonomous or subordinate "rulers" (hegemon), and
"lords" or "governors" under them (archon). He does not use
the plethora of distinctive titles that we encounter in mod-
ern histories, e.g., sultan, emir, emperor, tsar, voivode, etc.
The only exception to this pattern is what we call "the em-
peror of the Romans," but this title he reserves only for the
Western emperors. He marks the difference between a king
(basileus) and an emperor by using for the latter the Byzan-
tine title basileus kai autokrator. What we call the "emperor of
Byzantium" was for him only a national king, and the "king
of the Greeks" at that (or "the king of Byzantion," meaning
the city). Laonikos was among the first theorists to argue
that the Byzantines were not Romans as they claimed to be,
but Greeks (1.5), a thesis that has been very influential in the
modern field of Byzantine Studies from Edward Gibbon to
Konstantinos Paparrigopoulos and Speros Vryonis. He was
emphatic that the ruler of these Greeks was not an "em-
peror," so it would be a distortion of both his practice and
that of the Byzantines to use the term "emperor of the
Greeks." There has never been such a thing.
Laonikos's minimalism is deliberate and we should not
lightly override it, imposing a host of terms on his text that
are foreign to its outlook. However, so many kings are diffi-
cult to tell apart, especially when they appear in the same
sentence without their personal names. What I have done
xviii
INTRODUCTION
to clarifY the narrative is to supply their names more often
than Laonikos does, and I call the protagonists of the Histo-
ries, namely the Ottoman rulers, sultans rather than kings,
again for the purpose of clarity. It is important for the reader
to know that Laonikos does not distinguish them in this
way.
Finally, Laonikos uses ancient units of measurement for
distance, weight, and volume. There is no way to know
whether he understood their values to be the same as those
that we assign to them today based on the ancient sources
and archaeological evidence. Some he uses only once, and
they are explained in the notes to those passages. These two
he uses often: a "stade" is a unit of length roughly equal
to 183 meters (600 feet), and a "talent" is a unit of weight
roughly equal to 26 kilograms (57 pouuds). Turkish terms
from the Ottoman administration and army that Laonikos
occasionally uses are explained in the notes the first time
they occur: readers can find those passages by looking up
the terms in the Index.
I have incurred many debts while working on this project.
Ian Mladjov drew up about a quarter of the notes, and, if
the series allowed for a "busier" title page, his contribution
might have been acknowledged there too; he also helped
me resolve problems of dating and spelling and made the
excellent maps that accompany the volume. I have not al-
ways followed his recommendations, which may have been a
mistake. The first draft of my translation benefited from a
thorough scouring by the most intimidating team of philol-
ogists a Byzantinist can ask for: Alice-MaryTalbot, the mov-
xix
 INTRODUCTION
ing force behind the Greek subseries; Richard Greenfield;
Niels Gaul; and]ohn Duffy. I thank all the members of this
"dream team" for their detailed comments that corrected
errors in the translation and improved the flow of my Eng-
lish. Their many hours of work are appreciated, and Laoni-
kos cannot have been an easy assignment. Further help with
difficult passages was provided at all stages by Charis Messis
and Stephanos Efthymiades.]ane Hathaway, my colleague at
OSU, deserves special mention for reading the entire trans-
lation and providing detailed information on matters Ot-
toman and Islamic, much of which I have included in the
notes. A reliable and enthusiastic source of information on
all matters relating to the fifteenth century has been Marios
Philippides, whom I have consulted frequently; he has of-
ten set me straight." Finally, I thank also all those whom I
have pestered over the years with questions about Laonikos
and his age and who have given me both information and
insight: Ashhan Alu§Jk, Alexander Alexakis, Patrick Baker,
Daniele Bianconi, Bruce Fudge, Thierry Ganchou, Tim
Greenwood, Walter Hanak, Scott Kennedy, Han Lamers,
Scott Levi, Tim Miller, David Niremberg, Inmaculada Perez
Martin, Parvaneh Pourshariati, Steve Rapp, Dean Sakel,
Stefan Stantchev, Rudolf Stefec, Niketas Siniossoglou,
Vasileios Syros,]ulia Verkholantsev, and Diana Wright.
NOTES
I We infer Laonikos's date of birth from the territories remaining to By-
zantium that he lists at Histories 1.8. His father's name is given by Kyriacus:
see below. The family name was probably Chalkokondyles, which "Laoni-
kos" classicized to Chalkokandyles.
2 Histories 6.50-52.
xx
INTRODUCTION
3 Cyriac of Ancona: Later Travels, tr. E. D. Bodnar (with C. Foss) (Cam-
bridge, .Mass., 2003), 298-301.
4 Histories 7.19-25.
5 Kaldellis, "The Date."
6 For these aspects of Plethon's influence on Laonikos, see Kaldellis, A
New Herodotos.
7 For the text, see A. Turyn, The Byzantine Manuscript Tradition ofthe Trag-
edies ofEuripides (Urbana, Ill., 1957), 230 n. 212a. The translation is my own.
The history of the manuscript is discussed in detail in Kaldellis, A New
Herodotos, Appendix 4.
8 Histories I.3.
9 D. J. Geanakoplos, Interaction of the "Sibling" Byzantine and Western Cul-
tures in the Middle Ages and Italian Renaissance U30-I600) (New Haven,
Conn., 1976), 241-64-
IO Kaldellis, A New Herodotos, Appendix I.
II See the Note on the Text below.
12 Histories 8.78 and 8.69-71, respectively.
13 Kaldellis, ''The Greek Sources."
14 Kaldellis, A New Herodotos, ch. 4.
15 E.g., M. Morfakidis and E. Motos Guirao, "Un pasaje de Laonicos
Calcocondylas relativo a la batalla de la Higueruela y a sus consecuencias
inmediatas," in Relaciones exteriores del Reino de Granada: IV Coloquio de His-
toria medievalAndaluza, ed. C. Segura Geaino (Almeria, 1988), 71-82.
16 For specific borrowings from Herodotos, see the list in Kaldellis, A
New Herodotos, Appendix 3; and from Thucydides, see F. Rodel, "Zur
Sprache des Laonikos Chalkondyles und des Kritobulos aus Imbros," Pro-
gramm des kOniglichen humanistischen Gymnasiums Ingolstadt I904-I905 (Mu-
nich, 1905), 12-34.
17 See the Note on the Text below.
18 I have followed the scholarly conventions for late Seljuk studies for the
rendering of Turkish proper names, although they differ from those used
by Ottomanists; thus :Ala' ai-Din for the Seljuk sultan, versus Alaeddin for
an Ottoman Turk of the same name.
19 In fact, many decades ago Marios had himself hammered out a draft
translation of the Histories on a typewriter, but he did not have enough
confidence in its reliability to publish it. It was subsequently lost,
xxi
 INTRODUCTION

but Marias remembered that he had sent a copy to Stephen Reinert

(now at Rutgers). I contacted Stephen who graciously tracked it down,
scanned it, and sent it to me. Marios warned me not to rely on his trans-
lation, and I did not, but in the treacherous prose of Laonikos all help
is welcome.

E HISTORIES

xxii
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8Eav n Kal aKof]v a<j>IYflevwv e~ l<Trop[av ~uyyeypan1:al
1:a8E, W(nE 8f] xpeo~ 1:0U1:0 EK1:IVUVal -rft <j>U<1El ilfla o[oflE-
VO~ Kal fl'18ev aU1:wv aKAEw~ EXEIV e~ 1:oiJ~ e1ClYlyvoflEVOU~
!;UvEvEx8ev-rwv, w~ eflol 80KEl, ou8aflfi EAa<1<1oVWv 1:WV
Ka1:a -ri]v OiKouflEV'1V n01:e YEvoflEVWV flvi]fl'1~ a~[wv. Tij~
1:E 'Elli]vwv <j>'1fll1:EAEV1:ij~ 1:a E~ [I.2} -ri]v apxf]v all1:wv
E1Cl<1Vfl~E~'1K01:a, Kal ToupKwv Enl flEya 8uvaflEw~ Kal enl
fltYI<TrOV 1:WV nWn01:E ~8'1 a<j>IKoflevwv. 1\<j>' wv 8f] 1:f]v
1:0U8E 1:0U ~[ou Eu8atflov(av Enl1:avav-r[a <j>EPOflEV'1V Enl-
AEyoflEVO~ lO"XEIV au-rft Kal illlo1:E illlw~, 8Efll~ t1yoUflat
ElVat nEpl afl<j>olv 1:0U1:0IV flvi]fl'1v nOIEI<18al OUK aEIKij.
Suyypa<j>i]v 8e 1:i]V8E an08ElKvuflEVOl Enlflv'1<10flE8a Kal
nEpl ilAAWV 1:WV Ka1:a -ri]v OiKouflEV'1V YEvoflEVWV, ollK
afl<j>l1:ov8E 1:ev En' EfloU Xpovov, ol~ 1:E all1:o~ napEYEvofl'1v
8ea<1aflEVO~, Kal 1:aAAa ano 1:E 1:0U elK01:0~, flCLAI<Tra 8e
<1Vfl~all6flEvo~, Kal w~ E1:lnapa 1:WV 1:a afleLvw <j>povouv-
1:WV E86KOUV nU8E<18at nEpl aU1:wv, CIA" ii ltv el~ flCLAI<Tra
EXOI w~ a<1<j>aAe<Tra1:a Enl1:o ilflEIVOV CIA'18eLa~ elpij<18al.
2 Mi] 8e EKElVO yE nCLVV eK<j>aUAW~ EXOV t1 fllV, w~ 'Ell'1-
VIKfi <j>wvfi 1:aU1:a 8IE~lflEV, Enei ~ ye 1:WV 'Elli]vwv <j>Wvf]
2 3
Book!
Laonikos the Athenian has written here, in the form of
a history, the events that came to his attention during his
lifetime, both those that he witnessed and those he heard
about. He thought in this way to pay back the debt that he
owed to Nature, believing also that none of the events he
included should be forgotten by future generations. In my
opinion, those events are in no way less worthy of being re-
membered than any that have ever tal<en place anywhere in
the world. I am referring to the fall of the Greeks and the
events surrounding the end of their realm"and to the rise of
the Turks to great power, greater than that of any other pow-
erful people to date. Realizing that the happiness of this life
tends to reverse itself, being sometimes in one state and at
others in its opposite, I believe it is proper to leave a fitting
record of these two peoples. In writing this history we will
recount also other events that happened throughout the
world, not all of which occurred during my own time; some
I was able to witness personally, others I describe based on
the most reasonable conjecture that I have been able to
form about them. Moreover, it has seemed to me appropri-
ate to consult those who know better about these things,
but only insofar as that might enable me to speal< as accu-
rately as possible and with the highest degree of veracity.
Let no one disparage us for recounting these matters in 2
the Greek language, for the language of the Greeks has
 THE HISTORIES
reOAAaXfi ava TIJv OLKOUflEV'lV 8ltemap'tat Kat cruxval, Ey-
Ka'taflEfllK'tat. Kat KAto, fli:v ao'tn flEya 'to reapau't[Ka,
flElSOV 8i: Kat t, aUe", oreo'tE 8~ ava ~acrlAdav 00 'l'aUA'lV
"EAA'lV n ao'to, ~acrlAEu, Kat E!; ao'tou EcrofiEvol ~acrlAEl"
or 8~ Kat ol 'tWV 'EAA"VWV rea18E, ;UAAEYOfiEVOl Ka'ta 'ta
cr'l'WV au'twv te'fla w, ~8lcr'ta fli:v cr'l'LcrlV ao'tol" 'tol, 8i:
liAAOl, w, Kpa'tlcr-ra reoAl'tEUOlV'tO.
3 "EAA'lVE, flEV ouv ocra areo8ElKVUflEVOl tpya flEyaAa 'tE
Kat {L3] reEp"pavij Eret flEya a'l'iKOV'tO KAto, Ka'ta 'tE liAAa
Kat Eopwre'lv Kai 8~ Kat Al~U'lV, Erei famv 'tE Kat 'ilKE-
avov Kat Eret KauKacrov £'tl tAauVOV'tE" Eret 'tau'ta 8i: repo-
EA'lAUeO'tWV liAAWV n reOAAWV Kat 8~ Kat 'HpaKAEOU, Kat
t'tl reponpov L).LOVUcrOU 'tou LEfltA'l' uito" Kai repo, yE t'tl
AaKE8atflov[wv Kat Ae'lva[wv, flE'ta 8i: 'tau'ta MaKE86vwv
'tou ~acrlAtw, Kat TIJV 'tOU'tou ilcrnpov ~yEflovLav EX0V'tWV,
reOAAOt reoAAaXfi £Kacr-ra, W, tyEVOV'tO, liAAOl Erelflv'lcraflE-
VOL Kat cruvEypa",av'to. "EAA'lVE, fli:v ouv 'tau'ta 8lErepa't-
'tov'to Eret reoAu W, flaAlcr-ra 'tou Xpovou 8laYEvofiEVOl Kai
Eret cruXVa, YEVEa, ""'X1']v apE~, Ev8EC! crxOV'tE, clreav'ta-
XOU, ;UflflE'tPOV 8i: 008aflou.
'Eret 'tou'twv 'tE yap reoAAaxn ava TIJv OLKouflEV'lV E08al-
4
floVOUV'twv Acrcrup[ou, fli:v 'to reaAato'ta'tov EreUeoflEea
aKOn tret 'to flV"fI'l, flaKpo'ta'tov a'l"KofiEVO' Eret 't~v ~,
Acr[a, apx~v repoEA'lAuetVat, flE'ta 8i: 'tau'ta M,,80u, E,
'tou'to Kae,cr'tafltvou,j~Y'lcrafiEvou Ap~aKEW 'tou Lap8a-
vareaAou Acrcrup[wv ~acrlAtw, TIJv "YEflovlav a'l'EAofltvou,
ileJ'tEpov lJTCO I1EPcrWV TIJv ~acrlAdav areo~aAElv "youfltvou
4 5
BOOK I
spread to many places throughout the world and has mixed
with many other languages. It is already exceedingly presti-
gious and will be even more so in the future, when a king
who is Greek himself, along with the kings that follow af-
ter him, will rule over a substantial kingdom. There the sons
of the Greeks may finally be gathered together and govern
themselves according to their own customs, in a manner
that is most favorable for themselves and from a position of
strength with regard to other peoples.
Many others have, at various times, made records and 3
written the history of each of the deeds of the Greeks as
they occurred: their great and glorious achievements by
which they attained such great fame in so many places, in-
cluding Europe and Africa, and then when they marched
even as far as the Ganges, the surrounding Ocean, and the
Caucasus. l Among many others, Herakles especially had
reached such places and, even earlier, Dionysos, the son of
Semele; then again, the Lakedaimonians and the Athenians,
and after them the king of the Macedonians 2 and those who
succeeded to his throne later on. The Greeks accomplished
these things over a long period of time and in the course
of many generations, but their virtue was everywhere lack-
ing in comparison to the fortune they enjoyed, and nowhere
commensurate to it.
While they were enjoying this good fortune in many 4
places throughout the world, it was the Assyrians who first
attained dominion over Asia. We have heard this byextend-
ing our inquiries into the most remote depths of human
memory. After that, the Medes took their place under the
leadership of Arbakes,3 who seized control from Sardana-
palos, the Assyrian king. 4 Later they too lost this hegemony
 THE HISTORIES
Kupcv 'tcv KIlfl~uO'ew, Kill IUpO'Il<; 'to curo 'tcvSe btL fleYIl
XWpijO'Ill Svvaflew<; 'ta 'te aAAIl KilL S~ KilL e<; Evpw7t1'JV
Slll~av'te<;. Me'ta Sf; 'tllV'tll iJO"tepcv cv nCAAIlI<; yevelll<;
l\Ae~IlVSpCV 'tov <PlA[nncv, (I.4J MIlKeS6vwv ~IlO'lAEIl
ITepO'Il<; a<peA6f1evcv ~v ~yeflcv[Ilv KilL 'IvScu<; KIl'tll-
O"tpetaflevcv KilL Al~U'l<; flclPllv CVK OA[Y']V, npo<; Sf; KilL
Evpwn'l<;, 'tcI<; fle9' '"V'tOV ~v ~Il<YlAelllV KIl'tllAmelv.
5 'E<; il S~ 'Pwfl"[cv<; EnL 't~v 'tij<; clKcvflev'l<; fley[O''t'lv
apx~v a<plKoflevov<;, lO'c'taAIlV'tcv f.XCV'tll<; ""X'lv 'tfi ape'tfi,
E1Cl'tpet"V't"<; 'Pwfl'lv 't<ii fley[O"t'l' IlV'tWV apXlepel KilL Slll-
~av'tll<; e<; ElpqK'lv, u<P'lYCVflEVOV enL 'taSe 'tcv ~IlO'lAew<;,
KaL ElpqK'l<; Enl xwpav, ~'tl<; e<; ~v AO'[av Eyyv'ta'tw <!\K'l-
'tal, Bv~av'tLOv 'EAA'lv[Sa n6Alv fI'l'tp6ncAlv O'<pqv anc-
SelKvuv'ta<;, npo<; ITepO'a<;, u<p' wv aV~KeO''ta Enen6vgelO'av,
'tov aywva nOlelO'91ll, "EAA'lva<; 'te'to ano 'tcvSe 'Pwfla[Ol<;
av'tcv Enlfllyvuv'ta<;, yAwnav fI£v Kal ~9'l Sla 'to nCAAQ
nAecva<; 'Pwfla[wv "EAA'lva<; au'tcv EnlKpa'telv Sla 'teAcv<;
<pVAa~al, 'tcllvcfla flev'tCl fI'lKe'tl Ka'ta 'to na'tpLOv KaAcv-
flevcv<; aAAa~aO'91ll, KaL 'tcu<; ye ~a<YlAel<; Bv~av't[cv EnL't<ii
O'<pii<; av'tcu<; 'Pwfl"[wV ~aO'lAel<; 'te KaL av'tcKpa'tcpa<;
O'eflvuveO'91ll anCKaAelV, 'EAA~VWV Sf; ~aO'lAel<; oUKE'tl
cuSaflfi a~LOvv.
6 Tcu<; flev'tCl 'Pwfla[ov<; Env96f1e9a Kal IlV'tWV apXlepea
'tov fleYlO''tOv CVK OA[Yll ana Ka'ta ~v 9p'l<YKelav ano
nCAAwv hwv Slevexgev'ta<; SlaKeKp[O'9al 'ta 'te aAAa a<p'
'EAA~VWV, KaL S~ KilL ~a<YlAEa 'Pwfla[wv En"lt'1<pl~cflevcv<;,
o't£ flEv ano raAa'twv, o't£ S£ (I.5J ano repflavwv, E<; 't6vSe
ael 'tov Xp6vcv ancSelKvuvlll. blllnpeO'~eueO'91ll S£ alel
6 7
BOOK I
to the Persians, whO' were led by Cyrus, the scn of Camby-
ses. From this point cn, the pcwer of the Persians became
great as is seen in many ways, but especially by their crossing
over into Europe. Not many generations after that, Alexan-
der, the son of Philip and king of the Macedonians, seized
control from the Persians and conquered the Indians as well
as a large porticn cf Africa, in addition to Europe. He left
this kingdcm to his successcrs.
At that point the Romans attained the greatest realm in 5
the world, because their virtue was in proportion to' their
fcrtune. They entrusted Rcme to their great pontiff and
crossed over into Thrace under the command of their king.'
In the land ofThrace, which is the closest to Asia, they made
the Greek city ofByzantion their capital for carrying on the
struggle against the Persians, at whose hands they had suf-
fered such terrible things. From this point on, the Greeks
mixed with the Romans in this place, and because many
mcre Greeks ruled there than Romans, their language and
customs ultimately prevailed, but they changed their name
and no longer called themselves by their hereditary one.
They saw fit to call the kings of Byzantion by a title that
dignified them, "emperors of the Romans," but never again
"kings cf the Greeks.'"
We have learned that, after the Romans and their great 6
pontiff had diverged for many years and in many ways from
the Greeks with respect to religion, they also set themselves
apart in cther matters, especially in electing for themselves
a king of the Romans, sometimes from among the French
and sometimes among the Germans, and they have contin-
ued to appoint one down to the present time. Yet they are
 THE HISTORIES
1tpO, -rou, "EAAlpa" OUK g'TTlV o-re SlaAei1tov-ra" wcr-re-ra
E, ep1']<YKeiav crcplcrl ;ufLcpwva -re Kat ;ov'!'Sa Ka-racr-r~crat
aAA~AOl" Ka-ra -rau-ro ;ovlov-ra,. Kat fLtV-rOl "EM1']va, fL~
EeeA~crat 'PwfLalol, Sla Xpovoo crofLcpepOfL£vOl,' -ra 1thpla
crcplcrl Kaeecr-rw-ra crorxtat. Kat a1to -rau-r1'], S~ -r~, Sla-
cpopa, croxvou, -re -rwv Ecr1teplwv Kat S~ Kat 'Eve-rou"
Evayov-ro, E1tt -raSe -roil 'PwfLalwv apXleptw" cr-roA,!, cr-rpa-
-reuecreat fLeyaA,!, E1tt -rOU, "EM1']va, Kat E1tlov-ra, E, -ro
Bo~av-rLOv acplKtcrea, Kat Bo~av-rloo -r~v 1tOAlV Ka-ra
Kpa-ro, EAe'iv. BacrtAta -re Bo~aVTloo Kat 'EAA~vwv -rOU,
aplcr-roo, olxecreal Sla~av-re, E, ~v Acrlav, acplKofLtvoo,
Sf. C<1tOSelKVuval crcplcrl NlKalav ~v 'EAA1']vlSa 1tOAlV, Tit
~acrLAela EV au-rft 1tOLOofLtvoo,. Me-ra Sf. -rail-ra ou 1tOAAOt,
g-recrlV ucr-repov a1toAa~e'iv -re ailel, Bo~av-rLOv, Kpucpa etcr-
eA1']Aoeo-ra, E, ~v 1tOAlV, Kat E, -r~v Eupw1t1']V ail Sla~av­
-ra, Slayevtcreat EV au'rft ~acrlAeuov-ra,.
7 BacrlAta Sf. 'EM~VWV fLETa -rail-ra 'Iwavv1']v E1tt ;opoil
aKfL~' ~S1'] alcreofLevov Tit 'EAA~vwv 1tpaYfLa-ra, Aa~ov-ra
-re -rOU, Bo~av-rloo apXlepe'i, Kat 'EM~VWV -rOU, EMoylfL oo "
Sla1tAeilcral a1tlov-ra t, 'I-raAlav, E, ye -rov a1tO ToupKwv
£1t1']P-r1']fL£vOV ot KlvSovov E1tlKooplav olofLevo, olcrecreat,
[r.6} ~v EKeiVOl, -ra Ka-ra ~v ep1']<YKeiav ;OfL~ft. revofLevov
Sf. EV '!TaAlq Kat KOlvwcrafLevov -rQ 'PwfLalwv apXlepe'i ~v
1tep! -r~v ep1']crKeiav Slacpopav, ei, SlaAe;lv fL£V-rOl Ka-ra-
cr~Vat 1toAo1tpaYfLovoilv-ra" -reAw-rwv-ra Sf ;ofL~~val au-
-rQ afLa -rOt, "EM1']crl Tit Ka-ra -r~v Slacpopav crcplcrl ;ov'!'Sa
a1tOSelKWfL£voo, Ka! ~v Slacpopav crcplcrl SlaAoofLtvoo"
E1tlKoopla, Sf. -roxov-ra EV fLtpel a1toKofLl~ecreat ailel, E1t!
8 9
BOOK I
always sending embassies to the Greeks-indeed, there has
been no time when they let up in this effort-in order to es-
tablish religious concord with them and an accord between
I
I the two sides, and thus create unity concerning this. But af-
ter they had thus treated with the Romans for some time,
\ the Greeks were unwilling to mix up their own established
! ancestral customs with theirs. Because of this disagreement
and at the instigation of the pontiff of the Romans, many
westerners and especially the Venetians mustered a great ex-
pedition against the Greeks 7 They set out, came to Byzan-
tion, and seized the city of Byzantion by force. The king
of Byzantion and the leading Greeks departed and crossed
over into Asia. When they arrived, they chose the Greek
city of Nikaia for themselves, and established their royal
court there. A few years later they recovered Byzantion
again by secretly entering the city,8 and, crossing back into
Europe, they once more ruled from there.
After this Ioannes was the king of the Greeks and he real- 7
ized that the affairs of the Greeks stood already upon the
razor's edge.' He thus took the senior clergy from Byzan-~
tion and the most learned Greeks and set sail for Italy, hop-
ing that he would receive assistance against the impending
Turkish threat, proVided that he reached an agreemeM with
them on religious matters. He arrived in Italy and consulted
with the pontiff of the Romans regarding their religious dif-
ferences. This led to long and detailed discussions of many
matters, but, finally, he reached an agreement with him and
at the same time with the Greeks, and they made";; accord
regarding the differences between them. HaVing resolved
their differences, the king secured partial assistance and
 THE HISTORIES
BtJsav'rlotJ, Tou, l'EVTOl "EAAt]va, t7t' OtK()1J yeV0l'EVOtJ, l'~
tl'l'elVaL -rol<; tv 'ImA[" Kat tv O'tJVOSOl<; 7te7tpaYl'EVOl<;, a;l-
oiiv-ra<; O'<p[O'l l't]Sal'fi .euayE<; elVaL 'PWl'a[Ol<;, W<; S~ l'~
atO'la SL1"XtJP'SOl'EVO'<;, O'1Jv-r[ge0'9aL -ro 7tapa7tav, Kat OVTW
SE Sla<popa S,it -r£AOtJ<; yeVE0'9al "EAAt]O'l Tit 7tpO<; 'Pwl'a[-
OtJ<;. Taii-ra ~V t<; -roO'oii-rov l'Ol a7t0xpWVTW<; exov-ra t1tl-
SeSelX9w 7tep[ -re 'tij<; 'EAA~VWV ~aO'lAela<; Kat Tfj<; t<; 'Pw-
l'a[otJ<; tX01'O'1']<; aUTWV Sla<popii<;, W<; S~ OUK op9w<; -ra ye
t<; ~aO'lAelav Kat t<; -rOUVDl'a au-ro 7tpOO'1']YOpeVeTO -rOVTOl<;.
8 IIapayeV0l'eVO<; l'EV ouv aUTo, eywye t7tt -rOvSe -rOV
~[OV KaT£Aa~ov "EAAt]va<; 'te Kat 'EAA~VWV ~aO'lAea V7tO-re
-rwv tv 8pQ:Kn yevwv 7tpw-ra, l'e-rit Si: Taii-ra Kat ti7t' av-rwv
ye S~ -rWV ~ap~apwv -rfj<; aAAt]<; apxfi<; a7teAt]Aa l'EVOtJ<;,
apxfiv 'tijVSe ~paXelav -rlVa 7tep'£7te'V, BtJsaVTlOV Kat BtJ-
Sav-r[otJ 'tijv Ka-rw 7tapaA[av IIXP'<; 'HpaKAela<; 7tOAeW<;,
[1.7} Ka-ra Si: EU;ElVOV 7tonov 'tijv IIvw 7tapaA[av IIXPl Me-
O't]l'~p[a<; 7toAeW" IIeA07tOvvt]O'ov -re au ;vl'7taO'av 7tA~V ~
-rPlWV ~ 'tenapwv 7tOAeWV -rWV 'EVeTWV, wO'av-rw, Afjl'vov,
"Il'~pov Kat v~O'OtJ<; -rit<; au-roii Tav-rn tv T<ii Aiya[", ';'Kt]-
l'Eva<;. D<; ouv EKaO'Ta -rov-rwv !;tJv£~t] yevE0'9aL, w<; -ra -rWV
'EAA~VWV 7tpaYl'aTa Ka-ra ~paxU cmwAe-rO, <pgelp Ol'eva
U7tO TOVPKWV, Kat w<; -ra tKelVWV l'eyaAa tYEVe-rO, t<; l'Eya
ad t<; TOVSe -rOV XPOVOV iov-ra eUSall'0V[a<;, t1tll'vt]O'ol'e9a
E7te;lOVTe<;, E<p' 1SO'0v S~ t<; TO aKpl~£O'TePOV t7ttJ9ol'e9a.
9 TOVPKOtJ, S~ ouv eYWye OUK o1S' I) -rl iiv KaAeO'a,l" Ka-ra
-ro 7taAalOV, WO'Te -riiAt]90ii<; l'~ Slal'apTelv. Ot l'EV yap
LKtJ9wv a7toyovotJ<; -rou<; TOVPKOtJ<; olov-raL dVaL, 6p96-re-
pov S~ O'tJl'~aAAOl'eVOl7tept au-rwv, S,it TO E<; ~9t] ou 7tOAU
IO
BOOK I
returned to Byzantion. But when the Greeks got home they
did not abide by what had been worked out in Italy and at
the councils, holding that it would not be right at .all for
them to be fully united with the Romans, who did not make
a proper affirmation of the faith, Thus the Greeks remained
at odds with the Romans to the end. As far as I am con-
cerned, I trust this is a sufficient account, for my part at
least, regardmg both the kingdom of the Greeks and their
differences with the Romans, and why theyLO do not call the
kingdom by its proper name.
When I myself was born, I found the Greeks and the 8
king of the Greeks reduced, first by the peoples who live in
Thrace ll and after that by the barbarians!2 who drove them
out of the rest of their territory, to a small realm, namely
ByzantlOn ~nd the coast below Byzart'tion as far as the city
of Heraklela; the coast above by the Black Sea as far as the
city of Mesembria; the entire Peloponnese except only for
three or four cities of the Venetians; and Lemnos, Imbros,
and other inhabited islands of the Aegean in that area.13 I am
thus going to provide a detailed account, as accurately as
I have been. able to ascertain it, of how these things hap-
pened, each m Its turn; that is, how the affairs of the Greeks
were quickly ruined, destroyed by the Turks, and how the
latter rose to greatness, continuously reaching new peaks of
prosperity during this period.
I do not know by what ancient name to call the Turks 9
that would not fall short of the truth about the matter. Some
believe. that the Turks are descendants of the Skythians,'4
which IS quite a reasonable conjecture about them, given
II
 THE HISTORIES
SlEcr't'lKo'ta Ka8lcr-raflevou<; YAwTItj mlVEYYU, flaAa Sla-
Xp~creal E'tl Kat VDV 'tfi au'tfi. LKu8a, 'tE yap <pMl 'to e~So­
flOV ~S'l al'O Tava',So, wPfl'lflevou, Ka'tacr-rpe<pEcr8at 't1)v
iivw Acr[av, IIap8wv 't1)v ~YEflov[av exov'twv, ~v n IIEp-
crwv xwpav Kat M~Swv Kat Acrcrup[wv, flE'til S£ 'taD'ta El'l-
Ka'ta~ana, E, 't1)v Ka'tw Acr[av, El't <ppuy[av, AuS[av 'tE
Kat Kal'l'aSOK[av, 'til E, ~VSE 't~v xwpav Ul'0xdpla cr<p[crl
1'0l~cracr8al. Kat VDV i'cr'tlV tSdv, ii Atyoucrl, 1'0AAiI 'tOD
yevou, 'tou'tou 1'0AAaxfi 't~, Acr[a, tl'lVEfloflEva, l'pO,
LKU8wv [loS} 'twv vOflaSwv ~8'l n Kat S[at'tav 'tE'tpaflflEva
ouSaflfi 't~, Acr[a, i'crxov Ka'ta<pav~ 't~v Sla'tpl~~v. KaKdvn
S£ i''tl crufl~aAAov'tat, w, Acr[a, 't1)v KCl'tW xwpav EVOl-
KODna ~ap~apa i'8v'l ToupKwv,AuSlav, Kap[av, <Ppuy[av
'tE Kat Kal'l'aSOK[av, LKu8al, 't~v al'O Tava',So, El't Lap-
fla't[av xwpav tl'lVEfloflevOl, ofloYAwna 'tE Ecr-rl Kat Ofl6-
O1<Eua.
10 "EvLOl S£ IIap8wv emoyovou, ToupKou, <pacrtv dvat.
Tou'tou, yilp Ul'O LKU8wv 'twv vOflaSwv SlwKoflevou, EC;
't1)v Ka'tw Acr[av tl'lKa'ta~~vat, Kat E, 'to vOflaSlKw'tEpOV
al'oKAlvav'ta, crKESacr8~vat 'tau-rn avil 'til, l'OAEl" Kat
ill'O 'tou'tou w, S~ vOflaSa, ToupKou, 'to ytvo, 'tOD'tO
KaAdcr8al. l\AAol Se <pacrlv al'o ToupK'l' 'twv IIEpcrwv
l'OAEW, flEyaA'l' 'tE Kat EuSalflovo" l'poEA8dv n 'to ytvo,
'tOD'tO SL'crxUp[~ov'tat, Kat ct, 't1)v Ka'tw Xwpav ~, Acr[a,
al'aAAanOflevou, crKESacr8~vat 'tau-rn avil 't1)v Acr[av t1tl-
Ka'tacrxov'ta, 't1)v xwpav. Etcrt S£ Ot ~oUAov'ta, ToupKou,
al'O Lup[a, fli'iAAov~, KOlA'l, Kat Apa~[a, ~ emo LKU8wv
tnt 't~VSE 't1)v xwpav a<plKoflevou, flE'til 'OflapEw 'tOD 't1)v
12
BOOK I
that their customs are not all that different and that their
languages are even now closely related. They say that the
Skythians burst out of the Don region for the seventh time"
and subjugated Greater Asia when the Parthians l6 held sway
there, and then the land of the Persians, Medes, and Assyri-
ans. After this they attacked Asia Minor, specifically Phry-
gia, Lydia, and Kappadokia, and made these lands subject
to themselves. Even today, so they say, it is possible to see
numerous offshoots of this people roaming about in many
parts of Asia, who tend to follow the ways and customs of
the nomadic Skythians and have clearly not settled down in
any particular part of Asia. And they also add that the bar-
barian nations of the Turks who live in Asia Minor, I mean in
Lydia, Karia, Phrygia, and Kappadokia, speak the same lan-
guage and have the same dress as the Skythians who roam
the lands from the Don into Russia.
Others say that the Turks are the descendants of the Par- 10
thians. They were pursued by the nomadic Skythians and
moved down into Asia Minor. Turning to a more nomadic
way of life, they became dispersed among the cities there,
and since then these people have been known as the no-
madic Turks. Others again say that this people had its origin
in Tourke, a large and prosperous city of the Persians. l7 They
affirm that they left it for Asia Minor and became scattered
there, maintaining control over Asia. There are some, how-
ever, who would have it that the Turks came to this land
from Koile Syria and Arabia, rather than from the Skythi-
ans, and that they did so in the company of 'Umar, who
13

THE HISTORIES
vOfloSe<rlav SLaSe!;aflEvou btl 't~v 'tfj<; A<rla<; apx~v TtpO-
eA'1AuSeVaL, Kal 'tav'tY] au'tou Ka'taAwpSEV'ta<; t<; 'to vOfla-
SLKw'tepov aTtoKATvaL. :0.<; flEV OUV 'tov'twv EKa<J"'ta "XeL
aA'1Sela<;, Kal Eq>' Ii {r.9} SEt] 'tov'twv Xwpouv'ta<; Tte18e<rSaL
lifl£LVOV, OVK "xw !;ufI~aAE<rSaL w<; a<rq>aAE<J"'ta'ta. To<rovSe
flEV'tOL etp~<re'taL, w<; 'toT<; aTto LKUSWV yeve<rSaL 't~v apx~v
'tOV'tOL<; SLYrrxupL~oflevoL<; "XOL liv 'tL<; <J"Uflq>epe<rSaL lifl£LVOV,
SLU 'to LKvSa<; 'tou<; tv 'tfi Eupw1t!] Ttpo<; EW E'tL Kal VUV
SLayevoflEvoU<; Ka'tu 't~v ayopuv KaAouflev'1v 'tWV tv 'tft
A<rlq TovpKwv ETtal£Lv ou xaAeTtw<;, SLal'tY] 'te Kal <rKWft E'tL
Kal VUV 'tn au'tfi liflq>w 'tw yevee SLaxpwflevou<;, SLU 'to
LKvSa<; EltLKpa't~<raL aTtav'taxu 'tfj<; A<rla<;. Ll.'1AoT St Kal
'toilvofla au'to 'tOv2 'tfjv VOflaSLK~V SlaL'tav Ttpot]p'1f1evov
Kal 'tOY 'tav'tY] 'tou ~lOU TtAEOV au't<!' TtoLOvflevov.
n To S~ ytvo<; 'toum, 'tou<; TovpKou<; fleya 'te OV Kal ETtI
TtOAU SL~KOV E<; flolpa<; ETtl<r'taflaL SLaKeKpl<rSaL 'tLva<;, liA-
Aa<; 'te S~ Kal "Oyou~lwv 'tfjv flo[pav, yEVO<; ou q>auAov,
ouSt ayEvvE<;. ATto 'tov'twv St 'tWV "Oyou~lwv YEVE<rSaL
'IovSou~aA1t1'jv, livSpa tltLELK~ 'tE Kal 'tfj<; 'tWV 'Oyou~lwv
flolpa<; ~Y'1<raflEvov. Tou'tov St ETt' apE'tfi Euq>'1f1ovflEVOV
aTt0flv'1f10VEVOU<rL SLKaLo'ta'tov 'tE lifla YEyoveVaL Kal 'to[<;
"OyOU~lOL<; SLaL't1'j't~v Ka'ta<J"'taV'ta tAoflevOL<; SLKa<raL <rq>l-
<rLV au'to[<; SlK'1v ~V'tLVOUV, OTtO'tE EltLSLKa<raL'to 'toT<; Ttpo<r-
LOU<rLV [I.IO} au't<!', aTtaAAa't'tE<rSaL ayaTtwv'ta<; tKa'tepou<;,
oT<; liv EltLSLKa<raL'to. Kal'tou'to q>a<rLv EVLSoV'ta<; au't<!' 'tou<;
'OYOUSlou<;, SLaTtpa!;aflevou<; Ttpo<; 'tOY 'tfj<; xwpa<; ~a<rL­
AEvoV'ta, ETtL<J"'t~<raL <rq>l<rLV au'to[<; 'tOY 'IovSoU~aA1t1'jv SL-
Ka<J"'t~v, flE'tU Sf 'tau'ta EltL'tpe'itaL <rq>ii<; au't<!' SLaSeTVaL,
f,
r:
BOOK I
succeeded as lawgiver,!' aud so established their realm in
Asia; when they had been left behind there by him, however,
they turned to a more nomadic way of life. I am not able to
say with certainty how much truth each of these views con-
tains or to what degree one should trust in each. But this
much, at least, can be said, that it would be better to side
with those who ascribe a Skythian origin to these people,
because the Skythians who even now remain in the eastern
parts of Europe in the so-called Horde!' have no difficulty in
understanding the Turks ofAsia. Both nations have one aud
the same way of life and use the same dress even now, be-
cause the Skythians prevailed throughout Asia. Anyway, the
name Skythian itself obviously designates anyone who fol-
lows a nomadic way of life aud spends most of his time do-
ingthis.
I do know that this people, the Turks, being large and n
having spread far and wide, is divided into separate tribal
groups, including, among others, that of the Ogoz, a noble
people not to be despised,20 The Ogoz produced Giindiiz-
Alp, a decent man who became the leader of the Ogoz tribe.
It is recorded that this man was praised for his virtue, was
most just, aud was chosen by the Ogoz to be their arbiter
and to adjudicate all manner oflegal cases for them. When-
ever he adjudicated a dispute for those who came to his
court, he would reconcile them to each other before they
departed, even concerning those matters about which they
were in dispute. And they say that because the Ogoz dis-
cerned the man's quality, they mauaged to get the ruler of
that laud to appoint Giindiiz-Alp over them as their judge
and, after that, they permitted themselves to be ruled by
n
15
 r
THE HISTORIES
ltv airrQ SOKOl'l e1tl-ro Ilflelvov. Me-ra SE -rau-ra -rOY -rou-rou
1tatSa 'Oyou~aA1t'lV SlaSe;aflevov -r~v ap)(i]v 'tij<; 'OyOU~lWV
flo,pa<; E1tI-ro -rUpaVVlKW-repOV E;'lY'1O'a0'8al, 1tpo<; -re -rou<;
"EAA'lVa<; 1toAeflouv-ra Ka-ra ~V 1\O'laV fleya eUSoKlflijO'al.
I2 'Op8oypoUA'lV Se 'Oyou~aA1teW 1tatSa SpaO'TIJplOV -re e<;
-ro. 1tav-ra yevoflevov Kal e1tl1toAEflou<; ~Y'lO'aflevov IlAA!]
-re 1tOAAaXfi euSoKlflijO'al, Kal S~ Kal1tAota vau1t'lY'lO'afle-
vov emAllO"teuElv v~O'ou<; Em1tA£ov-ra -ra<; EV -rQ Aiya[4J -rfi
-re 1\0'[" Kal Eupw1t!] E1tlKelfleva<;, Kal TIJv -re Eupw1t'lv
1top80uv-ra, -ra -re IlAAa Kal E<; T£apov Efl~av-ra 1to-raflov
-rOY Ka-ra -r~v Alvov E1tI1toAU -rou 1to-raflou O'iJv -raT<; vauO'I
1tpoeA8eTv. A£ye-ral Se au-rov Kal IlAlll -re 1toAlaXfi 'tij<;
Eupw1t'l<; a1tO~aO'el<; 1tol~O'a0'8at, Kal E1t1 ITeA01tOvv'lO'ov
a<plKoflevov Kal E1tl Eu~olav Kal 1\TIlK~V, TIJv -re xwpav
SllwO'at, Kal avSpa1toSa w<; 1tAeTO'-ra a1teveYKaflevov
fLeyaAa KepSaVal. '0 p80YPOUA'lV Se -rou-rov fle-ra -raii-ra EV
-rfi 1\0'[" -rpa1toflevov <pamv £1tl Slap1tayft 'tij<; 1tepLOlKlSO<;
Xwpa<; e1te;l£Vat -re Kal a1to -rou-rou opfLWfLevov ;uvayeTpat
-re O"tpa-reufLa Kal Emov-ra Ka-raO'-rp£<pe0'8al -rou<; -re ofLo-
pou<; "EAA'lva<; Kal -rou<; [LII} -rav't!] O'<p[O'lV au-rwv 1tepl-
O[KOU<;, Kal-ro a1to -rouSe A'l'i~ofLevov -roi><; Se £1tlO'1t0 fl£vou<;
aiJ-rQ EV ~paxeT S~ 6A~[OU<; a1tOSelKVvval Kal oil-rw S~
O'U)("ou<; -rwv vOflaSwv EmyevofL£vou<; au-rQ O'ufL1tOAeflijO'a[
-re au-rQ llfla Kal O'UvSlev£YKal -rOY 1toAeflov E1tl -roi><;
ofLopou<;, Kal -raxu SE oil-rw<; E1tl ap)(i]v 1tapeA'lAu8£val ou
<paVA'lV, Sla S~ -rau-ra Kal1tapaAAaS[vll fL£ya eUSoKlfLijO'al.
"EVlOl S£ <paO'lv 'OyOU~lWV ~v fLoTpav ~youfL£voU 'Op80-
ypollAew xwp[a epufLva 1tepl-rov Taupov Ka-raAa~6v-ra E1tl
,6
BOOK I
him in whatever way he deemed best.21 After that his son
Ognz-A1p succeeded him as ruler of the Ognz tribe. Al-
though he ruled in a more tyrannical way, he still enjoyed
great success in fighting against the Greeks in Asia.
Ertogrul,22 the son of Ognz-A1p, was dynamic in every- I2
thing that he did. He enjoyed success while fighting wars in
many places and he even built ships in order to sail to the is-
lands of the Aegean, both those near Asia and those near
Europe, and pillage them. He ravaged Europe: among other
exploits, he even entered the river Tearos, the one by Ainos,
and sailed his ships up a long stretch of it. He is also said to
have made landings at many other places in Europe, reach-
ing the Peloponnese, Euboia, and Attica, where he plun-
dered the land and made huge profits by carrying off as
many ca~tives as possible as slaves.23 After that, they say,
thiS Ertogrul turned his attention to ravaging the lands that
lay next to his own in Asia. He hurriedly assembled an army,
~arched out from there, and attacked both the neighbor-
mg Greeks and the people who lived in their vicinity, From
then on, because he soon made his followers rich by plun-
dering, nomads flocked to him in great numbers to fight
alongside him and keep up the war against his neighbors. He
thus quickly acquired a substantial realm, and because of
this he was also held in high esteem by 'Ala' al-Din.24 Some
say that under the leadership of Ertogrul the Ognz tribe
captured some fortified places by the Tauros Mountains and
'7
 THE HISTORIES
"* Ta{YCf] "flopoU x,opao; KaTaerTpO<pfi £VTEilElEV ,opflfjerElal,
Kat TOUO; yE <EAA~VWV nEpLOlKOUo; liyElV, Kat £nt flEya
xwpfjeral SuvaflEwo;. Do; floV ODV apx~v ""XE TOUTOlo; Ta
npaYflaTa, Kat ,00; TaUTf] fj IiAAfJ £ytVETO, OUK iiv OUTW
p"Slwo; £lnciv "xolfll, uno nOAAwv fltVTOl AEyoflEva TailTa
So EO; ToeroilTOV E1tlflv'leraflEvoo; napl'lfll.
13 Do; So 'OTouflavlSm Tfjo; 'Oyou~lwv flolpao; Ent TfjVSE
a<plKOv-ro T~V apx~v, WSE yEvterElm EnuElofl'lv, "EerTl ~o­
youT'lnapa Muerlav K,ofl'l OUTW KaAoufltv'l EuSalflwv, Kal
nOTafloo; nap' au-rft OUTW KaAouflEvOo;. "",tXEl So cma Ela-
AaTI'lO; Tfjo; Toil Eu;£lvou nov-rou erTaSlouo; ,oerd nEv-r~­
KOVTa Kat S,aKoerlouo;' KaAOlTO S' iiv aUT'l '!-ralao; K,ofI'l· 'Eo;
TauT'lV Se ~v x,opav a<plKofltvouo; TOUo; 'Oyou~louo; Evol-
Kfjerm Enl Tlva Xpovov. 'OTouflavov So TaV 'OpEloypouAEW
nalSa, ou navu Tl ED npaTIOVTa T~V ap~v, {LI2} YEvterElal
T~V TE 'itu~v EAwElEp,,oTaTov, Kat TOUO; tv Tft K,oflfJ <plAO-
<ppOVOUflEVOV EK TWV npoerOVTWV, ,00; olov T' fjv flaAlCTTa
aUTQ, TOUO; T£ EV -rft K,oflfJ avaKTfjeraerElm, werTE Sla<popa,
er<plerl npa, TOU, "EAA'lva, aUTwv nEpLOlKoU, YEvofltv'l,
~ycierElal KEAEUElV TOU, EV -rft K,oflfJ 'OTouflavov TaV 'OpElo-
ypOUAEW' Kat flaXEeraflEvov Tpt'itaerElal TE TOU, TauTf] "EA-
A'lva" Kat ana TOUTOU "Pfl,oflEVOV £ntnoAu EnE;EAElciv TE
TOU, "EAA'lva" Kat napa 1\AaSlvf] ED flaAa EU<P'lflouflEVOV
fltya EuSoKlflfjerm, Enl erTpaT'lyla, TE KaEl,erTaflEVOV Kat
"pya anoSElKVUflEVOV Ii;la AOyOU. TEAwTfjerav-ro, So 1\Aa-
SlVEW ~aerlAeW" Kat TWV aplerTWV aUToil E, S,a<popav
er<plerlV a<plKvoufltvwv, AtyETm a<plKterElm TE E, Myou,
aUTOl" Kat EK£lvou, aAA~Aolo;, ;uflflaxlav T£ Kat "flalXfllav
18
BOOK I
used them as bases for subduing neighboring lands, driving
out the neighbors of the Greeks and greatly increasing their
own strength. But how their history began, and whether it
was in this or in some other way, I could not easily say. I will
only go so far as to say that these things are reported by
many others.
As for the Ottomans of the Oguz tribe, I have ascer- '3
tained that they rose to their current position of power in
the following way. There is a prosperous little town in Mysia
called Siigut, next to a river with the same name. It is situ-
ated about two hundred and fifty stades away from the
Black Sea; this town would be called Itaia {in Greek}.25
When the Oguz arrived, they lived in this area for some
time. Osman, Ertogrul's son," was not terribly successful as
a leader but he had a most liberal disposition and, making
indulgent use of the local resources, he made every possible
effort to win over the townspeople. As a result, when a dis-
pute arose between them and their Greek neighbors, the
townspeople asked Osman, the son of Ertogrul, to assume
command. He fought a battle and routed the local Greeks.
After this he started going after the Greeks much more ag-
gressively and was held in high esteem by 'Ala' al-Din, who
praised him greatly. He was appointed to a military com-
mand and performed notable deeds. When Sultan 'Ala' al-
Din died" and his leading men started disputing among
themselves, Osman is said to have entered into negotiations
with them, and they among themselves. He managed to
19
 THE HISTORIES
EKdvOl, cruv8Eflevov ;ufl~i']vaL au'tor" ilpKLa nOLllcraflevov,
Ecp' cJi ofloil nana, KOLVft cruvSLacptpELV 'tOV nOAeflov Kat
Ka'ta<1'tptcpecr8aL TIJv xwpav, ocrllv av Svvwv'taL, iI<111v S' av
unaywv'taL, tnLSLeAecr8aL crcplm Ka'ta 'ta KOlVft crcplcrLv
au'tor, SeSoYfltva· Kai OV'tw S~ afla EKdvOL, EAauvona
Ka'tacr'tpttacr8aL xwpav OUK OAlYllv, Kai epya ImoSeLKvv-
flevov fleyaAa Kai xp~fla'ta cruxva EnLK'twflevov, «Jcr'te EV
~paXel tni apx~v napeAIlAu8tvaL ou cpaVAllv.
I4 Tov'tou, Sf. ~yeflova, en'ta yevofltvou" ocrllv unllya-
yono apmv, SLaveflercr8aL fle'ta 'tail'ta crcplcrLv au'tor,. Aa-
Xerv S~ [1.13} Kapaflavov TIJv flecroYaLav 'tf], <Dpuyla, axpL
KLALKla, Kai <DLAaSeAcpda" Lapxavllv Sf. Ev'teil8ev TIJv
napaALOv 'ti'], 'Iwvla, xwpav e<1'te tni Lflupvllv EA8elv, 'ta
S1: AuSla, ecr'te Eni Mucrlav KaMflllv oUv't4\ naLSi au'toil
Kapacrft 'ta npo, "OAuflnov 'te Kai BL8uvlav 'O'touflavov
AaXelV fle'ta TeKlew' 'ta Sf. npo, 'tov Ev;eLvov nov'tov Kai
IIacpAayovlav AaxerV 'toil, 'Oflovpew narSa,. Tov Sf. Kep-
flLavov ou 'twv En'ta'tou'twv yeyovtvaL cpacrlv, aAAa ~acrL­
Ata npocr8ev yevoflevov 'IKovlou 'tf], Kapla, nOAew" EV i'i
'ta ~acrlAeLa Eni cruxvov 'tLva XP6vov SLeyeve'to 't01J't0l"
ImeA'1Aaflevov Ev'teil8ev Eni 'Iwvlav anapaL, KaKel tSLW-
'tevov'ta ~cruxlav ayeLv. Ol fltV'tOL En'ta E'tVrxavov ilv'te,
ol oUflnacrav ~vSe KOLVft unayoflevoL crcplcrL TIJv xwpav· i'i
xwpi, 0, EKacr'to" Kai i'i aAA'P aAAIl ;uvt~aLvev, Enl 't~v
au'toil apmv napeytve'to EKa<1'tO" OUK av S~ ov'tw, EV
StOV'tL noAunpaYflovol'1v.
I5 LOYOU'""1V flenoL Enlcr'taflaL KWfl'1v W, 01 an' EKdv'1,
yevOfleVOL 'O'touflavISwv ~acrLAel, hlflwV 'te Eni nAeTcr'tov
20
,
I
BOOK I
I.:
i~ forge a mutual military alliance with them and took an oath
that he would wage war in common with them all. They
would subjugate as much territory as they possibly could,
aud however much land they conquered they would divide
among themselves in accordance with their common agree-
ments. And so he marched out with them and subjugated
a large area, performing great deeds and amassing much
money, so that in a short time he acquired a considerable
realm.
There were seven leaders and, after this, they divided I4
among themselves whatever territory had come into their
power. Karaman was allotted the interior of Phrygia all the
way to Kilikia and Philadelpheia,28 and Saruhan the coast of
the Ionian region as far as Smyrna. 29 Kalamshah and his son
Karas! were allotted Lydia as far as Mysia,JO while Mount
Olympos and Bithynia were given to Osman and Teke,3l The
sons of Umur were allotted the lands toward the Black Sea
and Paphlagonia. J2 They say that Gerrniyan was not among
the original seven but had already become the king of Iko-
nion, a city of Karia, where they used to have their court for
a long time. JJ But when he was driven out from there, he
went to Ionia, where he lived a peaceful private life. So these
seven were the ones who together subjected this whole land
to themselves. However, there is no point iu concerning
oneselfwith whether each acted on his own or in agreement
with someone else in some other way, when each obtained
his realm.
I do know that the Ottoman sultans used to honor the I5
town of S6gut, for it was where they came from, and would
21
 THE HISTORIES
bn<pol'rwV'rE<; 't"ai"'ll 't"fj KWf% Ka1 't"oT<; tVOLKOUOW au't"~v
emOSLSOaCYL yepa 't"a voftL1;6ftEva.1Ur0 't"au't"1"]<; So brlo"'t"aftaL
ClKOfj YEveer8aL 'O't"ovftavov 't"ov 'Op80ypouAEw 1I:aTSa,
1I:pw't"ov S~ 't"ou yevov<; 't"ou't"ov aAAa<; 't"e Ot 1I:OAeL<; u1I:aYOftE-
vov tv 't"fj Aer[q, tv So S~ Ka1 I1pouerav 't"~v tv Mver[q 1I:0ALV
Kal 't"0't"E EuSa[ft0va 1I:apaCY't"'1eraftEvov, U1I:0 ALftou tK1I:OAL-
OpK~eraL £A6v't"a ~v 1I:0ALV, Ka1 £v au't"ft 't"a ~aero..ELa [ LI 4}
1I:OL'1eraft£Vov, Ka1 emo 't"au't"'1<; 6pftWftEVOV <pya ftEyaAa't"E
Ka1 1I:EpL<pav~ a1l:0SEL~aftEVOV, 1I:aTSa<; 't"E Ka1 ap;o1v ou
<pauA'1v Ka't"aAl1[ov't"a 't"EAEV't"~eraL £v I1pouCYl]. Tou't"ov So
'{erftEv fj ftET<; 't"ou yevov<; 't"ouSe 't"a 't"E aAAa w<; olov 't"E apLer't"a
Ka8Ler't"aV't"a, Kal ~v ap;o1V t<; 't"0 £1[l't"1"]SeLo't"a't"ov au't"4'
Ka't"aCY't"'1eraftevov, 't"a~LV 't"E ap[er't"'1v cmoSel~aer8aL aft<p' au-
't"ov, f]v 8upa<; ~aerLAew<; KaAouerL, Ka1't"au't"1l ye't"fj SuvafteL
't"o a1l:0 't"ouSe SeSLnoftevov SeeL 't"4' aft<p' au't"ov Ka't"exeLv
't"oil<; U1I:0 ~v ap;o1v au't"(Ju ~uft1l:av't"a<;, £v 't"aXeL 1I:apayevo-
ftevov<;, o1l:l] ltv au't"4' SOKO['1, Ka1 t1[l't"eAouv't"a<;, an' ltv
t1l:L't"a't"'t"oL 6 ~aerLAeu<;, Ka1 £11:1 't"n 1I:apayyeAAofteva U1I:0 't"wv
~aerLAew<; 8vpwv Ka't"a 't"ax0<; [ov't"a<;. Tou't"ov S~ oiSv £1I:v80-
fte8a yevvaLo't"a't"6v 't"e t<; 't"a 1I:av't"a yevoftevov, 't"au't"ll 't"e w<;
£11:1 1I:AelCY't"ov v0ftLer8~vaL SaLftovLOv, Ka't"aAl1[elv 't"e Imo
't"ou't"ov ~v £1I:wvvft[av 't"oT<; a1l:' £KelVOV yevoftevoL<;, 'O't"ou-
ftavov 1I:aTSa<; £'t"L Ka1 vuv KaAeler8aL.
,6 'E1I:1 't"ou't"ov ~aerLAeuov't"o<; oK't"aKLerxo..LOL ToupKwv £<;
~v Eupw1I:1]v SLa~aV't"e<; 1I:ep1 'EAAfjer1l:0v't"ov, Ka1 tv Xep-
povfjer", Ka't"acrxoV't"e<; <ppOUpLOV 'EAA'1vLKov, Ka1 a1l:0 't"ou-
't"ou 6pftwftevoL, -cf]v 't"e Elp<j:K'1V £<; "Ier't"pov £Aauvov't"e<; tA'1-
t1;ov't"o ~v xwpav t1l:LSpaftov't"e<;, 't"a't"E 1I:0AAa SLfjp1l:a1;ov,
22
BOOK I
often visit it; and they gave its inhabitants appropriate priv-
ileges. I have heard that Osman, the son of Ertogrul and
founder of this people, was from there. But he subjected
other cities in Asia to himself, among them Prousa, the then
prosperous city in Mysia. He took this city by starving it in
a siege and set up his court there.)4 Using it as his base, he
accomplished great and glorious deeds. He also died at
Prousa,35 leaving behind children and a substantial realm. I
know that he arranged matters as excellently as possible for
his people and set up its government in the most suitable
way. He instituted a superb administration around himself
which they call the "king's Porte."J6 And from then on with
. '
thiS power, the intimidation produced by the awe that sur-
rounded him kept everyone in his realm under control. In
short, they presented themselves to him wherever he saw
fit, carried out whatever the sultan decreed, and swiftly
went about the orders from the sultan's Porte. We have dis-
covered that he was extremely courageous in all circum-
stances, and because of this he was generally believed to
have supernatural powers. He passed his name on to his de-
scendants, who are even now called "the sons of Osman "37
During his reign, eight thousand Turks crossed over 'into 16
Europe at the Hellespont and seized a Greek fort in the
Chersonese. They made it their base and advanced through
Thrace all the way to the Danube, devastating the land as
they overran it. They looted most of it and, taking as many
23
 THE HISTORIES
Kat avSpcl1toSa W<; "AeT<1'ta tMf'eVOl e<; TIJV A<1lav Sle~l~a­
SOV, 'tou<; 'te "EAA'1va<; Kat Tpl~aAAou<; ~yOV Kat e<pepov.
'Ev 'tou't'!' S~ LKU9wv f'oTpa OUK OAlY'] a"o Lapf'a'tla<; e"t
'tov ''I<1'tpOV eAa<1av'te<; Kat 'tov ye ''I<1'tpov Sla~av-re<;, 'tou<;
'te ToupKou<; ev "tfi 6pQ:Kn Ka'teAa~ov Kat f' axe<1af'evol
e-rpetav-ro, Kat "A~V oAlywv 'tlVWV Slexp~<1av'to ( LI 5}
<1Vf'"av'ta<; a<pelSe<1'ta'ta. "0<10l Se OUK e<p9ap'1<1av, ola-
<1wgev-re<; f.<; 't~v Xeppov'1<10V, e<; TIJv A<1lav av9l<; ola-
~av'te<;OUKE'tl "aAlv a<plKOv-ro.
17 T6'te ovv 'ta 'EAA~VWV "paYf'a'ta f.'taAav-reue'to e,,'
af'<po-repa, S,a<pepoflEvwV <1<pl<1l Ka'ta TIJv Busav'tlou ~a<1l­
AelaV af'<poiv ~a<1lAtolv 'toiv AvSpovlKOlV, 'tOU 'te "a""ou
Kat ul'loou, 'tWV IIaAaLOAoywv. 'E<p' wv Se f.<; S,a<popav
<1<pl<1lV a<plKoflevwv ot 'te "EAA'1ve<; "po<; EKa'tepou<; SlE<1't'1-
<1av, Kat au'toT<; 'ta "paYf'a'ta ~S'1 "afl"av e<p9elpe'to. T<\i
yap "pw't'!' AvSpovlK,!, eyeyovel "al<; Mlxa~Ao<;, 8<;
e'teAeu't'1<1e, "piv ~ e<; 't~v ~a<1lAelaV eA9eiv. Me-ra Se 't~v
eKelVOU 'teAeu't~v AVSPOVlKO<; " "aT<; au'tou yeY'1paKo'tl
~S'1 't<\i "a"",!" a;lwv au'to<; eXElv 't~v ~a<1lAelaV, Ka9-
l<1'tav'to e<; Sla<popav, au9aSe<1'tepo<; wv ~ w<1'te "elge<19aL,
Kat "paYfla'ta "apeixev av~vu'ta, 'tou<; 'te Tpl~aAAou<;
e"aY0f'evo<; Kat 'EAA~VWV 'tou<; apl<1'tou<; ol "po<1e'taL-
P'Soflevo<; e<; 't~v ~a<1lAelav, w<; Ola 'tau'ta fl'1Se f.;eTvaL
au'toT<; 'to "apa"av 'tou<; ToupKou<; f.<; TIJv Eupw"'1v S,a-
~av'ta<; aflUve<19aL. Ka9' DV S~ Xpovov ~ 'te IIpou<1a e;-
e"oALOpK~9'1 Alfl<\i aAOU<1a u"o 'O'touf'avou, Kat aAAaL
Ka'ta TIJv A<1lav "oAel<; EaAW<1av.
18 "0gev ot 'te ToupKol f."t f'eya exwpouv Suvaflew<; Ka'ta
BOOK I
prisoners as they could enslave, transported them over to
Asia; and so they despoiled the Greeks and Serbs. At this
point, however, a large contingent of Skythians advanced
from Russia to the Danube. They crossed the Danube and
met the Turks in Thrace where they routed them in bat-
tle. Except for a few, they mercilessly slaughtered them all.
Those who were not killed sought refuge in the Chersonese,
and then they crossed over into Asia and never returned. 38
At that time the affairs of the Greeks hung in the bal- 17
ance, as there was a dispute between two kings, both named
Andronikos, regarding the throne in Byzantion; they were
grandfather and grandson, of the Palaiologos family.39 When
the dispute arose between the two of them, the rest of
the Greeks also took sides, and their affairs were greatly
harmed. The elder Andronikos had a son, Michael (IX},
who died before he could come to the throne. After his
death, his son Andronikos decided that he should hold the
throne himself, as his grandfather had already grown old,
and so they fell out with each other. He was too stubborn
to submit and caused endless trouble. He brought in the
Serbs 40 and allied himself with the leading Greeks in his
struggle for the throne. As a result they could do nothing to
prevent the Turks from crossing over into Europe. It was at
this time that Prousa was besieged, starved out, and taken
by Osman,4! and other cities in Asia were captured.
Thus the Turks acquired great power in Asia and crossed 18
25
 THE HISTORIES
't~V Aer[av, Kat t, ~V Eupw1!J']V Sla~aV't£, KaKw, tno[ovv
~v 8p<iLK1'}V, aAAOl 't£ OUK OA[YOl Kat S~ Kat XaAlA1'}" 0,
S~ t, 'to Ka'ta ~V X£ppov1'}erov <ppOUpLOV vno 'EAA~VWV
cruv£Aa8el, f'£'t£ntf'n£'to ToupKov, ano 'tfj, Aer[a" Kat'tOV
't£ ~aerlAta tnlOV'ta ~f'uva'to, Kat tnt nOAV t~£Aauvwv 't~,
8p<iLK1'}, tA1'}T£;£'to, ono't£ S~ tnayof'£vo, 'tov 't£ Tpl~aAAwv
{I.I6] ~yef'0va Kat 'tOV, ana 'I'taA[a, 'to 't£ <ppOUpLOV t~­
£noAlopK1'}er£ Ka't' ~n£lpov Kat Ka'ta 8aAanav, Ot f'EV ouv
ToiipKOl t'Aa80v Spaerf'<;i tmX£lp~erav't£, t, 't~v Aer[av
VUK'tO, Sla~av't£<;. AVWf'aAw<; f'EV ~<; 't£ 'ta aAAa er<p(crtv
£XOV-r£<; OU'tOl O[ ~aerlAeT<;, Kat aU'tOf'OAOl<; ToupKwv
~Y£f'0erl, 't<;i 't£ A£;a't[vn Kal aAAOl<;, ou KaAw<; txp~eraV'to,
wer't£ tm't1'}Selw<; i'X£lV er<p[erlv 'tou<; 't£ ana TapaKwvo<; Kat
'haA[a<;, oil<; S~ f'£'t£m:f'n£'to tnt 'tOY ToupKwv ~aerlAta
'OPxav1'}v, 0<; <PlAaStA<p£lav tnoAlopK£l, Kat t<; ~V tnt'tfi
X£ppov~er4' <pvAaK~V 't~<; KaAALOvnOA£w<;.
'9 OU'tOl f'EV OUV ot TapaKWV£<; Kai ot ano 'haA[a<; t<; ~V
KaAALOvnoA£w<; <pvAaK~V 't£'taYf'tvOl, 'toi<; f'£'ta A£;a't[v£w
au'tOf'OAOl<; XP1'}eraf'£VOl TOUPKOl<;, ervv£~erav'to aAA~­
AOl<; w<; 'tft nCA£l tnl81'}erof'£VOl, Kal tn£lS~ £yvwerav Ka'ta-
S1'}AOl ilV't£<;, tf'1'}vu81'} yap un' au'twv 'tlVO<; 'toi<; "EAA1'}erl,
Sla 't* 8P<iLK1']<; l£v'to, Kal ~v 'PoSon1'}v Sla~aV't£<; a<p-
[KOV'tO t<; KaereravSP£lav, ITuSvav3 'to naAat KaAovf'tv1'}v.
'EV't£ii8£v SE 'tWV f'EV f'£'ta A£;a't[v£w ToupKwv, oerol nap-
~erav, a<p[Kov'tO t<; 'tOY Tpl~aAAwv ~aerlAta, ot SE ana 'tfj<;
Aer[a<; 'ta £f'naAlv y£v0f'£voll£V'to n££;oi tnl 't~v X£ppov1'}-
erov, au8l<; tv v<;i i'xov't£<;, 0't4' av Suvatv'to 'tpon4', t<;
~v Aer[av Sla~~Val. Ka[ :n:n Kai ernovSa<; 'toi<; "EAA1'}erl
26
BOOK I
over into Europe, where they caused trouble in Thrace.
There were many of them, including Hali!, who was block-
aded by the Greeks in a fort of the Chersonese and sum-
moned Turks over from Asia. He defended himself against
the attacks of the king, and then marched out and heavily
plundered Thrace. 42 At that point the king of the Greeks
brought in the ruler of the Serbs and the men from Italy and
besieged the fort by both land and sea. 43 But the Turks es-
caped without being detected and crossed over to Asia at
night. 44 As these kings had bad relations with each other
over other matters, they did not make good use of the Turk-
ish leaders who had defected to their side, such as 'Izz al-
Din and the others. 45 Thus they had to make an alliance with
the men from Aragon and Italy,46 whom the king of the
Greeks sent against Orhan,47 the sultan of the Turks, who
was besieging Philadelpheia,48 and use them to garrison
Gallipoli in the Chersonese.
These Aragonese and Italians who had been stationed to '9
garrison Gallipoli cut a deal with the Turks who had de-
fected with 'Izz al-Din, and arranged to attack the city to-
gether. But when they learned that they had been exposed-
for they were betrayed by one of their own people to the
Greeks-they went through Thrace, crossed Rodope, and
arrived at Kassandreia,49 which was formerly called Pydna. 50
But then the Turks with 'Izz al-Din, however many there
were, went over to the king of the Serbs, while those from
Asia turned around and went back on foot to the Cher-
sonese with the intention of crossing straight over to Asia,
in whatever way they could. 51 But even though they had
made a treaty with the Greeks, the Greeks were apparently
 THE HISTORIES
1tOl'l<YaflevOl , w<; E1te~OUAeUOV au'tou<; ot "EAA'lVe<; fAeiv
~oUA6f1eVOl, ~<; 'tl 'I'POUPLOV 'to Ka'ta 't~V Xepp6v'l<Yov Sl-
e<Ywsov'to. Kat OO'tOl avel<; KaKw<; E1tolouv 'tou<; "EAA'lva<;.
20 Ot flEnOllmo f.<Y'Jt£pa<; 'te Kat haA(a<; IivSpe<;, [LI7} S,a
MaKeSovla<; 'te Kat ElenaAla<; E<; BOlW't(av a'l'IK6f1evOl,
Ka't£<1)(Ov au~v Kat 'ta<; El~~a<; ~vSpa1toS(<Yav'to a'l'po-
<YUvn 'tOD ~yefl6vo<;, 0<; SeSI6'ta<; au'tou<; tmOAOYls6f1evo<;
E1ttlel w<; avap1ta<Y6f1evo<;. OU'tOl flEV oov 'ta'l'peu<Yane<; 'to
xwplov, Kat vSwp E<; au'to EfI~aA6v'te<;, E1tt1tOAU Ii~a'tov
'toi<; t1t1teDmV E1tol'l<Yav 'to xwplov. Ot flEV oov t1t1tei<; ot
fle'ta 'tOD fJyeflovo<; f9eov Sp6f1'l' E1tt 'tou<; f.<Y1teplou<; w<;
avap1ta<Y6f1evOl, EfI~av'te<; SE E<; 'to xwplov xaAe1tW<; EXP~­
<Yav'to <Y'I'l<YlV au'toi<;' ot SE TapaKwve<; Ka'ta1t£A'taL<; 'te Kat
't6~01<; ~aAAov'te<; Kat aKonlol<; 'tou<; 1tOAAOU<; 'twv BOlW-
'twv au'tOD 'tau-rn Slexp~<Yav'to, v<Y'tepov SE E1tt ~v 1t6AlV
EA96v'te<; au'to~oel 'te 't~v 1t6AlV dAOV Kat ~vSpa1toSl­
<Yano. Oo'to<; flev oov v<Y'tepov E<; 'haA(av 1tepaLOuflevo<;
E1t' olKou E'tpa1tOv'to EKa<Y'tO<;.
21 "EAA'lve<; Se fle'ta AVSpOV(KOU 'tOD ~a<YlA£W<;, Kat 'toi<;
a1to ToupKwv £1tt <Y'I'iX<; au'tofl6AOl<; Kat 'toi<; Imo haAla<;
KaKw<; XP'l<Yaflevol, OUX 01tW<; ouStv evpano E1tl~SeLOV,
aAAa Kat1tOAefllou<; <Y'I'(<YlV £xov'te<; 'tou'tOU<;, E1tt 'to 'tou<;
<Y'I'wv euyevei<; gepa1teUelV flOVOV 'tpa1tOfleVOl 'tii<; -re apXii<;
el<Y6Sou<; Ka'tav~Al<YKOV, Kat oil'te <Y'tpa'twfla <Yuv£Aeyov,
oil'te ~£vou<; fll<Y9w<YaflevOl, Kat 'tou<; 1toAefl(ou<; E1tlov'ta<;
<Y'I'l<Yl 'tlflwpeiv fJ~OUAOV'tO.
2> 'E1taVelfll St E1t' EKeivo 'tOD AOYOU, 11gev flO I E~£Ame.
'O'touflavo <; flev oov 'Op90ypouAew, 'ta 1tAEW 'tii<; E<; ~v
28
BOOK I
plotting against them, as they wanted to catch them, and so
the Turks protected themselves in some fort in the Cher-
sonese. And thus they caused trouble for the Greeks again. 52
As for the men from the far west and from Italy, they 20
passed through Macedonia and Thessaly and arrived in
Boiotia, which they occupied. They also enslaved Thebes
through the ineptitude of its ruler, who thought they would
be afraid and marched out to overpower them. However,
they dug a ditch at the place and filled it with water, thereby
making the place mostly impassable for cavalry. The com-
mander's knights charged in to overpower the westerners,
but they found that the terrain which they had entered was
working against them. The men of Aragon shot at them
with catapults, bows, and spears and killed the majority of
the Boiotians right there. 53 Then they came to the city, cap-
tured it without a blow, and enslaved it. Later each of them
crossed over to Italy and returned home. 54
Thus the Greeks and King Andronikos made bad use "
both of the Turks who defected to their side and of the men
from Italy. Not only did they fail to obtain any benefit from
them, they even had to face them as enemies. They squan-
dered the revenues of their realm by using them solely to
gratify their own nobility, and neither enlisted an army nor
hired foreign mercenaries. They showed no will to avenge
themselves on the enemies who were attacking them.
I return now to that point of my narrative from where 22
I had digressed. Osman, the son of Ertogrul, having con-
29
 THE HISTORIES
AJlav 'EAA~VWV xwpa~ Ka-raJ-rpE'itaftEVO~, E~ NlKal<iv -rE
EJE~aAE Kat E<; <PIAaOEA,!,Elav, ou ftEV-rOI yE £1AE -ra aJ-ru'
Kat 1tpa~ TOUpKOU~ -roil~ ftE-ra 'OftOUpEW 0IEVEX9£l~
E1tOAEftYJJEV' ap;a~ O£ EV I1pouOl1, {LI8} EV n-ra ~aJLAEla
E1tE1COlr]-rO ol, £-rEAEU-rYJJE, Ka-raAl1Cwv 1Cal0a~ Kat xwpav ou
,!,aUAl']V Kat mpa-rav OUK ayEvvfj. TEAw-r~Jav-ro~ O£
'O-rouftavou 6 VEW-rEpO<; -rWV 1Calowv au-rou YEVOftEVO<;
-roil<; <hI EyyU-ra-ra 1Capa -rQ 1ta-rpt Olat-rWftEVOU~, w<; olov
-r' ~v au-rQ, avaK-rwftEvO<; E1tl-rl']odou<; 1:£ au-rQ dXE Kat E<;
-ra ftaAIJ-ra JUV~9EI<;. A1Ca -rou-rWV O~ E1Cd -rE -raXIJ-ra
Ew9E-r0 -rEAW-rfjJat 'O-rouftavov, ov-ra ~Ol'], n
,!,aJIV, E1tt
~pao<; OuOQ, a1Co'!'uY£lV ft£V au-rlKa -roil<; aOEA,!,oil<;
EK1tOOWV YEV0ftEVOV4 E1Ct "OAVft1COV -rfj<; MUJla<; opo<;, Ola-
1tOpWOftEVOV O£ Ka-ra -rfjv 60bv 1CEPI-ruX£lV 11C1tWV '!'0p~ii
-rau-rn 1COV -rfj<; xwpa<; E1CIVEftOftEVn, Kat OlaV£lft at -rau-rl']v
aVOpaJI -rol<; a1Ca -rou opou<; E1t' au-rav JUAAEY0ftEVOI<;, Kat
E1tIKa-ra~alvov-ra E<; -ra 1CEOlov E1tI-rPE1CEIV athol<; Olap1ta-
SEIV, OJa y' av -rOU-rOI<; 1Cpoxwpoll'], 6pftWftEVOV O£ -rau-rn
a1Cc -rou opou<; ayElv Kat ,!,EPEIV -rfjv 1tOAIV.
23 Twv O£ aOEA'!'wv au-rou J'!'lJIV aAA~AOl<; Ola1tOAEft°UV-
-rwv -rE Kat aft,!,t -roil<; OlKdou<; txov-rwv 1tOAEftOU<;, E<; il O~
Kat OUK oAlywv -rWV a1Ca -rfj<; 1COAEW<; Kat aft,!,t -rw aOEA'!'W
E1ClYEVOftEVWV au-rQ, E1tlKa-ra~fjval -rE E<; -rb 1CEOlov, Kat E<;
1tOAEftOV Ka9IJ-raftEVOV -rol<; aOEA,!,ol<; OUJI Olnpl']ftEVOl<;
Kat ava ftfpO<; EKa-rEp'¥ J-rpa-r01CEOw0ftEV'¥ ft aXEJaJ9at,
Kat 1CEPlYEV0ftEVOV aVEA£lv aft'!'w -rw aOEA,!,w, Kat ou-rw
-r~v ~aJlAdav 1tapaAa~Elv. Tou-ro O£ eywyE ava1Cuv-
9avoftEvo<; EUpOV ou yvwftl']v {I.19} -rau-rl']v 1tEpt -rwv
30
BOOK I
quered most of the Greek lands in Asia, attacked Nikaia and
Philadelpheia but did not capture them. 55 And he fell out
with the Turks of Umur,56 and fought against them too. He
ruled from Prousa, where he established his court, and died
leaving behind him sons, a substantial territory, and a formi-
dable army. 57 When Osman died, the youngest of his sons
{i.e., Orhan} had done everything he could to gain the favor
of his father's innermost circle and especially to make them
his own supporters. It was from them that he was instantly
informed of Osman's death-the latter was already, as they
say, on the threshold of old age58 -and he escaped at once
from his brothers, taking himself off to Mount Olympos
in Mysia. As he was traveling along the road, he happened
upon a herd of horses grazing in that area and distributed
them among the men who were coming from the mountain
to join him. Going down onto the plain, he allowed them to
plunder whatever they came across. Using the mountain as
his base, he despoiled the city.59
Now, Orhan's brothers were fighting against each other 23
and were preoccupied with their own wars, to the point
where many people joined up with him from the city and
from the followers of both his brothers. So he went down
onto the plain and made war against his brothers, who were
divided into two sides and encamped across from each other
about to join battle. He overcame and then killed both his
brothers, and thus assumed the throne. Although I have
made a thorough inquiry, I have been unable to confirm this
31

THE HISTORIES
aSEAo/WV, xpijcr9al cro/(crlV aireDu,; W'; 1tOAEfI(OU';, a1t0o/'l-
VaflEVOl'; VOfl(~Ecr9al 1tap' aUTol'; hI Ka\ E'; TOVSE TOV
Xpovov' aAX U1tO TWV TOl'; 'OyOU~(Ol'; ijYEfloVWV Ka91""a-
flEVOVS Kat 1tPOcr9EV YEvoflEVOV SIE1tu90fl'lV' , vance. 61
24 'OpXav'l'; fl1:v OOV E1tEl TE d.; -rijv ~acrlA£lav 1tapn E1 ,
crUfl1tacrav TE T~V AuS(av KaTE""pEo/ETO, Kat 1'01.; tv Tn
1\cr(a "EAA'lcrl Ka9(""aTo E'; 1tOAEflOV, Kal cruxva.; TWV
Tau~ 'EAA'lV(SWV 1tOAEWV 1tOALOp1«c,1tapacrT'lcraflEVo,; lJ1t-
'lyaYETo ot, TWV yE Bu~aVT(ou ~acrlAeWV 1tpo.; TOU'; EV Tn
Gp<j:Kn Tpl~aAAou,; TE Itfla Kat Mucrou.; KaTa TOUTO TOU
Xpovou E1tlKElflEVOU'; cro/(crlV E'; Ta flaAlcrTa TOV ~O~EflOV
Slao/EpoVTWV. METa S1: TaUTa E1tt Ka1t1taSoK(av EAauvwv,
~crTlV It TWV 1tOAlcrfl"'TWV Uo/' aUT<ii 1tOI'lcr"'flEVO ';, E1t\
N(KalaV T~V EV Bl9uv(c, 1tOAlV EcrTpaTEUETo. 'E1tOAlOPKEI
fl1:v OVV -rijv 1tOAlV. 'EVTau9a W.; ij arrEA(a ijA9EV E'; TOV
'EAAijVWV ~acrlAEa, TijV TE N(Kalav 1tOALOpK£lcr9al Kat TOU';
EV -rfi 1tOAEl, d fll\ 1'1'; E1taflUVOl cro/(crl, 1tP 0"XWpl\crElV T<ii
~ap~ap4', crTpaTEufl'" TE cruVEAeYETO E'; -rijv ~acrlA£lav ijS'l
1taplWV, OU 1tEplm!r0flEVo,; -rijv N(KalaV, W.; TlflwpijcrEIV
1tapEcrKEua~ETo SlaflaxouflEVO'; ouS1:v I\nov 1tpo.; '0 PXav'lV
TOV 'OTOUfl"'VEW ij avacr"'1croflEVO'; a1to -rij.; NlKa(a.;.
25 0"1'0'; fl1:v S~ W.; TWV ItAAWV 1toAAaxW.; E1tlXE1p'lcravTwv
ou 1tPOEXWP'lcrEV E1tt T~V ~acrlAElaV, TOU'; TE "EAA'lva.; cruv-
I""WV E1tl TOV 1ta1t1tOV Kat VEWTEpa 1tpacrcrwv 1tpaYflaTa,
M1XaijAOV Tbv {I.20} Mucrwv ijYEflova E1tY]yaYETo ot E';
cruflflax(av, E1tlya fl(av 1tOI'lcr"'flEVO ';, -rijv aSEAo/~V aUT<ii E';
Y"'floV £KSOU'; nflaVT1 1tpocr9EV T~V TOU ~acrlAEW'; Tpl-
~aAAWV aSEAo/l\v. "09EV " Tpl~aAAWV ijYEflWV E1t' aUT6v
32
BOOK I
view of the brothers, namely that they were treating each
other as enemies, but this is the usual story that is told about
them even now. 60 What I did find out was that Orhan had
been established in power by the rulers of the Oguz in ad-
When Orhan had gained the throne, he conquered all of 24
Lydia" and made war against the Greeks in Asia. He took
many of the Greek cities there by siege and subjected them
to himself, for the kings of Byzantion were at odds with the
Serbs in Thrace and with the Bulgarians, and they were wag-
ing a bitter war against each other at that time. After that,
he advanced on Kappadokia, occupied some of its towns,
and then marched against Nikaia, the city in Bithynia. 63
Orhan laid siege to the city, but the news reached Androni-
kos [III}, the king of the Greeks, that Nikaia was being be-
sieged and that the people in the city would go over to the
barbarian if no one came to their aid. As he had just come to
the throne, he raised an army, for it was not his intention to
neglect Nikaia. He was prepared to fight back so that he
could demand nothing less from Orhan, the son of Osman,
than his departure from Nikaia.
Andronikos had not previously advanced to the throne 25
because the others had contrived all sorts of things. 64 But he
turned the Greeks against his grandfather {Andronikos II}
and overturned the established order. He made an alliance
with Mihail, the ruler of the Bulgarians, establishing a mar-
riage connection by giving him his sister in marriage, al-
though Mihail had previously married the sister of the king
of the Serbs." For this reason the king of the Serbs marched
33

THE HISTORIES
,otT WPflYJ'rO mpa'rEVE<r8at, ~XWV flE8' ea1J'rou 'rOV Mlxa~A01J
aSEA<plSOUV hlt;avSpov' 'rOV 'r£ MlXafjAOV flax!] EKpa'rYJ<rE,
Ka! hle;avSpov 'rOV aSEA<plSOUV aiJ'rou E<; TIjv ~a<rlAdav
Ka'ra<r'rYJ<raflEVo <;. Tfj<; E<; au'rov U~PEW<; ai'rla<raflEVo<; ollv
'rOU<; "EAAYJva<; E<r'rpa'rEvE'ro En' au'rov<;, Kat nOAl<rfla'ra
dna e;EAWV anExwpYJ<rEV En' O'LK01J. "Y mEpov flEV'rOl
<r1tovSa<; Enol~<rav'ro, E<p' 4> ;tVOl Kat <pLAOl £Tvat aAA~AOl<;.
26 'Ev'rau8a En1Jv8avE'ro 'OpxavYJv E1tlSpaflov'ra 'ra Ka'ra
'rfjv Bl81Jvlav Xwpla Ka! avSpanoSl<raflEvov nOAlOpKclv 'rE
TIjv NlKataV Kat OUK aVltVat npo<r~UAAoV'ra 'r<i> 'rdXEl.
L'rpaTWflu TE ;1Jvaydpa<; Kat E<; TIjv l\<rlav Sla~a<; fjAa1J-
VEV ent NlKataV, aflvvElv ~01JAOflEVO<; 'rol<; EV Tf\ nOAEl.
'OPxavYJ<; fltv, EnElSfj ~yytA8YJ E1tltVat En' aUTov <rTpUTE1Jfla
'EAAYJVlKOV, <r1lvTa;aflEvo<; aV'rE7t{JEl, TO TE <rTpu'rwfla
"x wv tv Ta;El w<; flaxovflEvO, 'rov mpa'rov aVTE~yayE Kat
EV <DlAoKP~V!] YEVOflEVO, dipE <rTpa'ronESwoflEVOV TOV
B1JsaVT[01J ~a<rlAta. Ou nOA" Se U<rTEPOV flUXYJ, l<roppono1J
YEvofltvYJ, aUTO<; TE 0 ~a<rlAEU<; ETpw8YJ d, 'rOV naSa, Kat
'EAA~VWV OUK OA[YOl 'rpa1Jfla'rlat YEVOflEVOl ~yvw<rav SElv
t<; <DlAoKP~VYJV d<rEA8clv, W<r'rE avaAa~clv <r<pii, aUTOU,
Kat avaflaXE<ra<r8at EVTau8a. '0, Ent TIjv nOAlv ETpanovTo,
KaTa VWT01J YEvoflEVOl oi ~up~apOl Kat E1tlKdflEVOl
<r1JXVOV<; TE 'rWV 'EAA~VWV SlE<p8EtpOV, Kat 'rOV<; yE AOl1tOU,
E<; 'rfjv {I.2I} nCAlv <r1JVEAU<raVTE<; EnoAl6pK01JV, End Se
napaAlO<; ~v aUTYJ fj nOAl<;, w, ouSEv npOEXWpEl T<i> 'Op-
xav!], au8l, En! N[KataV EA8wv EnoAlopKEl 'rE Enl Tlva
Xp6vov Kat dAE 'rE OU nOAA<i> U<rTEPOV 0floAoylq: napa-
<rTYJ<rUflEVO,. OUTW NlKala En! 'OpXUV!] eytVETO.
34
BOOK I
out against Mihail, having with him Mihail's nephew, Alek-
sandiir. He defeated Mihail in battle and put his nephew
Aleksandiir on the throne. Citing the offense that the
Greeks had given him in this matter, he then marched
against them and seized some towns before returning home.
Later they made a treaty, and agreed to be friends and al-
lies."
It was at this point that Andronikos learned that Orhan 26
who was raiding the region of Bithynia and taking slave~
there, was besieging Nikaia and was relentlessly attacking
Its walls. Andronikos raised an army, crossed over into Asia,
and marched to Nikaia, intending to defend those in the
city.67 But when Orhan learned that a Greek army was com-
ing against him, he assembled his forces and came out to
meet them. He advanced with his army in battle formation
and found the king of Byzantion encamped at Philokrene.
Shortly afterward there was an evenly matched battle,68 and
the king himself was wounded in the leg. Many Greeks were
also wounded and they decided that they should go into
Philokrene, so that they could regroup and fight back from
there. As they turned to go to the city, the barbarians came
up from behind and attacked them, killing many of the
Greeks. The Turks corralled the rest in the city and besieged
the~ b~t, as this is a coastal city, Orhan could do nothing
agamst It. So he went back to Nikaia and besieged it again
f~r a while. Shortly afterward he captured it through a nego-
tiated surrender. Thus Nikaia came under Orhan's control. 69
35
 THE HISTORIES
27 Et<Yt~aA£ St Kal ei, <l>lAaSEA'll£lav, aXil OUK ~Suv~9'l
1tapa<Y1:~<Ya<y9at 1tOALOPKWV Sla 1:0 1tAij90, 1:WV t1tlK01JPWV.
M£1:a Se 1:aU1:a SL£v£X9d" c;" <pam, 1tpO, 1:0U, tv 1:ft A<YLq
~ap~apou, ijY£f'0va" 1:0U1:WV EVLOU, <YUf'f'axou, ol1tpo<r-
Aa~0f'£Vo, 1:0i, aAAol, 1tOA£f'WV OUK aVL£1. "Y <Y1:£POV f'EV-
1:0l XPOVOU <YUXVOU SL£A96v1:0" KaV1:aKoUS'lvOu ~amAtw,
'EAA~VWV apn Y£V0f'EVOU E'Y'lf'£ 9uya1:Epa, Kal t1tlyaf'Lav
1tOl'l<Yaf'£vo, 1:au1:'lv eip~v1']v 1:£ 1:0i, "EAA1']<YlV t1tOl~<Ya1:0,
Kal1:ou AOl1tOU 1tpO, 1:0U, tv 1:ft <l>pUyLq ~ap~c<pwv ijy£-
f'ova, SL£V£X9el, t1tOAEf'£1. '0., 1:£A£U1:~<YaV1:0, yap AvSpo-
VLKOU 1:0U ~a<YlAtw" Ka1:£Ad<p91'] 1:£ aU1:<!' 1tai, af'<pl 1:a
SuoKaLS£Ka E1:1'] y£yovw" Kal 1:0V y£ KanaKous1']vOv
Ka1:EAl1t£V, avSpa £uSaLf'ova Kal f'Eya Suvaf'£vov, 1:0V 1:£
1taiSa t1tl1:P01t£U£LV, axpl S' ltv t1tl1:o 1:ij, ijAlKLa, a<pLK1']1:al
tn£At" Kal1:~v ~a<YlAdav 1t£plE1t£lV, f'Eya 1:£ 6A~LOV, Kal
ap£<YKof'£vo, 1:0U1:4> t1tE1:P£'\t£ 1:a af'<pl ~v ~a<YlAdav 1:£
Kal1:ov 1taiSa, tf'1t£Sw<Ya, OPKOl, ~ f'~v aSoAw, t1tl1:pO-
1t£U£lV -rij, 1:£ ~a<YlAda, af'a Kal1:ou 1talSO" Kal a~Aa~ij
1:0V 1taiSa t, ~v ~a<YlAdav Ka1:a<Y~<Y£lV. '0., St £1:£A£U1:1']-
<Y£V 6 ~a<YlA£U" XP6vou ou 1tOAAOU [I.22} SL£A96v1:0,
'EAA~VWV 1:E 1:lVWV tvayov1:wv t, 1:0U1:0 Kal <YuV£1tlAa~O­
f'EVWV ~v 1:£ ~a<YlAdav Ka1:E<YX£ Kal1:ov 1taiSa KaKov f'ev
ouStv 1:l eipyMa1:o, K1']S£~V St Ol1tOl1']<YC<f'£vo, oAlyWpW,
1:a 1:0U 1talSO, £TX£, Kal eau1:<!' 4\£1:0 1:0U, "EAA1']va, f'aAAOV
1:l avaK~<Ya<y9al. '0 f'ev ovv KaV1:aKoUS1']vO, ~v ~a<Yl­
Adav a<p£AOf'£vo, 1:0V 1taiSa, 1tpO, 'Opxav1']v 1:~V t1tl-
yaf'Lav 1tOl1']<Yaf'£vo, eau1:<!' ;tvov 1:£ Kal <pLAOV tK~<Ya1:0
E, 1:a f'c<Al<Y1:a.
BOOK I
Orhan also attacked Philadelpheia, but was unable to 27
take it by siege because it had too many defenders'?o After
this they say that he fell out with the barbarian rulers in
Asia: taking some as his allies, he waged war relentlessly
against the others. Much later, he married the daughter of
Kantakouzenos, who had just become king of the Greeks. 71
Through this marriage Orhan made peace with the Greeks,
and from that point on he fought against the barbarian rul-
ers in Phrygia,72 with whom he was in dispute. When King
Andronikos [III} died, he left a son who was about twelve
years old. 73 He also left Kantakouzenos, who was a wealthy
and very powerful man, to act as the boy's guardian until he
came of age and to supervise the realm. Given Kantakouze-
nos's great fortune, and because the king liked him person-
ally, he entrusted him with both the kingdom and his son,
but bound him with oaths to supervise honestly both the
kingdom and the child and to keep his son safe until he
should ascend to the throne,?4 But shortly after the king
died, Kantakouzenos took the throne at the instigation of
some of the Greeks who sided with him. Although he did no
harm to the child and made him his son-in-law, he marginal-
ized him, hoping to win the Greeks over to his side more. So
Kantakonzenos deprived the child of the throne and made
a marriage alliance with Orhan to acquire a powerful friend
and ally.7s
37
 THE HISTORIES
28 'Opxavl]<; ftev S~ ~a(nAEvera<; hI] {...}' E-rEAEv'tl]erE,
1CaISa<; Ka'taAl1Cwv LouAa'iftavl]v 'tE Kal Aftoupa'tl]v. LOU-
Aa'iflavl]<; ftev ouv 6 'OpXavEw 't~v ~aerlAEiav 1CapaAa~wv
'tol<; 'tE "EAAl]erlv £1ClWV £1CoAtflEl av't[Ka, Kal avSpa1CoSa
a1Co 'tfj<; £<; 't~v Aer[av 'EAA~VWV Xwpa<; w<; 1CAElcr'ta ayoflE-
VO<; Kal £<; EVPW1CI]V Sla~a<;, 'tWV flE'ta XaAlAEw 1CpO'tEpOV
Ka'ta 'tfjv XEppovl]erov 1CpO<; "EAAl]va<; S,EVEX8tv-rwv
£vayov'twv 'tE Kal £~I]youfltvwv av't<ii 't~v Sla~a",v, w<; ~
EVPW1C1] Ell] 'tE Xwpa 1CEplKaAA~<; Kal EUXEP~<; XElpWeraer8aL
V1CO LouAa'iflavEw ~aerlAtw<;. 'EV'tEU8EV Sla~l~aera<; er'tpa-
'tOY ov 1COAUV ~v 'tE XEppoVl]erov Al]t~Eer8aL, Kal'to 1CPO'tE-
pov hl <ppOVpLOV Kal MaSu'tov Ka'tacrxoV'tE<; Kal aXI< ana
1CoA[ erft a'ta Ka'ta 'tfjv XEppovl]erov, £1CtSpaft0v 'tE 'tfjv Elpq-
KI]V [er'tE £1Cl Ttapov 'tOY 1Co'taflov, Kal 'ta 'tE avSpa1CoSa £<;
'tfjv Aer[av SlE~[~a~ov. Kal ot £V 'tft Aer[" TOVpKWV, oerol
£wv8avov'to 'tau'ta, au't[Ka £<; 'tfjv EUpW1CI]V 1Capa LouAa-
'iftavl]v Slt~aLVOV, Kal eruvEAtyoV'tO El<; 'tfjv XEppovl]erov
OUK OA[YOl' [v8a S~ Kal £1Cl YEwpy[av 'tWV a1CO 't~<; {I. 23}
Aer[a<; <pElSOI 'tfj<; eau'twv xwpa<; £'tpa1COV'tO. "Y cr'tEpOV
fltV'tOl 6 'EAA~VWV ~a(:nAEu<; Sla1CpEer~EueraflEvo<; ""ovSa<;
'tE £1COl~era'to 1CpO<; LOUAa'iflav'lv 'tOY 'OpXavEw, Kal £V~yEV
£1Cl 'tou<; Tpl~aAAov<;, £<p' 4i 'tE au'tou<; ~tvou<; 'tE Kal <plAou<;
civaL aAA~Aol<; Kal 'tOY 1CpO<; 'tou<; Tpl~aAAou<; 1COAEfloV
eruvSla<ptpElv afla afl<po'ttpou<;. "EVLOl flEV ouv <paerlV, w<;
['t'1CEP'OV'tO<; '0 PXaVEW £V 'tft Aer[" 'tOY 1CalSa au'tou LOU-
Aa'iflav'lv £<; 'tfjv EUpW1C'lV Sla~~val ftE'ta1CEfl1Cofltvou £1Cl
'tou<; Tpl~aAAou<; 'tou 'tWV 'EAA~VWV ~aerlAtw<;.
29 Tou<; fl£V'tOl Tpl~aAAwv ~yEft0va<; &JSE £A8eTv £1Cl 'ta 't~<;
BOOK I
Orhan died after reigning for [ ...} years," and left be- 28
hind two sons, Siileyman and Murad. Siileyman, the son of
Orhan, succeeded to the throne and immediately started
waging war against the Greeks." He took as many captives
as he could from Greek territory into Asia, and he also
crossed over into Europe. The followers of Halil78 who had
earlier fallen out with the Greeks in the Chersonese led him
there and told him all about the crossing, saying that Eu-
rope was a very beautiful land and would easily fall to Sultan
Siileyman. He transported a small army there and plundered
the Chersonese. They took the fort that they had held pre-
viously" along with Madytos and some other towns in the
Chersonese. Then they raided in Thrace as far as the river
Tearos, and transported their captives to Asia. All the Turks
in Asia who learned about this immediately crossed over
into Europe to join Siileyman, and many of them gathered in
the Chersonese. Here they turned to farming, sparing the
lands in Asia, their own country.so Later on the king of the
Greeks sent envoys and made a treaty with Siileyman, the
son of Orhan, urging him against the Serbs. The terms were
that they would be friends and allies to each other and pro-
vide mutual support in the war against the Serbs. Some even
say that, while he was still alive in Asia, Orhan had sent his
son Siileyman to cross over into Europe when the king of
the Greeks summoned him against the Serbs S !
I have learned that the rulers of the Serbs became 29
39
 THE HISTORIES
Eupw1t'l<; 1tpaYfla'ta E1tV90fle9a. L'te1taVO<; EyeVe'tO ~a<1l­
AeU<; Tpl~aAAWV, 0<; opflwflevo<; ~v emo 'tii<; E<; 'tov'IovIOV
xwpa<;, 'ta1tepl 'E1tlbaflvov Ka'ta<npevaflevo<;, Kal E<; 'ti]v
MaKebovlav ~Aa<1a'tO, Kal E<; 't~v 'twv LK01tlwv 'ta ~a<1LAela
E1tOI~O'a'tO. Elev b' av OU'tOI, O<1a ye ~;e<nl 'tEKflalpe<19at,
09EV 1tpoayayelv E1tl 'ti]v 'tii<; Eupw1t'l<; ijYEflovlav a'l'-
lKOV'tO, 'IAAUPlwv yevo<;, a1to 't* 1tpo<; £<11tepav 'tij<; E<; 'tov
'lOVIOV xwpa<; 1tPOEA9ov-re<; E1tI'ti]v 'twv LK01tlwv 1tOAIV, 'tfi
'tE 'l'wvfi 1tapa1tA'lO'l<;t XpwflevOl EKelVOI<;, Kal yevo<; b£
EKelVO 'twv 'IAAUPIWV fleya 'te Kal E1tI1tAel<1'tov bliiKOV 'tou
'lovlou 1tEAayou<; £<1'tE E1t1 'EVE'tOU<;, w<; av EXElV ou xaAE-
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<1Keba<19tv'ta<; ax9iival. <1>wvfi 'tE yap afl'l'o'tEpOI -rfi au'tfi
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'IAAuPIWV, w<; e'i'l<1av ot [I.24} vuv .t\A~avoL Apmv b' EYo,
oub£ 1tpOO'lEflat 'tov A6yov, w<; E'{'l<1aV 'IAAuPIWV yevo<; ot
.t\A~avoL '0<; flEV ouv .om' 'E1tlbaflvou Kal OU'tOI "'Pfl'lv'to
E<; 'ti]v 1tpo<; ew xwpav 'tii<; Eupw1t'l<; E1t1 ElenaA(av 'tE
a'l'IKoflevol KaL E1tL At'twAlav Kal AKapvavlav, OUK oAlya
ana 'tij<; MaKebovla<; xwpla u'l" au'tol<; 1tE1tOI'lflevol
<i\KOUV, olba 'tE au'to<; E1tl<naflEvo<;, a1to 1tOAAWV 'tEKflat-
pOflEVO<;, KaL1toAAwv bij aK~Koa. El'tE flEV ouv a1to 'Ia1tu-
yla<;, w<; £vlOl 'l'aO'lv, E<; 'E1tlbaflvov bla~av'te<; E1tL 'ti]v
xwpav, ~v u1t'lyayov'to <1'l'l<1IV, aAAO<; aAAn a'l'lKov-ro, e'i'te
au'tou 1tEpl 'E1tlbaflvov 'ti]v apxijv 'IAAuPIWV OflOpOI 1tpO-
'(bV'tE<; Ka'ta ~paxu Ka'terrxov 't~v 1tpo<; £w 'tii<; 'E1tlbaflvou
xwpav, OUK EXW, o"n <1UfI~aAAWflal a<1'l'aAw<;. 'lI1 flEV
BOOK I
involved in the affairs of Europe in the following way. Ste-
fan82 became king of the Serbs and advanced from his terri-
tory by the Adriatic Sea. He conquered the area around
Durres, pushed into Macedonia, and made Skopje his royal
capital. 83 As far as one may infer, the Serbs may well be an
Illyrian people [i.e., the Slavs}, given where they came from
before they acquired dominion over Europe. 84 They thus
came to Skopje from the lands to the west, by the Adriatic
Sea, and speak a language similar to that of the Illyrians. The
Illyrian people is populous and has spread far and wide along
the Adriatic Sea, as far as the Venetians. It would, then, not
be difficult to infer that it was from them that the Serbs
came to be dispersed across Europe. Even today both of
them speak the same language and have the same customs
and way of life, so that those who venture an opinion about
the Illyrians would be wrong were they to say that they are
the present-day Albanians. I do not accept the premise of
the argument, that the Albanians are au Illyrian [i.e., Slavic}
people. I know perfectly well that they too came out of
Durres and moved to the more eastern lands of Europe,
reaching Thessaly, Aitolia, and Akarnania, and that they in-
habited many regions of Macedonia after they had con-
quered them, I have inferred this from much evidence and
heard it from many people. But whether they originally
came to Durres from Apulia, as some say, after they had
crossed to the territory which they subjected to themselves,
each in a different place; or whether they were originally
neighbors of the Illyrians right there, around Durres, and
set out from there, gradually taking over the lands to the
east of Durres, I cannot conclude with certainty. What I
 THE HISTORIES
af'<pw -rw l'eVEE -rOU-rW, Tpl~aAAol -rE Katl\A~avol, aTCO -r~<;
E<; -rov 'IovlOv xwpa<; Wpf'l']f'evw, -ro f'EV TCpO<; £W -r~<;
EUpWTCl']<; iOV-rE<; -ri]V -rau-rn xwpav 4\Kl']crav Kat OUK oAll'a
7 that land, and conquered a considerable realm for them-
er<plcrlv E<; -r~v apx~v uTC1']l'al'oV'ro, -ro SI: TCpO<; eerTCEpav
Wpf'l']f'EVOV crxESOV £er-rE EU~ElVOV TCOV-rOV a<plKOV'rO Kat
ETCt "Ier-rpov axpl eE-r-raAla<; tAaerav-rE<;, WSE f'0l dp~erE-ral.
30 '0 ~aerlAEU<; aTCO ~<; -rwv LKOTClwv TCOAEW<; Wpf'l']f'EVO<;,
£XWV f'E9' eau-rov avSpa<; -rE -ra E<; TCOAEf'OV al'a90u<; Kat
cr-rpa-rlav OU <paUAl']V, TCpw-ra f'ev -ra TCEpt Kaer-roplav Ka-r-
Eer-rpt'ita-ro xwpla, Kat [I.25} ETCt MaKESovlav EAaera<;, TCA~V
etpf'l']<; -ra aAAa U<p' au-rQ TCOll']eraf'Evo<;, ETCt La~av -rE
TCpOEAauvwv Kat ETCt -ra Ka-ra -rov "Ier-rpov xwpla, f'El'aAa
aTCESElKvU-rO ~pya, Kat n']v -rE xwpav -rau-rn crUf'TCaerav
Ka-raer-rpE'itaf'EVO<; dXE. Ta~a<; Se ava -ri]v EUpWTCl']V -rwv
UTCOXElplwv aAAOU<; aAAn ETCt f'El'a'rE EXWPEl Suvaf'Ew<;, Kat
ETCt "EAAl']va<; ~AaUVE -ri]v apmv a<palpl']erOf'Evo<;, Kal TCOA-
Aaxft ETCt -ra Ka-ra -ro BusaV'rlOv Xwpla er-rpa-rov ETCa<pEl<;
aTCESpaf'e -rE Kat avqwpEl. Kat ~v eTCt -rou-rou -ra 'EAA~VWV
TCpal'f'a-ra TCpoerSoKlf'a eTCl -rov £crxa-rov a<pl~£Cf9al KlvSu-
vov, UTCO er<pwv -rE au'twv TCEpl-rpETCof'Eva Ka-ra -ri]v ~<; ~a­
CflAEla<; p'l'er'twvl']v, ETCt 'to aKOAaer'tOv Kat aVElf'evov ~<;
Slal'tl']<; AvSpovlKOU, -rou TCpEer~u'tEpoU ~aCflAEw<; <pl']f'l,
'tE-rpaf'f'Evou 'tav-rn. 'E<; f'aXl']v f'ev ouv 'to 'EAAl']VlKOV
l'EVO<; aTCEA9Elv Kat SlaTCElpiier9al yvWf'l']v OUK eTCOlEl'tO,
erWSElv ftEV'tOl 'ta 'tElXl'] 'tpOTC<!', ih<!, i'<v SUValv-ro, aer<pa-
AEcr-ra-r<!'.
31 "HAaerE ftEv ouv Kat eTCt Al'twAlav, Kat 'Iwavvlvwv 't~v
TCOAlV ELAE. Kat 'ta f'ev Ka'ta -ri]v MaKESovlav TCEptA~lOV
BOOK I
will relate is how both of these peoples, the Serbs and the
Albanians, set out from the lands by the Adriatic Sea, and
how the latter went to the eastern parts of Europe, settled
selves, while the former pushed to the west" so that theyal-
most reached the Black Sea, and advanced from the Danube
all the way to Thessaly.
The ki~g [Stefa~ Dusan} set out from the city of Skopje, 30
accomparued by hiS warriors and a large army. First he sub-
jugated the region around Kastoria and then advanced into
Macedonia, conquering all of it except for Thessalonike. 86
He pushed on to the Sava River and the region by the Dan-
ube, performing great deeds, and he conquered that entire
land. After appointing other men among his subordinates to
govern Europe, he became very powerful. He also attacked
the Greeks in order to take over their realm, often send-
ing armies against the areas near Byzantion,87 and then with-
drawing and racing back home. At this time the affairs of
the Greeks seemed to have reached a state of ultimate peril,
as they were undermining themselves by the indolence of
their royalty. I am referring to the licentious and dissolute
way of life to which the elder king Andronikos [II} had
turned." So the Greek people made a decision not to go out
and attempt battle, but instead decided that the surest way
to keep safe, whatever this might mean, was behind their
walls.
Stefan raided into Aitolia and captured the city of Ioan-
. BH P
mna. e entrusted the region around the Axios River in
43
 BOOK I
THE HISTORIES

Macedonia to Zarko, a man he held in the highest honor;90

the region from Serres to the Axios River to Bogdan, a good
man and an experienced warrior;'! and the region from
Serres to the Danube to two brothers, the Kral and Ugljesa,
the former being the royal wine-pourer, the latter his
groom. 92 As for the lands by the Danube, he entrusted them
to Vuk Lazar, the son of Branko;93 the area around Trikala
and Kastoria to the zupan Niko1a;'4 and those in Aitolia to
Preljub. 95 The governance of the region around Ohrid and
the land called Prilep he entrusted to Mladen, a noble man. 96
It was to these men, we have ascertained, that King Stefan
entrusted his European territories.
When the king [Stefan} died," each man remained in 32
command of the territory that had been entrusted to him,
and they agreed on a peace with each other and so avoided
hostilities. 98 But they continually attacked the Greeks and
fought a war against them, each one of them in whatever
way he could. As for Mihail, the ruler of the Bulgarians who
lived long before Stefan, he occupied the territory south of
the Danube and toward the Black Sea, and established his
royal court at Tarnovo." I have discovered from my inquir-
ies that this was how the Bulgarians, whom we call Mysians,
and the Serbs, whom we call Triballians, came to be distin-
guished from each other with regard to their names from
then on. These two peoples are regarded as entirely differ-
ent from each other and separate. But how each of them
was stripped of his realm by the barbarians and how they
were themselves defeated, my narrative williater reveal.

44 45
 THE HISTORIES
33 LouAa"lflav1']e; flEV OUV Eree! -rE -ra Ka-ra TIJV XEPpOV1']<YOV
reoAi<Yfla-ra reAiF KaAALOUreOAEWe; Ka-rt<YXE -rE Kat Ev1']UAi~E-rO,
w<Y-rE EXELV 6pflwflEVOe; areo -rOu-rWV -ra erel -rfje; ElpQ:K1']e;
xwpia eAaUVWV Ka-ra<r-rpt<pE<Y9aL, we; -rore; "EAA1']<YLV ElpfjV1']v
ereOLfj<Ya-rO, e<Y-rpa-rEUEV {I.27} eret KpaA1']v -rE Kat OuyyAt<Y1']V
-roue; TpL~aMwv fjYEfl6vae;, olSfJ -rore; "EAA1']<YLV EreE-ri9Ev-ro
Kat xaAEreot fj<Yav SLa -ro fl1']Streo-rE fj<YUXiav /iym, aAX aEl
KaKWe; reOLElV reoAEfloiiv-rae; -rOle; "EAA1']<YLV. OU-rOL flEV ouv
we; erct'J90v-ro LouAa'iflav1']v SLa~av-ra ee; TIJv Eupwre1']v
Sn oiiv n erel-rft 'EAA1']VLKft TIJv <Y<pE-rtpav au-rwv xwpav Kat
SLaprea~ELV fl1']SEVOe; <pELSOflEVOV, e<Y-rpa-rEUOV-rO erel -roue;
ToUpKOUe;, Kal <YUfI~aA6v-rEe; flaXtl n eKpa-r1']<Yav Kat SL-
e<pgeLpov OUK aAiroue; ev -rft ereLSpoflft· ME-ra SE -raii-ra, we;
fi<Y90v-ro ~S1'] -ra TOUpKWV repaYfla-ra -raxiJ erel fleya repo-
Xwpoiiv-ra SuvaflEWe;, Kal -roue; areo l\.<Yiae; ToupKOUe; aiEl
SLa~aivov-rae; repo<ryive<y9aL au-r<ji, W<r-rE Kat ee; reoALOpKiav
-rWV Ka-ra TIJV Eupwre1']v reOAEWV Ka9i<Y-ra<Y9aL, Kat repo-
'iov-rae; Eret TIJv flE<Y6yaLOv -rfje; ElpQ:K1']e;, <YUVEAerOV-rO -re
<r-rpa-rEufla afl<pOnpOL. OUyyAt<Y1']e; flEV ouv wPfl1']-ro areo
<lJeppwv erel -roue; TOUpKOUe;, ev ale; -ra ~a<rtAELa fjv au-r<ji'
KpaA1']e; -re /ifla au-r<ji 6 aSeA<pOe; <Y-rpa-rEUfla fXWV a'lto -rfje;
fle<Yoyaiou -rfje; ElpQ:K1']e; <YUVtlEL -r<ji aSEA<p<ji we; <Y-rpa-rEU-
<YOflEVOL /ifla eret-roue; ToUpKOUe;.
34 '0 flEV oiiv LOUAciiflav1']e; hUXE reoALOpKwV reoAL<Yfla -rE
reap a Ttapov reo-raflov, SLtXOV areo l\.SpLavoureoAEWe; <r-ra-
Sloue; w<YEl e~SoflfjKov-ra, Kal O'K1']vae; flEV au-roii OUK aAiyae;
areo retAwv aiywv erefj;a-ro, ev ale; SfJ ot Ka-ra TIJv l\.<Ylav
LKu9aL -rE oL vOflaSEe; Kat TOUpKWV oL repoe; -r6VSE -rov ~iov
BOOK I
After SiUeyman acquired and then established himself in 33
the towns of the Chersonese, except for Gallipoli, he used
them as a base for pushing into the region of Thrace and
subjugating it. As he had made peace with the Greeks, he
marc~~~ out against the Kral and Ugljesa, the rulers of the
Serbs, who were attacking the Greeks and were causing
problems because they would never leave them alone. They
were always up to no good, making war against the Greeks.
When the Kral and Ugljda learned that Siileyman had
~rossed over mto Europe and was ravaging their own lands
m accordance with the Greek treaty, 101 and was plundering
them, sparing no one, they marched out against the Turks
and Jomed them in battle. They prevailed and slaughtered
many in their assault.102 After that, when they realized how
the power of the Turks was rapidly growing and that Turks
from ASia were constantly crossing over to J'oin Siileym
tili
o e pomt h
. were ~
they could besiege cities in Europe, and
that they were advancing into the interior ofThrace both
men assembled their armies. Ugljda advanced again~t the
Turks from Serres, where he had his royal conrt, while his
brother
. the Kral, who had an army from the ThraC1an. 1nte-
.
nor: joined his brother so that they could campaign together
agamst the Turks .
. Siileyman happened to be besieging a town by the Tearos 34
River, about seventy stades distant from Adrianople. He had
pitched many tents there made of goat skins in which th
nomadic Skythians of Asia as well as the T~rks who hav:
adopted that way of life are accustomed to camp. He was
47

THE HISTORIES
'tE'tpaflflEvOl O'Kl']voiiv eiweaO'l, Kat btOAlOpKEl 'to Xwp[ov
1tpOcrEXWV Ev'tE'taflEvw<;. [I.28} ~la'tp[~ov'ta Se au'tov AEYE-
'tal, w<; 'tclX'O''ta E7t1leE'tO t1tlov'ta<; ol 'tou<; 1tOAEfllOtl<;, Aa-
~ElV 'tE t1tlAE;aflEvov avSpa<; t<; oK'taKoO'lOtl<; 'twv afl<p'
au'tov apl<r'twv, Kal VtlK'tO<; t1tEAaO'av'ta e<; 'to 1tOAEfllWV
O''tpa't01tESOV Ka'taStloflEVOV, w<; ~Sl'] ~ ~w<; U1tE<paLVE, Kal
Oii'tE <ptlAaKa<; Exov'ta<; 'tou<; 1tOAEfllOtl<; ewpa au'tou<; 'tE 'ta
1tOAAa 1tapa T£apov 1to'taflov, w<; iiSwp KaAAlO''toV 'tE 1tap-
EXE'taL 1tlelV Kat UYlElvO'ta'tov, eEpOtl<; SE rjv 6\pa, OAlYWPW<;
'tE 'twv 111tAWV O'<p[O'lV au'tol<; Kat 'twv l1t1tWV EXov'ta<;, oTa
'tou<; 1tOAEfllOtl<; tv ouSEvl AOY'!' 1tOLOtlfl£VOtl<;, t1tt P\lO''twvl']v
'tE'tpaflfl£VOtl<;, Ka'ta KEPfllavov' xwpov t1tEl(f1tEO'elV 'tE
Ii<pvw crUv 'tot<; 6K'taKOO'lOl<; Kat Sla<peelpal crUfl1tav'ta 'tOY
O''tpa'tov K'tdvov'ta<; a<pElSEO''ta'ta, 6\O''tE 'tou<; 1tAdova<; au-
'twv 1tEO'elV t<; 'tOY 1to'taflov, Kal tv a1top1\l e'lxov'to, 01tOl
'tpa1twV'tal YEVOflEVOl, Kat'tau'tl] Sla<peapijval. "'Evea II 'tE
OUYYA£O'l'], a1tWAE'tO Kat 0 KpaAl'], 0 aSEA<po, au'toii tv
'tau'tl] "tfi flaxn. ''O't'!' S' /tv 'tp01t'!' Sl£<peapl'], OUK nOel
ouod" O)<r'tE o'(eO'eaL 'tou, 1tpO~Kov'ta, au'ttii 1tEplElVal E'tl
au'tov t1tt1tOAVV 'tlva Xpovov.
35 :0, oov 'tau'tl']v ~v vlKl']v EVKAEij Kat1tEpl<pavij avdAE'to
~OtlAa"ifl(lvl']" 'to 'tE 1tOAlO'fla, il t1tOAlOPKEl1tPO'tEPOV, 1tap-
E~O'a'tO, Kat 'OpEO''tlaoa 'ti]v AoplaVOV1tOAlV KaAOtlt'£vl']v
tAauvwv t1tOAlOpKEl. "'E'ttlXE SE 'n']v 'tE 1toAlV 1tEpt afll']'tov
1tOALOPKWV, Kat1tpoO'~aAAwv 'ttii 'tdXEl eafla OUK avb. 'Ev
'tOV't'!' SE Ilv'to, ~otlAa'iflavEw 'ttlXelV veav[av AEYOtlO'l 'twv
tv"tfi 1tOAEl Ka'ta 61t~v 'tlva a1to 'tij, [I.29} 1tOAEW, <pEPOtl-
O'av i';w AaeN 'tE t;lov'ta VtlK'tO, "flwv'ta wpou, Ka'ta
BOOK I
vigorously pressing the siege of the place. Although he was
busy with this, it is said that as soon as he learned the enem
. . hi Y
was commg agamst m, he took eight hundred men picked
from the best of those who were with him and marched out
at night. Creeping up to the enemy camp just as dawn was
b~eaking: he observed that the enemy had not posted sen-
tries. As It was summertime, most of them were by the river
Tearos, which provides the purest and healthiest drinking
water, and he saw that they were careless with their weapons
and hors~s and had become lazy, because they held their op-
ponents m low esteem. So there, at a place called Cerno-
men, Siileyman and his eight hundred suddenly attacked the
S:rbs and destroyed the entire army, slaughtering them mer-
cilessly. Most of them fen into the river and not knowin
hi h ' g
w c way to turn, died there. VgljeSa perished in this bat-
tle, as did his brother the Kral. No one knew exactly how he
died, however, so that his followers thought that he had sur-
Vived for some time thereafter. 103
After Siileyman had won this glorious and famous vic- 35
tory, the city that he had been besieging earlier surrendered
and he then pressed forward to besiege Orestias which i~
called Adrianople. He happened to besiege the c;ty at har-
vest time. He did not let up in his continual attacks on the
walls but could not break them. While Siileyman was in this
predicament, they say that a young man of the city snuck
out at flight through an opening that led to the outside,
49
 BOOK I
THE HISTORIES

harvested some grain, and took it back into the city through
that opening; and he was seen doing this repeatedly by
someone in the camp. The Turk who saw where the young
man entered, followed him to the opening, tried it out, and,
after going into the city, returned to the camp. He came be-
fore SUleyman, told him about the entrance, and led him
there straightaway. His ruler tried out the entrance, cap-
tured the city in this way, and subjected it to himsel£104 After
this he pressed forward to Philippopolis and took posses-
sion of this city too through a negotiated surrender.l05 But
there is said to have been a man with this sultan who was
a most remarkable military strategist and an extraordinary
leader in battle and during assaults. Some say that he dis-
played extreme and almost instantaneous speed in the exe-
cution of most matters to which he gave his attention. 106
Siileyman fell ill and, when he was rushed back to Asia, 36
his illness became worse and he died. When he was dying,
he ordered his attendants to bury his body in the place at
the isthrnos of the Chersonese lO7 where he had previously
buried with appropriate magnificence the body of his own
son. And this was done. He also imposed taxes for the tomb
so that their priests would conduct all-night services at the
monument, and he ordered that he be buried there together
with his son. lOB
When Siileyman died, as soon as Murad, who was Orhan's 37
son and SUleyman's brother, learned of his death, he took
the janissaries and the other men of the Porte, crossed over
into Europe, and took command of the entire army. He

5'

THE HISTORIES
<Y't"pa't"W!l a au't"ou !brav, Kat btll\SpLavou:JtOALV £Aa<Ya<; 't"a
~a<YLA£la O[ au't"ou £:JtoL~<Ya't"O. Kat £V't"EUeEV °P!lW!lEVO<;
£Al'ft~E't"O 'tf]v -rij<; MaKESovia<; !lE<YoyaLOv Xwpav, Kat
avSpa:JtoSa CTlJ)(Va aY0!lEVO<; £:JtAOU't"L~E 't"OU<; !lEe' eau't"ou
<Y't"pa't"Lw't"a<;, Kat ToupKwv O<YOL £:Jt' £A:JtiSL 't"ou KEpSaVaL
O't"LOUV El:JtOV't"O ath4i, £SwpE1't"o avSpa:JtoSo L<; 't"E Kat u:JtO-
~Uy(OL<;, it ~A(<YKE't"O a:Jto Mu<Ywv 't"E Kat 'EAA~VWV. AEyE't"aL
!lEnOL Kat 't"OSE, w<; LOUAa'!lav'l<;, £:Jtel 't"E ij<YeE't"O -rij<; TpL-
~aAAwv Kat Mu(l'wv Suva!lEw<; £:Jt' au't"ov aepOL~O!lEV'l<;'
Kat £:JtpanEV, W(l''t"E Soefjvai ot £;aKL<; !lupia<; SpaX!la<;,
w<Y't"E ImoSouvaL au't"ol<;, o<Ya 't"WV :JtOAL<Y!la't"WV :Jtpo<Y']ya-
yE't"O ot, Kat au't"ov O"XE<YeaL cmaAAan6!1EVOV £<; 't"~V l\<Yiav
cmoxwp~<YELV 't"'lVLKau't"a :JtOALOpKouV't"a 't"a £V EJp4K u curred and demolished the walls of the cities, so that in con-
:JtoAi(l'!la't"a 'EAA~VWV. D<; oiiv :JtIJe0!lEVOL ot "EAA'lVE<; a:Jt-
ESEXOV't"O 't"E Kat "'t"OL!lOL ~<Yav £:Jtt 't"OU't"OL<; <Y1tEVSE<YeaL,
;UVEVExefjvaL <YEL<Y!l0V 't"E !lEyav Kat 't"a 't"elX'l 't"WV :JtOAEWV
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£~Aauvov :JtOALOPKOUV't"E<;. Kat £A6na<; :Jtapa 't"WV 'EAA~­
vwv 't"a :JtOA(<Y!la't"a £XE<YeaL 't"ou Aomou -rij<; Eupw:Jt'l<;, !I'lSEV
't"L 't"OLOU't"OV £-rL :JtP0<YLE!lEVOU<;.
3 ME't"a Sf. 't"aii't"a ~AaUVEV £:Jtt Mll<You<; Kat £:Jtt TpL~aA-
8 some c aim, came from beyond the Danube and the farthest
AOU<;. To Sf. yEVO<; 't"ou't"o :JtaAaL6't"a't"ov 't"E Kat !lEyL<Y't"OV 't"WV
Ka't"a 'tf]v O[KOU!lEV'lV £eVWV, EhE Imo 'IAAUPLWV !l0ipa<;
a:JtE<YXL<Y!lEVOV 't"au't"'lv ",K'l<YE 't"~V xwpav, e'i't"E, w<; £VLOL,
a:Jto 'tfj<; :JtEpav 't"ou "I<Y'tpou {l.3I} £:Jt' £<yxa't"WV -rij<; Eupw:Jt'l<;,
Imo 'tE Kpoa't"ia<; Kat I1pou<Yiwv 't"WV £<; 'tOY apK't"4'ov WKE-
avov Kat Lap!la't"ia<; -rij<; VUV ov't"w 'Pw<Y(a<; KaAou!lEV'l<;
£<Y't"E £:Jtt Xwpav 't"~v SLa 'to ¥ix0<; cLOiK'l't"OV, KaKE1eEV
52
BOOK I
traveled
h to Adrianople
109 U . . and established his royaI court
t ere. . sing It as his base, he plundered the interior of
Macedoma, took many slaves, and enriched his soldiers. He
made grfts of slaves and pack animals, which he had seized
from the Bulgarians and the Greeks, to all the Turks who
followed him in the hopes of personal gain. It is also said
that when . SiHeyman
. realized the Serbs and BuIganans
. were
assembling against him in force, he negotiated {with the
Greeks} and proposed that in exchange for sixty thousand
drachm~s he would give back to them the towns that he had
appropnated and would leave and go back to Asia d I'f
th .. ,an It
e ongoing sieges of the Greek towns in Thrace. When the
Greeks learned this they accepted, and were prepare d to
make a treaty on these terms. But a major earthquake oc-
sequence the Turks captured most of those that they had
under siege. Once they took these towns from the Greeks
they were henceforth well established in Europe, and never
made such an offer again. liD
After this Murad marched against the Bulgarians and the 38
Serbs. This race {I.e., the Slavs} is the most ancient and larg-
est among all the peoples in the world. They either broke
away from the IlIyrian tribe and settled in this land
I' ~u
ends of E~rope, namely from Croatia1lI and the territory of
the PrussIans, by the Arctic Ocean and by Sarmatia (
called Russia), as far as the land that isuninhabitabl:~:
53

THE HISTORIES
Wpf'1']f'EVOl Kat 'tOV 'tE "I(HpoV Ola~~~'tE<; t~t, ~~ t<; 't~V
'IOVlOV Xwpav a<plKOV'tO Kat 'tau'tfl E7tl 7tOAU E7tl EVE'tOU<;
8l~KouO'av Ka'taO"tpEyaf'EVOl <l>K1']O'a~, ~h~ O~ 't~uv,a~'t[OV
f'CiAAOV £i7t£lV Iif'ElVOV, w<; EV'tE09EV a7tO 't1']<; ,E<; 'tOY Io~LO~
xwpa<; Wpf'1']f'EVOl Kat "IO"tpov Ola~aV'tE<; E7tEKElVa EY_E-
vono TIj<; OtKOUf'EV1']<;, OUK liv oh AEYOf'EVOV a~<paA~<;
AEYOl'tO o<p' ~f'wv, TOO'OVOE f'EV'tOl t7tlO'~af'aL,,, W<; 'to,l<;
'VOllaO'l 'tao'ta oh 'ta yEV1'] OlEO"t1']KO'ta aAA1']AWV 1']eEO'l f'EV
o ,. ,~ , '
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7tOAAaxn <l>K1']O'av, IiAAn 'tE oh Kat EV 'tlVl TIj<; IIEA07tOV~
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e<; 'to Taivapov ¢K1']f'EVOV. TIL oh Kat a7tO L>aKia<; E7tl
IIlvoov 'to t<; E>EnaAiav Ka9ijKOV eVOlKijO'av E9vo<;.
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a<plKE0'9al. Oihw 8h Kav'tao9a 'tou<; 'tE Tpl~aAAOU<; Kat
MuO'ov<; Kat 'IAAUPLOV<; Kat Kpoa'tiou<; Kat IIoAavou<; Kat
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'tau'tfl 'tEKf'aLpOf'EVOV AEyElV, £'(1'] ltv 'too'tO 'to YEV~<; ,'ta~'to
'tE Kat ~V Kat Of'O<pUAOV eau't<;i. 'Y7tO oe'too KaLpOU E<; 1']91']
'tE OlEV1']vEYf'Eva aAA~AWV Kat e7tt xwpav ilAA1']V a<plKOf'E-
VOL <l>K1']O'av. OUKOOV oh AEYE'tal 7tpo<; OUOEV~V, OJO"tE
O'a<pE<; 'tl 7tEpt au'twv [I.32} EXElV ~f'Ci<; e<; [O''top,av (<?to-
8£lKVUO'eaL.
BaO'iAEla f'Ev EO''tlV au'tol<; Kav'tao9a 'tOO "IO"tpou Kat
39 7tEpaV 'tE, 'to 'tE yEVO<; 'too'tO 7tOAV f'El~ov Kat e7tt 7tOAV
f'CiAAOV 8lijKOV, OJO"t' ltv f'CiAAOV eK£l9EV <paVaL KaAALOV
54
BOOK I
account of the cold. Advancing from there, they crossed the
Danube and arrived at the lands by the Adriatic Sea before
they spread out over most of it as far as the Venetians, con-
quering and then settling it. Or perhaps it would be bet-
ter to say the exact opposite: that they moved out from the
lands by the Adriatic Sea, crossed the Danube, and then
went out beyond the inhabited world. But I could not state
that with any certainty. This much I do know, however, that
although these peoples have different names they do not
have different customs, and it is quite clear that they speak
the sam"e language even now.1I2 As they spread throughout
Europe, they settled in many places, including some parts
of Lakonia in the Peloponnese, on Mount Taygetos and at
Tainaron, just as another group of this people settled from
Wallachia about the Pindos range, extending down to Thes-
saly.113 Both groups are called Vlachs, although I cannot pro-
vide any detailed argument for saying which of the two was
first to arrive. But I know that Serbs, Bulgarians, Illyrians
[here Bosnians}, Croatians, Poles, and Russians speak one
and the same language. So if we must draw a conclusion
from this evidence, it would be that they are all one and the
same people, being of the same race. But over time their
customs began to deviate from each other and they settled
in the different lands in which they had arrived. But nothing
clear is said about them by anyone that we could present as
reliable history.
The Slavs possess kingdoms both on this side of the Dan- 39
ube and beyond it, for their race is very large and very widely
extended. As a result, it would be better to conclude that
55

THE HISTORIES
7tap£xOV t7tt 1'aSE a<pu<£0"8at 1'0 Y£vo<; 1'OU1'O, Kat OiK~O"at
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iivw MllO"lav Kat Ka1'W MllO"lav <paval KaAW<; "XElV o'{OV1'at
~VLOl, w<; 1'~V iivw MllO"lav ou ~V t<; 1'a iivw 1'OU "I<11'pOll
ana ~V t<; 1'0 7tEpaV 1'OU "IO"1'poll ci>K'1fl£v'1v xwpav, 1'~V
St d1'w M1l<1laV ou ~v t<; 1'a Ka1'W 1'OU "IO"1'poll aAAa ~v
t7tt 1'ouota 1'OU "IO"1'poll Xwpav, £0"1'£ t7tt 'haAlav Ka8~KOll­
O"av. Tou<; fl£V1'Ol BOllAyapOll<;, oil<; Ka1'W MllO"lav KaAouO"lV
ot iiflElVOV 'EAA'1VlKfj<; t7ta:toV1'E<; <pwvfj<;, t7tl<11'aflal Ka8-
~KElV t7tt 1'ov"IO"1'poV a7to BlSlV'1<; 7tOAEW<; £0"1'£ t7tt Eil;El-
vov 7tOV1'OV tv Tplva~'l' 7tOAEL 1'a ~aO"iAEla O"<plO"lV cmo-
SELKVllfl EVOll <;.
40 TOU1'OL<; fltv OUV 67t01'E AA£;avSpov 6 ~<; LEp~la<;
KpaA'1<;, 6 1'WV Tpl~anWV fjYEflwv, t<; ~v ~acrLAdav
Ka1'E<11''1O"EV, (L33} t~aO"iAE1l£ 1'E oi)1'w<;, E<; 0 Sfj 1'EAE1l1'~O"a<;
Ka1'£Al7tE ~ao"lA£a 1'OU Y£VOll<; 1'OV 7taTSa au1'ou LOUO"fla -
vov, e<p' ov S~ E<11'pa1'EUE1'O Aflollpa1''1<; 6 'OPXavEw . 'E7td
e<; TpL~aAAou<; EO"£~aAE, Kat flaxn Kpa~O"a<; au1'WV q:,Eppa<;
1'E U7t'1yaYE1'O 7tOAlV EuSalflova, Kat 1'a E<; 1'~V 'PoS07t'1V
Xwpla Ka1'aO"1'pnvaflEVo<; flEyaAa a7tESdKV1l1'O ~pya, Lcii'vn
1'E 1'~V q:,EPPWV £7tl1'p",va<; 7tOAlV, avSpt aya8Q, E<11'pa-
1'EUE1'O E7tt LOUO"flavov 1'OV MllO"la<; ~ao"LA£a, Kat o"llfl~aAWV
BOOK I
they set out from there and came here, and settled in the
lands by ~he Adriatic Sea before crossing the Danube and
also settling more there , rather than that they starte d out
f~om here and arrived at those parts of the world that are
virtually unInhabited. H4 Whether dr'1Ven by some necessIty,.
~r motivated by choice in self-defense, they now happen t~
o
hve separately from each other, as can be seen, based on the
preponderance of the evidence; or, at any rate, one may rea-
sonably
. assert itY' Therefore some think that I't IS
. appro-
prIate. to speak of upper Mysia and lower Mysia; upper My-
~Ia be~ng not along the upper Danube but the land that is
inhabited
a1 beyond the Danube,and Y lower
St Ma . b eing
. not
ong the lower Danube but the laod on this side of th
Da~ube which extends as far as Italy. I know that the Bul~
garlans, whom those who understand the better sort of
Greek call1ower Mysians, inhabit the Danube area from the
City ~fVidIn to the Black Sea, and have their royal court at
the City of Tarnova.
When the kral of Serbia, the ruler of the Triballians, es- 0
tablished Aleksandiir on the throne for them (the Bulg . 4
} H6 h i ' . arl-
ans "'" t e atterreIgned In this way until he died and left his
son Sisman to reign over his people. ll7 It was against him
then, that Murad, the son of Orhan, was campaigning. H~
attacked the Serbs, defeated them in battle, and captnred
t~e prosperous city of Serres. lIB He also subjugated the re-
g~on by Rodope, performing great deeds. He entrusted the
City of Serres 0
So.. to Shahin
' H9 a good man,marc
aod h e d agaInst
.
Isman, the kIng of Bulgaria. He joined battle with him and
57
 THE HISTORIES
au'tou 'tao'tl] e-rpeya'to 'tE 'toil<; Mu<Yoo<;, Kal Sleq>9ElpEV 00
1tOAAoo<; SlMwgev'ta<; E1tl 'ta E<; 'tOY "1<Y'tpov xwpia. ll.la- .
1tpE<Y~EV~af'EVO<; Se 1tpO<; Af'oupa'tl1v LOO<Yf'aVO;, " AA~;­
avSpou <Y1tovSa<; 'tE E1tOl~<Ya'tO Kal <rVf'f'a~iav, w~'rE 'tOY
au'tov EX9pOV 'tE Kal q>o..ov VOf'i~ElV, Kal E1tlyaf'laV 1tOl-
l1<Yaf'Evo<; 9uya'tepa au'tou, KaAAEl 'tE t'J1tEpq>epO~<Yav Ka~
a1tO 'E~pa:tSo<;, ~v ~yayE'tO 'tpw9d<;, YEvv119E,<Yav 't4'
Af'0upa'tl], E;eSO'tO f'EV'tOl Kal e'tepav 't<ji 'EAA~vwv ~a~l­
AEl, 0<; 'tl1vlKClu'tCl ['tou} 'EAA~vwv 'tOY Kav~ClKou~l1VO~
aq>EAof'Evo<; 'tf]v apxiJv E~Cl<yo..EVE yevou<; 'tou EAAl1V'~OU.
4' '0 f'eV'tOl KClv'tClKOU~l1VO<;, E1td 'tE E~Cl<yo..EVE 1tCllSCl<;
ex WV SOO, 'tOY f'EV VEW'tEpOV 'Ef'f'ClVOUij~OV ~1tEf'YEV ,E<; I1E-
A01tOVVl1<YOV ~yEf'0VCl 'tou MU~119pa, 'tOY SE 1tPE<Y~U'tEpOV
KCl9i<Y't11<Yl ~a<YlAECl 'tOL<; "EAAl1<YlV. 'Iwavvl1<; SE 0 'tou
AvSpoviKOU 1taT<;, w<; E1tl 'to lKClVOV 'tij<; ~AlKia<; ~q>i~E~O,
<YUVi<Y'tCl'tO 'tE'tOL<; [I-34} "EAAl1<Yl KCll <YUVE'ti9E'tO ClU'tOlS w<;
p. 34 E1tl 'tf]v ~Cl<YlAdClV aq>l;Of'EVO<;. "E'tUXE SE SlCli'tCl<; EXWV EV
'tfi MClKESovi ... Ot SE "EAAl1VE<; ax90f'EVOl ~ Sl~i":1 KCll
U~PEl 'tOU ~Cl<YlAtW<;, W<; EKCl<Y'tO<; dXEV Clt'tlCl<; ClU't4', E1t-
ClYOf'EVOl a1tO MClKESoviCl<; 'tOY VEClViClV E<; 'tf]v ~Cl<YlAEiClv
KCl'tE<Y~<YClV'tO. D<; SE E<; 'tf]v ~MlAdClv KCl'tE<Y'tl1, ~OV
f'EV'tOl KClv'tClKOU~l1VOV NCl~l1PClLOV E1tOl~<YCl'tO, MCl't9CllOV
'tollvof'Cl. '0 'too'tOU SE 1tPE<Y~O'tEpO<; 1tClL<;, OV a1teSEl;E
~M'AeCl 'tOL<; "EAAt]<Ylv, aq>iKE'tO f'ev 't~ 1tPW'tCl E<; 'Po~OV
1tClpa 'tOY 'tClO'tn ClU'tOU apXlEpeCl, SEO,f'EVO<; E1tl~OUPlCl<;
-ruXELV, KCll ESEl'tO Ka'taYElV ClU'tOV E<; 't1']V ~Cl<Y'AE'ClV., K~l
1tOAAa 1tPO"O-X0f'EVO<;, a><Y'tE 01 YEVE<Y9Cll 'tlf'wpiClV 'tlVCl, w<;
ouSev EUPCl'tO E1tl~ SELOV, 1tClpijV au'tiKCl f'E'ta 'tClU'tCl E<;
BOOK I
routed the Bulgarians,I2O but did not kill many, as they fled
to various regions along the Danube. Sisman, the son of
Aleksandar, then entered into negotiations with Murad, and
made a treaty and an alliance with him whose terms were
that they would have the same friends and enemies. He also
made a marriage alliance with him by giving Murad his
daughter, who was exceedingly beautiful and born of aJew-
ish woman whom he had married after falling in love with
her.'2' He gave another daughter to the king of the Greeks,
who at that time was reigning over the Greek people, having
removed Kantakouzenos from power over the Greeks.'"
Kantakouzenos had two sons: while he was reigning, he 4'
sent the younger, named Manuel, to the Peloponnese to be
the governor of Mistra, 123 while the elder he established as
king over the Greeks."4 But when loannes [V}, the son of
Andronikos [III}, came of age, he organized the Greeks and
prepared them for his accession to the throne.''' He hap-
pened then to be residing in Macedonia. 126 The Greeks were
discontent at the king's way oflife and his overbearing man-
ner, and each person had his own grievance against him, so
they brought the young man back from Macedonia and set
him on the throne. When he was set on the throne, he
forced Kantakouzenos to become a monk with the name
Matthaios.''' Kantakouzenos's elder son, however, the one
whom he had made king of the Greeks, went first to Rhodes
and to the bishop there,'28 asking for his help and begging
him to restore him to the throne. He made many promises
to secure some aid, but obtained nothing useful. So he then
59

THE HISTORIES
IIeAo1tovv1']crov 1tapa 'tov aSeA<pOV ati'toii 'EflflavovijAoV,
'tov iiTeflova 'tij, L1tap't1']" Kat 1tap' ati'toii 'tijv Slat'tav
E1tOlel'tO. 'Iwavv1'], flev ovv 't<jJ 'te 'Aflovpa'tn vew()"tt E, ~v
Etipw1t1']V Sla~av'tl ;vflflaxlav E1tOl~cra'to, Kat ~v 'toii
Mvcrwv ~acrlAEw, 9vTa'tEpa ~TaTe'to E1tt 't<jJ 1tatSt ati'toii
'AVSPOVlK'l', a<p' ~, ETEVOV'tO ati't<jJ 1tCuSe" 1tpecr~u-repo,
flev 'AVSPOVlKO" L'.1']fI~'tpLO' Se Kat 'EflflavovijAO, ot vew-
'tepol, Kat 8eoSwpo,. Kat el1te'to 't<jJ 'Aflovpa-rn 01tOl iiv
cr'tpa'teu1']'tat, Kat <popov 'te u1to-reAel, iifla Dv'te, 't<jJ
'Aflovpa-rn, E1tlcr1t0flevOl, D1tOl iiv cr-rpa'teUol'to.
Me'ta Se 'taii'ta E1tt L'.paTacr1']v 'tov ZapKov ~Teflova ~v
42
EV 't<jJ 'A;l<jJ 1to'tafl<jJ Xwpav cr'tpa'twcraflevo, Ka'tecr-rpbl'a'to,
E, <popov 'te iifla E1taTWnV, Kat ati'tovot cr'tpa'twoflevov
£1te0'9at E1tt 'tou, 1toAefllov" E, 'toO'OU'tov, 'tov apl9f1ov
£Xov'ta i1t1tea,. Me'ta 'taii'ta [I.35} M1t0TSavov 'tov 'tau-rn
iiTeflova lJ1taToflevo" "'O''te ot £1te0'9at O"iJv 'tfi ati'toii O''tpa-
'tlq, a1teSel;a'to fleTaAa £PTa, e1tlelKelav flev Ka'ta ~v
Kupov 'toii Kafl~uO'ew E1tlSelKvuflevo" Kat w, fle'tplw'ta'ta
-re Kat tAwgeplw'ta'ta 1tpoO'<pepoflevo, 'tol, U1t' au'tov
Tevoflevol, iiTefl6O'l Tpl~aAAwv Kat MvO'wv Kat Sij Kat
'EAA~VWV.
43 Ka'ta flev ovv ~v Etipw1t1']V Sla'tpl~ov'ta O'vXV ov 'tlva
Xpovov Kat 1tpO, 'tou'tov, £'tl Sla1tOAefloiiv'ta a<plKe'to
aneAla , 'tou, tv -rf\ 'AO'lq ~ap~apwv iiTeflova, an~AOl,
O'uvgeflEvov, a1toO''tijO'al 'te a1to 'Aflovpa-rew Xwpav OUK
OAlT1']v au'toii, Kat au'tou, O''tpa'tlav crDAAe;av'ta" DO'1']V
ijSuvav'to, flaAlcr-ra 'tapa;al 'te 'ta EV -rf\ 'AO'lq 1tpaTfla'ta
ati'toii, Kat Xwpa, 'tij, eav'toii 'ta fI£v Ka'taO''tpe<poflevov ,
60
BOOK I
went straight to the Peloponn:ese , t a h'IS b roth er Manuel
the governor of Mistra, and lived there with him.12' Ioanne~
then made an alliance with Murad' who h ad recentIy crossed
.
o:er mto Europe, and he arranged for the daughter of the
kmg of the Bulgarians to marry his own son And ik
[IV} .130 She b ore him sons'. the oldest was AndranI'kron os
as and
the 13lH
younger ones were Demetrios" Manuel
eo and Th
o d-
ros. e followed M~radwherever he was campaigning, for
they too were Murad s tnbutaries, and attended upon him
wherever he happened to be campaigning.
After that Murad attacked Dragas, the son of Zarko,132
:"ho ruled the lands by the Axios River. He conquered him 42
Imposed.the payment of tribute on him, and forced him t~
follow
, with , a fixed number of cavalry wh en h e campaigned
.
agamst
ul' hiS h enemies,l3J After that he subJ'ected Bogan,te
d h
r er :3~ t at area, so that he too had to follow him with his
army. In all thiS he performed great deeds and displayed
the same sort of decency as Cyrus, the son of Cambyses. He
thus treated the rulers of the Serbs ' the Bul'
G ganans, and t h e
re,eks whom he had subjected to his authority in the most
eqUitable and liberal way.
,When Murad had ~pent some time in Europe and was
43
still fightmg agamst his enemies there, news reached him
that the chiefs of the barbarians in Asia had made an alli-
ance and had provoked a large part of his territories there to
rebel against him. They had assembled as large an army as
they could, and had seriously disrupted his affairs in Asia'
they would not stop taking over his lands and besieging hi~
6,
 THE HISTORIES
-ca Sf. Kat nOALOpKotiv-ca<; OUK Imeval. 'End -co S~ -caXLcr-ca
t"",9no, SLa~a<; '(o-co tnt -cou<; ~yq.lova<; napacrKwacraf'o-
vo<;, Kat t<; -ca ~crxa-ca nElpacrof'ovo<;, ii £Suva-co Kpa-cLcr-ca,
W<; SLaf'axouf'Ovo<;. Eupwv Sf. -cou-cou<; £v Mucrl,. cr-cpa-co-
noSwof'tvou<;, napo-ca;a-co £<; f'ax']v. Ola Sf. f'aX,]<; £f'-
ndp'll nOAAaxfi yovof'tv'll £f'of'']Xav']-co -COLOVSO. Atynat
yap, w<; £nEt 9tpou<; ~v wpa, Kat ~nlcr-ca-co f'O~,]f'~pla<;
£nLyLYV0f'tV']<; £nL1tVoucroLV h']crlav iivof'ov ano ocrnopa<;,
-cau'"Cl] Sf. napoyyuwv -eft cr-cpa-c,,~ -co f'tpo<; £KElVO Ka-ca
vw-cou Aa~ElV, £<; f'aX,]v -co Ka9lcr-ca-co nopl nA~90ucrav
[I.3 6} Ityopav, Kat cruf'f'l;a<; -col<; nOAof'loL<; tf'axo-co lcrxu-
pw<;. MaX,]<; Sf. af'q>olv lcropponou yovof'tv,]<; £nl A6q>~v
-cLva au-coti nou Aeyo-caL ava~ijvat, Kal q>wvijcrat f'tya -COL<;
eau-coti -caSo. "IIalSo<; £f'Ot cr-cpa-cLW-Cat, f'tf'v']cr90 uf'wv
au-cwv ocra £nE1tOV90L-C0 £v -eft Eupw1t!l, -cocrati-ca 1'-c,] SLa-
nOAOf'~tiV-CO<;. Tl S~ 1J1t0XWPEl-COj OUK '(cr-co, w<; -ca nav-ca tq>'
~f'1v 1'cr-caL, -cou-cwv nopLyovOf'tvOL<;j 'l\yO'tE S~ £f'Ot £nocr90,
w<; ijv f'~ ap-clw<; £n,]cr90, -caxu nopLocrof'tvwv -cwv nOAo-
f'lwv ~ f'a<;." Tati-ca dnov-ca -cov ~acrLAta £AauvoLv 6f'~cro
-c<\i Y1t1t'll £nt -cou<; nOA0f'lou<;, £<; -co f'tcrov cr-c1q>0<; £f'~aA.­
Aov-ca' Kat au-clKa £1tLnvtov-ca -cov iivof'ov ano vw-cou -eft
cr-cpa-cLq £v0;xA0lv tnt npocrwnov -cou<; £vav-clou<;, Kal ou-cw<;
iif'a aAA~AOL<; SLaKoAwcraf'tvou<; Kat £<; -co npocr90v lov-ca<;
Kat ~Lal;0f'tvou<; -ctAO<; S~ -cpetacr9al -co Kat £nLSLWKELV ava
Kpa-co<; anoAotiv-ca<; -cou<; noAof'lou<;. Kal SLaq>9apijvat f'EV
AEyO-Cat -ca nAElw -coli cr-cpa-Couf'a-co<; au-coti, SLaq>uyov-ca<;
Sf. -cou<; nOAof'lou<; 0'(Xw9aL anaAAa-c-cof'Ovov £Kacr-cov
tnt -ca eau-coti. 'Ev-cati9a SLanpEcr~wcraf'tvou<; crnovSa<; -CE
62
BOOK I
cities.1J5 As soon as he learned this, he crossed over and set
about preparing himself against these rulers, going to the
greatest possible lengths and exerting himself to the fullest
in his struggle against them. He found them camped in My-
sia and drew up his army for battle. As he had a great deal of
experience in battle, he contrived the following stratagem.
It is said that he knew, because it was summertime, that a
seasonal wind would blow from the west at noon. He thus
had his army position itself with their backs to that direc-
tion and he joined battle in the late morning: he engaged
with the enemy and fought fiercely. The battle was hanging
in the balance, however, when Murad is said to have climbed
up on a hill there and to have shouted this loudly to his men.
"My children! Soldiers! Remember who you are, what you
have been through in Europe, your fighting for all these
years! So why are you falling back? Don't you know that all
will be ours, if only we can overcome them? Come on now
and follow me, because if you don't follow me right now, the
enemy are going to overpower us in no time." After saying
this, the sultan charged straight at the enemy on his horse
and hurled himself into the heart of their throng. And at
that moment the wind starting blowing from behind his ar-
my's back right into the face of the enemy, and disconcerted
them. At the same time, his men also encouraged each other
and pushed forward. So they managed to overcome the en-
emy at last and, putting them to flight, gave chase with all
their might and destroyed them. It is said that most of the
army perished there, but the enemies who escaped went off,
each going to his own home. They sent envoys and asked
63
 BOOK I
THE HISTORIES

for terms and Murad agreed to them, on the condition that

they follow him wherever he led his army in the future.
While Murad was spending time in Asia, going around, 44
p. 36 arranging his affairs in Asia, and making this treaty with the
chiefs of the Turks, SavCl, his eldest son, had been left be-
hind in Europe to look after his realm. If anything bad or
dangerous were to happen concerning his realm, his task
was to deal with this and thus hold it securely for him. But
Savcl now brought together, as best he could, the leading
men in Europe, treated them very well, and won them over.
He also opened discussions with Andronikos, who was the
eldest son of the king of the Greeks and whose father had
gone off to Murad, the son of Orhan, for the war in Asia
against his chiefs. Andronikos had been left behind in Byz-
antion and entrusted with the kingdom. Savcl approached
him and persuaded him that they should rebel against their
fathers and so both seize their fathers' realms. IJ6 They would
have the same friends and enemies and, if someone should
oppose them, they would be there to defend each other
with all possible force. As this seemed a good thing to do,
they made a pact and took oaths, binding themselves firmly
to this plan, which seemed as if it would be the safest thing
for them both. They did these things quite openly and pre-
pared to secure themselves in the case that Murad should
come to Europe to fight back.
As soon as these events in Europe became known, Murad 45
summoned Ioannes, the king of Byzantion, and said this to
him. "King of the Greeks, I have just now received news
THE HISTORIES BOOK I

sent by some of my most trusted men in Europe that my son

Savcl was forced by your son into plotting something terri-
ble with him against me. But how could your son have done
something so stupid without your knowing anything about
it? Not only did he make overtures to my son, but also got
the boy to actually agree to this. How could anyone imag-
ine that such things have happened without your approval?
However, if you impose whatever punishment I decree on
your son, and do not diminish it, then I will know for sure
that there is no reason for me to suspect that you had a hand
in this. But if you have other ideas and are not willing to in-
flict on your son the same punishment as it seems proper
for me to impose on my own, then you should know that
you yourself will then be considered guilty." The king of the
Greeks replied as follows: "May you never again have cause
to accuse me of being guilty of this crime, 0 sultan. For even
if it is my son who you say has started this business, I could
not possibly know less about it. It will become perfectly
clear to him that I am your friend and a supporter of your
regime. If you order me to punish him, I will not be crazy
enough to show any favors in imposing punishment on
someone who has made himself such a bitter enemy and op-
ponent to us both." After Ioannes had said this to the sultan,
Murad decided to impose the same punishment on both
sons, as both fathers were accusing their sons of the same
thing: each of them was to have his eyes gouged out.
When this was decided, Murad advanced on Europe 4 6
leading the largest possible army. He crossed over into Eu-
rope and moved against his son, having learned where he

THE HISTORIES
tnuvSavn:o ain:ov tver'rpa'ro:reeSwoflevov criJv 'r<i> 'EAA~VWV
~aerlAEW<; :realSL 01 S~ 'rb Eupw:re'l<; ""pa'rwfla erUAAE~aV­
're<; t""pa'ro:reeSeuov'ro tv xwpl'l' 'rlvl Bu~av'rlou 'ra IIl-
KPlSlou KaAouflEV'l', Or S~ 'rOU<; 're "EAA'lva<; afla Kal 'roil<;
apl""ou<; a:re' Eupw:re'l<; eruAAeyeerSal ot w<; flaAler'ra
eAoyl~ov'ro, 'Ev'rauSa S~ t:rel xapaSp<:< 'rlvl w<; t:rel XapaKl
ter'rpa'ro:reeSeue'ro Laou~ii<; Afloupa'rew :reca<;, 'rbv :rea'rEpa
t7Clov-ra ot t:relSexoflevo<;, Afloupa'r'l<; St w<; tV'rauSa
Ka'reAa~e 'rbv :recaSa au'rou Kal 'roil<; "EAA'lva<; ""pa'ro:ree-
SWOflEVOU<;, eruv'ra~aflevo<; E:reilel w<; eruflfll~wv aU'rlKa 'rol<;
tvav'rlol<;, D<; St lmo -rij<; xapaSpa<; SleKwAue'ro, E""pa'ro-
n
:reeSeUcra'ro Kal au'ro<;, Luvt~aAAov, EVexWp£l, 'EAA~VWV
'rlvE<; 'rol<; 'rou Afloupa'rew ""pa'rlw'ral<;, Kal hpEtav'ro
'rou'rou<;, W<; Atye'ral, D<; St E<palve'ro XaAe:rew<; "X£lV 'rbv
xwpov tKelVOV flam eruvatal 'rol<; :reoAefllol<;, vuK'rb<; EAa-
era<; tvav'rlov 'rou er'rpa'ro:reeSou t:rel 'rb xerAo<; -rij<; xapaSpa<;,
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w<; pqer'ra t:reaKouol'rO, <pwvij 're fleyaAn E7ClKaAouflevo <;
6vofla",,1 avSpa eKaer'rov, W<; eUKAet~wv afla 'rwv :ree-
:repaYflevwv eKCt""'l', e'l 'r'l' <plAO-rlfloV :rew:reo-re ~ ayaSbv
;uv'lvexS'l yeveerSal, Me'ra Se, eu<p'lfll~ov'ra EKacr'rOV,
:reapa'ro Xe1Ao<; S(l:re:reeuov'ra Atye'ral t:reel:reelV 'rOlaS£. {I.40}
"AvSpe<; ijpwe<;, :reot S~ otxeerSe, a:reoAl7COV-re<; tflE 'rbv
:rea'rtpa uflwv; IIou 'rou SlSacrKaAou -rij<; SlSacrKaAia<; uflwV
a<peflevo, t:rel:recaSa hpa:reeerSe hl a:reaAov iSv'ra, 6v, t:reelSav
t<; Xelpa tfl~v a<piK'l'ral, eruAAa~wv fla""lywerw, ouStv 'rl
iiAAO AUfl'lvaflevo<; 'rbv veaviav, av flev'rO' floVOV ufllv ~ou­
AOflevOl<; E;ij tKelVOV 'rOlau'ra :reo liieral; "Hv SE aAAo
68
BOOK I
was encamped with the son of the king of the Greeks Th
had assembled the. army of Europe and were encampe. d atey a
place near ByzantlOn called Pikridion,137 They reckoned that
they had assembled most of the Greeks and the leading men
fro~ Europe, Savcl, the son of Murad, was encamped by a
ravme that acted as a defensive wall, waiting for his father
to launch an attack against him. When Murad reached th
place where his son and the Greeks were encamped, he dre;
u~ his army s~ as to engage the enemy at once, But the ra-
vme caused him difficulty, so he had to encamp as well. It is
said that, when they had the chance, some of the Greeks en-
gaged Murad's soldiers and routed them. Because it seemed
a bad place to engage the enemy in battle, Murad moved
forward at mght toward the edge of the ravine opposite the
camp, When he was very close to the enemy camp so that
he could easily be heard, he called each man by ~am .
I d . em
a ou VOIce, praising the deeds of each one who had ever
done anythmg noble or valiant, After praising each one, he
rod~ to the h~, of the ravine and, it is said, spoke the fol-
~wmg words, Men! Heroes! Why have you gone and aban-
oned me, your father? For some reason you have left the
teacher who taught you and turned to his son, who is still
Immature, When he falls into my hands I will tak hi d
h' h' , e man
w Ip ~m, but I will inflict no worse injury upon the young
man, If mdeed you decide ' as you may, t h at It
.,IS possible
. to do
this to him alone,I3S However, if you want to make a trial of
i'!'l
THE HISTORIES
n£lp WfI£VOl1:ij<; yvwfI!,]<; eflou e8£A!']1:£ Ola flaX!,]<; i£vaL, 1<11:£
oi] w<; ufllv ouotv UYle<; e<Y£l1:al1:0U AOL1COU. Ll.£upo oi] ouv
ioV1:£<; nap' i] flii<; fI!']o' 61:LOUV unoAoyi~£<y8£ atoo1 -rij<;
i] fI£1:£pa<; ap£-rij<;, Kal uno naloo<; fla<11:lyia aioxUv£<Y8£
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creal."
47 Tau1:a aKou<YaV1:a<; 1:ou<; Laou~£w <Y1:pa1:lW1:a<; ato£<Y8ij-
vai 1:£ A£Y£1:aL -rl]v ~a<YlA£w<; cpwv~v, CPWVelV 1:£ yilp Ola1:0-
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1:£1<Y8aL, w<; ilvayKn npo!']v£Yfl£VOl <YUV£A£YI]<Yav t<; 1:0
Laov~£w <11:pa1:on£oov. {I.4I} Ai<Y8ofl£vo<; oe 0 Laou~ij<;
ilnoolopa<YKOV1:a<; 1:0U <11:pa1:on£oou 1:ou<; <11:pa1:lW1:a<; au-
1:0U, <rOv 1:01<; api<11:Ol<;, 01<; ewpa £uvOU<11:a1:0l<; aU1:<lJ,
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n
aV1:lAa~e<y8aL, eOoK£l tpP wfl£v£<Y1:a1:a.
48 ITu80fl£VO<; oeAflOUpa1:!,]<; ijAauv£ Ka1:ilnooa<;, Kal tno-
AlOpK£l1:l]V noAlV. O[ Oe <rOV 1:<lJ Laou~fi Alfl<lJ nl£~ofl£VO',
a1:£ <Yi1:0U OUK el<Y£v£X8{v1:O<; e<; 1:l]v aKponoAlv npo1:£pOV
Kal ev ~paX£l enlA£AOL1C01:0<;, nap£oioo<Yav <Ycpii<; aU1:ou<;
,I Xpij<Y8aL, w<; CtV flaAl<11:a aU1:<lJ OOKoi!']. AflOUpa1:!,]<; Oe -rl]V
I
BOOK I
my resolve by going into battle, you should know that noth-
ing good will come of it for you in the future. So come over
here to me. Do not feel dishonored in taking advantage of
:"y g~od n~ture,139 or feel shame at the whipping of a child
III this fashLOn when it is done to good purpose. I swear by
hIm who entrusted him with my realm that I will do no seri-
ous harm to anyone else."
It is said that SavcI's soldiers were filled with shame when 47
they heard the sultan's voice, for he spoke more menacingly
than anyone, and they feared for their own safety, because
they well knew his good fortune and virtue. So they were
won over and made a deal among themselves regarding what
had to be done. That night they got away from the camp
each one leaving in whatever way he could. Most went t~
Murad's camp and appealed to him by saying that they had
been forced to join SavcI's camp. When SavcI realized that
his s~ldiers were d~serting his camp, he took off for Didy-
motelchon WIth hIS leading men, whom he thought were
most loyal toward him. He was also followed by the youths
who had been most eager to join him in this war, and he
seemed just as eager to accept them in turn, as heartily as he
could.
When Murad learned this, he advanced as fast as he could 48
and besieged the city. SavcI's men were pressed by hunger,
as they had not brought grain into the citadel in advance
and so quickly ran out. They surrendered themselves to be
treated in whatever way he decided. Thus Murad starved
7'

THE HISTORIES
1tOAlV Alfl4i 1tapa<1't1']eraflEVo<; £lAE -rev 1ta18a ati-rov Laov-
sfjv, Kal Aa~",v E;tKO"'E -r", oq>6aAfI'" ati-rov. Tou<; 8£
l\Uov<; KEAEveral ati-rov 8E8EfI£vov<; E1tl KEq>aA~v Ka-r"
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Kal crUV-rPEl<; itvaKarxaSElv w<; Emer1tEU80v-ra Kverl Aayw
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-rWV 1ta-rtpwv itq>lKEer6at 'rOu<; 1ta18a<; E1tl -rOV Laovsfjv, Kal
itq>lK£er6al -raAav-revofltvwv ati-rwv [I.42} Kal E1t' "flq>onpa:
Tav'!:a 8£ 1tol1']eraflEvov, Em-rE1Aal 1tEfI",av-ra l\yyeAov, -r'l'
'EAA~VWV ~aerlAcl -rov 1ta18a -r" ati-r" -rou-r'l' 1tOlfjeral, n [Andronikos IV} and poured scalding vinegar over his eyes.
eruvt6e-ro ati-r4i ~v itpx~v. KitKclvov 8t q>aCTl Aa~ov-ra -rOV
1t",8a ati-rov Ii;el stonl Ka-rEvEyKal -r", oq>6aAflw. Ton
flEv oiSv oihw<; EnAEu-ra itflq>l -rov8e -rev 1toAeflov.
49 Me-r" 8£ -rav-ra w<; 'EflflavovfjAO<; 0 -rwv 'EU~vwv ~a-
erlAEw<; 1t"'<; eEpfl1']v ~v EV MaKe80vll}, eeereraAovlK1']V
emKaAovflevl]v, E1tl-rp01teUwv 8,t6vve, Kal -rlVO<; Aa~oflevo<;
E1tler-ra-rov itflq>l ~V8E ~v xwpav -rn $EppWV 1tOAel E1tl-
~ovAeuwv MAW, 1tpo<; 8£ Kal vew-repa 1tpanwv 1tpo<; Aflov-
pa-r1']v, Em1tefl",a<; Xapa-rlv1']v l\v8pa fI£v fleya 8vvaflEvo,:,
8,,, crUveerlv 8£ -r" E<; 1tOAEflOV ou8evo<; -rwv 1tap' tav-r'l'
AemoflEvov, E1t£-rEAAE ~v eepfl1']v ati-r4i 1tapaer-r1']eraflevov
i'jKElV, l\yov-ra -rov-rov ~aerlAtw<;'Iwavvov 1t",8a. Xapa-rlv1']<;
BOOK I
the city into surrender and captured his son SavcI. He took
him and cut out his eyes. He ordered that the rest be tied
up and thrown headfirst over the precipice into the river
from the city. He set up his tent by the river and watched as
the leading men were brought to the precipice in twos and
threes, and burst out laughing as though at a hare that rushes
about when it is being chased by hounds. He ordered his
own leading men, who were the fathers of the youths who
had followed SavcI, to kill their sons with their own hands.
It is said that when two of them did not want to kill their
sons, he gave orders to kill them along with their sons. He
maintained that the sons had gone over to SavcI with their
fathers' consent, and that they had done so because they
were playing both sides. After he had done this, he sent a
messenger to the king of the Greeks [loannes V} ordering
him to do the same to his own son, as they had agreed at the
start. And they say that the king of the Greeks took his son
And that was how this war ended.
After that, when Manuel, the son of the king of the 49
Greeks, had been entrusted with the governorship of
Therme, the city in Macedonia that is also called Thessalo-
nike, he was exposed as plotting against the city of Serres
after taking on a supervisor for that area, and he was also
planning a rebellion against Murad. l4O So the latter sent
Hayreddin, a very powerful man, whose grasp of military af-
fairs was second to none among his men,141 with orders to
attack Thessalonike and subject it to his authority and so
capture King Ioannes's son. Hayreddin set about his task l42
73
THE HISTORIES BOOK I

Manuel, however, realized that Hayreddin would quickly

take the city, l43 as conditions in the city were dangerously
unstable and were not going to turn out well for him, for the
citizens had grievances against him and had less respect for
him than they should. So he quickly made his escape by sea,
intending to go to his father. But when his father sent word,
publicly telling him to go elsewhere to seek refuge, for he
could no longer take him in out of fear of Murad, Manuel
realized then that he had to go to Murad himself and beg
forgiveness for anything that he had perforce plotted to do
against his interests,144
When Murad learned that the king's son had come to 50
him, he admired Manuel for his courage. He received him
just as he had done when he had come to him on previous
occasions, and spoke with him. He paused briefly and then
interrogated him. After that, he smiled as he said the follow-
ing to him. "King's son, I know full well that you have justly
been discovered to be intriguing for the territory that is now
mine but used to be yours, but I also know that, whatever
you plotted, you were plotting justly. I am offering you im-
mediate forgiveness for noW. But see to it that you are never
again caught plotting anything like this against me or my
realm. You are now convicted of having acted maliciously
against both me and the God who protected me from this.
It will be better for the affairs of Europe to be under our
controL"145 "But yes," said Manuel, "I came to you even
though I realize that God himself seems to be on your side,
arranging matters in the best way, and I am guilty of such a
great infraction. You can thus deal with me appropriately,

74 75
 THE HISTORIES
flO! btl ere Ked 'ti]v cri]v ~acrlAdav." Ou'tw Se KalAfloupa'tYJ<;
eruv£yvw 'tE au't<!' 'ti]v aflap'tlav, Kat 't<!, 7Ca'tpt au'toii
£7Cl7C£fl7CWV £K£AEUE 'tov 7CaT8a au'toii SeXEer9al" " Se £7CoIEl
't£, iJ eVE'teME'to, Kat 'tov 7CaTSa au'tIKa [r.44} 7CpoerlE'to e<;
Bu/;av'tLOv.
51 Xapa'tlv'l<; Se 'tijv 'tE 8£Pfl'lv 7CapaAa~wv Kat 'tOU<; ;uv-
a<pECf'tw'ta<; SouAweraflEvo<; fI£ya Eu80KlflEl7Cap' Afloupa'tU,
Kat 7Cpoer9Ev fI£ya<; c;,v 7Cap' au't<!' Kat fI£Yler'tov 8uvaflEvo<;.
i\£YE'tal flev 7CEpt Xapa'tlvEw 7CoAAa a;la AOyOU, w<; Imo'tl-
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Sla7CpaTI£Cf9al flEyaAa aTIa Ka'ta 'tE Aerlav Kal Eup W7C'lv'
Kat AOYOl Se au'toii 7CpO<; Afloupa't'lv a7Coflv'lfloVEUOV'tal,
£pl/;ov'to<; au't<!' 7CEpt eruv£erEW<; Kat er'tpa't'lyla<;. 'Epofl£vOU
yap au'toii AeYE'tal, "Afloupa't'l W ~acrlAEii, 7CW<; ltv Si]
flaAler'ta er'tpa't'lyfi, EW<;, ltv ~OUAOl'tO ot YEv£er9al, 'tOU'twv
p,.Slw<; e7Cl'tuyxavOlj" Tov St <paval A£y£'tal, "£ii 'tE er'toxa -
/;OflEVO<;, Kat 'tou<; Cf'tpa'tlw'ta<; W<; olov 'tE flaAler'ta EUEP-
Y£:'t'wv." Tbv 8£ EnavepeO'eal, "Kat nw~ ltv 8~" el7tov'ta
"er'toXa /;Eer9al op9w<;;" Tov St <paval, "et flE'tpWV 'ta etKO'ta
fli] er<paAA'l'tal 7CEpt 'ta flt'tpa." 'Ev'taii9a Kayxacral A£YE'tal
Xapa'tlv'lv 7Cavu fI£ya, Kat e7CEl7CELV, "Afloupa't'l W~aerlAEii,
erw<ppovciv aplCf't' ltv SOKol'l<;' ITw<; S' ltv flE'tpol'l, ltv fli]
7Capwv £Ka'tEpa 9EWpii, 'ta 't£ S£ov'ta Kat 'tavav'tia 'tou'twv,
Kat 'twv flev a7C£xol'tO, 'ta Se au't<!' flE'taSlwKol £AoflEVO<;,
<p9avwv 't£ 'tou'twv 'ta Seov'ta;" ~la 'taii'ta Se 'taxu'tij'ta
aiVlTIoflEVO<; 7CpO<p£p£lV fI£ya [r.45} 'twv ItAAWV aya9wv e<;
'to flEyaAa Ka'tEpya/;Eer9al, w<; ouSev aAAo 7CpO 'taxu'tij'to<;
't£ Kat =ouSij<; 'tov yE er'tpa'tl]yov xpijVal e7Cl't'l8EUElV, Kat
BOOK I
given my crimes against you and your throne." So Murad
forga~e him this crime, and sent him back to his father, in-
structmg the latter to receive his son. Ioannes did as he was
told and allowed his son back into Byzantion. 146
Hayreddin took over Thessalonike and enslaved the reb-
~n
elS. I47 He was held high esteem by Murad, although previ- 51
ously too he had nsen high in his service and wielded great
power. Many worthwhile stories are told about Hayreddin,
about how he would advise Murad on what needed to be
do~e and accomplished great deeds in both Asia and Europe
while
M serving
. . him . in most matters . Some of h'IS sayrngs
. to
urad m diSCUSSIOns of judgment and strategy are recorded
It is thus said that he once asked , "0 Sultan M ura, d h ow.
should one best conduct a campaign so as to most easily ac-
~omphsh ~ne's goals?" It is reported that Murad answered,
BY,;lannmg ,:ell and treating the soldiers as well as possi-
ble. Hayreddm asked again, 'And how do you Ian
erl )" H .d "If P prop-
y. .e sal '. you use the right calculations and do not
make mistakes m them." At this point it is said that Hayred-
dm'ghlaughed loudly and said to him , "0 Suit an M ura, d you
ml t seem to. be most wise. But how could one make these
calculatIOns without being present to actually observe both
what needs to be done and its opposite, and thereby avoid
theh. latter while choosing to pursue the £0 rmer, and so
ac leve what is necessary?" In this way he hinted that it was
speed that accomplished great deeds, more so than other
good qualities, and that there is nothing that a general
should practice more than speed and swift application, and
77
 THE HISTORIES
reav"taxou reapayev6 f'eVOV, oreol ltv OEOl ren reapeival.
Tau"ta f'tv ouv Ol£lAeYf'EVOU, aAA~Aol, cmoOel1CVU<Yeal
yvwf'a, ou "tou oeov"to, eAAmei,.
52 Af'oupa"tY], f'tv ouv O'lWV areav"taXii w, "taX'O""ta, OEOU,
"te EreA~pou Ilreav"ta Kal <puAaKij" Xapa"tlvn XpWf'eVO,
ureY] pe-rn "t<l' reav"ta apl<Y"t'!! Kal E, "to <YUAAaf'~av£lV au"t<ji
Kal 6nouv ;UVeTClAa~E<yeal, Kal eTCl"ty]Odw, EXOV"tl e, "ta
f'aAl<Y"ta, Kal OUK oAlya e, -rijv apmv au"t<ji reoly]<Yaf'Ev'!!
Ka"ta -rijv EupwreY]v. 'YreY]yaye"tO f'ev ouv "to<YaOe levy] Kal
~yef'0va, "tOU, ev"til Eupwren e, <popwv "te areaywnv, Kal
<YUVere0f'Evou, au"t<ji, oreOl ltv O""tpa"teUOl"tO, 'EAA~VWV ~a<Yl­
Aei, £lXE ol <Y"tpa"teU0f'EVOU,. 'Ef'f'avOU~A,!! Oe ~pE<YKe"tO
f'aAlO""ta Oij ;uf'reav"twv 'EAA~VWV. ETXe Oe Kal "twv Mu<Ywv
~a<YlAEa, repo, Oe Kal t.paya<YY]v "tOY ZapKou rea10a Kal
Mreoyoavov "tOY -rijv 'Po06reY]v Ka"teXOV"ta KalIlAAOU, "tou,
ev -rfi Eupwrcn ~yef'0va, Kal Tpl~aAAwv Kal 'EAA~vwv Kal
hl~avwv. Tou"twv Oe imav"twv Ka"te<Y"tpa-reuf'EvwV, Kal
"twv tv -rfi A<Ylq ~yef'0VWV au"t<ji <YUVereof'tvwv e,
"tou,
reoAEf'OU, ijAauVe Oe -reAeU"tWV. Xl, f'tv ouv "EAAY]ve, Ka-re-
<Y"tpaf'f'Evol eOeOOUAWV"tO {I.46} Af'0upa"tn "t<ji 'OPxaVeW,
Kal rep6-repov f'OlOeO~Aw"tal. Kal vuv Oe "to<YaOe ltv AtyOl"tO
e, ureof'vY]<YlV [Kavw,.
53 'Iwavvy], yap ereel"te Ka"tE<YXe -rijv ~a<YlAelav, <YUVeAa<Ya,
KaV"taKou~Y]vOv "tov repo<YeeV ~a<YlAeUOv"ta 'EAA~VWV e,
-rijv Na~Y]palwv olaL"tav, eVeWpa ye"ta TOUpKWV repaYf'a"ta
erel f'Eya Xwpouv"ta ouvaf'eW" areEreA£U<YeV e,'haAlav. Kal
repw"ta f'tv erel'Eve"tou, "tpareof'eVO" eTClKoupla, f'ev OUOEV
"tl a;la, Myou "tuxwv, eoavel<Ya"to xp~f'a"ta, ev v<ji EXWV erel
BOOK I
that he should be everywhere that he has to be. Conversing
about such matters with each other, they showed that they
did not lack Judgment about what was required.
Murad would, then, travel everywhere with the greatest
speed, filling every place with fear and apprehension. He re-
52
l~ed on Hayreddin, who served him superbly in all things, as-
sIstmg hIm and supporting him in any matter that was at
hand; he was extremely useful to him and contributed in no
small way to the creation of his realm in Europe. Thus Mu-
rad subjected many peoples and rulers in Europe to the sta-
tus of tributaries and made the kings of the Greeks attend
him in arms whenever he went on campaign. However, he
favored Manuel over all the Greeks. He also had with him
the king of the Bulgarians; Dragas, the son of Zarko;l48 Bog-
dan, who ruled over Rodope;149 and, in Europe, other rul-
ers of the Serbs, Greeks, and Albanians. In the end he was
marching to war with all of them fighting under him, and at-
tended by the Asian rulers as well. I also stated earlier that
the Greeks were defeated and enslaved by Murad, the son of
Orhan, but I say all this now byway of a brief reminder.
When Ioannes {V} had taken the throne, he forced Kan- 53
takouzenos, who had previously reigned over the Greeks, to
become a monk. 150 Ioannes saw that the power of the Turks
was greatly increasing, and sailed to Italy. He turned first to
the Venetians but received no help worth mentioning, so he
borrowed money with the intention of traveling to the king
79
 THE HISTORIES
'tOV raAa'tLa, ~a<rLAEa altL£VaL. A<pLKE'tO fL£V'tOL Kat Ent
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£IXEV anaL'toufLEVO, anOSLSOVaL, (\ ESaVeL<ra'to cmLWv Ent
raAa'tLav, Ka'tE<TX£91'] 'tE au'toii uno 'EVE'tWV, ou fLE9LEfL£VWV
au'tov cmonAEtV o'{KaSE, liXPL, iiv fLf] EK'tL"11 'to Xp£o, 'tOt,
SaVEL<r'tat,. '0 S" EV anopLq YEVOfLEVO" EnL1t£fLnwv E,
Bu~av'tLOV napa AVSPOVLKOV 'tOV natSa au'toii EnL'tE-
'tpafLfL£vov -rfjv ~a<rLAeLaV, ~;LOU xp~fLa'ta E;eupov-ra ano
'tE 'tWV [EpWV KELfL1']ALWV Kat liAAWV 'twv Ka'ta -rfjv apxfJv
n£fLYaL o[ lKaVa anoAii<raL au'tov, Kat fLf] [1.47} nEpt'(Sdv
au'tov EV <pUAaKii ilv'ta 1t<lW nOAUV SLa'tpl~£LV XPOVOV. '0
fLEV OVV AVSPOVLKO, EV OALYWplq EnOLEl-rO 'ta En£<T'taAfL£va
au't4', ola nEpt 'tf]v ~a<rLAeLaV fLaAaKL~ofLEVO, Kat 't4' na'tpt
ou naw 'tL apE<TK0fLEVO,. 'EnL<r't£AAWV E<pa<TKE fL~'tE 'tOU,
"EAA1']va, EltL'tp£nELV au't4' Xpfj<r9aL 'toi, [Epoi" fL~'tE au'tov
liAA09£v n09Ev olov't' £IVaL xp~fLa'ta E;eupdv, EK£AEU£ 'tE
liAAt] 'tpanOfLEVOV fLf] SLafL£AAELV K~SE<r9aL eau'toii, onw,
iiv anOAuoL'tO 'toii XP£Ou,.
54 'EfLfLavoufjAO, S"" VEW'tEPO, ~a<rLA£W, nat, nuv9avofLE-
VO" 01 avayK1'], a<plKE'to " na-rfjp au'toii ~a<rLAEu, uno
'EVE'tWV, EUpWV xp~fLa'ta Kat nopL<rafLEVO, Il<ra ~Suva'to,
Il'tL 'taXL<T'ta En£~1'] V1']O" Kat SLanA£WV E<; -rfjv 'EVE'tWV
nOALV a<pLKE'tO, 'ta 't£ xp~fLa'ta <p£pWV an£SWKE 't4' na'tpl,
80
BOOK I
of France. In fact, he visited the rest of the western rulers ,
begging for aid and testing the limits of their willingness to
help. But while he was with the king of the French, he real-
ized that his domestic affairs were in bad shape and alto-
gether unstable. He there accomplished none of the goals
for which he had gone to Italy. A.s he was returning home,
when he reached the Venetians he could not pay back the
loan that he had taken out when he set out for France, which
they were now demanding from him.l5I So he was detained
there by the Venetians, who would not let him sail home be-
fore he had paid back the debt in full to his creditors. He
was now at a loss, and sent word to Byzantion to his sonAn-
dronikos, to whom he had entrusted the kingdom,152 asking
him to find money from the holy treasures and other state
properties, and send him enough to secure his release, He
asked that he not be abandoned to spend a lot of time in
prison. But Andronikos disregarded his instructions; he had
grown self-indulgent on the throne and did not like his fa-
ther much anyway. He replied by saying that the Greeks
would not allow him to use sacred treasures for this purpose,
nor could he raise money from any other source. He told his
father to look elsewhere and not keep worrying himself
about how to be rid of the debt.
When Manuel, the king's younger son, learned what a 54
tight spot his father, the king, was in with the Venetians,
he raised money and, when he had procured as much as he
could, immediately boarded a ship, set sail, and arrived at
Venice. He handed over to his father all the money that he
81
 THE HISTORIES BOOK I

ocm brop[<Ya'ro Ka'ra TIjv 6epfl'lv, ~v 'rlva b;nhpan'ro Kal had brought with him that he had raised in Thessalonike,
Ka'rEA£lcEl1C'rO Em'rponEUElv. Kal i-av'rov S£ aywv napdXE'ro which had been entrusted to him and left to him to gov-
ern.I53 He even offered himself to be used by his father in
xpij<Y9al 'r<!, na'rp[, a 'rl ltv ~OUAOl'rO. Kal 'ro ano 'rOUSE
anyway that he saw fit. And from that point on Manuel and
c!>KElw<Y9aL 'EfifiavouijAOV 'r<!, na'rpl E<; 'ra flaAl<Y'ra <Yuv~9'l
his father became very close, and the latter began to hate
I DV'ra, AVSPOVlKOV S£ anEx9aVE<Y9aL 'ro EV'rEU9EV flEyaAW<;'
Andronikos deeply. This was the origin of the great hatred
. Ii: , Kal 'r0 fleya S£ ex90<; ap~aflEVov ano 'rOU'rov ~vfl~ijVaL that existed between them, and caused them to be at odds
aAA~Aol<;, 'ra 'rE aAAa <Y<p[m Kal E<; TIjv ~a<YlAdav S,a<pE- regarding the kingdom and other matters.
pOfievOl<;. Thus the king of the Greeks paid back the loan to the 55
li:I,11
55 '0 fI£V OUV ~a<rlAEV<; 'EAA~VWV, oT<; ~KE <pepwv xp~flamv Venetians with the money brought by Manuel, and he re-
I;' 'EfifiavovijAO<;, 'rit xp£a anEAUE'ro npo<; 'rOV<; 'EVE'rOU<;, Kal turned to Byzantion154 He sent envoys to Sultan Murad, in
"

Enl 'ro Bv~anLOV EnaVlWV SlEnpE<Y~Euno npo<; ~a<YlAea fact sending his younger son for this purpose to the Porte.

i'
t Afloupa'r'lv, neflnwv 'rOVSE 'rOV naTSa au'rou 'rOV VEW'rEPOV
Enl'rit<; 9upa<; au'rou. 'H~[ou 'rE au'rov W<; oTov 'rE flaAlO"ra
He asked his son to serve the sultan as best he could, to cam-
paign with him wherever he commanded, to heed his opin-
ion, and talce every precaution against offending the sul-
9EpanEUElV Kal [I.48} <YuO"rpa'rEUE<Y9aL, onol ltv KEAEUOl,
Iii tan in any matter in the future. Later on l55 he sent his son
Kal npo<YeXElV 'rE.au'r<!, 'r~V YVWfI'lV, W<Y'rE <pvAaTIE<r9aL Theodoros to the Peloponnese,'56 as Kantalcouzenos's sons
EnlElKW<; fI'lS' cmouv E<; 'rOV ~a<YlA£a 'rOU AOl1COU E~aflap­ had died in Mistra. I57 When Theodoros was in Thessalonike
'r£lv. "Y <Y'rEPOV fleV'rOl 6EOSWPOV 'rOV nalSa au'rou Enl- with his brother Manuel, who had been sent as governor
neflnwv £<; IIEAonovv'l<Yov 'rEAEU'r'lcrav'rwv 'rWV 'rOU Kav- of Macedonia and Thessaly, they began to discuss how they
'raKov~'lVOU na[Swv £V '!fi Lnap'tl], £yeVE'ro EV '!fi 6epfltl might rebel against Sultan Murad,''' but the one [Manuel}
crVv 'r<!, aSEA<p<!' 'Efifiavou~A'f, Kal au'rov 'rE 'rij<; MaKE- went to Byzantion, as his father had recalled him there to
Sov[a<; Kal 6ETIaA[a<; ~YEfiova. A<plKOfiEVOl £<; AOYOU<; assume the throne, while the other [Theodoros} entered the
Peloponnese and governed its affairs as best he could, malc-
anocr'racrlv £~ovAEuono a1!O Aflovpanw ~acrlAew<;, 'rov
ing it as secure as he thought was possible. All this happened
fI£V 0'(XE<Y9aL £mona £1!l Bv~an[ov flna1!Efl1!0fl£VOU au-
before Andronikos, the king's son, rose up with SavCl, the
'rov 'rOU 1!a'rp0<; £nl 'r~V ~acrlAdav, 'rOV S8 dcrEA9£lv £<; 'r~V
IIEAo1!OVV'lcrov Kal Em'rp01!EUElV 'ra Ka'r' auTIjv, ii ESuva'ro
Kpa'rlO"ra Kal ii £SOKEl au'r<!' e~ElV W<; acr<paA£O"ra'ra. Tau'ra
fl8V OUV ~uv'lv£X9'l, 1!plv ~ AVSPOVlKOV 'rOV 1!aTSa ~a<rl­
AEW<; a<plcr'rafiEVov crVv 'r<!, Aflovpa'rEw naLSI 'r<!, Laov~fi

82
 THE HISTORIES
E;eVEYKal nOAeflov afl<pw -r<ii AflouPCt-r!] Ka-ra -rau-ra.
"Y cr-repov flEv-rOl Kat -ra uno 'Eflflavou~Aou E<; vew-replcrflov
npacrcrofleva CtvCtnucr-ra f.yEvno ~acrlAel, Kat ~v -re 8EPfl'1v
Kat -ra -rau-r'1<; xwpia Xapa-riv'1<; Ct<pdAe-ro au-rov. Kat i\cr-re-
I
pov Ctnayopeuov-ro<; -rou na-rpo<; fl~ E1tl~ijVaL -rij<; xwpa<;
,II au-rou, Kat S~ Kat Ent Mcr~ov Ct<plKoflevov neplSeij yevofle-
vov -rov Mcr~ou ~yeflova npoayopeueLv CtnaAACt-r-recr9aL EK
-rij<; xwpa<; au-rou. Ka-racrxe1v -rPl~P'1 E<; Tpolav Sla~Ctv-ra
E<; ~v Acrlav, Kat fllcr9wcrCtflevov lnnou<; Ct<plKEcr9aL E<;
I1poucrav napa ~acrlAEa AflouPCt-r'1V' [I.49}
56 Me-ra S£ -rau-ra Ecr-rpa-reue-ro Ent Tpl~aAAou<; Kat f.nt
'EAeCt~apov -rwv Tpl~aAAWv ~yeflova, npo<; -re -rou<; I1al-
ova<; -re-rpaflflEvov Kat E;O-rpuvov-ra EK£lvOU<; cr-rpa-reue-
cr9aL En' au-rov. '0 flev oiiv 'EAeCt~apo<; w<; EnUge-ro
Afloupa't1']v E1tlEVaL En' au-rov, napecrKeuCt~e-ro cr-rpa-rlav
cruvay£lpwv, iJ ESuva-ro, fleylcr-r'1v, Kal, iJ ESuva-ro, KpCt-
-rlcr-ra Ctfluvoflevo<;. 'EAeCt~apo<; Se 9uya-rEpa<; EXWV Ent
fltv -rft fl'~ -rou-rwv Loucrflavov -rov -rwv Mucrwv ~acrlAEa
K'1Se~v Enol~cra-ro, Ent S£ -rft E-rEpq: BouAKOV -rov -rou
I1pCtYKOU -rou MAaSEvew u[ov, Kacr-ropla<; -re Kat 'OXPISo<;
-rij<; EV MaKeSovlq: ~yeflovo<;. 'EnlK't1']crCtflevo<; St fle-ra
-rau-ra -r~v EV MaKeSovlq: Xwpav N,KOAew -rou ~ounCtvou
Ent -rft -reAeu-rft OuyyAE<1lJ -re Kat KpCtAeW -rwv ~yeflovwv,
-ro -re I1plcr-rlvov Kat N~cr-reavlO oi\-rw KaAouflEv'1v xwpav
unayoflevov aXP' no-raflou 'IAAuplwv, LCt~a S1: -ra vuv
KaAouflEvou, npoeA'1Au9EVal. 'Ent -rou-rov w<; f.cr-rpa-reue-ro
AflouPCt-r'1<; 6 'OPXCtvew, Ka-rtAa~e cr-rpa-roneSeuoflevov EV
neSI~ Kocro~~ ou-rw KaAouflEv~ -rij<; I1plcr-rlvou Xwpa<;.
BOOK I
son of Mnrad, to wage war against Murad. I59 Later, when
Manuel's rebellious plot became known to the sultan, Hay-
reddm removed Thessalonike aod its surrounding territory
from him.160 And then, when his father [Ioaones V} prohib-
ited him from entering his own territory, Maouel went to
Lesbos, but the ruler of Lesbos became terrified aod told
him to depart from his territory.161 He boarded a trireme aod
crossed over to Asia, to Troy. He hired horses aod went to
Sultan Murad at Prousa. I62
After that Murad marched against the Serbs and against 56
Lazar, the ruler of the Serbs,I63 who had turned to the Hun-
garians and aroused them to campaign against the sultan.
When Lazar learned that Murad was coming against him,
he assembled and prepared as large ao army as possible to
defend himself as vigorously as he could. Lazar had two
daughters, aod he had married one to Sismao, the king of
the Bulgariaos, and the other to Vuk, the son ofBranko, the
son of Mladen, who was the ruler of Kastoria and Ohrid in
Maced~nia.I64 He then also acquired the lands of the zupan
Nikola m Macedonia after the deaths of the rulers VgljeSa
and the Kral, aod, after subjugating PriStina and the laod
called Nestea, advaoced as far as the river of Illyria now
called the Sava. I65 Murad, the son of Orhao, marched against
him and found him camped in the region of Pristina called
 THE HISTORIES
Kat w<; Ev-rau8a 1tap~v, E<; 1toAeflov 1tape'tcUY0E1:0, EXWV
flee' £all'tOu Kat 'tw 1taTSe Ctfl<po'tepw, IIala~~'t'1v 'te Kat
'Iayou1t'1v, To Se Ev-reUeev TOUPKOl flev ollv <paolv Afloll-
pCt't'1v flaxeoCtflevov ye Kat 'tpe'/tCtflevov 'tou<; 1tepl 'EAeCt~a­
pov SlWKElV Ctva KpCt'tO<;, SlWKov'ta Se Ka'taAa~eTv avSpa
Tpl~aAAOv, Kal E1tlKa'ta~Ctv-ra, 'tOY Se E1tlO'tpe'/tav'ta 1te~fi
{I.5 0 } aKov'tLoal Ka'ta 'tOU ~80ll<;, Kat ou'tW CtveAelV
~aOlAtaAflollpCt't'lV.
57 "EAA'1ve<; Se oil <paOl flaxeoCtflevov Kat E1te~eA8ov-ra, W<;
hpe'/ta'to 'tou, evav'tLoll<;, Ct1t08avelv, CtAX Ev'tfi 1tapa'tCtSEl
E'tl flEVOv-rO<; au'tou AeyollOlv avSpa yevvaLo'ta'tov E8eA~­
oal £Kov'ta U1tOO't~VaL Ctywva KCtAAlO'tOV 'twv 1tw1to'te ye-
VOflEVWV. ToilVOfla Se eTval 'tCtvSpt 'ti;>Se M'1AO'1V. Tou'tov
S~ 'tOY M'1AO'lv <paOLv, aL't'1oCtflevov, iloa E~ouAe'to ol ye-
vE08al U1tO 'EAea~Ctpov 'tou ~yeflovo<;, W1tAlOflEVOV EAau-
VElV oilv 'ti;> l1t1t'!J E1tt 'to AflovPCt'tEW O'tpa't01teDOV, W<; ltv
au't0floAouv-ra Ct1tO 'twv Evav-rLwv. AflovPCt't'lv Se AEYOV-
OlV, EA1tl1;ov'ta au't0floAeTv 1tap' eall'tov 'tOY avSpa, Ke-
I AeUElV U1tOXWpelV au'ti;> E1tl'tpe1tElV, ",o'te EA8ov'ta E1temelV,
I
, , it ~OUAOl'tO. fevoflEvoV Se Ctyxou 'twv ellpWV ~aOlAEW<;,
Efleve, 1tapa'taSCtflevo, apa08aL 'to SOP", Kal E1tlov-ra 6p-
fI~oaOea'OPfl~v 1taowv S~ KaAALO'tl]v, WV ~flel, 'ioflev, Kat
CtVeAOv'ta ~aOlAta AflollpCt't'1V au'tov 'te afla au'tou Ct1t08a-
VelV yevvaLo'ta'ta. "EAA'lve<; flev ouv ou'tW AtYOVOl yeve-
08al, ToupKol Se E1te~epxoflevov fle'ta 't~v VLK'1V Ct1t08a-
VelV U1t' CtvDpO, Tpl~aAAou.
58 'E'teAeu't'10e SeAflollpCt't'1<; Ev'tau8a EV Kooo~'!J. Kat 'to
flev oWfla au'tou Ct~yayov E<; IIpouOl]v, EV ii ot 1tP<l>'1v
86
BOOK I
the Plain of KosoVO.1 66 When he arrived there, he arranged
h,S army for battle, with both of his sons at his side, Bayezid
and Yakub. At this point, so the Turks say, Murad joined bat-
tle, routed L~zar's men, and pursued them with all his might.
In the pursUit he overtook a certain Serb and sought to ride
him down; but the latter, on foot, turned around and speared
him in the chest, and so Sultan Murad was killed.
But the Greeks say that he did not die after he had gone 57
out and fought the battle, while he was routing the enemy.
Rather, they say that while he was still waiting in battle for-
mation, a most brave man wanted, of his own volition, to
undertake the most valiant contest that had ever been at-
temp;ed. The man's name was Milos. They say that this
Milos, after asking permission and being allowed to do what
he wanted by his ruler Lazar, armed himself and rode out to
Murad's camp, pretending to be an enemy deserter. They say
that Murad, hopmg that the man was deserting to his side
ordered his men to stand aside and allow him to pass, so tha;
he could approach and tell him what he wanted. Once he
was close to the sultan's Porte, where Murad was waiting, he
drew hImself up, raised his spear, and launched himself in
ii the most valiant charge of any that we know. He killed Sul-
tan Murad and died himself at the same time in a most noble
manner. This is how the Greeks say it happened, but the
Turks say that he was killed by a Serb while he was in pursuit
after winning the battle. l67
So Murad died there in Kosovo. His body was brought 58
back to Prousa, where the tombs of the earlier Ottomans
 THE HISTORIES
't<iq>01 'tWV 'O'tovfLav[Swv 1tA~V LOVAa'ifL<ivEW <i1tOKEKA~­
pWV'tal, 'ta Si: tV't00'91a AfLovP<i'tEW tv 1tES[CjJ KoO'o~CjJ
KdfLEva ev 't<iq>CjJ au'toil ~aO'IAIK(/i. 'E'1"£AEo't'1O'E Si: ~aO'l­
AEOO'a<; £'t'1 EV 'tE Kat 'tPI<iKov'ta, 01t' {r.5I} <ivSpo<; Tpl~aA­
Aoil, 'tEAW~V ou Ka'ta ~aO'IAea 'toO'ail'ta Si: E't'1 Sla1tOAE-
fLoilv'ta Kat <'P'Ya fLEyliAa 'moSEI~<ifLEvov, 8<; 'tou<; fLE'Y<iAOV<;
eV'tft AO'[<;t1tOAefLov<; Kat ev -rft Eupw"l1 Sla1tOAEfL~O'a<; E't'1
EV 'tE Kat 'tplaKona, e<; 'toO'oil'tov au't(/i fLE't~V -rOX'1<; 'tE iifLa
Kat <iPE~<;, WO"tE fL'1S£1tO'tE ~n'19~val ev fL<i)(l], SovafLlv
S£ Kat xwpav <i~IOXPEWV ima'YofLEvo<;, Ka't' iiftq>w Si: 'tw
~1tdpw, npa<; ~S'1 ~a9u <iq>IKOftEVO<; ft~ ftE9[E0'9al 'twv
1tOAEfL[WV ft<iX'1<;, <iXI( aid Avnwv'tl eOIKeval e1tt ~v ft<iX'1 v,
ii1tA'1O''tOV Si: a!fL<i'twv 'YEVOftEVOV a1tav'taxii· 'Hv Sf au't(/i
1tailAa 'tWV 1tOAEft[WV ~ 'twv KVV'1'YEO'[wv a'Ypa, fLEAe't''1 't'E
iifLa Kat 't'PI~~. Ka9~0''to S£ ouSafLft OUS£1tO't'E, <iAX 01tO'tE
ft~ ft<iXOI't'O, KVV'1'YWV SIE'ttAEI. I1AEIO"ta Si: t<; 'toil't'o 't'WV
1tPO au't'oil ~aO'IAeWV S6~av'to<; au't'oil evwSoKlfL£lV, O'1tOV-
8~v 't'E iifta Kal 't'axv't'~'t'a tv8EIKvofLEVO<; ou8aftft eAQ:O'O'ova
t1tl npw<; ~ t1tt VEO't''1't'O<;. 'Hv 8i: 1tpO 1tOAAWV e1tlq>avwv
~yEft6vwv 't'E Kat ~aO'IAtwv, Kal1t<inu aOKvo't'a't'o<; 'tE Kal
O'1tov8aLO't'a't'0<; e<; 1t<iv't'a. IT<inwv 8£ eq>a1t't'oftEvO<; ou8'
I 6't'lOilv 1tap[EI imoAomov 't'wv 1tpanE0'9aL 8£OfL£VWV.
Kal e1tt q>OVOV eA<iO'al fL£'YIO''tov 8~ 't'WV 1tpO au't'oil ~a-
"
I 59
O'IA£WV <iKOft 1tapEIA~q>aftEV, AO'YOV ft£V't'OI e1tIEIKEl<;t XPWftE-
VOV e<; 't'a ft<iAIO"ta 1tpoO'q>epE0'9aL 'tol<; 't'E U1tO XElpa au'toil
Kat 't'01<; ~yEfLovwv 1talO'tv W<; fLE't'plw't'a't'a. Kat 't'lft~O'aL 8£
av8pa EKaO''t'ov Kat1tpoO'EmElv e't'olfLo't'a't'o<;, Kal 't'ou<; ftE9'
eav'toil e~o't'pilval d<; ftaX'lv 8Elvo't'a'to<;, xp~0'9al 't'01<; 't'E
I!
88
BOOK I
were located, except for that ofSiileyman. l68 But Murad's in-
ternal organs lie buried in a royal tomb on the Plain of Ko-
sovo. He died after reigning for thirty-one years,!" at the
hands of a Serb, a death that was not fitting for a sultan who
had waged w~ for so many years and performed such great
deeds. For thIrty-one years he waged major wars in Asia and
Europe, and so great were both his good fortune and his vir-
tue that he was never defeated in battle. He brought under
hIS control a remarkable array of military force and terri-
tory in both continents, and he did not stop waging war
agamst hIS enemies even when he reached the depths of old
age; rather, he always seemed rabid for battle and insatia-
ble when it came to spilling blood everywhere. He paused in
hIS wars only to practice and study the art of hunting. He
was always on the move: whenever he was not fighting, he
was huntmg. In this respect he seems to have gained greater
glory th"," the sultans who reigned before him, displaying
no less vIgor and alacrity in his old age than when he was
young. He surpassed many eminent rulers and kings by al-
ways being completely resolute and zealous in all matters.
He involved himself in everything and never overlooked
anything that had to be done.
We have also heard it said that he surpassed previous 59
kings in terms of the slaughter he caused. But he spoke very
pohtely when dealing with those under his power and with
great moderation to the sons of rulers. He honored each
man and was very willing to speak with them. He was won-
derfully effective at inspiring his men in battle and, they say,
 THE HISTORIES BOOK I

npcqflaa-l SE1VO<; cmav'taXfl YEVOflEVO<; ~V, n<paa-1V, 6non ~onderful also at organizing everything when h
Into battle. He was handsome
.
. e was gOIng
'(01't0 Ent flax'lv, XapiEl<; 'tE tSdv Kat Enl£lK£a-'ta'tO<; d<; 'to Wh'l h " and reasonable In discussion.
lee was merciless In his punishment of d
(lop} SlaAEYEa-8m. Kat 'tOY flev 6'tlOilv E;aflap'tov'ta £'tl- he was [;.. wrong oers
hi hvery aIr In negotiations. It is said that he honored
flwpd'to a<pE1SEO"'ta'ta, Katnpoa-SlaAEYEa-8m flE'tplw'ta'to<;. s oat s more than the other sultans of his family. That .
'EflnESoilv AEYE'tm 'tOY 8pKOV au'toil flaAla-'ta Se 'tWV 'toil w h y many came to him Wit . h high expectations bell . IS
yEVOU<; 't01J'tOU ~aa-1AEwv. KatnoAAoiJ<; Slet 'tail'ta au'tlKa that they would suffer nothing bad so long th.' .eVlng
'(Ea-eal E<; au'tov 8appoilv'ta<;, fl'lS' c)'tloilv OtOflEVOU<; nda-E- beD th h d " aus, as It was
ore ey a tested his strength and fallen into his h d
a-em xaAEnov, nptv ~ E<; Xdpa<; au'toil EAeOV'ta<; Sla- But anyone who had offended him and who anlm s.
nElp"a-em 'tii<; SuvaflEw<; au'toil. Kat 'tov yE flEya <ppo- insolently and stubbornly would not be happ sPohke thO hd
partedfr h' Wc yw en e e-
voilv'ta Kat aUeaSEO"'tEpO'V au'tc!> npoa-<pEpoflEVOV 'twv yE E<; om 1m. e have learned that while h .
i t h' b' e was ternfy-
au'tov c)'tloilv nEnA'lflflEA'lKO'tWV fl'lKE'tl xalpov'ta anaA- nhg 0 r IS su Jects, he was especially loved by other rulers
T erelore, It would n t b .
Aa't'tEa-em. <\JO~Epw'ta'tOv Se YEvoflEVOV 'tOL<; u<p' au'tc!> '1'1- Timur had h dO. e wrong to suppose that if King
marc e agaInst thiS man, the war would not
Ada-eal flaA1O"'ta Sii iiYEfloVWV Enu8oflE8a au'tov, <OO"'tE h
b ave b
I een manag
. e d so b adIy. He would either have fought
fl'lSe KaKW<; OlEa-em, w<; ~v Ent 'tOVSE 'tOY IivSpa £O"'tpa-
ralve y agaInst Timur and, even if he had not beaten hi
'tEUE'tO TEfl~P'l<; 6 ~arrlAEu<;, flii ltv ou'tw <pauAo'ta'ta eEa-eal at east he would not h ave been defeated by him m,
h
'tOY nOAEflov, aXI( ~ flaXEa-aflEVOV nEpl<pavw<; flii nEpl- would have chosen a battleground where he would ' a~ e
YEvoflEVOV 'toil TEfl~ pEW flii flEV'tOl fl'lSe ii't't'leiival , eAOflE- ~een defeated easily; or else, avoiding battle, he wo:~; h:::
vov Xwpav E<; 'to SlaflaXEa-aa-em, Kae' ~v ltv flii ii't'tc!>'to oneld~ lot of damage to Timur's army by following him d
pq:Slw<;, ~ flii flaXEa-aflEvov flEyaAa ltv ~Aatm 'tOY TEfl~PEW attac ng h' i as m ' presented itselfl70 When
opporturuty an
~aa-1AEw<; O"'tpa'tov EniioflEvoV alJ'tc!> Kat Enl'tlSEflEVOV, n M
M urad , .th esonofO
. han
r , d'Ie d , t h e officers at the Porte of
au'tc!> npoxwpol'l' Xl<; flev OllV E'tEAEU't'la-EV 'Afloupa't'l<; 6 urad Immediately appointed Bayezid hi
sultan.171 ' s younger son,
'OpXavEw , au'tiKa ot EV 'taL<; Supal<; ilV'tE<; 'Afloupanw
apfloO"'tat rrmal;~'t'lv 'tOY VEW'tEpOV au'toil naLSa Ka'tEa-'t~­
a-av'to ~amAEa.

91
 B' Book 2

[I.53} 'E1tE! 81: e'tEAEu't!]O'EV Aflotlpa't!]<; 0 'OpXavEw im' ~et:~:;;:~r:h:::~s of Orhan, died by the hand of
avopo<; Tpt~aAAou, au'tiKa Ot tv 'tm<; 9upCtt<; i\V'tE<; 'tou Bayezid hi Porte Immediately appointed
' s younger son, as sultan. As soon as he had
Aflotlpa'tEw apfloO''tat nata~~'t!]V 'tOV VEW'tEpOV au'tou sume d. the throne ' Bayezi'd sent for his brother Yak b as- d
1taloa t~(mv'tO ~aO'tAEa. '0 8e au'tiKa, w<; eCTXE TIJv rnad e It seem as though he was b . u an
~aO'tAeiav, flE'ta1tEfl1t'tov 'Iayou1t!]V 'tOV a8EAq>OV au'tou Porte by his father Murad. Yak:~n! s~mmoned to the royal
the past too wheneve h a spent time there in
e1tot~O'a'to w<; imo 'tou 1ta'tpo<; KaAouflEvOV 'tOU Aflotlpa'tEw , r ewassummo d Kn .
e1tt 'ta<; ~aO'tAEia<; 9upa<;, q>ot'twv'ta Kat 1tP00'9EV, 01tO'tE
ing ofwhat had happened he came wh neh' owmg noth-
by him and ' en e was summoned
KaAol'tO. Ouo' ()'ttOUV 81: 'tWV 1tpaX9tv'twv e1ttO"taflEvo <; death H , asdsoon al as
" he arrive,d was arrested and put to
aq>IKE'to KaAouflEVO<; U1t' au'tou, Kat w<; eytvE'tO 1tap' au'tou, . . e was e t wIth In the manner in which th
of this people customarily deal with th . b h e sultans
O'tlVEA~q>9!] 'tE Kat £-eEAEU't!]O'E. Kat EXp~O'a'tO, ii vOfli~E'tCtt that they should be strangled to death eIr rot ers: namely
't01<; 'tou yEvOtl<; 'tOUOE ~aO'tAEuO'tV e<; 'tou<; a8EAq>OU<; 1tOt- So when this sultan had dealt withn~t P:t t:the sword.
£lV, w<; arxovn 8tot 'tEAEtl'tiiv 'tov ~iov U1t' au'tou, Kat OU cured his rule, he immediatel d I~ rot er and se- 2

attacked the Serbs and Yd ehPloyed hiS army for battle,

O't8~p", VEvofltO"tat. . ' route t em. The Serbs lost a 1
D<; fl1:v oilv 'ttl' ~aO'tAa 'ttl'8E t~eipyaO"to 'ta e<; 'tOV part of their army in this battle £ h h arge
mi;'
2
the h b ' or w en t e Turks routed
a8EAq>OV Kat E~aO'iAEtlE, 1tapE'ta~a'to 'tE au'tIKa e<; flaX!]V, t ey egan to pursue and kill the Serbs with all their
Kat O'tlfl~aAWV E'tPE'ita'to 'tE 'tou<; Tpt~aAAou<;, Kat ev -eft
OE
h t, as they were better horsemen and had hb
-eft flaxn 1tOAAa 'tE a1tEytvE'tO 'tou O"tpa'tEufla'to<;. D<; yap
ol ToupKot E'tPE'itav'to, t1tE~fjA90v OtWKOV'tE<; ava Kpa'to<;,
fl::::~. ~h:~~::~:~s:~:e able to overtake tho.::hO ::;;
The Turks, on the other ~o~ the :ee~s say It happened.
KatOtEq>9EtpOV 'tou<; Tpt~aAAou<;, t1t1tEUEtV 'tE i\V'tE<; eKeiVwv an , say at It was not Bayezid
afleivotl<; Kal l1t1tOtl<; 1tOAU [I.54} ~EA'tiotl<; 'XOV'tE<;, WO"tE
Ka'taAafl~avEtV 'tou<; q>Euyov'ta<;. 'Ht fl1:v ouv U1t' <EAA~VWV
AEYE'tat, 'tau-en EYEVE'tO' w<; 81: au'tol ToupKot q>aO'iv, ou

93
 THE HISTORIES BOOK 2

rrala~~'tEW 1'Ev£<19al 't~v VlKI]V~VSE, aAA: a1te 1\[-'01Jpa'tEW who won this vict b h
won by Murad, an~7hatu:h: ::I;he battle was fought and
't~V 'tE [-'aXl]v 1'EV£<19al Ka\ VlKI]V £KElV01J, Ka\ 'EAEa~apov battle while Murad' r Lazar was killed in that
'tev ~1'E[-'ova [£KdV01J} im' £KElV,!, cr-rpa'tl]1'ouV'tl a1t09a- say it happened 2 Btl
was In command 1 Th 'h
, a t IS ow the Turks
VEIV EV 'tfj [-,aXIl, TOUPKOI [-'ev S~ oil-rw A£1'01J<11 1'Evt<19al,
, ' u cannot see either h h'l
In battle formation B 'd ow, w I e he was
b h ' ayezl could have both kill d h'
OUK EXW Se <11J[-'~aAt<19al, w<; £V 'tfj 1tapa'ta;El EV ~paX£l
:tlt •er and joined battle in such a short tim e h IS
'tlVl XPOV'!' 'tOV 'tE aSEA<pOV aVELAE Ka\ t<; [-'aXI]v Ka91cr-ra't0 lOS could have ra' d h' e, nor ow
been able to kill h' Ise h IS spear, attacked the sultan, and
au'tlKa, aAA: ouSe w<; apa[-'EVO<; 'to SOp1J 1:'AOI 'tE E1t\ 'tOV 1m Wit out anyone trying t h'
~a<1lAta Ka\ E;dl] Slaxp~<1acr9al [-'I]SEVO<; au't<ii £[-'1tOSWV let each person think what he I'k
Wh B '
0 stop 1m, But
I es about these matters
1'EVO[-'£V01J, 'AXACt. 'tau'ta [-'ev hw, 01t!] £Ka<1't,!, 1tpO<1<plAe<; en ayezld became sultan and ' '
tory over his enemi won thIS famous vic- J
~1'EI<19al1tEp\ au'twv, many
eluding their ruler ;s,h of them died in the battle, in-
'E1tEl Se rrala~~'tl]<; 1tap£Aa~E ~V ~a<11Adav, Ka\ 'tfj E<; Serbs and ' d ' 0 e overran the entire territory of the
'tou<; Evav'tlo1J<; VlKn Exp~<1a'tO 1tEpl<paV£l, 1toAAWV 'tE Ka\ d seIzee as many captiv
sIaves as h e could He th
au'tou a1t09avov'twv £V 'tfj [-,aXIl Ka\ 'tEAE1J~<1av'to<; 'tou :a : :ra;gements for his realm that he believed ~ould ~:
hi es Interest, and he made '
~1'E[-'OVO<;, £1tESpa[-'t'tE crtJ[-'1ta<1av 't~V Tpl~aAAWV xwpav, After he had made p , h h a treaty With the Greeks,
eace WIt t e ruler 'M d
Ka\ avSpa1toSa w<; 1tA£l<1'ta u<p' au't<ii 1tOll]<1a[-'EVO<;, settled the city of Sko 'e b b' , S In ace OIua, he
Ka91cr-rl]<1l'ta tv'tfj apXfj au't<ii, n4\E'tO ;1JV0l<1E<19al £1t\ 'to Turks from both Eu Pl dY nngIng a large number of
ropeanAsi 'hh'
£1tOl~<1a'tO, Ka\ 'tol<; 1tEp\
a[-'EIVOV, Ka\ "EAAI]<11 <11tOvSCt.<; children, But he did th" d a, WIt t en women and
IS In or er to use 't b
MaKESovlav ~1'E[-'0<11V dp~vI]v 1tOll]<1a[-'EVO<; 't~V LK01tlwv which to plunder the b I ' I as a ase from
He raided their land e ongIngds of the Illyrians [Bosnians},
4\Kl<1E 1tOA1V, 1ta[-'1tOAA01J<; 'twv TOUpKWV a1tO 't£ 't~<; , capture some to d
their inhabitants H al wns, an enslaved
Eupw1tl]<; Ka\ am) ~<; 1\<11a<; a1'ayoJV crUv yuval;l 1:£ a[-'a , e sosentanarmytoth I d f
Albanians and ravaged I't as rrar as the coast ofethanAd0 the
Ka\ 1tal<1l. Tau'ta Se £1tOlEl, w<; EXOl ltv a1tO 'tau'tl]<; 6p[-'W[-'E-
Sea and the land around Durres,3 e riatic
VO<; a1'ElV Ka\ <pEpm 'tCt. 'IAA1JplWV 1tpa1'[-,a'ta, 'E1ttSpa[-'E
[-'EV ouv Ka\ 't~V 'IAA1JplWV Xwpav, [I,55} Ka\ 1toAl<1[-,a'ta whThe Greek
h army accompanied Bayezl'd on campai
erever e went, ineluding ManueI, the son of loannes
gn, 4
ana £AWV ~vSpa1toS(<1a'to, Ka\ 't~v 1:£ AA~avwv xwpav
t1tl1tE[-'ta <; <1'tpa'tE1J[-'a tAI]'l~E'tO Ecr-r£ £1t\ 't~V £<; 'to 'I6vlOv
1tapaAlOV Xwpav, Ka\ 't~v 1tEp\ 'E1t(Sa[-,vov,
4 Ka\ "EAAI]V£<; [-'ev au't<ii E<pEl1tOV'tO <1'tpa't£1JO[-'EVOl a[-'a,
01tOl ltv EAaUV01, ° 'tE 1wavvo1J 'tou ~a<11Atw<; 'EAA~VWV

94 95
 BOOK 2
THE HISTORIES

[V}, king of the Greeks, and Ioannes [VII}, the son of An-
dronikos the elder [IV}. Having poured scalding vinegar on
their eyes, 4 the king now provided for the livelihood of them
both. But they had realized, between themselves, that they
had regained some vision and that their eyes were improv-
ing. After some time had passed, they discussed things with
their wives and each other, and, with the guidance and sup-
port of certain other people for this plan, they escaped to
the Genoese city of Galatas, across from Byzantion.5 From
there they went to Sultan Bayezid6 and, when they arrived
before him, asked him to give them assistance so that they
could march against their own city, and begged him to re-
store them. He [Andronikos} said the following when he
came before the sultan.
"0 sultan, since I had been struck by this misfortune, I 5
entrusted myself to Good Fortune and to God, who over-
sees all things, and now I find myself much better off, as
that Power has granted me a most welcome favor. For even
though I had completely lost my sight, he has now partially
restored my vision and is promising me the kingdom, to re-
store to me the throne that is rightfully mine. Ifyou agree to
my proposal and give me back my kingdom, you will in the
future be able to make use ofit in whatever way you see fit.
Give me four thousand cavalry and order them to follow me
for two months. The richest and noblest men of the city
are almost all on Our side, and many would have followed me
here were it not that I know that they remain in the city for
my sake, to support me in whatever way I decide is best for
us. I promise to render to your house a much greater tribute

97
 BOOK 2
THE HISTORIES

every year,
Th I and accept one a f your governors in the city."
Ct7taYE1V ~'tOU<; eKao-'tOU, Ka\ apflo<J'ti]v EX£lV ev 'tfi l'OAEI." e su tan answered with these words: "When I Ie d
Ba0-1AEl)<; 8e afld~£'to 'tol0-8E. '"Efloi 'tE ouv, el'El'tE el'USO- that some sight still remained to vou the news b arne
fl'1v, w<; 6pav fj8'1 0-01 Ka'taAeAEt7t'tal, ij80flev,!, 'te fl Ol {) joy d I hI'
an gave tanks to the Creator of mortals and .
rought me
AOY0<; eY£VE'tO, Kat xaplV ol8a'tQ SV'1'tWV 'tE Ka\ itSava'twV tals who had done you this favor. You have come to m~::~:
8'1fl lOU pyQ 'tijV8E 0-01 -rijv xaplV Ka'taSEfl£v'!" fjKE1<; el't are well dIsposed toward you and 'Ilfi h .
Ion as it ak . WI g t at your side for as
/iv8pa<; 0-01 l'pOo-<P1AEl<;, Ka\ itfluvouv'ta<; 0-01, £1<; oO"OV ltv takg ht es to achieve what you are contending for. I will
e~ft 8tal'pa~a<YSal, e<p' 0 'ti l'Ep '(Eo-Sal itywVl~OflEVO<;. TiO"o- e. sncI vengeance on the king, your [;ath er, that he never
flal 8e ~a0-1Aea 'tOY o-ov l'a'ttpa oihw<;, o,o-'tE fl'1 8 £1'0'tE agam pans any opposition to me. Come now. take th
for whom yon as k e d , and go to the city, and d' e men
eO"auSl<; ~OUAEUEO"Sall'Ept efle VEw'tEpa l'paYfla'ta. "lSI 8e best f, , a wh atever IS
.
or your return to your homeland."
'tou'tou<; Aa~wv, ou<; O'i> £<p'1O"Sa, XWPEI 8e el't -rijv l'DAIV
;hen Bayezid had said this he supplied the cavalry, all
l'pao-o-wv, 01'w<; w<; ~tA'tlo-'ta ~0"01't0 0"01 Ka'tayofl£v'!' el't rea y to go. Andronikos took them and mar h d : 6
Byza t' B e e agamst
-rijv l'a'tpi8a." n IOn. ut as soon as Ioannes [V} and Man I h'
6 '0 fltv 'tau'ta dl'WV e'toiflou<; l'apdXE'to 'tOU<; i1t1tea<;, learn d h And ue, IS son
marchin e t at . ronikos and his son [Ioannes VII} were'
Av8poV1KO<; 8e 'tou'tOU<; Aa~wv fjAaUVEV el't Bu~av'tIOV. g agaInst them, they entered the fortress that .
'Iwavv'1<; 8e Kat 'EflflavoufjAo<; {) l'al<; au'toii, w<; e1t1lSov'to named after the Golden Gate and prepared for a sie e ~~
'taX1O"'ta Av8poV1KOV O'i>v 'tQ l'al8t alhou eAaUVOV'ta el'\ dronikos
fa t then arrived and b ' d t h em, Later he took
eSlege g . the
o-<pa<;, e<YfjASov 'tE e<; -rijv 'tfj<; Xpuo-ta<; oihw KaAouflev'1v r ress by surrender and incarcerated both of th
cagesuspendd'
.
e m a tower. 7 He had a small w d emma 11
aKpOl'OA1V, Ka\ l'apEO"K£Ua~ov'to w<; [1.57} 1'0AlOpK'1o-oflE- st t d' 'd 00 ence con-

VOL Av8poV1KO<; flev ouv eAaO"a<; el'OA10pKE1, flE'tit 8e 'tau'ta i rue h' e[; mSI
h e the tower and put them In . .It together keep-
';:;. IS at er and brother imprisoned in it while he h~ld the
6floAoyi~ XP'1o-aflEvo<; ElAE -rijv itKPOl'OA1V, E'i<; 'tl KAW~iov
~V~~e. D~nng his reign,S he also declared his son Ioannes
efl~aAAofl£vw flE't£WPOV Kat KaSElp~EV /ifl<PW e<; 1t1lpyov 'tE, as ng over the Greeks. He kept th . hi
forth b em In t s cell
Kat EipK-rijV ~paXElav O-UVEACt<1a<; ~uAlv'1v l'El'Ol'1fltv'1V ree years, ut he did not wish to kill them aI h h
ev'to<; 'tou 1t1lpyou, Ka\ 'tijv 'tE ~a0-1AEIaV Ka'te<YXE, 'tOV 'tE Bayezid was continually advising him to do so. In ~hetfo:~~h
l'a't£pa Kat it8EA<pOV EXWV ev <puAaKft· Ba0-1AEuo-a<; 8e
itl't8£l~E Ka\ 'tOY l'al8a au'tou 'Iwavv'1v ~a0-1Aea 't01<; "EA-
A'10-1. Ka'tEIXE fltv ouv el'\ ~'t'1 'tpia e<; 'tijv EipK-rijV 'tijv8E,
Kat itVEAElV OUK fjSEAE l'apalVOuv'tO<; e<; 'tou'tO athQ O"UV-
EXW<; I1ala~ij'tEW. TQ 8e 'tE'tap't'!' E'tEl itval'Elo-aV'tE<;
I
1,1
99
 BOOK 2
THE HISTORIES

year they managed to persuade a servant, who used to come

to bring them food in the prison, to give them an iron tool.
It is said that they qnickly freed themselves from the cell. 9
When they had escaped, they went to Sultan Bayezid,1O
promising to deliver to him as much tribute and as many sol-
diers as he might demand from them. He sent a messen-
ger to Byzantion and asked the Byzantines for their opinion
too, about which of them they wanted as their king, Manuel
or Sultan Bayezid. For he wanted to sound out the Byzan-
tines' opinion about himself too in this way. The Byzantines
chose Manuel, as they were already unhappy with the way
Andronikos was governing. While the two kings of the
Greeks were thus disputing possession of the throne in Byz-
antion, Manuel agreed to pay Bayezid thirty thousand gold
coins as tribute and to accompany him personally with an
army when he went on campaign. On these terms he was
given the throne of Byzantion by Bayezid. Thereafter he at-
tended the Porte each year, early in the spring, delivering
to him the tribute and the army drat he had agreed on. As
for Andronikos and his son loannes, they resided at the
Porte and were maintained by the sultan, but Manuel held
the throne. II
Bayezid, the son of Murad, now campaigned against Phil- 7
adelpheia, a Greek city. having been led into doing this by
the kings of the Greeks, whom he had with him. For while
the kings of Byzantion were quarreling among themselves,
Bayezid had also asked for Philadelpheia and they had said
they would give it to him." But when King Manuel sent a
messenger asking them to surrender themselves to Bayezid
in the future and accept a Turk as their lord and gover-

101
100
 THE HISTORIES BOOK 2

OUK l<paO"av 'Kona<; elvm Ka'tanpoSouval O"<pa, 't£!> ~ap­ nor, they said that they were not 'Iii
over to the barbari WI ng to hand themselves
~ap<!" Kat 'to tV'tEU9EV tnoAlopKE' <PlAaSEA<pElav ITma£;fj- while keeping the :~Tghn; BhayeGzld besieged Philadelpheia,
't'1" EXWV Kat 'tou, 'EAAfjvwv ~aO"'Aci" Ot St aplO'rEuO"a[ sot e reeks WIth hi I '
t h at they performed al' I h m, t IS Sat
'd
'tE au'tou Aeyov'ta" Ka\ ava~av'tE, OO'tOl npw'tov ElAOV 't~v first to al h llV Iant y t ere, and that th.ey were the
sc et ewa sandtak h '
nOAlv, Oihw fltv ouv eaAw <PlAaSeA<pEla fj 'tij, AuS[a, pheia, a well-governed Greek c:~ i: ~~Thus fell Philadel-
nOAl, EuvoflouflEV'1 'En'1v [" After this Bay 'd
h Ar '
, y la,
eZI moved agaInst Iskender, the kin f 8
8 ME'ta St 'tau'ta ITma£;fj't'1' ijAauvEv tn\ ~KEVSEPEa 'tov t e memans, against the city of E ' , g0
of the Armeni d' rZInJan, the royal court
'twv l\PflEV[WV ~ao"'Ata, Ka\ tn\ 'Ep't£;lyyaV'1V nOAlv, 'ta
'tWV l\PflEV[WV ~aO"(AEla, Kat tn\ ~aflax['1v nOA[XvlOv AEyo- is said that thi:"::k::d:;:::tb~ r;::hcal~ed Shemakha,13 It
barians in Asia, second to none in mill e ravest of the bar-
fl tv '1v, Mynm St (r.59} oo'to,,, ~KEVStp'1' 'tWV ~ap~apwv
cal strength, At one time ' tary darIng and physi-
nOAA£!> 'tWV Ka'ta ~v l\O"[av avSpElo'ta'tO, Kat'ta t, noAE- and he had fi the AssyrIans had attacked him
flov'toAfln 'tE Kat pWfln O"wfla'to, YEvE0"9al OUSEVO, SEU'tE- emy with o~ t:~ p;.rformed notable deeds, routing the en-
y e ew men he had with hi 14 B h'
pov, W, tmov'twv no'tt au't£!> 'twv l\O"O"Up[wv nOAAaKl, kender was hated b 'C m, ut t IS Is-
y own WIle who along 'th h'
epya anoSd;aO"9al a;la AOYou, 'tpE'I'aflEvo, 'tou, tvav't[ou, rested him put him t d ' WI IS son, ar-
o"uv "A(Yot, -roT, afl<p' au'tov, Tou'tov St 'tov ~KEVSEPEa, w, Bayezid' d 0 eath, and held the throne herself IS
' now move against this man and captured th ' '
anfjx9E't0 'tn eau'tou yuvalK(, O"uAAa~ouO"a au'tOv O"Uv 't£!> o f ErZInJan by s'lege, ImprISoning
' , Iskender's son 16 Thee CIty
h
nmS\ SlaxpfjO"a0"9m Kat ~v ~a(l"lAdav Kau'XElv, 'Ent subdue d t h eJam'ds, W h 0 occupy the lands of Kol' hi n £ e
'tou'tov S~ ITma£;fj't'1' tAMa, -rYJv 'tE 'Ep't£;lyyaV'1v noAlv as the city of Amastris 17 H al c s as ar
Yiiliik the Whit Sh ' I e so marched against Kara
nOAlOpKwv napEO"-rYJO"a'to Kat 'tov naTSa ~KEVStpEW ElXEv , e eep ru er from Shemakh H d
against him with his 0 Wil a, e a vanced
tv <puAaKn, Mna St 'tau'ta 'tou, 'tE T£;av[Sa, Ka'taO"'tpE- besieged the city of Sh ::y, defeated him in battle, and
'l'afl Evo " Ol Ka'ttxouO"l 'ta -rij, KOAX[So, tnt l\flaO"'tp'V em a, But as he was maid r I
progress in taking the city, he left and led h' ng Itt e
nOAlv Ka9fjKov'ta, ijAauvEv tnt KapalAouK'1v 'tov AEu- turmng home," IS army away, re-
KaflVaV ~aflax['1' fjYEflova, Ka\ tnE;EA90v'ta O"UV 'tn eau-
After that he moved against the remaining rulers I'n ASIa,
'
'tou O"'tpa'tl~ fltXxn tKpa't'lO"E, Kat tnoAlopKE' ~aflax['1v 9

noAlv, Ka\ W, ouStv npoEXwpEl fJ 'tij, nOAEw, atpEO"l"

anExwp'1O"EV anayaywv 'tov O"'tpa'tov, Ka\ tnaveO"'t'1O"EV tn'
OtKou,
9 ME'ta St 'tau'ta tAauvwV tn\ 'tou, tv -rft l\O"[q Aomou,

102 103
 BOOK 2
THE HISTORIES

namely Aydm, Saruhan, Mente~e, Teke, and Metin,19 He

~YEflova<;, -rOV -re 1\:iSlv'1v, ~apxav'1v, MevSeO'lav, TeKl'1v
Kat Me-rlv'1v, -r~v -re apmv au-rwv a<pelAe-ro, Kat tK~aAWv
stnpped
" them
h °
of their realms, driving them u,an t d appro-
pnatmg t eir ' territory.
. Driven from their own Iand s, t h ey
au-rou, ~v xwpav u<p' aim;; 1tol'1O'aflevo<; eIXev. OiJ-rOI SE ° £f
went
h to Kmg Tlmur , . I will recount Iater how
in Skythia
W, 'l1teA~Aav-ro TIl<; O'<pwv xwpa<;, {r.60} aV£~'1O'av 1tapa t eywent off there and came into the presence of the ki 20
~aO'IA£a Tefl~p'1v £, ~Kll81av. 'fl, flEV oov ava~avn<; Exceptfi Kar ng.
or aman, who was also known as A1ishur and
OiJ-rOI £, '''lftV ~A80v -r<!J ~aO'lAE1, uO'-repov flOI SeS~Aw-ral. Turgut, the lord ofPhrygia, who were related to Bayez;d by
m~v yap Kapaflavoll -rou AAIO'Ollploll £1tlKA'1v Kal Toup- marnage d and . so were at peace with him, 2I all the th
0 err ers
ul
you-rew -rou TIl<; <ppvyla, apxov-ro<;, 01 Kat £1tlya fl la, au..<!J were
h epnved 'of their realms and went off to Samaran,to k d
t e COurt of Tlmur. I should add that Saruhan h
1tol'1O'aflevol etp~V'1v ~yov, ot Aomol -rwv ~yeflovwv £O'-re- dh ,wogov-
erne t e coast of Ionia; Mente<e who was the d d
P'1fl£VOI -rii<; apxij, aV£~'1O'av t<; ~aflapxavS'1v -ra ~aO'lAela of Kalamsh . ' , escen ant
f air, and Teke, who held Mysia, were descended
Tefl~pew. ~apxav'1v flEV -r~v 1tapaAOV TIl<; 'Iwvla<; £1tl-rpO-
rom. thehseven rulers who jointly assisted Osman m . con-
1teuov-ra, Kat MevSeO'lav -rou KaAaflew a1toyovov, Kat
quenng t e realm ofAsia, and they are said to have been ser-
TeK['1v ~v MllO'lav Ka-r£xov-ra -rwv £1t-ra ~Y£floVWV a1to- vants of Sultan ;.va' aI-Din. 22 I have no specific information
YOVOll<; yeyov£val cpaflEv -rwv -rou 'O-rouflavew ~v TIl, as to how Metin and Aydm obtained their realms. It is said
l\O'la, apmv K01V!i O'uYKanpyaO'afl£vwv, 0'( Kat AAaSlvew only that Aydm ruled the land from Kolophon to Karia I
-rou ~aO'IA£w, y£v£0'8at 8£pa1tov-re<; A£yov-ral. M£-r[v'1 v SE kno,:" clearly, however, that the subjects ofTurgut, Karam."n
Kai 1\:iSlv'1v, 68ev ~v apx~v £K~O'av-ro, OUK ~Xw SlaO''1flii- Metm, and Aydm are Turks and are called that In K
d ki B . appa-
'
vat. Tov SE 1\:iSlv'1v A£y£-ral flovov, TIl, a1to KOAOCPWVO, o a ayezid took control of both the territory that was
under Kara Yusuf and also that which was under the sons of
EO'n £1ti Kaplav ~pxe xwpa<;. TOUPKWV fl£V-rOl y£vo, -rou,
U~ur. 2, He. c~nquered the larger part of Phrygia, marched
-r£ U1tO TOllpyou-rew -r£Aouv-ra<; Kat U1tO Kapaflavew Kal
against
. ErzmJan,
h the royal court of the Armemans, . and
Me-rlvn Kat1\:iS[vn £1tlmaflal O'a<pw<; £Ival -r£ Kai ovofla~e-
against
E h t e son ofIskender' who ruled this land as f:arasth e
0'8at, Kal £v Ka1t1taSoKLq: imayoflevo, -rou-ro flEV ~v imo up rates, ru:-d he ruled a significant part ofKolchis after he
KapaiO'oucpn xwpav, -rou-ro Se ~v imo -rol, 'Ofloupew had brought It under his power. 24
1tatO'l, Kai -ra 1tA£W -rii<; <ppllyla, Ka-rampe'itaflevo" {r.6r}
~Aallv£v £1tt 'Ep-r~lyyaV'1v -ra -rwv l\pflevlwv ~aO'lA£la, Kat
£1ti -rov ~KevS£p£w 1talSa, 0, -rau-r'1<; ~ye1-ro TIl<; Xwpa,
Eme £1tl Eu<ppa-r'1v Kat TIl, -re KOAXlSo<; flolpav OUK OA[Y'1V
"<p' a,,-r<!J 1tOl'1O'aflevo , ~pxe.

I
 BOOK 2
THE HISTORIES

h These were the great deeds that Bayezid performed while

10 Tctii'ta fll:v ouv l'Ev6f1EVO<; ev 'tfi AO"lc.< Kat flEyaAa a1t- e was m ASIa, After that, when he crossed over into Eu 10
ES£lKVU'tO fpya' flE'ta SI: w<; 'tijv Eupw1t'lV Sla~a<;, O"'tpa'tEU- rope, he sent armies as far as Macedonia plund' h-
fla'ta e1tl1ttfl1tWV fO"'tE MaKESovlav, 'tijv 1tpo<; 'tOY 'I6vLOV land by the Adriatic Sea and the Alb ' ' h enng t e
tured som ' , amans t ere. He cap-
'tOU<; 'tau'tJ1 AA~avou<; Kat 'tijv Xwpav eSiJou, Kat1toAlO"fl a'ta , e towns m Albanian territory and then moved on
ana eAwv tij<; AA~avwv Xwpa<; e1tt 'ThAupLOU<; i]Aauvt 'tE agamst the Illycians, plundering the land and takin th '
Kat £SiJ ou 'tijv Xwpav, A£lav 'ta tK£lVWV 1t010Ufl EVO <;. ME'ta goods as 100t.2S After that he march d
nese but h
' h g elr
e agamst t e Pelopon-
SI: 'tali'ta £O"'tpa'teUE'tO £1tt TIEA01t6vv'l0"0v, 't</> fll:v A6y4' w<; Th' ,e pretended that he was going to Phokis and
e1tt <!JWKa:tSa Kat e1tt 8EnaAlav eAauvwv, Ka'taO"'t'l0"6- essaly m order to organize the affairs ofTh ss al '
him." For the bishop of Phokis27 h d' . deh y to SUIt
I d h a mVlte Imtoth t
flEVO<; 'ta tv 'tfj 8EnaAlc.<, WO"'tE e1t1't'lS£lW<; fXE1V au't</>, 'toli
SI: <!JWKtWV apX1EptW<; e1tayofltvou mplo"lv e1tt Xwpav
an t at was superb for hunting, with meadows which ~
fered an extraordinary abundance of cranes and I' 0-
KUV'lyiiO"a[ 'te Kpa'tlO"'t'lv Kat AE1flwva<; yEpavou<; 1tapEXO- were most excellent for riding, In reality, B' ,~ ams that
fltvou<; 1tA;;eo<; l\1tAE'tov Kat 1teSla £Vl1t1tEliO"a1 'ta Ka""l- against Thessal d ' ' ayezi marched
Y an ItS rulers, who were called E iker
:~t01, ofSal~na 2;
, '28
O"'ta, 't</> SI: epy4' e1tt 8EnaAlav 'tE Kat 'tOU<; 'tau'tn I)YEfl6va<; tdhagainst the wife of De Luis, the ruler
er t at e intended to invade the Pel ' .-
ofKin~~::::::' [~;h
'E1tlKEpValou<; 'toilvofla Kat e1tt yuvalKa 'toli Ill: Aou;;
l)yefl6vo<; 'toli Ill: LouAa. ME'ta SI: 'tali'ta Kat w<; TIeAo- ruler Theodoros [I} in tow, the son ItS
1tOvv'lO"ov efl~aAwv, exwv Sf] Kat 'tOY ~aO"lAew<; [I.62} When h~ arri~ed in Thessaly, he seized Domokos i~ the
'Iwavvou 1talSa 8EOSWpOV I)YEfl6va, eO"'tpa'tEue'to.
~bsence of ItS Eplkernian ruler, Then he also took d b n
Jected to his authority the cityofPharsala h I and su-
II A'l'lK6f1evo<; SI: e<; 8EnaA[av nlv 'tE 1l0flOKl'lv 1tapeAa- also E 'k " ' W ose or swere
mia b pi ernalo!' ~e advanced further and conquered La-
~EV, eKAl1t6v't0<; 'toli ev au'tfj l)yefl6vo<; 'E1tlKepVeW, Kat Sf] £, yThermopylal and Patras, the one on the plain b th
Kat <!JapO"aAwv 1t6A1V, Kat 'tau't'lv U1tO 'E1t1KEpValwv £1t1- oot of the mountain in Lokris
I . . . ' H e t h en moved on toYthee
Kpa'touflev'lV u'l" au't</> e1t01y)O"a't0. TIpotAauvE SI: £<; 'to ~hram. Many other towns in that area also went over to him
1tp60"w, 'to 'te Z'l'tOliV1V 'to £v 8EPflOWAal<; Kat TIa'tpa<; ough negotiated surrender. After that when the Wl'r f
'ta<; ev 't</> 1teSl4'1tpo<; 'tfj U1tWp£lc.< 'twv AOKpwV opOU<; Ka't- terulerDL'
bh t h d e UIS, woad hh a marriageable' daughter alreadyIeo
EO"'tptta'to, Kat au't</> 1tPOEXWP'lO"E' Kat aAAa SI: 'tWV 'tau'tn e ~ot e to a man,30 learned that the sultan was comi g
1tOA10"fla'tWV OUK 6Alya 1tPOO"EXWP'lO"EV au't</> KaeofloAoyln· agamst her and that the bishop of Salona was spurnng ,n him
ME'ta SI: 'tali'ta I) Ill: Aou;; 'toli I)YEfl6vo<; YUVY), eXOMa
euya'ttpa yaflou 'tE wpa[av Kat erru'lfltv'lV avSpl, w<;
eWeE'tO ~ao"lAta e1tl6v'ta, l)ye1O"ea1 SI: au't</> £1tt 'taSE 'tWV'-

I07
I06
 THE HISTORIES
ZaAOVWV apXlepEa, Aa~oucra 'te 't~v euya'tEpa Kat Swpa,
ilcra 'iouva'to, "1t'ina 't<;i ~acrlAel. '0 o£ 'tJjv 'te euya'tEpa
E8El;a'to, Kat au~v afta 'tfi euya'tpt E, 'ta Eau'tou ~el]
a1tE1teft1te, ~v O£ xwpav 1tapaAa~wv 'tau'tn E1tEO"'tl]crev
apxov'ta.
I2
AEye'tal o£ 1tept 'tau'tl], tii, YUVaLKO" w, lepEw, 'tlVO,
Z'tpa'tew E1tlKaAouftEvOU Epacreeicra Kat E, 'to 1tpocrw aVaL-
oeia, EAauvwv 'tJjv 'te apx~v E1tE'tpe'\te 't<;i tepei, Kat aVaLSij
1tOAAOU, 'tOU, 't~V fl.eA<pwv 1tOAlV EVOlKouV'ta, EpyacraftEVl].
fl.l" 'tau'ta U1tO apXlepEW, E, ~acrlAEa Sle~A'iel]crav, w,
atKla ltv [I.631 ell] YUVatKa Xwpa, 'tocrau'tl], 'iYOUftEvl]V,
lmo lepEw, ftOlXeuOftEvl]V, aV~KeO"'ta KaKa 1tOletV 'tou,
1toAI'ta" Kat Sla 'tau'ta a1tiipaL ~aO"lAEa E1tlov'ta O"'tpa'teue-
creal E1t' au'tou<;. AEye'taL ftEV'tOl 1tept 'tou lepEw, 'tou'tou
'tou 'tfi yuvalKt 'tau-rn cruyyevoftEvou Kat i\AAa OUK oAiya
EO"'te yuvatKa, 1tAl]ftfteAijcraL, Ka'tepya~oftevov SaLftoviCjJ
'tP01tCjJ, wO"'te 'tau'ta, E<pEAKecrea, a1tayoftevov E1tt cruv-
oucria,. fl.£ Aouij, SE a tii, yuvalKo, av~p 1tpacreev e-re'te-
Aeu'tJjKel vacrCjJ. 'Bv S£ oo'to, YEVO, 'tWV TapaKwvl]criwv
~acrlAEwv, Kat a1ta'te OO'to, a1tO 'I'taAia, a<plKOftevo, E1tt
I1eA01tOvvl]crov, Ka'tECTXe ~v AnlK~v afta Kat BOlW'tiav
1tpO, 'tfi I1eA01tOvv'icrCjJ, Kat S~ Kat <J)wKcitSa Kat I1a'tpa,
'ta, EK'tO, Elepft01tUAWv. OO'tOl ft£v oiiv ilO"'tepov XpovCjJ ou
1tOAA<;i OleAeav'tl 'tJjv 'te 'iyeftoviav a1tE~aAOV, Kat 01 ftl:v
a1tevoO"'tl]crav E1tt 'I'taAia" ol S' au'tou EVEftelvav, E, Il
e-reAeu'tl]crav. Tou'twv S' "Iv Kat 00't0, a fl.£ Aouij<;, 4i ~v
yuvatKa a<peA0ftevo, I1aLa~~'tl], 6 Aftoupa'tew Kat ~v
euya'tEpa EXWV a1texw pel.
108
BOOK 2
on in this, she took her daughter and as many gifts as she
could, and went to meet the sultan. He accepted her daugh-
ter and sent both her and her daughter to his own household
while he took possession of the land and appointed a gover-
nor for it,3l
This woman is said to have fallen in love with a priest
called Strates and become so shameless that she entrusted
I2
her realm to this priest. She also treated reprehensibly many
people who lived in the town of Delphi [Salona]. For this
reaso~ they were denounced to the sultan by the bishop, as
It was outrageous for such an extensive land to be ruled by a
woman, one who was committing adultery with a priest and
inflicting intolerable harm on the citizens. It was for this
reason that the sultan set out to march against them. It is
also said that this priest, who was living with this woman,
had misbehaved with many other women as well by working
some kind of demonic sorcery by which to attract them and
lure them into having sex. De Luis, the woman's husband,
had previously died of an illness." He was of the fanillyof
the kings of Aragon and, when he came to the Peloponnese
from Italy, he took over Attica and Boiotia bordering on the
Peloponnese, and also Phokis and Patras, the one that is
outside Thermopylai. 33 Shortly afterward, these men lost
their rule; some of them went back to Italy, while others
stayed there until they died. Among the latter was this De
Luis, whose wife and daughter were taken away by Bayezid,
the son of Murad, when he left.
109

THE HISTORIES
'3 '0 fli:v t<; ITEAonovv'1crov tnE~aAEv. '0 fli:v oilv TIj<;
Lnap"t'1<; ~yEflwv, w<; e<; TIjv 8EnaAlav ecrt~aAE "ta<; "tE
nOAEl<; tnl "ta acr<j>aAi:<; Ka"tacr"t'1craflEvo<;, anoSpa<; VUK"ta<;
4JXE"t0 t<; ITEAonovv'1crov, w<; ~v tnln, afluvouflEVO<; ii
~Suva"to Kpcmcr-ra. Kal {r.64} efltA'1crE fli:v OUX ~Klcr-ra Sla
"tou"to £icr~aA£lv e<; "t~v ITEAonovv'1crov, arrEAla Si:
a<j>h<E"to au"t<\>, w<; ot ITalovE<; ~youfltvou LlYlcrflouvSoU
'Pwflalwv ~acrlAtw<; "t£ Kal au"toKpa"topo<; Kal KEA"tol Kal
rEpflavwv OUK aAlyol crUVEAEY'1crav w<; tn' aU"tov tnlov"tE<;,
Kal "tov "t£ "Icr"tpov napacrK£ua~olv"to Sla~fjvm, Ka! ~aKa<;
St, ytvo<; OUK ayEvvt<;, {XOlEV flE"t' au"twv, TIj<; "tE 6Sou
~youfltvou<;, TIjv ecr~Y'1crlv "tou cr-rpa"tou nOloufltvou<;. Ll-
YlcrflouvSo<; Si: oli"to<; 6 tnl ITma~~"t'1v cr-rpa"t£uofl EvO <;
~YEflwV "tE rEpflavwv "t~v apx~v e"ttlrxavEv wv, nEp! BltV-
v'1v "t~v noAlv "ta noAACt Sla"tpl~wv, Kal xwpa<; "twv "tau-rn
rEpflavwv apxwv ou <j>auA'1<;' ITalovwv flE"ta "tau"ta npocr-
ayoflevwv cr<j>lcrlv au"to<; ~acrlAEu<;"tE afla Ka8£lcrTIjKEl ITm-
OVWV Ka! "tfj<; rEpflavwv xwpa<; ~yEflwv.
'4 'H Si: rEpflavla apXE"tal flEV ano "tou ITup'1v[OU opOU<;,
68EV Kat 6 Tap"'1cro<; pEWV enl "tov npo<; tcrntpav WKEaVOV.
Kal Ecr"tl fli:v ~ avw rEpflavla, t<j>' Ocrov Si: npo',oucra
Ka8~KEl Ecr"tE KOAwvlav Kal l\pyEv"tl'1v, nOAEl<; oihw Ka-
AouflEva<;. Ta Si: ev"tEu8EV Ka8~KEl enl WKEaVaV "tov nEp!
KEA"tlKfjV "tE Enl Sd;la Kal nEp l ~avlav en' aplcr-rEpa, w<; enl
"ta<; BpE"taVlKa<; vfjcrou<;. "Ecr"tl Si: {r.65} Kal ana "Icr-rpou
rEp flavia, ana BltVV'1<; nOAEw<; en' au"tov Si: E<; Tap"t'1crov
npo',oucra xwpa, Kal Enl Bpayav, "tou<; BOEflou<;. £'('1 S' ltv
am'> BlEVV'1<; t<; WKEaVOV avSp! EU~WV4' nEv"tEKmElKocrlv
lID
BOOK 2
Bayezid now turned his attention to the Peloponnese.
Wh '3
en he had invaded Thessaly and secured the cities there
the ruler of Mistra {Theodoros IJ escaped at night and wen~
to the Peloponnese to defend himself as best he could
~gamst an attack. This made Bayezid all the more eager to
mvade the Peloponnese. But news reached him that the
Hungarians, under the leadership of Sigismund, the em-
peror of the Romans," along with the French and a great
many Germans, had assembled to attack him and were pre-
panng to cross the Danube. They also had with them th
Wallachians,. anob~e people who were showing them th:
:nay and gUldmg their army. This Sigismund who was march-
mg agamst Bayezid was the ruler of the German realm _
'd d . ' re
Sl e mostly m the city ofVienna,15 and ruled a significant
area of German territory from there. Later, when the Hun-
ganans Joined them, he was at once king of the Hungarians
and ruler of the land of the Germans."
Germany begins at the Pyrenees Mountains, from where
the Tartesos River flows to the Ocean in the west.l' There is '4
upper Germany, which extends as far as the cities called Co-
logne and Strasbourg. 38 From there it extends to the Ocean
1that
f 39surrounds France on the right and D enmark onth e
e t, as far as the British Isles. There is also Danubian Ger-
many, whose territory extends alongside that river from the
City ofVienna to the Tartesos, and then to Prague and Bohe-
mia. An active man could traverse its length from Vienna to
III
 THE HISTORIES
~ftepwv avucycll KCl'"rCt ftijKO<;' Ka1:Ct S£ nAcho<; e"ll] ltv lCat
nAfwv 1:0U1:WV, ~paxU ano 1:fj<; KeA1:IKij<; i6V1:I ent ~V
Ll,av[av xwpav.
'5 Euvoftehal S£ ~ xwpa aU1:l] ftaAICY1:a Sij 1:WV np6<; 1:e
IipK1:0V 1:e lCat e=EpaV nacywv 1:WV 1:au1:t1 XWPWV lifta lCat
e9vwv, E<Y1:e n6Ael<; nepupavel<; Kat euSa[ft0va<; Kat uno
CYCPWV aU1:WV t<; 1:0 icyoS[al1:0V eu9uvoft£va<; Slnpl]ft£VOU<;,
lCat t<; 1:UpavviSa<;, Kat uno apXIepeUCYI 1:an0ft£va<; 1:01<;
uno 1:0U 'Pwftaiwv fteyaAou apXIep£w<; lCa91<Y1:aft£vOl<;. Kat
n6Ael<; ftev E<; 1:0 icyoSial1:oV euvoftoufteval etl]cyav ai'i1:al EV
1:e 1:fi livw Kat 1:fi 1CU1:W fepftaviq, Nop6~epyov n6AI<;
euSaiftwv Kat Apyev1:il] Kat Aft7tUpyov, Kat at ei<; apXIepel<;
1:an6fteval KOAwvta, BIEVVl] ~ e<; ~v Ka1:W fepftaviav
aVIoucya, Kat IiAAal ft£V OUK 6Aiyal n6Ael<;, anoS£ouCYal
1:0U1:WV 6Aiy4' 1:IV[, aftcpt1:Ct<; SlalCocy[a<;. 'E<; Se 1:upavviSa<;
1:Pel<; ftaAICY1:a nn SI£AOI 1:1<; 1:fj<; fepftavia<; ~yeft6va<;, 1:ij<;
1:e A1:~IAeil]<;! n6Aew<; {r.66} Kat Aou<Y1:pia<; Kat Bp£ftl]<; 1:fj<;
livw fepftavia<; yevoftEvl]<;.
,6 "E<Y1:I S£ yEVO<; 1:0U1:0 ftEya Kat Ent noA" SlijlCOV 1:WV
lCa1:Ct ~v OilCOUftEVl]V, fte1:a ye ~Ku9wv 1:WV voftaSwv
Seu1:epov, w<; et 1:aU1:0 cppOVO[l], Kat 6'1" tvt IiPXOV1:1
~yeft6vI, aftaXl]1:6v 1:e ltv e"ll] Kat nOAA<i' Kpa1:I<Y1:0V, 'YYI-
eIv61:a1:ov S£ QV li1:e 6no 1:ijv apK1:ciJav ftolpav 1:e1:ayft£vov
Kat nept ~V 1:au1:t1 ftaAI<Y1:a nl] fteCY6yalOv, 9aMnn ou
navu 1:lnpocyxpwftEVOU<;, euvoftel1:al ftaAICY1:a Sij E9vwv, wv
ijftel<; tCYftev, oU1:e AOIftOU, 0<; Sij uno 1:* 1:0U a£po<; ~tew<;
EnIyev0ft£vl]<; ft aAI<Y1:a enIcpol1:WV 1:01<; tciJOI<; an6AAuCYI
noAu 1:I [tEpo<; 1:WV 1:au1:t1 OilCOUV1:WV, oU1:e IiAAwv Sij v6cywv
II2
BOOK 2
the Ocean in twenty-five days. Its width would take longe,
but less if one were to go from France to the land of Den~
mark.
Germany is better governed than all the lands and peo- '5
pies situated toward the north and west. It thus has widely
known and prosperous cities, some of which are governed
under thelf own authority by egalitarian regimes and some
as tyrannies, while others are subject to bishops appointed
by the great pontiff of the Romans. The cities that are well-
governed in an egalitarian way in both upper and lower
Germany are the following: Nuremberg, a prosperous city;
S~rasbourg; and Hamburg. Those which are subject to
bIshops are Cologne, Vienna, the one that belongs to lower
Germany,40 and a good many other cities, which are slightly
less lffiportant than those two, in all about two hundred
~ore. As for the tyrannies, one may distinguish three rnlers
ill Germany, namely those of the city of Atzileia,4! Austria,
and Bremen in upper Germany.42
This people is populous and occupies a large part of the ,6
world, being second only to the nomadic Skythians. If they
were to agree and be governed by one rnle, they would be
invincible and by far the most powerful p~ople. They en-
JOY g~od health as they are situated below the Arctic region
and hve mostly in its interior; they do not make much use of
the s~a. They are better governed than any of the peoples
of whIch we knOw. They are not afflicted by plagues, which,
produced by the corruption of the air, break out especially
ill the eastern regions and carry off a large part of their in-
habitants, nor by the other illnesses that tend to break out
II3
 THE HISTORIES
'rWV E<; ~ ftil<; :It<lVU 'rl dw66'rwv 6EPOU<; 'rE Kat <p6lvorewpou
ETCl<pOl'rilv ETClXwplasov'rWv aU'roT<; 6afla, WJ't"E Kat iKavov
'rl areoylVE<16al 'rOU YEVOU<; 'rothou, oun <1dEl, Il 'rl Kat
a;LOV Myou. "YEl 0' 6EPOU<; flaAlJ't"a O~ EV 'rau'Ct] 'Cfi xwpq,.
TIoAt'rEuE'ral 0, Ka'ra 'rau'ra 'PWflalol<; ~<; 'rE olal'rav Kat
~6'1 'rE'rpaflflevov, <1Uft<pEpOftEVOV 'ra 'rE aAAa 'Pwflalo,<;,
Kat E<; ~V 6pl']<1Kdav 'Pwflalwv flaAlJ't"a o~ 'rWV repo<;
t<1TCepav OEl<1l0atfloveTv. N0fll~E'rat 0' reapa 'rOU'rOl<; Kat
flovoflaxla fl aAL<1'ra o~ 'rWV aAAwv t6vwv, W<1'rE n6EV QUo'
E<P' lrerewv aAA~AoL<; flovoflaXETv. To 0' yevo<; 'rOU'rO OE;l-
w'ra'rov f.<1'rE {r.67} fll']xava<; DV Kal E<; 'ra reoAEflLKa epya Kal
E<; reacra<; 'ra<; 'rExva<; reoAu 'rL EUOOKlfleT. <'l>EpEL O£ ~ xwpa
aihl'] reA~v tAalou Kat Lcrxaowv 'raAAa reav'ra OUK EAacr<1W
'rWV E<; ~V aAAI']V Xwpav <PEpoflEVWV. 010v'ral OE 'rLVE<; Kal
'rI']AE~6AOU<; 'rE Kal 'r'1AE~OAl<1Kou<; urea rEpflavwv apx~v
areoOEOELYflEVOU <; E<; aAA~Aou<; repoEA6ETv Kat E<; ~V aAAI']V
OLKOUflev '1V'
'7 TIatovla O£ apXE'rat areo Blevvl']<; 'rii<; rEpflavwv reoAEW<;,
Kat Eret fl£V £W 'rQ "I<1'rp'l' <1Uflrepo'iou<1a Ka6~KEL Erel ~ilKa<;
'rE Kat TpL~aAAou<;, Erel O£ apK'rov Erel BOEflou<;, 'rou<; KE-
Xlou<; KaAouflEvOU<;, Ka6~KEL. "EvEL<1l O£ apxov'rE<; 'rau'Ct] 'Cfi
xwpq" apxwv O£ EKaO"'rO<; 'rii<; rea'rp<i>a<; xwpa<;, Kat ureo'raO"-
<10ftEVO <; 'rQ ~a<1LAET au'rwv, E<; 0<10V VOfllSE'rat <1<pl<1L. No-
fll~E'raL O£ Eret pl']'roT<;. Kat treLxwpl'l' fl£v ~aO"LAeT ou reavu
'rL Xpwv'raL, Ereayov'raL O£ ij area BOEflwv 'rou ~a<1lAdou
OlKOU ij area rEpflavwv ij TIoMvwv ij Kal aAAwv 'rWV 'rau'Ct]
e6vwv. ~ufl<pepov'raL O£ rEPflavoT<; 'ra 'rE oreAa Kat ~V E<;
'ra ~61'] au'rwv olat'rav, E<; 'ro a~poOlat'rov areoKAlvoV'rE<;, n
II4
BOOK 2
often among us in the summer and autnmn and carry off a
good many people here. Nor are there earthquakes, at least
n~t w~rth mentioning. It rains a great deal in this land, espe-
cmlly 10 the summer. As a political community they are or-
ganized in the same way as the Romans, whose customs and
way of life they have adopted. They are also like the Ro-
mans in most other respects, and of all the people in the
west they are the most pious followers of the religion of the
Romans. They also practice duels more than other peoples
do, so that they even duel with each other on foot, rather
than on horseback. This people is very adept mechanically
and so excels when it comes to warfare and all crafts. The
land itselfproduces no less than what other lands do, except
for ohve at! and figs. Some believe that cannons and firearms
were first invented among the Germans and spread to oth-
ers and the rest of the world.
Hungary begins at the German city of Vienna and ex- '7
tends along the Danube to the east as far as the Wallachians
and Serbs, while to the north it extends to the Bohemians
who are ~alled Czechs. There are lords in this land, each th~
lord of his ancestral land, and they are subject to their king
to the extent defined by their customs; for custom imposes
certain conditions. They do not usually have local kings but
bring them in either from the royal house of the Bohemians
or fr~m the Germans, Poles, or other nations there. 43 The;
~re like the Germans in terms of weaponry and in way of
hfe and customs, and favor a luxurious life as, they say, the
II5
 THE HISTORIES
<paO"t KeA'tou<; 'te Kat repflavou<;. N0fl[~et Ka'ta 'tau'to 'Pw-
fla[ot<; 'ta E<; 9p'lO"KeLav. rEvo<; Sf. 'tov'to ilAKLfloV Kat E<;
flaxa<; 'toAflt] npo<yxpwflevov EmeLKel. IIoLovV'tat Sf. Kat
EmxwptOV 'ttva 'twv apxov'twv 'ta npw'ta, E<; 't~v ~aO"tAeLaV
aV~KoV'ta, Kat OLKovoflOV Sf. ov'ta, Kat fl'lSf. ilpxov'ta
6vofla~oUo"L. <I>wvfi Sf. Xpwv'tat ooSaflfi napanA'lO"[q hf.p'l'
'ttVt 'twv yevwv, aAAa ilAAt] 'to napanav SteveYKou<1t] 'te
't~<; repflavwv 'te Kat BOEflwV Kat IIoAavwv. O'{ov'tat SE
'ttve<; 'tou'tOU<; oi flf.V rha<; yevE0"9at 'to {r.68} naAatOV, Kat
uno 'tov AlflOV OLKovv'ta<;, uno LKU9wv KaKouflEvOU<;, ava-
xwp~O"aL e<; ~vSe ~v xwpav, ~v Kat vvv OLKOVO"tV' O[ Sf.
<paO"t "aKa<; yevE0"9aL. 'Ey", SE, onolov ilv 'tt rt'l 'to yEVO<;
'tovw ~v apmv, OOK ltv oihw pqS[w<; eLnelv ~xoLflL'
'toilvofla flf.v'tOt 'tov'to ono 'te O"<pwv ao'twv Kat uno 'haAwv
KaAouflEvOU<;, oonavu 'tL KaAw<; ~Xotflt hf.p'l' 'ttVt ovofla'tL
KaAelV 'tou'tou<;. "EO"'tt Sf. aO'tol<; ~aO"!Aeta ev MnouSt]
noAeL eoSa[flovt napa 'tov "IO"'tpov.
I8 LLytO"flovvSoV Sf. 'tOY Btf.vv'l<; ~<; repflavwv nOAew<;
~yeflova enayoflevot OO'tot Sf. ot IIa[ove<; ~aO"LAf.a 'te 0"'1'[-
O"tV aO'tol<; Ka9iO"'taO"av, Kat 'ta Ka'ta ~v apmv enf.'tpetav
aO't<ji SLa9e1vat w<; ~XOt ent 'to aO"<paAf.O"'tepov. Ou'to<; flf.V
ouv eneL 'te ~v IIatovwv napEAa~e ~aO"tAeLaV, SLenpeO"~eu­
e'to npo<; 'tOY 'Pwfla[wv apxtepf.a, O"uv~9'l 'te I\v'ta aO't<ji
Kat em~Setov e<; 'ta flaAtO"'ta, "'O"'te emt'l'Pt0"9~vat aO't<ji
aO'toKpa'topt 'Pwfla[wv yevf.0"9at. Tov'to flf.V oi ~<; 'Pwfl'l<;
apxtepel<; 'tol<; KeA'twv ~ao"LAevO"t 'to npw'tov eneS[SoO"av
SLa 'toil<; noAf.flou<;, oil<; 9afla 'te Kat avSpeto'ta'ta npo<;
'toil<; ano At~u'l<; SLa~av'ta<; ent 'I~'lp[av ~ap~apou<; Kat
II6
BOOK 2
French and the Germans do. They hold to the same religious
practices as the Romans. Theirs is a hardy race that displays
considerable daring in battle, They promote one of their lo-
cal lords to the highest position and give him royal rank, but
they call him governor and not lord. 44 They speak a language
that is like that spoken by no other people and is entirely
different from that of the Germans, Bohemians, and Poles.
Some believe that they formerly used to be the Getai and
lived beneath the Haimos range, but when they were op-
pressed by the Skythians, they moved to the land where
they live now. But others say that they were Wallachians. For
my part, I cannot easily decide what these people were orig-
inally. This name is what they use for themselves and what
they are called by the Italians, and so it would not really be
correct for me to call them by any other name. 45 Their royal
capital is at Buda, a prosperous city on the Danube.
These Hungarians, then, brought in Sigismund, the ruler I8
of the German city of Vienna:' and made him their king.
They entrusted their realm to him so that it would be more
secure, When he received the kingdom of the Hungarians:'
he sent envoys to the pontiff of the Romans, who was an as-
sociate and close friend of his, to ask for his support in be-
coming emperor of the Romans. 48 The pontiff of the. Ro-
mans had originally given this title to the kings of the French
on account of the wars that they fought, frequently and with
great courage, against the barbarians who crossed over from
North Mrica to Iberia and who conquered large parts of
"7
 THE HISTORIES
Ta 1tOAAa Tii<;'I~'1pla<; KaTaO'tpEtaf'eV01J<; aUTol<;. METa S£
TauTa E1tl TOU<; fEpf'avwv ~YEf'ova<; f'ETEV~VEKTaL ~ ¥i<p0<;
1'013 'Pwf'alwv (r.69} apXLEpew<;. LLYLCYf'OUVSov w<; V1t-
[(TXVOlTO " apXLEpEU<; T~V TE a~lav TaVT'1V E1tmgevaL, Kal
S~ f'E1'£1tef'1tETO E1tl 1'0131'0, wPf''1TO f'ev E1tl 'haAlav SLa T~<;
'EVETWV xwpa<;. OUTOL f'£V oilv w<; EnV90vTO LLYLCYf'OUVSov
SLa Tii<; xwpa<; aUTwv ~v 1topdav 1tOLOVf'EVOV, E1tEf'tav
IiYYEAOV, 1tpoayopEuOVTE<; aUTQ f'~ S,teVaL SLa Tii<; xwpa<;
'auTwv. '0 S£ OUK E<p'1 1tdCYEcy9aL, liv f'~ yvQ aUTou<; 1tEL-
pWf'evo1J<; EPY<!' SLaKwAuCYaL SLa1t0pW0f'EVOV. IIapECYKw-
a~oVTo f'tv oilv ol 'EVETOl CYTpaTov Kal SLEKWA1JOV. ',0.<; S£
ijcy9ETO KWA1J0f'EVO<;, 1tapETa~aTo E<; f'ax'1v Kal CY1JVe~aAE
TQ 'EVETWV cr-rpaTQ, Kal a1tEyev£To aUTQ OUK oAlya 1'013
cr-rpaTEuf'aTo<;, Tpa1tof'ev<!, TE E<; <p1JnV Kal f'OAL<; SLa-
<p1JYOVTL TOU<; evavTlo1J<;.
19 OUTO<; f'£V S~ E1td 1'£ a1teyvw ~V SL' 'EVETWV 1topdav,
Imt'i£L SLa Tii<; livw fEpf'avla<; E<; TOV ALyvpla<; wpavvov
a<pLKOf'EVO<;. 'EV1'£U9EV S£ E<; 'Pwf''1V 1tapEyevETo, Kal ~a­
CYLAEU<; TE Ka9ELcr-r~KEL, U1tO 1'013 f'EyaA01J apXLEpew<; E<;
1'0131'0 a1t08ELx9d<;. METa S£ TauTa ES£lTO TE TOU apXL-
EPEW<; CY1Jf'~aAecy9aL E<; T~V t1tl TOV ~ap~apov aUTQ EKcr-rpa-
Tdav yLV0f'EV'1V, t'i1'£lTO St aUTov xp~f'aTa TE KallivSpa<;.
'0 St 1tpo<; TE TOV KEATWV ~aCYLAea SLa1tpEcy~wcyaf'EVo<; Kal
1tpo<; TOV B01Jpyo1JvSla<; wpavvov SLE1tpa~aTO S09~vaL E<;
oKTaKL<YXLAlo1J<;, Kal cr-rpaT1']yov TOV B01Jpyo1JvSla<; ~yEf'0-
vo<; aSEA<p6v. IIapECYK£1JacraTo f'£v oilv Kal aUTo<;, CY1JAAe~a<;
cr-rpaTWf'a a1to fEpf'avwv, oCYov ~SuvaTo f'LCY9wcyaf'EVo<;.
',0.<; ~S'1 aUTQ TE Ta £1<; TOV 1tOAEf'OV 1tapECYKEuacr-ro,
II8
BOOK 2
Iberia. Afterward the support of the pontiff of the Romans
was transferred to the rulers of the Germans. 49 The pon-
tiff had promised to invest Sigismund with this rank and in-
vited him to come for that purpose, and he set out for Italy
through Venetian territory. But when the Venetians learned
that Sigismund's journey would take him through their ter-
ritory, they sent a messenger publicly warning him not to
travel through their land. 50 He said that he would not agree
to this unless he knew that they were actively trying to block
his passage. So the Venetians prepared an army and blocked
him. When Sigismund realized that he was blocked, he drew
up his men for battle and engaged the Venetian army. He
lost a large part of his army, was routed, and barely escaped
from the enemy.
Abandoning his plan to pass through Venetian territory, 19
Sigismund went through upper Germany and came to the
tyrant of Lombardy.51 From there he reached Rome and was
made king (i.e., emperor), being appointed by the great pon-
tiff to this position. After that he asked the pontiff to con-
tribute to the expedition against the barbarian that he was
planning, requesting money and men from him. The latter
sent envoys to the king of the French and the tyrant of Bur-
gundy and managed to secure eight thousand men, under
the command of the brother of the Burgundian ruler.52 He
made his own preparations too, assembling as large an army
from among the Germans as he could afford to hire. When
he was prepared for war, he set out, taking the Hungarians
II9
 THE HISTORIES
E;~AaIJVE, Aa~wv 'tov<; 'tE ITalova<; Kat L'.aKa<; {I.70} 'rij<;
6Sou ~yE[!Ova<;, EVeV 'tou "IJ'tpolJ E1tt ITa1a~~TI]v. L'.lE1tpE-
O'~EvO'a'to SE Kat1tpo<; 'tov<; 'haAwv Kat 'I~~ PWV ~yE[!Ova<;,
XP'lfta'tl~oV'to<; SE'tou'to av't<!> 'tou aPX'EpeW<;, al'toV[!EVO<;
Xp~[!a'ta Kat IivSpa<;. Kat xp~[!a'ta [!EV E1tE1tO[!<pE1 au't<!>
[KaVa 6 apX'EpEV<;, IivSpa<; Se { ...}'
20 '0 [!ev ouv ITata~~TI]<; w<; EWeE'tO E1tlOv'ta o[ L1-
y10'[!OUVSOV 'tOY 'Pw[!alwv 'au'toKpa'topa, CTVV 1tOAA<!> O''tpa-
'tEV[!a't1 EAavvov'ta, 1tapaAa~wv 'tOY 't~<; Eupw1t'l<; 'tE Kat
AO'la<; O''tpa'tov li1tav'ta aV'tE1ttlE1 E1tt "IJ'tpov, ii ESvva'to
'taX'O''ta 1tOpWO[!EVO<;. L'tpa't01tESEIJO'a[!eVOIJ SE au'tou a1to
'tou "IJ'tpolJ E1tt O''taSloIJ<; 'tEO'O'apaKov'ta, o[ KEA'tot auea-
SE1<; 'tE 5V'tE<; Kat ayvW[!OvE<; W<; 'ta 1toAAa, a;lOuV'tE<; O'<pwv
ao'twv [!OVWV ~v VlK'lV YEVEO'ea1, 61tA10'a[!EV01 E1tt'JEO'av
1tpO'tEpOl w<; avap1taO'O[!EV01 'tov<; ~ap~apoIJ<;. Max'l<; SE
Kap'tEpil<; yEVO[!EV'l<; 'tpE1tOv'ta1 o[ KEA'tol, Kat <pEVyOV'tE<;
ava Kpa'tO<; Kat OOSEVt KOO'[!C¥ E1tl1tl1t'tOIJO'l 't<!> O'<pE'tEPC¥
0''tpa'tEV[!a't1, E1t10'1tO[!EVWV 'tWV TOVpKWV. 'Ev'tauea ava[!t;
yEVO[!EVWV au'twv, W<; E1tEKE1V't0 ol ~ap~ap01, 'tpE1tOV'ta1
it[!a 'tOV't01<; 01'tE ITalOVE<; Kat O[ fep[!avoL 'E1tE1YO[!EVWV
SE El<; ~v 'tou "IO''tpoIJ Sla~aO'lv a1twAE'to 1tOAAa'tou O''tpa-
'tEV[!a'to<; Ka'ta 'tOY 1to'ta[!ov. 'EYEVE'tO Se <povo<; 1tOAv<; 01.-
AIJ[!tvwv 'tWV KEA'twv Kat ITatOVWV U1tO 'tWV Evav'tlwv, Kat
6 BOIJpyoIJvSlwv O''tpa't'lY0<; EaAW, Kat IiAA01 OUK oAly01
ITatovwv 'tE Kat KEA'twv. '0 [!EV OUV L1Y10'[!OUVSo<; S,aK,V-
SIJVEvO'a<; 'ta E"Xa'ta, Kat 1tapa ~paxV ClAwVat Sla<pIJYwv,
E[!~a<; E<;'tP1~P'l Ka'ta'tOV 1to'ta[!ov {L7I} E1tAE1 E<; BIJ~av'tlOv
1tapa ~aO'lAea 'EAA~vwv. 'E<; AoyoIJ<; SE a<p1KO[!EVO<; 't<!>
120
BOOK 2
and the Wallachians to lead him on the way, straight along
the Danube against Bayezid. He also sent envoys to the rul-
ers of the Italians and Iberians through the mediation of the
pontiff, asking for money and men. The pontiff had sent
him enough money, but men {...}
When Bayezid learned that Sigismund, the emperor of 20
th:.Romans, was coming against him, he set out with a large
military force, taking the entire army of Europe and Asia
and rushed to the Danube as fast as he possibly could:
He encamped forty stades away from the Danube. Yet the
French, being impetuous and ignorant in most matters
wanted to gain the victory all by themselves. They armed
themselves and advanced with the intention of storming the
barbarians ahead of everyone else. In a fierce battle,53 the
French were routed; they fled with all their might and in
complete disorder back to their own army, with the Turks at
their heels. Then they all became mixed up together as the
barbarians pressed upon them, and the Hungarians .:nd the
Germans tnrned to flight as well. As they rushed to cross
the Danube, a large part of the army perished by the river. A
great slaughter ensued as the French and Hungarians were
cut down by the enemy. The Burgundian general was cap-
tured and many other Hungarians and Frenchmen.54 As for
Sigismund, he ran all manner of extreme risks and barely
m~naged to escape being captnred. He embarked upon a
trIreme on the river and sailed to Byzantion to the king
of the Greeks {Manuel II}. He held talks with the king of
121
 THE HISTORIES
Bu1;av't[ou ~ao"IA([, Kal XP'1[!a't[O"a<; aim;;, ilO"a e~OVAE'tO,
<1>XE-ro an01tAtwv en' o'LKOU.
21 I1ata1;~'t'1<; Sf: 6 A[!OUpa'tEw, w<; 'tov<; 'tE I1a[ova<;
t-rptta'to Kat KEA'tov<;, eA'111;E't0 't~v xwpav au'twv, aSE-
£o"'tEpOV ~S'1 xwpwv en' av'toiJ<; Kal avSpanoSa na~moAAa
ayO[!Evo<;. Kal S~ EnEAavvwv ent MnovS'1v, 'tet I1atovwv
~aO"o.Ela, lKa[!VEV uno 'tij<; voo"ou· noSaAy[av Sf: evoO"EI.
Kat et [!~ [!£V'tOI evwxAEl'tO uno 'tij<; v6<You, OUK lxw Aoy[1;E-
0"9at, 0 't[ nEp l\v ytvoI'to au'tcii e[!noSwv ent MnouS'1v 'tE
eAaO"al Kat napaO"~O"a0"9a, MnovS'1v, 'tet I1alovwv ~aO"[­
AEla Kat Ka'tamp£ta0"9al 't~v Xwpav au'twv' viiv Sf: Ka[!VWV
uno 'tij<; voo"ou enlEIKw<; navu anEvom'1O"£ 'tE au'to<; Kal
'tov mpa'tov a~yayEv w<; ~v xwpav au'toii. "Y O"'tEpOV
[!tV'tOI em1te[!nwv mpanv[!a'ta ent I1alOv[av Kal I1atOVO-
SaK[av eSnou ~v xwpav. Xpovou Sf: emYEVO[!£VOU Ent
.t.iiKa<; Kat ent Mvp;av 'tov .t.aK[a<; ~yE[!OVa EO"'tpa'tEuE'to,
ai'tlaO"a[!Evo<; au'tov, w<; unap;av'ta 'tE noM[!ou Kat O"ilv
'tOl<; I1a[oO"lv en' au'tov mpa'tEUO[!EVOV.
22 "Eml Sf: ytVO<; 'toii'to, .t.iiKE<; aAKI[!OV 'tE 'tet E<; nOAE[!OV
Kat ou mivu 'tl EUVO[!OV[!EVOV, Ka'tet KW[!a<; OiKOiiv, npo<; 'to
VO[!aSIKw'tEpOV 'tE'tpa[![!Evov. .t.1~KEI S' au'twv ~ [r.72}
xwpa anD ApSEA[OU, 'tij<; I1alovwv .t.aK[a<; apxo[!tv'1 lmE
enl EiH;Elvov nov'tov. "EXEI Sf: Ent SE;I~ [lEv Ka9~KouO"a ent
9aAaO"O"av 'tDv "IO"'tpov no'ta[!ov, En' aplo"'tEp~ Sf: BoySa-
v[av xwpav ou'tw KaAot>[!Ev'1V. .t.lelPYEI Sf: au'toiJ<; anD
I1alOvoSaK[a<; ilpo<; EntnoAiJ SI~KOV, I1paO"o~o<; KaAOV[!E-
vov. "EXEl S' 6[!opou<; ~ xwpa au.." Kat l:Ku9wv 'twv
vo[!aSwv [!OlpaV OUK 6A[Y'lV, y£vo<; nOAu 'tl Kat 6A~IOV,
122
BOOK 2
Byzantion, negotiated what he wanted with him, and then
departed and sailed back home.
After routing the Hungarians and French, Bayezid, the 21
son of Murad, plundered their land, moved against them
without fear, and captured countless slaves. He even
marched against Buda, the court of the Hungarians, but on
the way he fell ill; for he suffered from gout. And if he had
not been afflicted by this illness, I have no reason for think-
ing that anything conld have prevented him from reaching
Buda and capturing Buda, the court of the Hungarians and
co~quering their land. But as it was, he suffered greatly from
t~IS conditi~n, and so he turned back and led his army to
hIs own terrItory. Later he sent armies to ravage the land
of Hungary and Hungarian Wallachia. After some time he
campaigned against the Wallachians and against Mircea the
ruler ofWaIlachia,55 accusing him of being at war and m:rch-
mg against him with the Hungarians .
This race, the Wallachians, is hardy in war but not well 22
governed. They live in villages and tend to a more nomadic
way of life. Their land extends from Ardeal in Hungarian
Wallachia to the Black Sea. It has the Danube to its right
as It exte~ds down to the sea and to its left the land of Bog-
danra, as It IS called [i.e., Moldavia}.56 They are separated
from ~~ngarlan WaIlachia by a long mountain range called
Brasso. TheIr neIghbors include a large number of nomadic
Skythians, a populous and prosperous race, subject to King
123
 THE HISTORIES
into Ka~'1f'[peW 'r<f ~a(nAel 'ranof'eVOV' uq>' 4> S~ Kat LKV-
9", ot VOf'"Se<; 'ranof'EvOl o..tpa-revoV't"', ii ltv e;'1yij'r"',
aV'r6<; 're "pe'r~V TCapEX0f'eVO<; e<; TCOAef'0V ";lOAOYOV.
Tov'rwv S8 "xov'ral nOA"VOl f'8V TCPO<; IipK'rOV, Lapf''''r'''
S£ TCpO<; ew. flaKe<; S£ xpwv'ral q>wvn TCapaTCA'1O'[" -rjj
'haAwv, Sleq>9apf'evt] S£ e<; 'roO'oil'rov Kal SleVeyKOVO't],
wO'-re xaA£1tw<; emitElv 'rou<; 'haAou<; o'rLOilv, iI'rl f'~ 'ra<;
Ae;el<; SlaO''1f'ELOuf'evwv eTClYlVWO'KelV, I) 'rl ltv AeyOl'ro.
23 "0geV f'£V oilv -rjj aV'rn q>Wvn xpWf'eVOl ~geO'l 'Pwf'a[wv
eTCl'rav'r'1v aq>[Kov'rO 'r~V xwpav Kat ail'roil 'rnSe <!>K'1O'av,
oihE IiAAOU aK~Koa TCepl 'rov'rou SlaO'1']f'a[vov'ro<; O'aq>w<;
"'rLOilv, oihe ail'ro<; "Xw (J'Uf'~aAe0'9"" w<; aV'roil 'rav'rt]
4>K[0'9'1' Aeye'r'" f'EV TConaxii eA90v 'ro yevo<; 'roil'ro
evolK~O'aL aV'roil, ov f'~v, iI 'rl Kal a;LOV e<; iO''rop[av, 6'rLOilv
TCapeX0f'EVOV 'reKf'~pLOV. LUf'q>epe'r'" S8 'haAoT<; 'ra -re
aAAa Kal -rjj e<; S["''rav Ka'raO''raO'el, Kat OTCAOl<; 'roT<; av'roT<;
Kal O'Kwii hl [r.73} Kal vilv 'rii av-rjj 'Pwf'a[wv SlaxpWf'e-
VOl. 'E<; Svo f'eV'rol Slt]p'1f'evov apxa<;, £(J"re ~V BoySav[av
Kal av~v TCap' "I(J"rpov xwpav ov TCavu 'rl eVV0f'el'ral.
NOf'[~OUO'l S£ ~yef'6O"lV ov 'roT<; aV'roT<; Slaf'evov-re<;, aA):
eTCl'ro aEl O'q>[O'lTCPOO'q>Opov (J'Uf'f'e'ra~aAAoV'te<; Ka9l(J"raO'lV
aAAO're IiAAOU<; O'q>[O'l -rupavvou<;. Mvp;av f'ev'rol 'roil'rov,
IipXov'ra 'roil yevou<; 'roilSe 'rO TCaAalov yeV0f'eVOV, eTClKa-
AEO'af'eVOl -r1ipavvov O'q>[O'l Ka'reO''r~O'av'ro, (J'UvaVeAOV-re<;
flavov 'rOV TCpo0'9EV -rupavVeVOv'ra av'rwv. Mvp;a<; f'8V
oilv oil'ro<; TCaAAaK[O'l ;uyyeVof'eVO<; OVK oAlyaKl<;, Kal
vo90u<; aTCD 'rO"'rOU O"XWV TCaTSa<; ava ~v flaK[av OVK
OA[YOU<;, v(J"repOV TCpo'(6v'rl 'r<f XPOV'll Kat 'rEAw~O'av'ro<;
BOOK 2
C' . 58The nomadic Skythians, being subject to him
aSlmlr.
march with him ~herever he may lead them, and he person~
all~ displays considerable valor in war. To the north their
neighbors are the Poles, and the Russians to the east The
W~lachians speak a language that is similar to that ~f the
Italians, but so corrupted and different from it that it is dif-
ficult for the Italians to understand anything they say, unless
they recoglllze words that are spoken distinctly.
Regardmg the question of where the Wallachians came
from when they arrived in this land and settled it, speaking 23
the same language as the Romans and using their customs,
I have heard n~ one else with anything clear to say nor have
I myself .anythmg to contribute on how it was settled by
them. It IS said that this race came to settle this land f
d'f£ rom
many I erent places, but there is no proof of this, at least
none worthy of being treated as historical. This people is
like the Italians 10 ItS way of life and in other aspects. With
respect to weapons and dress, they still, even now, use the
same as the Romans do. Wallachia is divided into two
realms, Moldavia and the land by the Danube, and is not
well governed. It is not their custom to keep the same rulers
for long but they are always replacing one tyrant with an-
other based on what is advantageous for them. So they sum-
moned this Mircea, who had formerly been a lord of this
~a~e, and established him as their tyrant, after they had
Jomed
h forces to kill Dan, the previous tyrant .59 M'Ircea
ad many concubines and left many illegitimate children
throughout Wallachia. Later, when some time had passed
125

THE HISTORIES
Mup;ew ave<puov'to 'tij ~aJdq 9a~a ~ye~ovec; aAAO'te aA-
AOl hy'te btl 'tovoe 'tov Xpovov Ka9l(Y't"a~evol ec; 't~v apx~v.
24 'E:ret 'toii'tov o~ 'tov Mup;av, u:reap;av'ta :repo'tepov
:reoAE~OU ec; 'tOUC; ~ap~apouc; <1U<1'tpa'two~evov 'tQ ~lyl­
<1~OUVO'l', 'Pw~aiwv au'toKpa'top', at'tla<1a~eVoc; rraLa~~­
't'lC; a 'Afloup,new e<1'tpa'teue'to, Kat 'tov 'te "I<1'tpov ola~ac;
~Aauvev EC; 'to :repO<1W, ~v 'te xwpav avopa:reool~oflevoc;.
Mup;ac; ot <1uAAe;ac; <1't"pa'twfla a:reo 'tijc; Xwpac; e:ree;eA-
gelv ~tv Kat ola~axe<19aL OUK e:reolel'to ~ouA~V, 'tac; ot yu-
valKac; Kat :realoac; ec; 'to opOC; 'to rrpa<1o~ov Ka'te<1't"~<1a'to
:reeplTCoLOuflevoc;. 'E<pel:reE'tO oe u<1't"epov Kat au'toc; 'tQ {I·74}
rraLa~~'tew <1'tpa'teufla'tl ola 'twv OPUflwVWV 'tijc; xwpac;, ot
o~ :reoAAot 'tE evu:reapXOU<1l Kat a:reav'taXii :reep,OeOU<1l 't"i]v
xwpav ~~ ~a<1lflov elval'tolC; evav'tiOlC;, fI'loe EU:reE'tij xel-
pw9ijval. 'E<pe:reo~evoc; ot a:reeOelKVU'tO <,pya a;la AOyou,
flaxo~EvoC; 'te, e! 'tl ola<1TCa<19tv 'twv :reoAefliwv eTCl<1l't"lOU-
flevov:ren 'tijc; xwpac; 'tpa:reol'to ~ e:rel U:reo~uyla A'l'i~o~Evov,
Kat ou'tw 'toAflQ ~Eyi~ e<peTCo~evoc; 'tQ <1'tpa'teu fl a'tl'
:reepl<pavwc; ot £<pe:reoflevov au'tQ olaflaxe<19al. Kat o~
Aeye'taL, ola:reopeuo~v'l' 'tQ <1't"pa'tEufla'tl e:re£Kel'to ev AU:rcn
:reavu XaAeTCwC;, Kat e;e'tigel, Kal ola<p9elpwv OUK aviel.
"Ev9a Bpev£~ew gepa:reov'toC; yvwfl'lv a:reooelKvuflEVOU,
W<11:£ eV<1'tpa'to:reeoeu<1a<19aL 'tov <1'tpa'tov au'toii Kat a:reaA-
Aan v Eupa<19aL, a:reo 'toMou flEya 'to a:reo 'toiioe euooKl-
fl elv :reapa 'tQ ~a<1lAel, Kat ec; <1't"pa't'lylac; Xp'lfla'ti~ov'ta
1mb ~a<1lAeWC; e:ret ~£ya xwpij<1aL ouva~wc;. To'te fltv ouv
au'toii rraLa~~'t'lC; eV'luAi<1a'to, £:rel<1XWV 't"i]v ~~Epav eKel-
v'lv' -rft 0' u<11:£paiq OleTCop9f1w<1ev, Ii eouva'to a<1<paAE<1't"a'ta,
126
BOOK 2
and Mircea had died, many rulers emerged in Wallachia at
one time or a~other, and they remain in power to this day.
It was agamst this Mircea that Bayezid, the son of Mu-
rad, marched, accusing him of having sided with Sigismund 24
the emperor of the Romans, during the previous war agains~
the barbarians. 60 He crossed the Danube and pressed for-
ward, reducing the land to slavery. Mircea assembled an
~my from his territory but decided not to march against
him and offer battle; rather, he first safeguarded the women
and children, settling them on Mount Brass6. Then he fol-
lo,,:"ed the army ~f Bayezid through the forests of that land,
which "b are extensive and enclose it on all sides ' m ak'Ing It
..In-
accessl Ie for invaders and not easy to occupy. Following
hu,:, then, Mircea performed remarkable deeds, giving bat-
tle Ifany contmgent of the enemy broke away to seek sup-
plies m the surroundmg countryside or to plunder pack ani-
mals. Thus h~ followed the army with great daring and he
fought conspicuously well in shadowing Bayezid. It is said
that as the Turkish army was moving through this area, Mir-
cea gave It a very hard time, as he isolated it and would not
let up in killing its men. At that point Evrenos, the minister
expressed the opinion that the army should encamp ther '
and seek relief From then on he was h eld'In h'gh I esteeme
by the sultan for this reason, was appointed by him to high
nulitary commands, and became powerful. 61 So at that time
Bayezld encamped there for the rest of that day, and on the
next day he ferned his army across the Danube in the safest
127
 THE HISTORIES BOOK 2

'tOY (Y'tpa'tov SLa 'tou "Icr'tpoll. OiJ-rw fli:v ouv mJ-r<\> 0 btl way he could. And that is what the army did that he I d
agaInst Wallachia. 62 e
~aKi", cr'tpa'to<; btE1tp~yeL.
25 Me'ta Sf. 'tau'ta eAauvwv E1tOAL6pKeL BIl~av'tLOv, a1to . After that he set out to b '
eSlege . for the follow-
Byzantton,
mg reason. The kings of the Greeks would attend him at hi 25
ai'tia<; 'tOLiicrSe. Oi yap S~ 'EAA~VWV ~acrLAei<;, w<; au't<\> Porte and campaign Wlt . h h'1m each year. One time 63 h s
thhe sultan was residing at Serres in Macedonia th~ ki:g e~
1tapayev6f1evoL E<; 'ta<; Supa<; 1tapfjcrav, Kal ecr'tpa'teuov'to
£KM'tOIl £'t01l<;. Kai 1to'te ov'to<; ~acrLAtW<; ev <IJeppai<; 'tfj<; t e Greeks {Manuel II} was aIso there in attendance
, 0
at th
MaKeSovia<; xwpa<; Kal SLa'tp[~ov'to<;, Kal 'tou 'EAA~VWV Port~ along with t~e ruler of Mistra {Theodoros I} Kon~
~a(J'LAtw<; cpom;;v'to<; Ev'tauSa E1tl 'ta<; Supa<; Kal 'tou 'tfj<; s~antm, the son ofZarko;64 and Stefan, the son ofLaz:u, 65 At
L1tap't'l<; ~yeflovo<; Kal KwvO"'tav'tivoll 'tou ZapKoll 1taLSo<; ~ ;t tlme, the f~rmer lord of Monemvasia arrived fro~ the
Kal L'tecpavew 'tou 'EAea~apoll, acpLKVehaL a1to {L75} e oponnese. H,S name was Mamonas and he
Sultan B .d d
b £
came elore
I1eA01tOVv~croll 6 'tfj<; 'E1tLSaUpOIl 'to 1taAaLOV yevoflevo<; ayezl an accused the brother of the kin of the
Greeks {Theodoros} of capturing M onemvaSla . and gcausing
iipxwv, 'touvofla Maflovii<;, 0<; acpLKoflevo<; 1tapa ~acrLAta . h
h
G 1m arm .66 B 'd b
ayezl now ecame angry at the king of th
I1aLa~~'t'lv eveKaAeL 't<\> 'twv 'EAA~VWV ~acrLAtW<; aSeAcp<\>
hreeks {Manuel}, and he was spurred on by Ioannes {VIlle
w<; acpeAofltv", 't~v 'te 'E1t[Sallpov Kal 1tOL~crav'tL au'tov
t e son b . of King'.Andronikos {IV} ' 67 wh 0 was present as he'
KaKa. "HXSe'to 'te 't<\> 'EAA~VWV ~acrLAei I1aLa~~'t'l<;' 'Evfjye was emg mamtamed by Bayezid. It is said that Ba ezid
Si: E<; 'tou'to Kal 'Iwavv'l<; 6l\vSpoviKOIl 'tou ~acrLAtw<; 1tai<;, sPhoke about being ready to kill him, but shortly afte:Vard
8<; 1tapwv au'tou ~v SiaL'tav elXev Imo I1aLa~~'tew. Kal S~ c anged h,S mind. H e was saved from destruction by Ali
Aty£'taL Kal aveAeiv WPfl'lfltvov 1tepl ofiLAia<; £xov'ta, t h. e son dof Hayreddin' 68 wh 0 h appened to be his close asso-'
fle'ttfleAev auSL<; ou 1tOAA<\> uO"'tepov. 'E~flllve Si: au't<\> 'tOY clate an was courted by him with mu h
Th ul c money.
oAeSpov hli'l<; 0 Xapa'tivew 1tai<;, 8<; crIlV~S'l<; au't<\> ETIy- er ers who were then in attendance at the sultan's
Porte met. and agreed among t h emselves that they would 26
xavev WV Kal Xp~flacrLv w<; 'ta flaALcr'ta ESepa1teue'to U1t'
never agaIn come to the Porte. One man who made a I d
at'rmu. there was Konstantin the f Z k P e ge
26 LllvLov'te<; S~ ouv E<; 'tau'to OU'tOL oi ~yeflove<; ev 't<\> 'ton D' .' son 0 ar 0 and brother of
raga,'. When Zarko had died, Dragas, a most excellent
Xpov", 1tepl 'ta<; Supa<; 'tou ~acrLAtW<; SLa'tp[~ovn<;, ESiSo- man m counsel and war, second t 0 none among his
crav crcpicrL Myoll<;, w<; fI'lKt'tL 'tou AOL1tOU acp[~ecrSaL E1tl'ta<;
Supa<;. 'Ev'tauSa flf.V ouv Eyyoii'taL KwvO"'tav'tivo<; 0 Zap-
KOIl, ~payacrew aSeAcp6<;, 8<; EKelVOIl nA£\J~crav'to<; 'tou
ZapKoll fjv avSpwv iiPLcr'tO<; 'ta E<; crOvecriv 'te Kal 1toAeflov,

128 I29
 BOOK 2
THE HISTORIES

~0ghntemporaries, had subjugated a significant territory by

OUSEVO<; AWtOflEVO<; 'twv e<; eKElvov 'tOY Xpovov, Kalnp6<;
tIng agaInst h,s Albanian and Serb enemies Ar.t h'
'tE l\A~avoiJ<; Kal Tpl~aAAoiJ<; nOAEfliou<; SlanoAeflwv de th 69 h' b h . "er IS
a , :s rot er Konstantin held the land and attended
xwpav 'te aiJ'tQ u1tI']yaye'to ou q>aUA'lV, Kal enl --en 'teAeu--en the sultan s Porte. He now pledged his daughter i .
au'toii KwvO"tav'tlvo<;" aSeAq>O<; au'toii Ka'tEoxe -n'jV Xwpav to the Greek kin . . n marnage
. g m order to confirm theIr agreement about
Kal eq>oi'ta e<; 'ta<; ~a<1lAtW<; SUpa<;. Ou'to<; eyyuCi'taL -n'jv t h ere b eIhon .70 This man, M anue,I h ad formerly married the
9uya'ttpa 'tWV 'EAA~VWV ~a(J'lAel, W(f'te eflneSoiiv'tal erq>iow daughter of the king ofKolchis a widow. wh h d
th OJ: f " 0 a once een
b
au'tol<;, oera eruvtgev--co E<; 't~V anoer'taO'lv. 'Hyaye'to flEV'tOl ed wlle 0 a certain
O Taj al-Din
' as Turki h ru i
er, d
an was ex-
o,)'to<; {q6} 'EflflavouijAO<; Kalnp6'tepov -n'jV 'tOO ~a<1lAEW<; cee Ingly beautiful. 71 When she was brought from Kolchis
KOAXiSo <; 9uya'tEpa X'l peuouerav 'te, Znivew SE 'tlVO, to ByzantlOn to be wed, his father [loannes V} wh
thenr o • ,owas
eIgnIng, saw her and thought that when 't
TOUpKWV ~yeflovo<; YUValKa yevoflEV'lV, KaAAel 'tE Sla- bea ty, h h ' 1 came to
u , s e was t e most beautiful of many women and su-
'l'EpOUeraV. Tau't'lv yap w<; ~yaye'to ano KOAXiSo , e<;
• 0

penor m other respects as well. So he married h h'

Bu~av'tLOV, geaeraflevo<; " na-n'jp au'toO 'to'te ~aerlAeuwv, sel~ taking her away from his son. He was also afflict:~ ~~~
w, eSOKel au'tQ KaAAel't£ yuvalKwv nOAAWV dVaL KaAAier't'l gout,
h hso that he was unable to stand up strarg . h t. It IS
. saId.
n
Kal'tol<; liAAOl" eytve'to, iJ1tepq>Epouera, eau'tQ 'te'taU't'lv t at e lusted after women and perpetrated man . d
acts H y m ecent
~yaye'to, aq>eAoflevo<; 'too naLSo,. 'Bv SE Kal ev vOcrCjJ 'tft : e ,:as attracted to singers and spent time with them
noSaAyiq Sleq>9apflEvo<;, wer'tE fl'lSE op90uflevov er'tijvaL settIng
t ' aSIde . the. work of the kingdom and payIng . I'IttIe at-'
olov 't' elval. i\EynaL SE ou'to<; 'tal, yuval;lv enlflalvofle- entlOn
T to It while enJ'oving
r such thi ngs.
VO, Ka'ta nOAAa lina anpenij e;Evex9ijVaL, ~Soflevo<; 'tal<; he rulers at the Porte of Bayezid agreed among th _
selves t o re b eI wh en the marriage took place. Then emh 27
'te taA'tpiaL, Kal eruyyevoflevo<; an09ter9aL 't~v epyaeriav returned to his 0wn country by hIS . own means 72 Th eac kin
'tij<; ~aO'lAe(a, tv 6/uywpiq nenOl'lflEvo" yavuflevo, 'te
of the Greeks escaped from the sultan of the ~urks :nd i~
nepl 'tn 'tOlaO'ta. sard to have arrived at Byzantion on the fourth day aft
27 ot flEV oliv ~yeflove, EV 'tal, 9upal, Dv'te, 'too TIal- he left Serres', and his b rot h er Theodoros arrived in the er
a1;~'tEw eruve'tigev'to aAAytAol, w, nnoer't'leroflevol yevo-
flEV'l, 'tij<; emyaflia<;· flnn SE 'tao'ta, W, dXev EKaer'to"
an'lAAanenO En\ 't~v eau'too Xwpav. Kal ~a<1lAeU, flEV
'EAAytVWV, Slaq>uywv ~aerlAta TOUpKWV, a'l'lKVel'tal ano
<l>eppwv e, n
Bu1;av'tLOv 'te'tap'talo<;, Atye'tal, 8eoSwpo<;
S£ " aSeAq>o<; ao'toii a'l'iKe'to en\ TIeAonovv'lerov. Kal ot

'3 0 '3'
 THE HISTORIES BOOK 2

ADl1tDl St, Wo; ~Kaer-rDO; am']Aauv£v btl -ra tau-rDu, E:Jtl-rpa- Peioponnese,7J As for the rest of them, each returned h
ntv-r£o; ltva! uno ~aerlAtwo; Ent -ra £au-rwv ~e'1 £Kaer-rDO;, h aVlng be d
, en grante permission by the sultan to go to his
orne,

"Yer-r£pDv fltV-rDl Wo; -rDU EmyryvDfltvDu etpDuo;, Wo; DU own resIdence, But in the following summer th k' f
Byza t' d'd ' e mg 0
nap£ytv£-rD Bu~av-riDu ~acrlA£iJo; Enl-rao; eupao; Kat ~yytA­ n IOn 1 not attend the Porte and sent word to B
that It was nth" , to ever come again BayezI'd
'd
o IS mtentlOn
A£-rD -r<\> rra!a~~'t11 fI'1SE EAe£lV -rDU ADlnDU £-rl S,avDDufl£-
sent Ali, the son of Hayreddin,one m of o
his s t ,ayezI
powerful
VDo;, E:Jtlntfl'itao; i\Ai'1v -rOY Xapa-riv£w, [I,77} IivSpa S~ -rwv
men, to ord er him to attend the Porte' otherwi h Id
nap' £au-r<\> fltya Suvafl£VDV, Ent-r£AA£ nap£lval au-rov EO; decIa h , s e , e WOll
re war on t e king himself Whe AI'
tion h k , n 1 came to Byzan-
-rao; eupao; napay£vofl£VDV' d SE fI~' nOA£flDv npDayD- , e spo e publicly the words that the sultan h d '
p£um a!h<\> ~aerlA£l, 'EAewv fltV-rDl Dli-rDo; 6 i\Ai'1o; EO; -ro structe d h'1m to say, but some say that when Ali ta 'hm-
Manuel' , h d me WIt
Bu~av-rLOv S'1f1Deri,. flEV £'A£y£ -ra En£cr-raAfiEva au-r<\> uno m prIvate e a vised him not to come to th I '
Po t d ' esutans
~acrlAtwo;, Exp'1f1a-rl~£ SE au-r<\>, Wo; £VLOl AtYDuerlv, lSi,. r e un er any Clfcumstances, Manuel replied that h
ready to, obey an d t, h at h'IS Iife would be unbearable if he e was
cruyy£VOfl£VDo; fI'1 Safl wo; EA8£lv Ent -rao; ~aerlAtwo; eupao;, did
'EfiflavDui'jADo; flEV an£Kpiva-rD, wo; nei8£er8ai -r£ hDlflDo; £'i'1 not enJoy the sultans trust; he would shortly attend so that
he C;uld be receIved by the sultan, wherever he was told to
Kat ~aerlA£l flY] eappwv DUKe-rl ~lW-rOV -rOY ~iDV au-r<\> ~n­
go, ut later, when Ali had gone and it b I
era-rD, aXil Wo; Ev ~paX£lnap£erofl£VDV £au-rov unDSeXOl-rD Bayez'd th Man eCame c ear to
P 1 at uel had no intention Df coming to th
-r<\> ~aerlA£l, 1'1 CtV napayyEAADl, "Y cr-r£PDV flev-rDl anlOV-rDo; orte, he set out to besiege Byzantion 74 0 h' h e
i\Ai£w, Wo; rra!a~~'t11 Si'jAa KaeEler~KEl fI'1SE S,aVD£ler8a! astated the land d I ' n IS way e dev-
'nh b' an p undered each region, enslaving the
au-rov ltva! Ent -rao; eupao;, Em']Aauvt -r£ Kat EnDAlOpKEl 1 a ,Itants of the suburb s, H e rnad e no progress in takin
Bu~av-rLOV, 'En£Aauvwv S£ ~v -r£ yfjv £KElp£ Kal-rf]v Xwpav the CIty, and so departed for home, But he sent g
ery d an army ev-
£Kaer't'lv ESn DU, Kal KWflao; avSpanDSlerafl£vDO; -rao; npD- year an set up a siege all around it which la t d f,
ears 75 d ' hi h s e orten
aer-reiDuo;, Wo; DUSEV npD£XWpEl ~ -rDU 1icr-r£Do; aip£O'lO;, Y , urIng w c time many of the city's 'nh b'
died of t ' 1 a Itants
an£xwp'1O'£V au-roo; En' D'(KDU, 'Enl1tEflnwv SE cr-rpa-reufla s arvatlOn or went over to the barbarian,
Bayezid controlled Selymbria himself b t h d
nav-raxn ava nav £-rDo; EnDAlOpKEl -rf]v flaKpaV y£vD fl Ev '1V it to Ioann {VI} u a entrusted 28
es I , the son of Andronikos, who had fled
nDALOpKiav Ent StKa £-r'1, Ev 0'10; nDAAa -r£ -rfjo; nOA£wo;
-rau't'lo; an£ytv£-rD uno AlfiDU Slatpeaptv-ra Kat Ent -rOY
~ap~apDv anlov-ra,
28 TY]v flEv Dliv L'1Au~p[av au-roo; Ka-r£lX£ rra!a~~'t'lo;,
En£-rpon£u£ S£ -rau-r'1O; 'Iwavv'1O; 6 AVSPDViKDU nalo;, DO;

13 2 '33
 BOOK 2
THE HISTORIES
from his uncle Manuel in Byzantion because he could not
bear to make himself available to serve in whatever matter
his uncle, who was reigning in Byzantion, wanted to use
him." Manuel thus sent him to Italy so that he could carry
out his instructions: he was supposedly sending him to Ge-
noa to seek aid, but he sent a secret message to the Geno-
ese telling them to imprison him and not let him out un-
der any circumstances. After some time had passed, Ioannes
escaped from the Genoese and went from Italy to Sultan
Bayezid, who was besieging Byzantion. 77 Bayezid took Io-
annes with him, they made an agreement, and he entrusted
Selymbria to him and made him its governor. After that
Bayezid moved against Byzantion, but as his attempt to cap-
ture it by force was not making any progress, he tried to
starve it into submission. And he would have taken the city
had news not reached him that Timur was marching against
him with a large army. Indeed, when he was captured by
Timur he lost most of his dominion in Asia.
As Bayezid would not stop besieging Byzantion, the king 29
of the Greeks realized that his people had been ground
down very badly. He could see no way by which they might
be freed from the siege in the future, so he entrusted Byzan-
tion to his nephew Ioannes, the son of Andronikos. Bayezid
was displeased with Ioannes because he blamed him for the
lack of progress in capturing Byzantion and so, having fallen
under suspicion, the latter fled from the sultan and entered
Byzantion. 78 His uncle, the king of Byzantion, received him
gladly, and entrusted the city to him when he left and sailed
for Italy, to solicit aid in regard to the protracted siege by
the enemy; for he would not let the city fall. 79 When Manuel

I35
 THE HISTORIES
Eyeve'"Co, Ka'"CeenO fli:v au'"Coii EV I1eAonovv~Cf'l' 'ti]v yu-
VcilKa au'"Coii napa '"CQ aSeA'f'Q, au'"Co<; Si: anenAet E<; 'I'"CaAlav.
Tpanoflevo<; Si: Enl 'Eve'"Cwv Kal [I.79} XP'1f1a'"ClCfa<; au'"Col<;
/lCfa ~~ouAe'"Co, 4Ixe'"Co Enl '"Cov Alyupla<; -rUpavvov, MeSl-
oMvou Si: ~yeflova' 6 Si: 'f"Ao'f'pov'1Cfaflevo<; '"Ce au'"Cov '"Ca
eLKo'"Ca, Kal Xp~fla'"Ca napexoflevo<;, anenefl'itev Enl '"Cwv
KeA'"Cwv ~aCflAoa, lnnou<; '"Ce au'"CQ napexoflevo<; Kal 'tfj<;
6Soii I)yeflova<;. D<; Si: Eyeve'"Co Enl '"Cov raAa'"Cla<; ~acrlAea,
ESel'"CO au'"Coii flI) npOeCfeal nOAlv ~acrlA[Sa 'EAA~vwv tJ1tO
~ap~apwv nOALOpKouflev'1v, npo~KouCfav ayxo'"Ca'"Cw '"Cwv
~aCflAewv raAa'"Cla<; O·(K'I'. Toii'"Cov ouv flefl'1vo'"Ca eupwv Kal
EV 'f'uAaKft uno '"Cwv ap[Cf'"CwV Ka'"Cexoflevov, WCf'"Ce eepaneue-
Cfeal 'ti]v VOCfOV au'"Coii, Sle'"Cpl~ev au'"Coii Enl CfUXV OV '"Clva
Xpovov.
30 KeA'"Cwv Si: '"Co yevo<; '"Coii'"Co fleya '"Ce DV Kat 6A~LOV Kal
naAat6v '"Ce Kat E'f" Eau'"CQ floya 'f'povoiiv, unepexetv '"Ce '"Cwv
&AAwv '"Cwv npb<; ECfnepav EeVWV, a!;LOiiv Eau'"CQ fle'"Cdvat
'tfj<; "Iyeflovla<; n Kal'Pwflalwv ~acrlAeia<;. "Eml S' I) Xwpa
au'"Cwv npo<; EW flev '"Cfi AlrUpwv xwp<;t, npo<; fleCf'1f1~plav
Si: '"Cfi 'I~'1 pl<;t, Kal npo<; &pK'"COV '"Cft repflav[<;t, Kal npo<;
ECfnepav '"CQ WKEaVQ Kal '"Cal<; Bpe'"CavlKcil<; V~CfOl<;' Sl~Ket
Si: anD l\Anewv '"Cwv EK'"CO<; 'l'"CaA[a<; ECf'"Ce Enl WKEaVOV Kal
Enl repflavou<;, 6Sbv I)flepwv flaAlCf'"Ca on'"CaKalSeKa ano
'I'"CaAla<; E<; WKEaVOV, anD Si: 'I~'1pla<; Enl repflavlav 6Sov
flaAlma nn EvveaKalSeKa. "Eml Sf. I1aplCfLOv nOAl<;, EV ii
'"Ca KeA'"Cwv ~aCflA.eta, euSalflovl<;t '"Ce Kal 6A~'I' np0'f'0pouCfa.
KalnoAet<; OUK OA[yat 'tfj<; raAa'"Cla<;, un' au'"CQ Si: '"CQ ~aCfl­
Ad '"Canoflevat E<; 'ti]v Cf'f'WV SLOlK'1CflV. ELCfl Si: I)yeflovlat
BOOK 2
reached th~ Peloponnese, he left his wife there in the Pelo-
ponnese WIth his brother, while he sailed on to Italy. H
rur~e: to the Venetians and negotiated what he wa~te~
WIt t em. He then went to the tyrant of Lombard th
ruler of Milan, 80 who received him in a friendly mann; an~
rve him mo~ey, sending him on to the king of the French;
e also gave him some cavalry and guides for the road Wh
~e reached the king of France, he begged him not lea::~o
he royal City of the Greeks to be besieged by barb .
. 'h =~a
City Wit such close ties to the kings of France. But as he d:s-
cov~red th~t the king was insane and under the close watch
of hiS leadmg men in order to treat his illness h
long time there. 81 ' e spent a
Th!h;~:n~h are a great people, prosperous, and ancient. 30
.Y ghly of themselves, believing that they are su-
penor to the other western peoples and regardin them-
selves as havmg a rightful share in the hegemony ;d kin -
d:~ of the Romans. Their land is bordered to the east ;y
t e and of the Lombards, to the south by Iberia to the
north by Germany, and to the west by the Ocean ~nd the
Bntlsh
f I al Isles.82
[; It extends from the AIps t h at are outside.
o t y as ar as the Ocean and the Germans, a journe of
about
f b seventeen days from Italy to the 0 cean anda'Journey
Y
.
o a out m~eteen days from Iberia to Germany. The city of
Paris,
d the site of the royal court of the Freneh'
al h ,IS prosperous
an . we t y. There are a good many cities in France and
their governance is subject to the king. There are ' also
137
 THE HISTORIES
'tT Ked ~yEf'0VE<; Ouvaf'£l 'tE npouxov'tE<; Kat 6A~tW'ta'tot,
[LSO} un' au't<\> O£ 't<\> ~acrLAel 'tanOf'EvOL Kat t<; 'ta ~acrlAELa
napaYEVOf'EVOL au't<\>.
JI "0 'tE 'tfj<; Boupyouvoia<; ~yEf'WV xwpa<; nOAAij<; 'tE Kat
f'EyaA,]<;, Kal nOAEWV IlAAWV 'tE Kat 'tfj<; Bpouyiwv nOAEW<;
Kat KAO~iwv napaAiwv Kat fav'tllv']<; nOAEw<; Euoaif'ovo<;
'tE Kat f'EyaA,]<; Kat f'"wyaiou. "EJ'tL 0' au't<\> ~ Bpouyiwv
nOAL<; napaAo<; napa 'tov wKEavov, av'tLKpu 'tfj<; BpE'ta-
VLKij<; AyyAia<; ou'tw KaAouf'Ev,]<; v~crou, t<; ijv opf'i~ov'taL
VijE<; anD 'tE 'tfj<; ~ f'E'tepa<; 'tfjcrOE 9aACLO'O'']<; Kat ano 'twv t<;
'tOY WKWVOV nOAEwv 'tfj<; 'tE fEpf'avia<;, 'I~']pia<;, AyyAia<;,
Aavia, Kat 'twv AOL1tWV ouvaJ't£[wv. ALEX£[ 0' au't'] ~ nOAL<;
ano AyyAia<; O''taoiou<; nEv'tfjKov'ta Kal EKa'tov. 'R O£ xwpa
ai",,] KaAel'taL ¢Aavopia, Kat dO't 'tOU'tOL<; 'tol<; ~yEf'0O'L
Boupyouvoia<; ~pya anooEo£lYf'Eva Il~La AOYOU t<; ~v
KEA'tLK~V xwpav npo<; 'tE au'tov ~acrLAEa 'tij<; faAa'tia<; Kat
npo<; 'tou<; BpE'tavou<;. ME'ta S£ 'tau'ta ~yEf'WV tnl 'tij<;
~neipou BpE'tavia, ~XE'tai yE 'tij<; yij<; 'tfj<; 'tou ~aO'LAEw<;
xwpa<;. 'Ent O£ 'tOU'tOL<; ~yEf'WV 'tfj<; [ ...} 'tou'twv Se EXE'taL
xwpwv ~yEf'0VO<; La~o'la<; Xwpa, f'EyaA,] 'tE Kal unEp-
KaAA~<;, tnt ALyupiav Ka9~KouO'a. IIpo<; O£ 't~v napaAov
xwpav 'tij<; fUAu'tia<; WSE Ilv f'OL OLUKEOL'tO npo<; [O''top(uv.
'R f'EV'tOL 'IuVU'lnUA,] 'tL<; oUO'u 'tfj<; fUAu'tia<; tnEXEL xwpuv,
tnl ~v IIpO~EV't(UV Ka~KouO'u, ~<; IlPX£[ 6 'tou [LSI}
OlKOU 'tou ~acrLAtW<; 'tij<; faAU't(a<; 'PULVEPLO<; ~aO'LAEU<;. TRv
f'']'tponOAL<; ~ Ni'tLU IIpO~EV't(U<;. IIOA£[<; S' EXOV'taL ij 't£
A~LVLWV nOAL<;, Ka9' ijv yE<pupa tnEO"t'] f'EyaA,] Sij 'twv
BOOK 2
principalities and rulers who are extremely powerful and
very wealthy, but they are subject to the king and attend
upon him at his court.
The ruler of Burgundy possesses a large and great land JI
and many cities, including Bruges and Sluis on the coast,
and Ghent, a large, prosperous, and inland city. The city of
Bruges that belongs to him lies On the coast of the Ocean
and faces the island called British England; ships anchor
there both from our sea and from the cities along the Ocean,
namely from Germany, Iberia, England, Denmark,8J and the
other kingdoms. This city is one hundred and fifty stades
dLstant from England. The land is called Flanders, and the
rulers of Burgundy performed remarkable deeds in France
both against the king of France and against the British. Af-
ter that, the ruler of Britain holds some continental lands in
the king's territory.84 In addition to them, the ruler [ ...} next
to these lands there is the land of the ruler of Savoy, a great
and exceedingly beautiful land that extends to Lo:nb ely.
I will record the following regarding the coastal Ian;: of
France. Genoa, being the gateway to France,85 controls the
land that extends to Provence, whose ruler is King Rene of
the royal house of France. 86 The metropolis of Provence is
Nl~e. They have other cities there such as the city of
Avrgnon, where there is one of the largest bridges in the
'39
 BOOK 2
THE HISTORIES
world,87 and then one co
1<(l'ta'tf]v ol1<OUflev'lv Ea"rE btl Bap1<Evwv'lvl Xwpav tASdv. Aad that, in summary, is t~esl todthfe territory of Barcelona.
, e an 0 France
AilT'l fI£v ouv t'l Xwpa Tfje; faAaTlae;, we; crUVEAoVTt OtE~- The French people is said to b . .
formed illustrious deeds against th: b:~leM and they per-
2
3
lEva\. Africa, at the time when th ki arlans from North
3 To 01: yevoe; TOUTO KEATWV AeYETat 1taAatOV TE 1<a\ epya gs
pointed kings and emp e fnh of the French were ap-
1tpOe; TOUe; a1to At~v'le; ~ap~CtpOUe; a1tOOEOEtweVOV Aafl-
2
'a11 erors 0 t e Romans 88 Ch I
CI Y, from among thel' k' . . ar es espe-
1tpCt, 1<aS' ov OijTa XPOVOV ~acrtAde; 'Pwflalwv 1<a\ aUT01<pCt- Africans with the h I fh"
r mgs waged
war agamst the North
TOpEe; cmEOEt1<VVOVTO oi TWV KEATWV ~acrtAde;. KCtpOUAOV
e pOlS nephew Orla d
guished by his daring d" n 0, a man distin-
an VIrtue In miIita
O£ flCtAtO'Ta ot'l TWV ~aO'tAeWV TOVTWV TOV 1tpOe; TOUe; Al~uae; also assisted in that war by Rinaldo . ry matters. He was
1tOAEflOV aVEAOflEVOV, O'uVEmAa~oflevou TOU TE aOEAq>tOOU rulers of that land wh k
nown
' Olivrero, and the other
the enemy first m' 0 are b as Paladins. They routed
aUTOU 'OpAavOlou, aVOpoe; TOAfln TE 1<at CtpE't'ft Ta te; vanous attle . F
CfTpaTov tmcrt']flou YEvofltvou, 1<a\ 'PtVCtAOOU 1<at 'OAt~E­ in Iberia and won g1'
,
. s m rance and afterward
onous vrctone Th' r
celebrated in song b s. elr lame is greatly
plou 1<at aXAWV TWV Tav-rn t'lYEflovwv, IlaAaTlvwv 1<aAOU- y everyone down t .
out Italy, Iberia and 'all 0 our time through-
fl , cruvOta'1'EpOVTWV aUT<!i TOV 1tOAEflOV, 1<at 1tOAAa)(f\ , , especi yFr F
evwv cans had crossed th . ance. or the North Afri-
1<aTa'tf]V faAaTlav fI£v 1tpWTa, flETa O£ TauTa 1<aTa 'l~'lplav e straits at the Pillars f H akI
TpEi'CtflEVOV TOUe; tvavTloue; vl1<ae; CtVEAeO'Sat 1tEpt'1'avde;.
conquered and quickly passed throu I ~ er es, had
had seized the land f N gh bena, and after that
Kat 1<AeOe; aUTWV Ctva 'lTaAlav 1<at 'l~'lplav 1<at ot'l 1<at
o avarre and Porm aI d .
far as Aragon. When the h d g ,a vancmg as
faAaTlav fleya te; TOVOE Ctd EU'1''lflovflEVOV qOETat U1tO vaded France. y a conquered that land, they in-
1tCtVTWV. Al~uEe; yap Ota~CtVTEe; TOV 1tpOe; 'Hpa1<Aeloue; So Charles and his men wa ed war .
O'TljAae; 1tOPSflOV 1<aTe"Xov TE 1<aTa ~pax:U 1tpoYovTEe; 'tf]v Africans and perc d g
lQrme great d d
agamst these North
h
33

'l~'lplav, flETa O£ TauTa Na~Ctp'lv TE [lo82} xEtPWO'CtflEVOt men, and they drove th ee s, as t ey were noble
of
and Celtiberians and int em out d the lands of the French
1<at IlopTouyaAAlav xwpav, EO'TE t1tt Tapa1<wva tAavvoV- o G rana a a highly £ t'fi d .
TEe;, Ta te; TljVOE au 'tf]V Xwpav 1<aTaO'TpEi'CtflEVOt to'f.~aA- a mountain by the Ocean. They qUickly
'. or I the
reached e CIty on
straits
AOV te; Tt'lV KEATt1<t'lV.
33 KCtpOUAOe; fI£V oUV 1<at oi criJv aUT<!i 1tOAEflOV t;EVEY-
1<OVTEe; 1tpOe; TOVerOE TOUe; Al~uae; flEYCtAa Ct1tEod1<VUVTO
"pya, aVOpEe; YEVOflEVOl CtyaSol, 1<at Tije; TE KEATt~ijpWV
1<a\ KEATt1<ije; Xwpae; t~EAMaVTEe; te; Tt'jV fpavCtT'lV 1tOAtV
0X:OPWTCtT'lV t1tt TOU opOue; TOU te; W1<EaVOV 1<aSij1<OVTOe;.

'4 0
'4'
 THE HISTORIES
IIap' au't'ov Se'rov 1tOp8f'ov Ka't'a ~paxU 1tpo'iov't'e<; 'l'1'jv 't'e
'I~l'Jpia<; Xwpav 1tOAAl]V Ka't'aerxov't'e<; 4\KOUV KaL eruv-
eAauvov't'e<; £1tOAlOpKouv. KaL 'l'1'jv 't'e Xwpav cmESoerav 't'ol<;
eau't'wv 1tpOcn'jKouerl, 't'i]v 'I~l'Jpiav KaL Na~apl'Jv KaL Tapa-
Kwva, KaL '1'01><; erq>wv au't'wv 1tPOcn'jKov't'a<; U1tO ~ap~apwv
1tOALOpKOUf'EVOU<; imtAuov 't'e 't'ij<; 1tOALOpKla<;, KaL 't'i]v
Xwpav £1tlSleAOf'evOl erq>ierlv 4\KOUV, a1tOAa~ov't'e<; £Kaer't'O<;
'1'0 avijKOv au't''iJ f'EpO<;. Kat OU't'Ol f'ev 't'au'l'fl KaAAler't'a
8tf'evol 't'ov 1tOAqLOv £<; 't'oSe ael vf'vovv't'Ctl w<; avSpe<;
yevof'evol aya80L Kat '0 pAavSov f'Ev 't'ov ye er't'pa't'l'Jyov
V1tO Shyou<; tK1tOALOPKl'J8tv't'a a1t08avelv, 'PlvaASov Se Sla-
Se;af'evov 't'ov 1toAef'ov Ka't'aAmetv 't'ol<; 'I~l'Jpla<; ~aerl­
AeverLv. Ot Se S",Se;af'evol 't'ovSe 't'ov 1toAef'ov £<; hl KaL
vvv 't'ou<; Ai~ua<; 't'ou't'ou<; ayelv KaL q>tpelv vOf'i~ouerl. To
Se ytvo<; 't'ou't'o Al~UWV yAW'l"l'n f'ev Slaxpij't'Ctl 't'fi A.pa-
~lKfi, Kat ~8eerl Se Kat 8pl'JerKeLq 't'fi MeXf'E't'ew, £er8ij't'l St
't'ov't'o f'tv ~ap~aplKfi, 't'ou't'o S' au Kat 'I~l'JPlKfi· [r. 83}
34 ot f'tv oOv KeA't'oL t<; 't'ov't'o 1tapayevof'evOl f'Eya q>po-
vouerlv t1tt 't'OU't'Ol<;, Kat ytVO<; olov't'al '1'0 eau't'wv euyevt<;
't'e KaL Sla1tpE1tOV Sla 1tav't'wv Sl] 't'wv 1tpo<; ecr1ttpav yevwv.
~lai'l'fl St Xpwv't'al ot KeA't'ot a~po't'Ep" 'l'ij<; 'l'l'aAwv Slai-
't'l'J<; KaL crKeufi 't'fi £KeLVWV 1tapa1tAl'Jerlq, q>WVl]v St 1tpotev-
't'al SleveyK0uerav f'tv 't'ij<; 'I't'aAwv q>wvij<;, ou f'EV't'Ol 't'oerou-
't'ov, wer't'e So;al e't'tpav elVCtl 'l'ij<; 'l'l'aAwv q>wvij<; 't'l]v
yAw't''t'av tKelVWV. A;LOuerl St 1tpw't'euelv, 01tOl iiv 1tapa-
ytvwv't'al 't'wv t<; 't'l]v ter1tEpaV yevwv.
35 'Y q>iev't'o f'tV't'Ol't'ij<; ayvwf'0cr\Jvl'J<; t1teL 't'e U1tO 'AyyAwv
't'wv 't'i]v Bpe't'aviav OlKOUV't'WV ,,8vo<; Sla1toAef'ijerav 'l'1'jv 't'e
BOOK 2
and subJ'ected
. most of the Iand 0 f Ibena,. settled it and
pushing forward toge ther, were IaY10g . sieges there. "The
gav~ the land, namely Castile, Navarre, and Aragon, over t~
t~elr follo,;ers, and when those followers were besieged by
t e barbarians they freed them from the sieges. They di-
VIded up the land among themselves and settled it, each re-
ceiVIng his allotted portion. They are praised to this day as
great men for managing the war so superbly. After the gen-
eral
'dh Orlando was besieged and died of thirst ,1OOler-
R' aid 'nh
Ite t e war and bequeathed it to the kings of Castile. And
they who have 10herited this war even today are used to har-
rY10g these North Africans. This race of North Af .
speaks A ra b'IC, practices the customs and th ncans
M h e r eIi' glOn 0 f
u amm~d, and their clothes are partly in the barbarian
and partly 10 the Iberian style.
Given their past, then, the French think highl f h
selves f h yo t em- 34
. ~n account 0 t ese things, and they believe that their
natIOn IS the most noble and distinguished of all the nations
of the west. Their way of life is more luxurious than that of
the Italians and their dress is similar. Their language differs
fro~ that ~f the Italians, but not so much that one mi ht
~a~leve theirs IS a different language from that of the I;al-
s. They expect to be first wherever they find themseIyes
among t he western peoples.
Their arrogance abated, however, when the Engli h
who Inhabit Brit' aln, £ought a war agaInst
. s , 35
their country;
'43

THE HISTORIES
xwpav at'J'rwv Ka'tE<npttaV'to Kat au'tou" Kat -ri]v ~yE­
floviav a<pEAoflEVOL, btl -ri]v fl']'tP01tOALV au'twv ITapi<1LOV
<11JVEAa<1aV'tE, t1tOALOpKOUV. T~v Se aL't(av au'twV TIj, SLa-
<popa, <pML YEve<1eaL ",SE. "E<1'tL 1tOAL, KaA£<11'] oihw
KaAouflev '] tv 'tfi 1tapaA('!' xwpq TIj, KEA'tLKfj" 1tapa 'tov
wKEavov, ou 1tavu 'tL t1t(<11']flo" tv txup<\> Se ¢K']flev'], E,
YE 'tov a1to faAa't(a, a1t01tAOUV t, 't~v BpE'tavLK~v
t1tL't']-
SElw, f.XOU<1a, Kat tv KaA<\> 'tov 1tOpeflOV ¢K']flev']1tap t XE-
'tat Ev'tEVeEV 6pflwflevOL, t, 't~v KEA'tLK~V t<1~aAElv. Tau-
't']v -ri]v 1tOALV 0 'twv BpE'tavwv ~a<1LAEU" 'toT, tv 'tn 1tOAEL
1tpoSo<1iav <1UvetflEvO" E1AEV t1tl~OUAfi, Kat Ka'tacrxwv
t'tupavvEUE 'tau't,]" l\1tat'tOVV'tL Se -ri]v 1tOALV 'tau't']v 't~
faAa'tLa, ~a<1lAEl OUK f.<p'] eKWv elVat a1tOSLSOVaL, KaL
<ppOupav f.<patVOV SLa1topeflEUOV'tE, a1ti> 'tfj',V~<10~ t1tt 't,~~
1tOALV. [1.84} T~v flev'tOL 1tOALV t1tEAaUVWv E1tOALOPKEL E1tL
<1Uxv i>v Xp6vov. flE'ta St, w,
ou 1tpOexWPEL au't<\> ouS_ev
1tOALOPKOVV'tL, a1t~yayE 'tov <npa'tov t1t' O'(KOU avaxwpwv.
)6 "Y <nEpOV 6 BpE'tavwv 1tOAU 'tL <1'tpa'tEUfla aepOL<1a" Kat
SLa~av'tE, t, faAa't(av -ri]v Xwpav tSiJouv, KaL 1tn <1Uflfli!;av-
'tE, 'tfi 'twv KEA'tWV flOipq OUK "Aim Kat fl a XE<1aflEVOL
SL£<peELpOV 'to 1tA£OV TIj, KEA'tLKfj,. 'Ey£vE'to Se ",SE. D,
t1tt SLap1tanV 'tfj, xwpa, e-rpa1tOv'to ot AYYAOL, t~Aau­
vov ,,1tL<1W a1tayov'tE, AElav' Ka'taAa~OV'tE, Se au'tou, ot
KEA'toL, 1tptv ii <pefjVat SLMwetv'ta, t, -ri]v KaA£<1']~, 1tEPL~
<1TIj<1aL 'tE au'tOu, KUKAW<1afl£vou, EV 'tLVL AO<p,!,. :0, SE
tv a1tOp'!' 'tE dxov'to ot BpE'tavoi, fl~ OUK EXOV'tE, 111tOL
'tpa1tWv'taL YEVOflEVOL, SLEfl,]Vuov'tO, W<nE -ri]v AElav a1to-
Sovvat Kat 'til 111tAa, t<p' <!> t1tl'tpa1ti'jvaL <1<pL<1LV a<1Lvt<1LV
144
BOOK 2
conquered it and them, and stripped them of their rule; they
even marched against their capital Paris and besieged it."
It is said that the following was the cause of this conflict.
There is a city called Calais on the coast of the land of
France by the Ocean. It is not especially distinguished but
it is built in a secure location, conveniently situated for sail-
ing from France to Britain and, as it is located at a strate-
gic point on the Channel, it provides a good base for any-
one who wants to invade France. The king of the British
took this city by treachery after arranging its betrayal with
those inside, seized it, and controlled it. 90 When the king of
France demanded this city back, the king of the British said
that he was unwilling to give it back, and they revealed the
garrison they had brought over from the island to the city.
So the king of the French set out and besieged the city for a
long time. But when he was not making any progress in the
siege, he led his army away and went home. 9l
Later the king of the British assembled a large army, )6
crossed to France, and plundered the land. When they en-
gaged in battle with a fairly large contingent of the French,
they killed most of the Frenchmen. This happened in the
following way.92 After the English had engaged in plunder-
ing the land, they set out to return, taking their loot home
with them. The French intercepted them before they man-
aged to reach the safety of Calais, and had them surrounded
on a hill. The British now were at a loss, not knowing which
way to turn, and so they sent a message that they were will-
ing to hand over the loot and their weapons on the condi-
tion that they be allowed to return to their own land
145
 THE HISTORIES
(nutval t<; 'tf]v tau'twv. Ol Se OUK £'l'aO'av lbu'tplbtelV ,m-
leVat, el flf] SWO'OUO'l SlK!']v, wv el<; 'tou<; KeA'tou<; £);u~plO'av­
'tE<; 'tf]v xwpav au'twv Slap1ta~ouO'lv. 'Ev'tau9a, w<; £yvw-
O'av ol Bpe'tavot t<; 'to £O"Xa'tov 'tOU KaKOU a'l'lYflevol ,
fl a X6 f1evol 'tOl<; KeA'tol<; 6A(yol 1tp0<; 1tOAAou<; iivSpe<;
eyevov'to aya90(' 'tpet"flevo, Se 'tou<; evav't(ou<; tS(WKOV
'l'euyov'ta<;, Kat Sle'l'gelpov au'tou 'tav'tI] 1tOAAou<;. KeA-
'tou<; St, 'l'aO'( 'tlve<;, 'l'euyelv av'tou<; tv'tal<; flaXat<; ou gefll<;
vOfl(~e'tat, aAAa flaxoflEvOU<; au'tou 'teAeu't~O'al' Kat a1tO
[r. 85} 'tou'tOU KeA'tot O''l'<i<; asLOUO'l 1tpoexelv 'twv iiAAwv
yevval6'tl']'tl Kat e1tlO'!,]flo'ta'tou<; elVat 'mav'twv.
37 Tou<; flev'tOl Bpe'tavou<; a1tO 'touSe aSe£O''tepov ~S!'] x w -
pelV t1tt 'ta<; 1t6Ael<; 'twv KeA'twv 1tOALOpKouv'ta<; Kat Ka'ta
~paxV 1tpo'(6na<;, flaxeO'a0'9a( 'te -ri]v flaXl'Jv ev 'tQ AU1t!']<;
1teSl~ oihw KaAouflev~' ev c!> ouSev TCAEov £xov'te<; ol
'AyyAOl 'tfi 1tpo'tepa(q tv!,]uAlO'av'to, Kat fle'ta 'tau'ta 'tfj
uO"tepa(q flaXEO'aflevO' e'l'6veuov 'tou<; KeA'tou<; flaxoflevou<;
'l'upS!']v 'tE Kat avaflts Kat xwpt<; w<; £KaO''tov e1tlXWpouv'ta,
wO''te a1t09avelv, 'tf]v flEnol xwpav O'XeS6v 'tl O"Ufl1taO'av
u1tay6f1evol ol Bpe'tavot txwpouv e1tt 'to. ~aO'LAela, -ri]v
1t6Alv av'tou 'tou I1aplO'(ou. Kat f]O'av Se 'to. KeA'twv
1tpaYfla'ta 1tPOO'S6Klfla e1tt 'tov £O"Xa'tov ~S!'] "'l'(se0'9at
KlVSUVOV. ~elO'lSatflOvoUO'l 'tOl<; KeA'tol<;, w<; 'tolau'tn Ka't-
dXono O'ufl'l'opq, Ka9' ov Sf] Xp6vov iiv9pw1tOl fI"AlO''ta
elw9aO'lv w<; 'to. 1tOAAa t1tt SelO'lSalflov(av 'tpeTCe0'9al, yuv~
'tl<; 'to elSo<; ou 'l'auA!'], 'l'aflev!,] eau'tfj xp!,]fla't(~elv 'tov
Ele6v, ~yel't6 'te 'twv KeA'twv e1tlO'1toflEVWV au'tfi Kat1tel-
90flevwv. 'ES!,]yel0'9a( 'te -ri]v yuvalKa, n Sf] £'l'aO'Ke
BOOK 2
unharmed. But the others said that they would not let them
leave before they paid the penalty for the offense they had
committed against the French by plundering their land.
Thus, when the British realized that they had reached the
end of the road, they fought against the French, although
there were only a few brave men facing many. But they
routed the enemy and pursued them when they fled, kill-
mg many of them on the spot. Some say, however, that the
French disapprove of fleeing from battle, and hold that one
should die fighting. It is because of this that the French re-
gard themselves as surpassing all others in bravery and dis-
tlnctIOn.
After this, the British moved with greater impunity 37
agrunst the cities of the French and besieged them, advanc-
ing little by little, until they fought the battle that is called
"the plain of sorrow."93 The English, with no other choice,
had made camp there the previous day and then, on the next
day, joined battle and began slaughtering the French who
were fighting against them in a chaotic melee, each man
advancing by himself so that he perished. Thus the British
took control of almost the entire land and moved against
the royal court, the city of Paris itself The affairs of the
French looked as though they had reached their nltimate
crisis. But, facing such catastrophe, the French now turned
to religion - indeed, people generally turn to religion at
such a time-when a certain woman of considerable beauty
Uoan of Arc} claimed that she was in communication with
God. She became the leader of the French, who followed
her and obeyed her. This woman led them to a spot that, she
147
 THE HISTORIES
<1fJflalvECTeat £auTfi into 't'oil edou, rrpoEAeetV 't'E CTuAAEyo-
flEVOU<; err\ 't'ou<; BpE't'avou<; Kat avaflaxoflEvoU<;. {OuSev
rrAEov exov't'wv 't'WV fl..yyAWv}4 errl]uAlCTav't'o 't'E au't'oil, Ka\
't'ft uCT-repal .. aVel<; ~SI] eappoilv-re<; Tfi yuvalK\ e;I]yoUflevn
err\ -rf]v flaXI]v errtlECTav, Ka\ flaXECTaflEvol E'rpEtav't'o -re
't'ou<; rroAEfllou<; Kat errE;~Aeov SlWKOV-re<;. ME't'a Se 't'ail't'a
~ 't'E yuv~ arreeavEv ev 't'4i rroAEfl!p 't'ou't'!p, Ka\ oi KEA't'o\
aVEAa~ov 't'E CTq>Ci<; Ka\ eppWflEvECT't'EpOl eYEvov't'O rrpo<;
't'ou<; BpE't'avou<; flaxoflEvol, Ka\ 't'a<; rrOAEl<; CTq>WV arroAafl-
~avov't'E<; SlECTW~OV't'O aVel<; -rf]v ~aCTlAdav au't'wv, {r.86}
iiXPl<; OU rrOAAaKl<; Sla~aV't'Wv e<; -rf]v raAa't'lav CT't'pa't'Wv
rroAAwv Kat flEyaAwv <mo BpE't'avla<;. MaXECTaflEvou<; ot
KEA't'o\ q>EpOV't'at rrAEov 't'wv BpE't'avwv, e<; 0 S~ CTUvEAav-
VOV't'E<; av't'ou<; e<; 't'~v KaAECTI]v e;EAacral au't'ou<; eK 't'*
xwpa<;.
)8 BpE't'avlKa\ V~CTOl Ka't'av't'lKpu 't'~<; <PAavSpla<; 't'Pet<;
OUCTal, err\ fl~Klmov Sf, 't'oil WKEavoil Kae~KouCTal, o't'e f'ev
flla V~CTO<; 't'uyxavEl oUCTa, ()1tO't'E rrAI]flflupla, o't'e S' aVel<;
't'Pet<;, orro't'E 't'a ilSa't'a e<; iiflrrw't'lv YlvoflEva avampEq>ol't'O.
L\.lKaLO't'Epa S' ltv Aeyol't'o flla ail't'I] ~ V~CTO<;, erre! Ka\ flla
't'E oVCTa Kat Ka't" au't'o Sl~KoUCTa rrOAl't'EvE't'al, q>povoilCTa-re
Ka't'a't'au't'o Ka\ uq>' evo<; apXOflEvl] 't'a ;vflq>opa tavTfi eTtl-
CTKOrret. "ECT't'l S' ~ rrEploSo<; ~CTSE 't'* V~CTOU e<; rrEv't'a-
Kl"XlAlov<; f'aAlCT't'a CT't'aSlov<;. rtvo<; Se evolKET -rf]v V~CTOV
rroAv -re Ka\ iiAKlflov, rroAEl<; 't'E lVElCTlV au't'oil flEyaAat 't'E
Ka\ iSA~lat, Ka\ KWflal is't'l rrAETCT't'at. "Eml S' au't'oT<; ~aCTl­
AEV<;, Ka\ fll]'t'porroAl<; au't'wv, ev ii Ka\ ~aCTLAEla, AovSpat,
't'oil ~aCTlAEW<;, urr' au't'ov Se ~yEflovlat ev Tfi V~CT!p 't'av-rn
BOOK 2
said, had been indicated to her by God. They advanced and
assembled in order to fight the British again. {As the Eng-
lish had no choice,}94 the French encamped there and on the
very next day, with their confidence restored by the woman
who was leading them, they went to battle. They routed the
enemy in the battle and set off in pursuit. Although the
woman died after that in this war, the French recovered and
grew stronger in fighting the British. 95 They reclaimed their
cities and preserved their kingdom to the point where many
large armies often had to cross over into France from Brit-
ain. 96 The French are prevailing over the British in their bat-
ties, to the point where they are driving them toward Calais
in order to expel them from their land. 97
The British Isles lie across from Flanders and are three )8
in number; they extend over a long stretch of the Ocean.
Sometimes there is only one island, but then the tide comes
in and there are three, whereupon the waters again ebb and
recede. 98 It would thus be more correct to say that there is
only one island and, because it is one, it is governed as such
in its entirety, with the same purpose and looking after its
own interests, being ruled by one man. The circumference
of this island is about five thousand stades. The race that in-
habits the island is populous anq hardy; it contains large,
prosperous cities, and a multitude of villages. They have a
king and a capital, where the royal court of the king is,
namely London. There are many subordinate principalities
'49
 THE HISTORIES
Ot'lK oAiYaL, KCrra -rat'l-ra -roT<; KEA-roT<; SLa-rL9EflEVaL -rQ
a'l'E-rEp<!J ~aaLAeT' OU-rE yap &v pqSiw<; a'l'EAoL-rO ~a(J[AEU<;
-rou-rwv -rLVa TIjv iJYEfloviav, OUTE 1"Capa -ra a'l'wv ,,9Lfla a~L­
OU(J[v {maKouElV -rQ ~aaLAeT. [r.87} 'EYEvov-ro St -rfi viJa<!J
-rau't!l ~ufl'l'0pat O1)K oAiYaL, 1"Capa1"CaLOUan au-rfi, e<; SLa-
'l'0pav a'l'LKvouflevwv -rwv iJYEfl6vwv 1"Cpo<; TE -rov ~a(J[Ma
Kat1"Cpo<; MAiJAOU<;.
39 1\AAa -rE Kat S~ 'l'EpEL 1) v~ao<; au-r'1, oTvov St ouSaflii,
ouSt o1"Cwpa<; 1"CaVll -rL, aT-rov St Kat KpL9a<; Kat flEAL. Kat
"pLa EaTLV at'l-roT<;, oTa KaULa-ra -rwv ev -raT<; iiAAaL<; XWpaL<;,
a,aTE Kat u'l'aivEa9aL au-roT<; 1tafl1"COAU -rL 1tA~90<; lfla-riwv.
N0fli~ouaL St YAwaan [Siq 1"Cafl1tav, Kat ot'lSevt CJlJfl'l'EPE-raL
e<; TIjv 'l'wviJv, OU-rE repflavoT<;, OU-rE KEA-roT<;, ot'lSt iiU<!J
OUSEVt -rwv 1tEpLoiKwv. LKEIlii St -rfi au-rfi XPWflEVOL -roT<;
KEA-roT<;, Kat ~9Eai -rE -roT<; au-roT<; Kat SLai't!l. N0fli~naL St
-rOU-rOL<; -ra -r' afl'l't-ra<; yvvaTKa<; -re Kat-rou<; 1"CaTSa<; cmAo-
'(Kw-repa, a,a-re ava 1tiiaav -r~v v~aov, t1tELSaV -rL<; e<; TIjv
-rou e1tL-r'1Seiou au-rQ o[Kiav tain KaAouflEvO<;, Kuaav-ra
TIjv yvvaTKa ou-rw ~Evi~Ea9aL au-rov. Kat ev -raT<; 6SoT<; St
cmav-raxii 1tapeX0v-raL -ra<; tau-rwv yvvaTKa<; [ev} -roT<; em-
"'1SeiOL<;. N0fli~E-raL St -rou-ro Kat t<; -r~v C!lpav-raAwv xw-
pav, -r~v -rau-rn 1tapaAOV, iiXPL rEpflavia<;. Kat ouSt a[axu-
v'1v -rou-ro 'l'EpEL tau-roT<; KUEa9aL -ra<; -rE yvvaTKa<; au-rwv
Kat -ra<; 9uya-rEpa<;.
40 AovSpwv Sf 1) 1tOAL<; SuvaflEL -rE 1tpoexouaa -rwv tv -rfi
viJa<!J -rau't!l 1tacYwv 1tOAEWV, 6A~<!J -rE Kat -rfi iiUn Et'lSaL-
flovi'.! ouSEflLii<; -rwv 1tpo<; ea1tEpaV AEmoflEv'1, avSpiq -rE
Kat-rfi e<; -rou<; 1tOAEflou<; apE-rfi afleivwv -rwv 1tEpLOLKOUV-rWV
BOOK 2
on the island, in the same relationship to the king as among
the French. The king could not easily strip one of them of
his realm, nor do their customs require them to obey the
king. Many disasters have struck this island, which has fallen
apart when its rulers have come into conflict with the king
or with each other.
This island produces many goods-wheat, barley, and 39
honey-but not wine nor much byway of fruit." And they
do have wool, which is of a much finer quality than in other
countries, so that they weave a vast quantity of garments.
They speak their own particular language which does not
sound at all like that of the Germans, the French, or any
of their neighbors. They have the same dress, customs, and
way of life as the French. They have a rather casual attitude
when it comes to women and children so that throughout
the island, whenever a man is invited to a friend's house, he
is greeted with a kiss by the host's wife. Even in the streets
they present their own wives everywhere to their friends.
The same custom prevails in the land of the Flemish, a
coastal land there which extends as far as Germany. It brings
no shame upon them for their wives and daughters to be
kissed in this way.
The city of London surpasses all the cities on this island 40
in strength and is generally second to no other city in the
west in wealth and prosperity. In courage and valor in war, it
is superior to its neighbors and to many others in the lands
 THE HISTORIES
KaLTCoAAWV IiAAWV -rwv TCpO<; ~AlOV Suvov-ra. ''OTCAOl<; Sf.
xpWV-ral eupeaT, fLf.V (lo88} 'J-raAlKOT, KaL ;[<peow 'EAA']Vl-
KoT" -rO;Ol, Sf. fLaKpoT<;, wcr-re KaL [cr-rwv-ra<; t<; TIJv yijv
athol><; -rO;eUElV. I1o-rafLo<; S£ TCap' aU-rfJv ye TIJV TCOAlV
ptwv, cr<poSpO<; -rE Kal fLtya<;, E<; -rOV TCpO<; raAa-r[aV WKea-
VOV tKSlSoT, 1mb ~<; TCoAew<; E<; cr-raS[ou<; StKa -re Kal Sla-
KOcr[OU<; tTCL eaAacr(J'av, KalTCA,]fLfLup[q ava~a[vElv -ra<; vau<;
eUTCE-rw<; TCavu ETCl TIJv TCOAlV' KaV fLtV-rOl Em(J'-rpt<pn -ra
ilSa-ra -ra EfLTCaAlv Ylvo[leva, xaAeTCw<; tTCL -ra peu[la-ra aVl-
ov-ra, av-rlKOTC-rElV tTCL TIJv TCOAlV [av-ra. Ka-ra fLtV-rOl Ii[lTCW-
-rlV, EV -re -rfi TCapaA[C!' XWN -rfj<; ye Kev-r[a<; KaL EV au-rfi -m
v~(J'C!', t<; Ii[lTCW-rlV YlvofLtvwv -rWV uSa-rwv -ra, vau<; tTCl
;!]paV y[vecreat, TCepl[levoucra<;, t<; il avaTCA'][l[lup[~el aliel<;
-ra ilSa-ra. ill!] [l[lupeT Sf. t<; -ro [ltylcr-rOV tTCL ~xel<; ~a(J'lAl­
KOl><; TCeV-rEKa[SeKa, -rouAaXlcr-rov S£ tTCL evSeKa. NUK-rO<;
fLEv oily KaL ~[ltpa<; aTCopptov-ra TCA,][lfLupeT ailel, tTCavl-
Dv'ta.
4' LeA~V!]<; S£ Ka-ra [ltcrov oupavov YlyvO[lEV']<;, E(J'-re -rov
Kae' ~[lii<; KaL t<; -rov lmo TIJv yijv 6p[~ov-ra, -rpETCe(J'eat tTCl
-r~v tvav-r[av -ra ilSa-ra K[V']crlV. Xp~ oily SlacrKoTCeTcreat
TCepL ~<; Klv~(J'ew<; -rau-r']<; -rwv uSa-rwv -mS' Em(J'KeTC-rofLE-
vo\J<;. T~v yap creA~v']v Em-rpoTCeUElV -re TIJv -rwv uSa-rwv
<pU(J'lV UTCO eeau -rE-raxeat o[0[leea. OUK av S~ acru[l<pwvw<;
EXElV TCpO<; -re TIJv <pU(J'lV -re au~<; KaL TIJv KpiicrlV, (lo89} ~v
e'iA!]Xe TIJv apx~v UTCO eeou -rou [leyaAou ~a<J'lAEW<;, TCpO<;
fLf.V TIJv K[V']crlV au-rij<; [le-rewp[~oucrav E<ptAKecrea[ -re E<p'
01 -ra ilSa-ra, E<; il ETCl TIJv fLey[Cf-rI]v ava~acrlv yEv']-ral -rou
oupavou, Kav-reUeev aVel<; Ka-rlOucrav ETCavlEVat -ra ilSa-ra,
BOOK 2
of the setting sun. They use Italian shields, Greek swords,
and long bows that they shoot by standing them uprigbt
on the ground. A river flows by this city, broad and with
a 1ll1ghty current, emptying into the Ocean toward France.
The distance from the city to the sea is two hundred and ten
stades, ~nd when the tide is in the ships can easily sail up
to the CIty. But when the waters change direction and flow
back again, it is difficult to sail against the current and ac-
ces~ to the city is prevented. At the low tide, in the coastal
regIOn of Kent and on the island itself, when the waters ebb
the ships become grounded and must wait for the waters to
flood again. At its maximum the tide rises to a height of fif-
teen royal cubits, at its minimum eleven. Day and nigbt the
tide ebps and then rises again.
When the moon reaches the middle of the sky, coming to 4'
both our horizon and the one beneath the earth, the waters
turn and flow in the opposite direction. Those who observe
the moon need to consider this motion of the waters. For I
believe that the moon has been assigned by God to govern
the nature of the waters. This would not be inconsistent
with its nature and mixture of elements, which it received in
the beginning from God the Great King. When the moon
rises in the sky it draws the waters after it until it reaches the
highest point in the sky; then, as it descends, the waters go
153
 THE HISTORIES
!!'1KE'tl <1UVaVlOna au'tij E<; 'tYJv livooov' bC£loav oE aNll<;
e<; 'tYJv Kcdlooov l'lvo!!Ev'1lip~'1'tall'[v£<1Sal e<; 'to livan£<;,
'to ev't£uS£v miSl<; bcavlov'ta 7tA'1!!!!UpeTv.
4' LU!!~a[v£l !!EnOl Kal U7tO 7tV£u!!,hwv e<; 'tou'to <1U!!~aA-
AO!!EVWV KlVdv E'tl !!iiAAOV 'ta uoa'ta, oS£v iiv O£xo!!£va Ii
'tYJv apx~v 't~<; KlV~<1£W<;. <PEPOl'tO 0' iiv 'tav'ta KlVOU!!£Va
Ol't'tYJV 'tiJvo£ 'tYJv K[V'1<1lV e7tl 'tYJv 'tov 7tano<; 'tovo£ 'tov
oupavov K[V'1<1lV, 'tiJv 't£ auSa[p£'tov Kal o~ ~[aLOV l'£vo-
!!EV'1V, w<; iiv !!~ e<; mJ!!'PWVOV 'tlva ap!!ov[av l'lVO!!EV'1<;
~<; KlV~<1£W<;, 7tOAU£lO~ 't£ Kal w<; !!aAl<1'ta, Ii iiv 'to ~Ol­
<1'tov E7t[ 't£ 'tij S£wp[q Kal <hJr£l Kal aKoij, Kal e<; opov 'tlva
mJ!!'PWVOV 'tij 'tov 7tano<; 'tovo£ 'ltuXii, w<; iiv a'<1S0!!EVn
!!iiAAOV 'tl5 EV£l'KOU<1WV 'twv KlV~<1£WV Kal aAA~Am<; O"U!!-
'P£PO!!EVWV ,<; 'tlva 6!!0£lO~ O"u!!'Pwv[av 'X£lV 'tYJv 6 liAA'1v
'to ~8£O"Sal. 'Ev't£uS£v 'tiJv 1:£ tu~<; K[V'1O"lV, 'tYJv apx~v
EKeTS£V Aa!!~avouO"av, E7tl 'tYJv Ol't'tYJV EKe[V'1V 'P0pav KlVeTV
auSl<; 'ta O"w!!a'ta, ail~ov'ta 1:£ o~ Kal 'PS[vona. Kal !!EV 8~
Kal E7tl K[V'1O"lV 'tiJv8£ 'tYJv 6p!!~v U7tOOEX£'tal 't<l' 7tav'tl't<l'o£
<1U!!'P£PO!!EV'1V ~ ~!!£'tEpa tum. Tij !!EV avS"'pE't<jJ 'tiJv 't£
l'EV£O"lV Kal ail~'1o"lv E7t£O"S", avayxn, 'tij 0' au ~la[<jJ Kal
aKouO"[<jJ KlV~o"£l 'tiJv 1:£ 'PS[O"lV au Kal 't~v 1:£A£U'tYJV E7tlO"7tO-
!!EV'1V O"u!!~a[v£lv 'tOt<; 'tijo£ oUO"l. (I.90}
43 Tav'ta !!EV 'O"'t£ 'tYJV 'tou WK£avou K[V'1O"lV Kal 'tYJV 'tij8£
au 8l't'tYJV ~<iJwv E!!VUXWV K[V'1O"lV, oO"a 't£ 'ltumv '("X£l EV-
'tavSa Kal K[V'1O"lV KlV£l't'" ~V'tlvaouv. Ta !!EV'tOl e<; 'tYJv8£
't~V SaAaO"O"av u8a'ta ou 't~V av't~v EKe[V'1V aval'Kn Kl-
V£tO"S", K[V'1O"lV, aAX w<; EX£l 't£ EKa<1'ta 7tV£U!!a'twv 't£ Kal
't07tWV e<; 'tYJV K[V'1O"lV ~la~O!!EVWV av'ta, Ii 'PuO"£w<; EXOl iiv
154
BOOK 2
back, no longer following it in its ascent. And when, in turn,
the moon has made its descent and begins to go back up
again, the tide turns about and starts to rise again.
It happens that the winds contribute to this process too 4'
and move the waters still more, from wherever the latter
originally receive their motion. This movement of the wa-
ters may, then, feature a dual motion that goes against the
motion of the totality of the sky, becoming both spontane-
ous and violent, so that if this motion does not attain a har-
monious unison, it becomes extremely varied. This is most
pleasant to contemplate, view, and hear, and is in accordance
with one of the rules of the Soul of this Universe, namely
that this Soul takes pleasure in perceiving how different mo-
tions may be conveyed and borne along with each other into
a certain uniform harmony.lOo Therein lies also the source
of the soul's motion, which in turn moves our bodies on
this dual course, namely to grow and to decline. Moreover,
our individual soul receives the impulse for its motion as
it is borne along with the Universe. For all living things,
birth and growth necessarily follow the spontaneous mo-
tion, while decline and death are caused by the violent and
compulsive one.
So much, then, concerning the motion of the Ocean and 43
the dual motion of living beings with souls in relation to it,
those here that have a soul and move in any way whatever.
The waters of the sea, however, are not necessarily moved
by that same motion, but, as they move in accordance with
how the winds and places compel them individually, their
155
 THE HISTORIES
Ked po1Tij<;, 1tpo<; ~v av Klvoi'm S~ 'raoTa KlV'1<TlV, TaoTa
[ttv ouv E<; ~v TWV iJSaTwv TOO WKeavoo Kiv'1<TlV Kat e1tt
1tAel<TTOV St Tij<TSe T~<; 9aM<T<l"1<; t<; TO<TOOTOV a1teppi<p9w-
E1taVel[tl St E1t' EKelva T~<; a<p'1Y11 <Tew<;, 8gev TauTtl a1t-
eTpa1tO [te9a.
44 Ba<rlAeu<; yap S~ 'En~vwv, w<; e1tt TOV ~a<rlAea KeATwv
a<pLKeTO, <ppevLT'1 TE DVTa S~ KaTeAa~ev, OUK E;eyeveTo ot
(J1:'!'OOV aAA,!, TWV KaTa T~V faAaTLav ~ye[tovwv, WV EveKa
,x<pLKeTO, XP'1[taTL<Tat· Kat Sla TaOTa <TV[t~ovAevOv.-WV TWV
aUTOO TauTtl apL<TTWV E1te[teve gepa1tev9~vat TOV ~a<TlAta,
<TVXVOV Tlva SlaTpL~WV aUTOO XPOVOV. n<; St E1teTELVeTO
e1tl[taKpoTEpov TOO VO~ [taTO<;, oux oTo<; Te ~v hl e1tl[tevelv
aUT<!i, ime<TTpe'ite Sla fep[tavLa<; Te Kat IIalOvia<;. IIalas~­
T'1<; Se TO Te BvsaVTlOV E1tOAlOpKel1tp0<Texwv tVTeTa[tevw<;,
Kat E1tl IIeAo1tovv'1<TOV 1te[t'ita<; O'TpaTOV, a1tOKpOUWV [tv-
plaSa<; 1tev.-e, Kal 'Iayou1t'1v TOV TOTe aUT<!i EupW1t'1<;
<TTpaT'1YOV' aUTO<; elxev a[t<pt 'tfi eaVTOO apxfi 'tfi 1tept TO
BvSaVTlOV. 'Iayou1t'1<; [ttv <ri>v T<!i Bpevesn, TOTE S~ ap;a-
[tev,!, euSOKl[telV, E<Te~aAOV E<; ~V IIeAo1tovv'1<TOV' Ka1.
Bpeves'1<; [tEv 1tOAAaKl<; t<T~aAWV Kat TOTe Kat [teTa TaOTa
eSiJov ~V IIeAo1tovv'1<TOV, ana Kal Ta 1tepl Kopwv'1V Te
Kat Me9wv'1v xwpia, 'Iayou1t'1<; S1: (, {r.9I} T~<; Eupw1t'1<;
~ye[twv a<plKo[tevo<; t<; TO Apyo<; E1tOAlOpKel.
45 To St Apyo<; TOOTOV TOV Xpovov KaTEIXov ol 'EveToL
1\1teSOTO St 6eoSwpo<; 0 Tij<; :E1tapT'1<; ~ye[twv, w<; a1teyvw
TOI<; "EAA'1<Tl ~v <TwT'1piav T<!i Te BvsavTi'!', 1tpo<; st Kat
'tfi IIeAo1tovv~<T,!"
Kat E1tl;vpoo aK[t~<; ~S'1 EO'T'1KOTa Ta
TWV 'EAA~VWV 1tpay[taTa· TO TE Apyo<; 8[topov (Iv NaV1tAi'!',
BOOK 2
motion is determined by whatever their nature and equilib-
rium may be. Having said all this, let us now set aside the
topic of the motion of the waters of the Ocean and, espe-
cially, of this particular sea. I return to that point in my nar-
ration from where I digressed.
When the king of the Greeks came to the king of the 44
French and realized that he was demented,!O! he was pre-
vented from discussing the issues for which he had gone
there with any other of the leading men in France. For this
reason his leading men who accompanied him there advised
him to persist in attending upon the king, and so he spent a
considerable time there. But as the illness dragged on for
a long time, he was unable to stay there any longer and so
he returned through Germany and Hungary.102 Meanwhile,
Bayezid was vigorously pressing the siege of Byzantion, and
he sent an army against the Peloponnese, detaching fifty
thousand men and Yakub, who was then his general in Eu-
rope, while he himself retained command of operations
around Byzantion. Yakub and Evrenos, who was then be-
gioning to become famous, invaded the Peloponnese. Both
then and later Evrenos often invaded and plundered the
Peloponnese, including the regions around Korone and
Methane, while Yakub, the governor of Europe, arrived at
Argos and besieged it.lOJ
At this time the Venetians held Argos. It was given to 45
them by Theodoros, the ruler of Mistra, who had decided
that the Greeks had no hope of safety in Byzantion, or for
that matter in the Peloponnese, as the affairs of the Greeks
already stood upon a razor's edge. 104 He sold Argos, which
157
 THE HISTORIES
1tOAEl -rWV 'EvE-rwv, cmt80-ro ou 1tOAAOU. Kat L1tCtp-r!]V 8£
-roTe; Ct1tO 'Po80v Na~!]palole; ee; A6yove; Ct<plKOfLEVOe; Ct1t-
t80-ro 1tOAAOU -rlVOe;. Ot fL£v L1tap-rlii-raL, we; ~O'eov-ro 1tpO-
8E80fLtVOl U1tO -rou O'<pwv au-rwv ~yEfLovoe;, Ct1tijv yap -rO-rE,
tvCtyov-roe; -rou L1tCtp-r!]e; apXlEptwe; KOlVft -rE O'UVlOV'rEe;
O'<plO'l A6yov e8l800'av, Kat O'UvlO'-rav-ro aAA~AOle;, Kal O'uv-
E-rleEno we; OU8EVl em-rpt'\tonEe; elO'EAeeTv ee; -r~v 1tOAlV
-rwv Na~!]palwv, 1tiiv 8t, 0 -rl ltv 8tOl, xaAE1tOV 1tElO'ofLtvoue;
1tpO -rou Na~!]palole; -roTe; Aa-rlvwv 1teleEO'eaL. 'EO'~O'av-ro
8£ O'<plO'l Kal -rov yE apXlEpta Itpxona e1tt -rou-r41· Kal
eAeOV-rWV -rwv Na~!]palwv 1tpO!]YOPEUOV-rO a1taAACtO'O'E-
O'eaL ~v -raxlO"rl]v' el 8e fL~, 1tEplt'\tEO'eal we; 1tOAEfLlove;.
OU-rOl fL£v ouv <i>xov-ro a1taAAaO'O'ofLEvOl we; e1tt -rev ~yE­
fLova, we; ou8£v ee; -rou-ro O'<plO'l1tpoEXWpet· 8E08wpoe; ~E 6
-r~e; L1tCtp"'le; ~yEfLwv, we; ijO'eno -ro 1tpiiYfLa, we; -ro~vanLO~,
~ e~ouAE-rO, 1tEPltO'-r!] au-r£ij, A6yove; -r~ ~~EfL1tEV a~ele; ~a~a
-roue; L1tap-rlCt-rae;, a1t01tElpWfLEVOe;, El 8E~aLV-rO E-rl au-rov
ailele; e1taVlona. De; 8£ 8la1tElpwfLtvou 1tpoO'lEno -roue;
Aoyove;, eO'l)El 8£ -r~v 1tOAlV, opKla 1tOl!]O'CtfLEVOe; {I.9 2}
fL!]Kt-rl -rou Aomou e1tt vouv ~aAtO'eaL -rOLOU-rOV.
46 To-rE ot OUEVE-rOt <ppoupav ee; -r~v aKp01tOAlV a1to-
<P!]vCtfLEVOl Ka-rETxov. 'E1tl -rou-ro 8£ -ro l\.pyoe; 'Iayou"'le; 6
I1aLa~~-rEw ~aO'lAtwe; O'-rpa-r!]yoe; we; eO'-rpa-rEuE-ro, e1tOAl-
OpKEl -rE ava KpCt-rOe;, Kat1tpoO'~CtAAWV -r£ij -relXet eafLa OUK
avlEl. ME-ra 8£ OU 1tOAUV Xpovov, we; a1to 8uoTv afLa -r01tOlV
1tpOO'~CtAAWV e1tElpii-ro -rou xwplov, ylvnal -rl 8eTfLa -roTe;
. ev -rft 1tOAEl 1taVlKOV -roTe; t1tt -r£ij EuwvufL41 -r~e; 1tOAE~e;
fLtpEl afLvvofLtvole;, we; 8o~av au-roTe; aVepW1tOV -rlva -rwv
BOOK 2
borders on Nauplion, a city of the Venetians, for a small
price. lOS He also negotiated with the monks from Rhodes
and sold Mistra to them for a large price. 106 But when the
people of Mistra found out that they had been betrayed by
their own ruler, for he was away at the time, they assembled
at the instigation of the bishop ofMistra to discuss the mat-
ter. 107 They came to an agreement and decided that they
would permit none of the monks to enter into the city. They
were prepared to suffer any necessary hardship rather than
obey the Latin monks. They appointed their bishop to be
their leader in this matter. When the monks arrived they
were told to leave as quickly as possible; otherwise, they
would be regarded as enemies. So they departed and went
back to the ruler, as they were making no progress there.
When Theodoros, the ruler of Mistra, was informed that
the matter had turned out in the opposite way to what he
had planned, he sent word to the people of Mistra in an at-
tempt to see if they would still accept him if he returned.
When they accepted his overtures, he entered the city, tak-
ing an oath that he would never again entertain such an
idea. lOS
The Venetians then installed a garrison in the citadel of 46
Argos and so held the city. Yakub, the general of Sultan
Bayezid, marched against the city and besieged it with all
his might. He attacked the walls often and would not let up.
After a short time, because he was attempting to assault the
place from two locations simultaneously, a fearful panic
arose among those inside who were defending the left side
of the city, as they came to believe, based on the report of
159
 THE HISTORIES BOOK 2

ETClXWp(WV <p~(raV1:a Ebrelv, W, eaAw ~ re6Al, areo 1:0U SE-
;LOU, Kat EKAlTC6v1:a, 1:0 Xwp(OV 1:0U1:0 IEVat Sp6fl,!, Eret1:0
SE;l6v, Ev1:au9a Se ava~E~l']K61:a, 1:0 1:elXO, 1:0U, reOAEflio1J,
1:ao'tl] tAUV 1:E Ka1:a Kpa1:0, TIJV re6AlV Kal avSpareoSicra-
cr9al re6AlV reEpl<pavii 1:E Kat reaAaLav.AvSpareoSa SE AEYE-
1:al YEvecr9al EV1:EU9EV 1:01, ToopKol, W, 1:Plcrflopla. Ka1:0l-
Kicral flev 1:001:01J, AEYE1:aL ~aCTlAEu, E, TIJv Acriav' OUK £XW
SE 1:oii't"o cr1Jfl~aAAEcr9aL, w, ell'] aAl']ge" ou S1JVaflEVO,
t;e1JpElv Slare1Jv9avoflEv'!', oreol-rij, Acria, OV1:0l Ka1:£ilKl']v-
a local man, that the city had been talcen from the right
s~de. Leaving their sector they rushed over to the side on the
r~ght, but the ene.my scaled the walls there and captured the
CIty, enslavmg thIs proud and ancient city.109 It is said that
the Turks obtained thirty thousand slaves there It I' al
'd h . s so
Sal t at the sultan settled them in Asia. I cannot ascertain
whether this is true, nor am I able to discover through in-
qUIry where in Asia they were settled by Sultan Ba .d
H' I d ~u.
avmg ens ave Argos, then, Yalcub led his army away.
Mter that Evrenos immediately rose to great power when 47

1:aL ureo IIata~~1:Ew ~acrlAew,. 'Iayourel'], flev ouv, w, 1:0 he mvaded the Peloponnese and coastal Macedonia, where
l\pyo, ~vSpareoS(cra1:o, are~yayE 1:0V cr1:pa1:6v. he fo~ght against the Albanians, performing great and dis-
tmgulshed deeds on behalf of the sultan's household. He
47 Mna SE 1:aU1:a BpEVE~l'], 1:E aU1:iKa Eret flEya tXWPEl
had not yet been appointed as a general by the sultan but
S1JVaflEW" Efl~aAAWV 1:E E, TIJV IIEAore6vvl']crov Kat E, TIJV
the Turks followed him wherever he led them becau;e he
reapaALOV MaKESoviav Eret 1:0U, l\A~avou" flEYaAa Kat was fortunate in war and enriched his army, wherever he
Ereicrl']fla i!pya areoSElKVOflEVO, 1:Q 1:0U ~acrlAEw, O'(K'!', went on campaign. The cavalry raiders of this people as
cr1:pa1:l']yo, flEV OUKE1:l areoSeLx9el, {mo ~aCTlAtw" 1:WV SE they are called,"o receive neither wages nor office from ~he
ToupKWV ereofltvwv aU1:Q, {I.93} oreOl iiv E;l']yol1:0, W, EU- sultan, but they are always striving for plunder and loot and
1:1JXU1:E YEVOflEV'!' 1:a t, re6AEflov Kat reAo1J1:i~oV1:l1:a cr1:pa- thus fo.llowwherever someone leads them against an enemy.
II nUfla1:a, oreOl iiv Ere(ol cr1:pa1:E1J6flEVO,. Tou, yap S~ [rereo- Each fides one horse and brings along another to carry the
Sp 6fl O1J, KaA01JflEV01J, 1:0U ytv01J, 1:0USE, fl~n fllcr96v, loot. When they enter enemy territory, they receive a signal
II! fro~ the general to mount the horses that they have been
fl~1:E apmv i!xov1:a, ureo 1:0U ~acrlAEw" Eret SlapreanV 1:E
leadmg, and they ride with all their might; nothing holds
III Kat AeLaV aet Slwcr9Ev1:a, £reEcr9al, oreOl liv 1:l, E;l']Yii1:aL
them back. Dispersing into groups of three, they seize
I
a01:o1, Erel1:ou, reOAEflio1J" aU1:(Ka EKacr1:0V irereEUOV1:a 1:E
I
.
I
I Kal E1:EpOV ay6flEvov lrereov E, 1:0V ure6Spoflov -rij, AeLa"
Ereav SE EV -rti reoAEfliq: YEVWV1:at, crtIv9l']fla Aafl~avOV1:E,
I! I
ureo 1:0U cr1:pa1:l']you, aVa~aV1:E, ou, reEplaY01Jcrlv lrereo1J"
11,1 9uv ava Kpa1:0" fll']SEV 1:l EreEXOV1:a" Kal crKESaVv1JflE-
II V01J, crtIV1:PEl, Slaprea~Elv avSpareoSa, Kat a 1:l E, liAAO

1'·1 160
.1

II
II
 THE HISTORIES
1tpoxwpoi'l' Tau't!] £1tio"taf'at 'rou~ 'rE f'E'ra Af'OVP"''rEW
'rou '0 PX"'VEW Kal 'roiJ~ 'ra'rE 8~ £1tl I1ala~~'rEW Ola~"'V'ra~
£~ 'r~V Eupw1t'lv w9fjerai 'rE Kal 'rau't!] i:AOf'£VOV~ er<pierl ~LO­
'rEU£lV, Kal £1tlOaV'ra~ 1tapaxpfj f'a £viov~ f'£ya oA~iov~ £V
~paxE1 yiVEcr9at, imav'raxn 'rE 'rfj~ Eupw1t'l~ otK~eraV'ra~,
"'1tO 'rfj~ 'rWV ~Ko1tlwv 1taAEW~ £1tl ~V Tpl~aAAWV Xwpav
Kal Mverwv Kal Ka'ra 'r~V MaKEoovlav, f'E'ra oe 'rau'ra 1t'pl
E>'TIaAiav otKfjeral1tOUou~.
48 'E1tl f'ev OUV IIata~~'r'w A£Y''rat f'olpav OUK oAiy'lV
~Kv9wv £1tl llaKlav EA90uerav 1tp,er~,ueraer9at 1tpO~ IIat-
a~~'r'lv, ahEler9at au'rwv 'roiJ~ ~yEf'ava~ xp~ f'a'r'" 'r' Kal
apX~v, E<p' iii ola~"'v'ra~ 'rov "Impov ervv8la<p£p£lv aU'riii
'roiJ~ E1tl 'rfi Eupw1t!] EvaV'rlov~ {I.94} 1toAtf'0v~. Tov 8e
~oaf"vov 'riii Aay4' 1tpoerlEer9at ~v a'('r'lerlv au'rwv Kal U1t-
lO')(VE1er9at f',yaAa. llla~",v'rwv Oe EKEivwv Ka'rOlKierat au-
'roiJ~ ava 'r~v Eupw1t'lv, 9Epa1t'Uov'ra~ 'roiJ~ ~yEf'6va~
au'rwv ",va f'epo~ EKaer'rov, Kal crK,8aer9£v'ra~ oiJ'rw aU'roiJ~
xp'lerlf'0v~ y,v£er9at ler'r' l1t1t08paf'0v~ Kal E~ 1taA,f'ov.
"Yer'r'pov f'£V'rOl IIala~~'r'l~ oppw8wv, f'~ 'rl v,w'r'plerw-
crLV ol ~y'f'6v'~ au'rwv ervvl6V'r'~ er<plerl, erVAAa~wv 'rou'rOV~
"'1t£K'r£lV£. Twv Se ~Kv9wv Kal vuv E'rl ",va 'r~V Eupw1t1']V
1toAu 'rl1tAfj90~ 1tOAAaxn crK,oaer9£v'rwv lmlv t8E1v.
49 Kal U1tO Af'ovp"''r'W f'£V'rOl £V 'rfi MaKESovl", ~ 1t'pl
E>epf''lv Kal 1tapa A;lOV 1to'raf'ov xwpa Ka'r<!JKler'rat,
",yay6v'ro~ f'£ya 'rl 1tAfj90~ TOUpKWV 'r' E~ 'rOU'rOV 'rOV
XwpOV Kal Ka'rolKlerav'ro~. Kal 'r0 'rfj~ Zayopa~ 1t£OOV
oiJ'rW KaAouf"VOV U1tO Af'ovp"'r'W Ka'r4'Kier9'l, Kal ~ <l>l-
Al1t1t01t6AEW~ xwpa. 'H f'£V'rOl X'pp6v'lero~ ~ EV 'riii
162
BOOK 2
captives and anything that might be useful. I know that this
IS how those with Murad, the son of Orhan, and those at
this time who crossed over into Europe with Bayezid used
to behave when they charged and so made their living, and
some of them quickly became very wealthy by doing this.
They settled throughout Europe, from the city of Skopje to
the land of the Serbs and that of the Bulgarians, and through-
out Macedonia, and after that many settled in Thessaly.
It I~ said that during Bayezid's reign a large contingent of 48
Skythlans came to WaIIachia and sent an embassy to Bayezid
requestmg money and positions for their rulers in exchange
for which they would cross the Danube and jo;n him in his
wars against his enemies in Europe,ul He was pleased by
their proposal, granted their request, and made great prom-
Ises to them. When they crossed over, he settled them in
vario~s places in Europe, with each group following its own
ruler m each place. Dispersed in this way, they became use-
ful m cavalry raiding and in war. But later Bayezid became
afraid that their leaders might conspire together and rebel
against him, so he arrested them and killed them. But even
now one can still see a very large number of Skythians dis-
persed in various places throughout Europe.
. Under Murad, the land in Macedonia around Thessalo- 49
nike and the Axios River was also settled with colonies as
he brought a great multitude of Turks to this region and ~et­
tied them. The plain called Zagora was also settled by
Murad as was the land of Philippopolis. The Chersonese at
 THE HISTORIES
'EAA'1<r1tOvr4' Kal1tpo'tEpov Imo ~ouAaYf'aVEW Ka't4'K[<r9'1
'toil aSEA<j>oil. 8EnaALa SE Ka\ ~ 1tEp\ 'ta ~K01tla xwpa Ka\
~ Tpt~aAAwv a1to c[>tAt1t1t01t6AEW~ l<r'tE £1t1 'tov Alf'ov Ka\
~V ~O<pLaV oihw KaAOUf'EV'1V KWf''1V, natal;~'t1'j~ 0 Af'ou-
pa'tEW Ka'tOtK[<ra~ ~V 'tdAAUptWV Ka\ Tpt~aAAwv £A'1t l;E'tO
xwpav. 'E1tlStSoa<rt f'Ev OU'tOt ot xwpOt 1tpO~ yE 1tOAEf'[WV,
Ka1 U<r'tEpOV f'E'ta 'tail'ta £'tEPWV £K 'toil 'tau'tl] £1ttPPEOV'tWV
au'toii, a,<r1tEP liv £1tuv9avov't0 £1tl't'1SELW~ <r<p[<rtV "XEtV
~V Xwpav 1tpO~ 'tE avSpa1toSa Ka\ £~ {I.95} 't~v IIAA'1V
ou<r[av ~V a1tO 'tWV 1tOAEf'LWV, Ka\ 01tt] liv f'aAt<r'ta f'~
aV'ttKOmn U1tO 'tWV 1tOAEf'[WV, natal;~'t'1~ Sf. w~ £~ ~V
A<rLav Ota~a~ £1t\ 'Ep'tl;tyyav'1v 1tOAtoPKWV 1tapE<r~<ra'tO,
1tpO',WV MEAt't1'jV~V 't~V £1t\ 't4' Eu<ppa'tl] £1tOAtOPKEt 'tE Ka1
1tpo<rE~aAE f''1xava~ 1taV'tOLa~ 1tpo<raywv 't4' 't£LXEt. Ka\
E1t1 Xpovov f'f.V av't£lXE, f'E'ta oE 'tail'ta 1tPO<rExwp'1<re Ka9'
0f'oAoy[av.
50 'Ev <Ii 01: ~ 'te MeAt't'1v~ £1tOAtoPK£l'tO Imo natal;~'tEW
Ka1 ~yy£AAE'tO 't4' ~a<rtAel, W~ EaAW MeAt't'1v~, 1tapov'tE~
Ka\ 'to'te ot ToupKWV ~~ A<r[a~ ~yef'0ve~ l1tpanov, 01tW~
Ka'taYOtv'to Imo TEf'~pew ~a<rtAEW~ t~ ~v tau'twv EKa-
<r't0~ xwpav, 1tpo"rrx0f'eVOt ~v 'te ;uYYEVEtaV a1to 1taAatoil
<r<p[<rtV ou<rav 1tpO~ 'to Tef'~pew yEVO~ Ka\ ~v 9p'1<YKELav,
t~ ~v 'tEAOilv'tE~ au'tov 1ta'tEpa 'te Ka\ K'10ef'ova £1t£1tOL-
'1v'tO ~~ tau'twv xwpa~. "EAeyov OE au't4', W~ ota'tail'ta et'1
'tE ~~ A<rLa~ ~a<rtAeU~, a,<r't£ f''10EV\ £1tl'tPE1tEtV £;u~pLl;EtV
£~ 'toiJ~ 0f'0<pUAOU~, f'~ u1tap;av'ta~ aOtKLa~ 1tpo'tepov' o'tt
OE f'~ ~O[KOUV natal;~'t1'jv, f''101: 1tapa 'ta~ <ruv9~Ka~ o'tt
1tE1tA'1f'f'EA'1K6'te~ dey, £1tE'tpa1tOv'to au't4' Otat't'1'tfi, a,<r'te
BOOK 2
the Hellespont had previously been settled by Siile
h' b yman,
IS rother. Bayezid, the son of Murad, settled colonies in
Thessaly, in the land around Skopje, in the land of the Serbs
from Philippopolis to the Haimos, and in the town kno~
as Sofia, and he raided the land of the IlIyrians and the Serbs.
These places devoted themselves to fighting the enemy, and
later, after that, others flooded into this area for the same
reason when they learned that they could conveniently
plunder the land for slaves and property taken from the en-
emy, especially where the enemy put up no resistance.
Bayezid crossed over into Asia, besieged ErzinJ'an and took
'1l2Hh
It.. e t en advanced to Melitene on the Euphrates ' and
b.esleged that too, attacking its walls with every manner of
siege engme. For some time it held out, but afterward it sub-
mitted byagreement. ll3
While Melitene was being besieged by Bayezid and it was 50
announced to the sultan1l4 that Melitene had fallen, the rul-
ers of the Turks in Asia were at hand, negotiating to be re-
stored b! King Timur, each to his own land.1I5 They invoked
the ancient bonds of kinship that existed between them
and Timur's people, and also their religion, practicing which
they had made him the father and guardian of their land.
They said to him that this was the purpose of his being the
king ofAsia, namely so as not to allow anyone to wrong their
kmsmen when they had committed no prior injustice. Be-
cause th~y had not wronged Bayezid nor were they guilty
of vlOlatmg their agreements, they were thus turning to
 THE HISTORIES
SiKa, U:retXetV, ~V 'Tl :reapa 'Ta, cmovSa, au'TWv KaKOV IIat-
a~YJ'Tl']V Elpya<r[.ltvol £TEV. TE[.lYJPll' St 'Ttw, [.ltv IIala~YJ'tfl
:repo, 'Toi>, :reOAE[.liou, <r<pWV Sla:reoAE[.loUV'Tl Kat ayWVl~O­
[.lEv4' u:retp 'Tfj, MEX[.l£-rEW 9pll<rKda, (SlaKEKpi<r9al yap e,
Suo <rU[.l:rea<rav 9pll<rKda, -r1)v yE [I.96} eyvw<r[.lEvllv YJ[.lTv
otKou[.levllv, -r1)v 'TE 'TOU 'Ill<rou Kat n']v <r<pwv au'TWV 9pll-
<r1(dav, evav'Tiav 'Tau'Ttl :reoAl'TEUo[.levllv· 'Ta, yap AOma,
'TWV 9pllO'KElWV oihE e, ~a<rlAdav Oil'TE ap;ci]v ~V'TlVaOUV
Ka'Ta<r'TfjVat) IIata~YJ'tfl 'TE :reOAE[.lOUV'Tl i'<paO'KE :repo, 'Toi>,
'TOU ~ pwo, :reOAE[.liou, OUX o:rew, iix9E<r9al Sla 'Tau'Ta, aAAa
Kat xaplV dSevat ;u[.l:reaV'Ta, 'Toi>, 'Tfj, MEX[.l£-rEW [.loipa,.
Tau'tfl [.ltv OUV 'T~V apx~v a:reESdKVU'TO YVW[.lllV TE[.lYJPll'·
ME'Ta St 'TaU'Ta, W, u:reo :reOAAWV ~811 :reap' eau'TOV ava-
~E~llK6'TWV e:reuv9aVE'T0 -r1)v 'TE <pU<rlV au'TOU [.lYJ'TE e:relElKij,
Ol<r'TE 'Tfi Ka9EO''TllKut" e9tAetV e[.l[.lEVetV Ka'Ta n']v l\<riav
apxfi, aAAa 'TYJv 'TE 6p[.liJv au'TOU SLE;lOV'TE, w,
AaD.a:rea
:reapa~aAAOLEV au'TOV, Kat W, e:rel Lupiav Kal A'(yu:re'TOV Kat
e:rel Me[.l<pLO, ~aO'lAEa ev v<Ii i'X" <r'Tpa'TEuEO'9al, ava:reet-
<r9d, u:reo 'TOU'TWV i':reE[.l'i" :repE<r~dav e, IIala~YJ'Tllv W,
SlaAAa;ou<rav, ijv Suvll'Tal, au'Tov 'ToT, ~YE[.l6<rl, Kat e:rel-
n
:reE[.l:reWV e<r9ij'Ta, SiJ 4\no XaplEt<r9at 'T<Ii IIata~YJ'T!1, SiJ
VO[.li~E'Tat n']v ~yE[.loviav 'Tfj, l\<ria, Ka'TtxoUO'lV. Ot Se
:repe<r~", a<plKo[.lEVOl i:'AEYOV 'TO laSE.
'"H[.lii, i':reE[.l",E ~a<rlAEi>, TE[.lYJPll" Swpa 'TE -r1)VSE n']v
t<r9ij'Ta <pepov'Ta, <r0l, Kat xaplV dSEval <rOl i'<pll, O'Tl'ToT,
'TOU ijpwo, :reOAE[.liol, [.lax6[.lEvo, 'TOU, 'TE e:ret [.leya 'TE
iJ[.lE'TepOU, <pD.ou, aKKt~",7 aywvl~O[.lEVO' Kat n']v ~[.lE'TE­
pav 9pllO'Kdav e:rel'To ii[.lElVOV Ka9l<r'Tq,. n,
St'Tau'tfl <rOl
166
BOOK 2
Timur as an arbiter to assess the justice of their case, that is
whether they had done anything wrong to Bayezid in viola-
tion of their treaties. Timur said that insofar as Bayezid was
fighting against their common enemies and struggling on
behalf of the religion of Muhammad -for the entire known
world is divided between two religions, that of Jesus and
their religion, which sets itself against the other; for no
other religion apart from these is established in the form of
a kingdom or any other type of state-they should not be
upset with Bayezid, who was fighting against their hero's
enemies, but instead, all who sided with Muhammad should
give him thanks. This was the initial verdict that they re-
ceived from Timur.
But after that, Timur learned from the many people who 51
had gone up to him by then that Bayezid's nature was too
disagreeable to allow him to remain content with the state
of his realm in Asia, and they explained to him how the on-
set of Bayezid's assault might be compared to a hurricane.It6
Moreover, it was Timur's intention to march against Syria
and Egypt and against the king of Cairo,117 and so he was
persuaded by them and sent an embassy to Bayezid to rec-
oncile him with the rulers, ifhe could. Timur also sent him a
n robe, thinking that this would please Bayezid, for this is cus-
tomary among those who hold dominions in Asia. When
the ambassadors arrived they said the following:
"King Timur sent us to bring you this robe as a gift and to 52
convey his thanks to you because, by fighting against the
hero's enemies, you incite our friends to great deeds with
your struggles and establish our religion on a stronger foot-
ing. But just as it is good that you fight off our enemies, so
 THE HISTORIES
EXeL KaAWe; -rOUe; ~ fLe-repove; CtfLUVe0"9aL TCOAefL[OVe;, -rOUe; ye
<pLAOVe; -re Kat ETCl'ITJSelove; Kat Ee; -rCt fLCtALa-ra Ka9'lfLevove;
~fUv TCOAefL[ove; TCOLei0"9aL fL'lS1: CtSLKeiv, CtAX Ee; -rou-rove;
fL1:v fL'lS' 0-rL06v {I.97} EK<ptpe0"9aL KaKOv KilKelvove;. "Hv
S1: fL~ Ee; -roue; OfLO<pUAOVe; ETCL-r'lSelwe; EXlle;, TCWe; iiv -roie;
TCOAefL[OLe; TCpOO"<ptpOLe;; ALa -ra6-ra S~ KeAeU£L -r~v -re CtprnV
-roie; EV -rfi AO"[", ~yefL6O"LV, ilV Ct<peAOfLeVOe; EXeLe;, CtTC0806vaL,
fL'l8' 6-rL06V TCapa~a[vov-rae; -rWV O"<p[O"L TCp"e; ~V ~V CtprnV
EO"TCeLO"fLtvWv. Kat -ra6-ra TCOLWV EKelV4l -re xapLfj, Kat -ro EV
-rft AO"[", ytvoe; Kat EV -rfi EupWTCn xapLv elO"ofLtvove; O"OL 8La
-r06-ro. Et 8t -rL TCapa -rae; O"vv9~Kae; TCeTCOL'lfLevoL eIev, ETC-
e-rpaTCov-ro SLaL-r'l-rfj -r<li ~aO"LAei TefL~pn, Ee; I) -rL iiv AtyOLe;
UTC' au-rwv ,,8LK~0"9aL."
53 T6v fL1:v oliv I1aLa~,,'ITJv 8LaK'lKO(ha Atye-raL -rwv
TCptO"~eWV -ra fL1:v iina ou xaAeTCWe;, CtXge0"9~VaL 8e fLaAa
ETCleLKWe; 8La ~v E0"9~-ra, Kat fL~ CtvaaxOfLeVOV elTCeiV te;
-roue; TCptO"~£Le;, "CtTCayyeLAa-re -ro[vvv -r<li UfLe-rtp4l ~aO"LAei,
we; EfLOLye CtywvL~ofL£v4l UTC£P -re -r06 ilpwoe; TCp"e; -roue; ~fUv
TCOAefLLw-ra-rOVe; xapLv iiv el8el'le; aU -re Kat ot EV -rfi AO"[",
TCp"e; ~v ~fLe-rtpav -re-rpafLfLevoL 9p'lO"Kelav' Kat O"t -re Ctv-rt
-r06 0-rL06v ~fLiv o"vAAafL~aVeLV Ee; -rbv ~fLe-rePOV -r06-rov
Ctywva, a-rpa-revfLa -re Kat Xp~fLa-ra ETClTC£fLTCov-ra, OUK iiv
8tOL 8~ -rOLa6-ra ~fUv E;'lYOUfLeVOV o"VfL~OVAeUe0"9aL. A<pat-
pei0"9aL 81: TCeLpWfLeVoe; xwpav, ilv Ka-raO"-rpe'\tafLeVoe; -roue;
EfLot ETCL~OVAeUOv-rae; EXw, TCWe; iiv el8el'le; xapLv EfL o[,
E<P'l0"9a eiSevaL; 'E0"9~-ra -rou AOlTC06 CtTCayyeLAa-re {I·9 8}
-r<li ~aO"LAei -r<li UfLHtP4l fL~ ETClTCtfLTCeLV Ctv-rt tav-rou -ro -re
ytvoe; Kat ~v WX'1v CtfLelvOVL."
168
BOOK 2
too you should not wrong those who are our friends and as-
sociates, especially those who are devoted to us, and make
them into enemies, but rather display no wrong behavior
whatsoever toward them. liS For if you are not on good terms
With those of the same race, how will you attack your ene-
. IFor t h'IS reason, Timur bids you to restore to the rulers
mles.
o~ Asia the realms which you have taken from them, for they
did not ill any way violate the agreements that were made
with them concerning your realm. If you do this, you will
please him greatly; moreover, the people in Asia and in Eu-
rope will owe you a debt of gratitude on account of it. But if
they should be in violation of the treaties, they have turned
to King Timur as an arbiter for any injustice that you might
say they have committed against you."
It is said that Bayezid calmly heard the other things that 53
the envoys said, but that he was especially annoyed by the
robe and, being unable to bear it, said to the envoys: "Tell
this to your king: both you and those in Asia who share our
religion should indeed be grateful to me, who am fighting on
the hero's behalfl1' against our most bitter enemies. It is not
right for you to lecture me and give me advice on such mat-
ters. instead of aiding me in some way in this struggle of ours,
for illstance by sending me an army and money. How exactly
are you expressing your gratitude to me, as you have said you
are doing, by trying to deprive me of lands which I hold af-
ter defeating those who plotted against me? Tell your king
not to send a robe ever again to a man who is superior to him
n in race and fortune."
 THE HISTORIES
54 Tav'ra w,aV'lVEXe'lreapa ~ao"lAEa TEfI~ P'lv e, ~aflap-
XavS'lv, TEeUflWflEVOV flEyaAw, Tfi eO"eijTO, U~PEl, aYYE-
AOV AEYETal erel1CEfI'irat repOaYOpEUOVTa ~V TE apxt1v e,
TOU, ~YEflova, OreLO"WareOSOVVat Kal fI~ ~v TaXLO"T'lV S,a-
flEUElV' Ei So fI~, reEp'E'irEO"ea, W, reOAEflLOV. TaUT'lv So T~V
SLK'lV E<paO"aV aUTOV ~aO"lAEa TEfI~P'lv ere,S'Kao-a" W, ~Sl­
K'lflEvOl TE £lEV ol TOVPKOl ~YEflOVE, ure' alhov S~ TOV
rratal;~TEW, Kal fI~ reEpliSciv aUTOU, EO"TEP'lflEVOU, Tij,
o"<pWV apxij, reEp'VOO"Tciv KaTa ~V AO"Lav, TEfI~PEW ETl
reEp'OVTO,. Tov So rratal;~T'lV ureOAa~ona E, TOV aYYEAOV
<pavat, "Ei TO LVUV fI~ EreLn flaxouflEvo, ~flTv, E, Tpl, T~V eau-
TOV yuvaTKa eXETw areoAa~wv." TOVTO S~ ouv e, U~PlV
<pEpElV T<Ii YEVEl Toth,!>' MEXflET'lV e;opKwO"at e, Tpl, ~S'l
areoAa~ETv T~V eauTov YUValKa, ltv fI~ reEle'lTal. TOVTO St
eO"Tlv, OTl v6f10, eml TOUTOl, areoreEflre6f1Evov ~v eauTov
yuvaTKa EKaO"Tov areayopEUElV TOV AOlreov atJe" aYEO"eat
e, Tit olKcia, W, ou eEfllTOV DV, ereElSltv e, Tpci, E<P'lO"E
O"reAijva, SlaO"'rijO"al TOV yaflov aUT<Ii 0 av~p, apV'lO"aflEVOV
ETl erel TOV aUTov yaflov eAeETv, Ei fI~ Tl, Tpl, O"1CA'lVO, e,
flEO"OV efl~aA6no, atJe" aYOlTO urea hepou flOlXE1JOfltv'lV.
55 TavTa flEv otiv W, ~KOUo"EV 0 aYYEAo" ~AauvEv oreLo"w
~v TaXLO"T'lv reapa ~aO"lAta TEfI~ P'lv. AtyOUo"l So ~v yu-
vaTKa {I.99} TEfI~PEW SElO"lSalflova Tlva e, Ta flEYlma YE-
YOVEVat, Kal fI~ eav TEfI~ P'lv OUTW repoO"<pepEO"eat ereaxeij
IIna rratal;~-rn, avSpL TE ereaLvou a;L'" e, ~V KaT' aUTOU,
ep'lO"KEiav, aywvll;oflEV", repo, ~v TOV 'I'lO"ov floTpav, aA).:
eav aUTOV ~O"uXLav ayElv, Kal fI~ repaYflaTa reapeXElv OU
SlKal", u<plmaO"eat OTLOVV aV~KEmov ure' aUTWV. D, So Ta
BOOK 2
When this was reported to King Timur in Samarkand, he 54
was extremely angry at the insult over the robe, and he is
said to have sent a messenger to warn Bayezid that unless he
gave the rulers their realms back without any delay, he would
regard him as an enemy. This was the verdict that King
Timur is said to have reached, namely that the Turkish lead-
ers had been wronged by Bayezid and that he, Timur, for as
long as he lived, would not allow them to remain stripped
of their realms and wandering around Asia. Bayezid is said
to have responded to the messenger as follows: "If he does
not come to fight against me now, let him renounce his wife
three times."120 That is an insult among this race, for Mu-
hammad ordained that one should renounce his wife three
times if she is not obedient. This happens because there is a
law among them that prohibits a person who has rejected
his wife from taking her back into his household, for this is
considered improper. When a man has said that his mar-
riage is dissolved "on three spleens," the law prevents him
from entering again upon the same marriage, unless he does
so after she has committed adultery with another man in
the meantime who has also "thrown spleen" three times. 121
When the messenger heard this, he rushed back as 55
quickly as possible to King Timur. They say that the wife of
Timur was an especially devout womanl22 and would not al-
10wTimur to attack Bayezid when he was upset with him, as
Bayezid was a man who was worthy of praise in their reli-
gion and was fighting against the faction of Jesus; rather,
Timur was to allow him to be at peace, as Bayezid had given
no cause for offense that would justify an attack against
'7'
 THE HISTORIES
un:' aTIEAOU tAeXS!'], Aty£1:aL En:LKaAE<TaflEVOV 'ti]V YUValKa
ati-rou KEAEU<TaL tvavTlov auTIj<; Ta n:apa TOU nataS~TEW
AEXSEVTa Un:' aUT4> an:aTIELAat. Tou Sf. an:aTIEfAavTo<; Ta
Un:O naLaS~TEW en:EITTaAflEVa, tpE<TSat'ti]V YUValKa aUTou,
e( ETL SLKatoi nataS~T'1V £av oihw tl;u~plSovTa. Ka\
aVES~AoU, w<;, e( tn:\ SaTEpa SLKatoi naLaS~T'1V' OUKETL
SEOL aUT4> tKdv'1v <TUVOLKEiv TOU AoL1tOU' e( S' tn:\ SaTEpa
YEVOLTO ~ yvwfl'1, W<TTE aflUVE<TSaL TOV n:6AEflov, oihw Sf.
VOfllSE<TSat aunjv ot yuvaiKa, Ka\ flETaSLWKELV, 0 TL /tV
aUT4> YEVe<TSaL avaydSoL. T~v Sf. yuvaiKa TOTE S~ un:o-
Aa~oii<Tav <pavaL AeYETaL.
56 '''AXX OTL flEV, W ~a<TLAEU, un:o a<pporrUv'1<; KaTexoflEVO<;,
<TUfI<pOpq XPWflEVO<; TO LqSE, OUKETL ~fln:ESOV EXEL TOV AO-
YL<TfLOV eKEivo<; av~p, SijAa eITTL, Ka\ EfLOLYE TauT!] KaTa-
<palvETat elVaL, Ka\ ~m<TTafl'1v, w<; eKEivov rrUv SlKn TL<TafL E-
vo<; <Tw<ppoVEi<; TE w<; fLaAL<TTa, Ka\ evSdl;n aUT4>, o"l,!, OVTL
<TOL 010<; WV eKEivo<; TOLaiiTa emn:Efln:EL. 'EKEivo flEVTOL
<Ta<pw<; en:lITTa<To, w<; OT' /tv un:f.p TOU ~flETtpou ijpwo<;
aywvLsofLtv,!, E<TTE TOU<; "EAA'1va<; Ka\ e<; Ta itAAa Ta e<;
{LIOO} 'ti]v aAA'1V ijn:ELpOV ~SV'1 un:apl;aL n:oAtflou e<; tKEi-
vov OUTE StflL<; ~Y'1<Tafl'1v ~yWyE elvat. "Hv St TL tKEivo<;
acpporrUvn flij SLaITKon:oiTO, OU SlKaLov e<TTLV emTptn:ELV
U~PL<T'tfi TOWUT'!' fleya cppovEiv. 'AAX "lSL Sij en:\ TOV n:oAE-
fLov, fL~TE aUTo<; fLaXE<TafLEvo<;, aAAa n:OALV aUTou LE-
~aITTELaV ijv KaStAn<;, tKavw<; TETLfLWP'1f1tvo<; E"n un:ep TE
Tij<; ev T4> EucppaT!] n:OAEW<; MEALT'1Vij<; Ka\ un:f.p TWV
~yEflovwv TWV n:ap' ~fLiv SLaTpL~ovTWV."
BOOK 2
him. When the messenger had made his report, it is said
that Timur summoned his wife and ordered him to recite
before her what Bayezid had said. When the messenger had
recited Bayezid's message, Timur asked his wife whether she
still thought that it was right to allow Bayezid to utter such
insults. He made it clear that if, on the one hand, she still
thought Bayezid right, he could no longer live with her in
the future. If, on the other hand, she had changed her mind
and would now favor war, she would be considered his wife
and would assent to whatever it was that he was forced to
do. The woman is then said to have given the following re-
sponse:
"It is clear, 0 king, that this man has lost his mind, giv- 56
ing such offense! He is no longer mentally stable; that, at
any rate, seems plain to me. And I know that you will im-
pose a just punishment on him and bring him to his senses.
You will show him exactly what kind of a person you are to
whom he, being the kind of person he is, has sent these mes-
sages."l But know this well, that as long as he was fighting
on behalf of our hero against the Greeks and the other peo-
ples on the other continent, I, for my part, did not believe
that it was right to wage war against him. But if he does not
reconsider his foolishness, it is also not right to allow a man
who gives such offense to think highly of himsel£ So go to
war. Do not fight in it yourself, but if you take his cityofSe-
basteia you will be sufficiently avenged for the city of Meli-
tene on the Euphrates and on behalf of the rulers who are at
our court."
'73
 THE HISTORIES
57 Oil'rw fl1:v oov ~AaUVe Tefl~pY]<; a ~a("Aeu<; btl rral-
a~~'tt]v, repoKaAerraflevo<; au'tov f.KWV el<; 'tOY reaAeflov.
<l>aO'I fl1:v ouv 'tlve<;, w<; Tefl~pY]<; 8la fl1:v 'ti]v MeAl't'lv~V
Ka'ta~a<; erel ~e~aO"telav, Kal ereeL 'tE KaeeiAe 'ti]v reoAlv
'talJ'tt]v, 'ta'te 8~ repeO'~eueO'eal repo<; rrala~~'tt]v reep[ 'te
'twv ~yeflovwv, WO''tE 'ti]v xwpav au'toT<; are08l8oval, Kal
't~v 'toii ~ou""pou a1'tt]O'lv Kal O'Kt]VWV. 'Hl'tEl'tO yap au'tov,
ii Atye'tal, ~ou'tupou fli:v Kafl~Aou<; 8lITXlA[OU<;, D'Kt]va<; 81:
relA[vou<;, aT<; xpwnal ol vOfla8e<;, 8lITXlAla<;, Kal au'tov EV
'tOl<; vaol<; au'tOii 8laflvt] floveuelv w<; ~aO'lAea, Kal 'tOY
real8a au'toii Eret 'ta<; Tefl~ pew eupa<; LEVal, Kat vOfllO'fla'ta
81: au'toii .0<; 't~v xwpav au'toii vOfll~eO'eal. Taii'ta 81: 'ta
Ere'ta al~fla'ta yeveO'eal au'tiji al'touflevov Tefl~pY]v <paO'I
fle'ta 't~v ~<; ~e~aO''te[a<; liAWO'lV. Kal 'to'te 8~ Kal 'tOY
rrala~~'tt]v eUflweev'ta fleyaAw<; ErelO"telAal eKeLV<!, 'ta reepl
't~v yuvaTKa.
58 Tefl~pY]<; flenol WPflt]'to erel rralai;~'tt]v, w<; ~v 'te
xwpav au'toii ev 'tfi .i\O'l\l Ka'taO''tpetoflevo<; Kal .0<; 'ti]v
Eupwre'lv 8la~t]O'0flevo<;, fI~ EmITXelv repo'tepov avaxw-
poiina, reply ~ erel 'tOl<; 'tepflaO'lv au~<; yevt]'tal, EO''te
[LIOI} .ore' wKeavov eAaUVOV'ta 'tOy reepl 'ta<; 'HpaKAeLOu<;
O'~Aa<;, EVea ercUee'to reopeflov w<; ~paxV'ta'tov 8le[pyelv
~v 'te Eupwret]v Kal Al~Ut]V, oeev E<; 'ti]v Al~ut]v'reepal­
oUfltv<!', Kal 'tau't'lv 'tij<; olKouflevt]<; xwpav ol ureayofltv<!,
Ere' 01KOU ev'teiieev KOflli;eO'eal. Taii'ta flev'tOl Tefl~pY]<;
Ereevael 'te fleyaAa Kal .0<; ""Xt]v fliiAAOV 'tOl ureo Eleoii 8e-
80flevt]v a<popwv'ta' rralai;~'tt]<; 81: lipa EAoy[i;e'to erelOV'ta
afluveO'eal, areo 'tE 'twv reaAalwv O'1JfI~aAA6f1evo<;, w<;
'74
BOOK 2
Thus King Timur set Dut against Bayezid, deliberately 57
challenging him to' war. But SDme say that Timur went dDwn
to' Sebasteia via Melitene,124 and Dniywhen he had captured
that city did he send envDYS to' Bayezid regarding the rul-
ers-that they shDuld be restDred to' their lands, and alsO'
demanding butter and tents. It is said that he demanded
twO' thDusand camel-IDads Dfbutter and twO' thDusand tents ,
Df the type that nDmads use, made Df felt; that he shDuld
be cDmmemDrated as king in Bayezid's shrines; that his SDn
shDuld CDme to' Timur's PDrte; and that Timur's currency
shDuld be used in his land.!25 They say that Timur made
these seven demands after the fall Df Sebasteia; and it was
then that Bayezid became furiDusly angry and sent him the
message abDut his wife.
SD Timur set Dut against Bayezid in Drder to' cDnquer his 58
lands in Asia and to' cross Dver intO' Europe, and he did nDt
intend to' turn back befDre he had reached its farthest ends,
gDing all the way to' the Ocean by the Pillars Df HerakIes,
where, he learned, the narrowest Df straits separates Eu-
rope and NDrthAfrica. He wDuld cross Dver to' NDrthAfrica
there, subject that part Df the wDrid to' himself, and then re-
turn hDme from there. These were the great ambitiDns Df
Timur, plans that fall rather under the jurisdictiDn Df the
fDrtune that is granted by GDd. Bayezid, fDr his part,
planned to' defend himself against this invader, reasDning,
'75
 THE HISTORIES
ouSenoTE tij<; yE Eupwnl]<; ot T~<; Acr[a<; ~acrlAET<; tv ToI<;
npocr9Ev XPOVOl<; nEplyevOlvTo nWnOTE, aAAa Kat wpfll]fle-
VOIJ<; ent TI]V Acr[av -rfi TE ~acrlAElq a<pnp~cr9aL TOU<; tij<;
Acr[a<; ~yolJflevolJ<;. TaUTa Sla<YKonoVflEVo<; fleya TE e<ppo-
VEL, Kat 4\ETO ev ~paxET nOAefl4J iifla Ka9aLp~crElv TI]v
TEfl~ pEW ~aO"lAElav.
59 'EvTau9a Se YEvofleV4J flOl, Kal TI]V ent I1aLa~~TI]V npw-
TI]V TE Kat OEIJTepaV e'Aacrlv TEfl~ pEW ~acrlAew<; KaTa TOU-
TOV TOV XPOVOV YEvoflEvl]V olacrKonolJfleV4J, e1t!'!El AOY[-
~Ecr9al, w<; ent fleya iiv a<p[KOlTo OIJVaflEw<; Ta TWV TOVPKWV
npaYflaTa, napexon' iiv El<; TI]v EO"1tepaV avaO"'rpe<pEcr9al,
El fl~ oihw napaxp~fla £nlol06vTO<; aVEKOnTE'rO uno TEfl~­
pEW ~acrlAew<;. OilTE yap iiv o[Xa YEvoflevI]<; tij<; ~aO"lAEla<;
"OTolJflav[Swv Kal ent ola<popav cr<p[crl Ka9lcrTaflevwv
£<p9dpE'ro un' aAA~Awv Ta npaYflaTa aUTwv, 6AE9pov
fleYlcrToV Oe TWV tv flv~ fln nwnoTE £nEvEYKovTa, w<; flETa
TI]v TEAEIlTI]V TOU I1aLa~~TEW crIJvI]vex91] yEvecr9aL £<; TOU<;
naloa<; aAA~Aol<; Ola<pEpoflevolJ<;, Kat TI]V xwpav un' aAA~­
AWV [LI02} SnOIJfleVI]v ~IJfl<popav T<ji yevEl e1tlVEucral o<Yl]V
O~ ~apIJTCtTl]v Kal xaAEnWTCtTI]V. Nuv Oe e<; unEp<pIJa ovva-
fllV a<plKOflEVO<;, uno TOU eEaU £yevETo I1aLa~~-rn crw<ppo-
vlcr9~val, ~O"'rE £nt TI]V ~acrlAdav flEyaAa <ppovETv. "09EV
~acrlAEU<; TEfl~Pl]<; 6pflwflEVO<; ent Ta tij<; Acr[a<; a<p[KETo
npaYflaTa Kat ent TI]V tij<; Laflapxavol]<; ~acrlAdav KaT-
ecrTI] , -rfiOE iiv flOl OlE~lOV'rl En[Ol]Aa yevolTo. AeYETal
flEV nOAAaXfi TOUTOV an' eAax[crTOIJ 6pflwflEVOV KaTa TI]V
Acr[av Ent fleya xwp~cral OIJVCtflEW<;.
BOOK 2
based on ancient history, that the kings of Asia had never
prevailed over those of Europe in the past, while it was the
latter who had set out against Asia and stripped its leaders
of their kingdom. Bearing this in mind, he aspired to great
things and thought that he would destroyTimur's kingdom
in a brief war.
Now that I have reached this point, where I am about to 59
rec~unt the ~st and then the, second advance of King Timur
agamst Bayeztd that took place at that time,12' it occurs to
me upon reflection that the power of the Turks would have
reached great heights and would have permitted them to
turn back to the west had it not been so suddenly cut short
by the advance of King Timur. The kingdom of the Otto-
mans would not have been split in two, nor would they have
fallen
. out among themselves and so harmed their interests,
causIng a ruin greater than any which has ever been re-
corded before. For after Bayezid's death, his sons started to
quarrel with each other and plundered each other's portion
of the land, inflicting a very serious disaster on their people
one that it was hard for them to bear. But at that moment'
when he had reached an extraordinary degree of power, i~
came about that Bayezid was chastened by God, as he had
been presumptuous about his kingdom. In what follows I
am going to make clear King Timur's background before he
came to rule the affairs of Asia and the kingdom of Samar-
kand. For it is said in many places that he came from very
humble origins to advance to great power over Asia.
 r'
{ LI0 3} T£f'fJP£w f'£V'tDl fJ 1tPW't1'] o-a<1U; £Y£VE'tD e1tt
L£~C"1't£laV, 1tOAlV 'tfj<; Ka1t1taS01«a<; £VSa[f'DVa. 'D.<; yap
fJyyeAA£'tD DVS£V Vyl£<; rrata~fJ'tEW e!vat ~crt£ e1tt 'tWV 'tfj<;
AO'[a<; fJy£f'6vwv TDVPKWV Kat e<; 't~V 1tpO<; 'tDU<; f]YEf'ova<;
SlaAAanV, Dil<; 'tfjv Xwpav oUf'1taO'av a<p£A6f'EVD<; e~fJAa­
O£V, w<; yap S~ e1tl1tef'1tDV'tl DVS£V e1tt1tAeDV 1tPDVXWp£l,
WV e1tecrt£AA£V av't<li, iI.A"X ewpa 't£ e<; 1tDAM 't£ liAAa Kat
~Aao<p1']f'a e~£v'1V£Yf'eVDV, 1tap£OK£t"l~£'tD eAavvm e1tt
L£~ao't£lav. Apxtl S£ av't<li, ~ 't£ e1tt 'tfjv apxtlv 1tapDSD<;,
Kat w<; 'tOV f'£V 1tDA£f'WV, 'ta S£ Ka\ O1tEVSOf'£VD<; S££l 't<li
af'<p' au'tov ~uf'1taO'av u1t1']ya'1£'tD tau't<li 't~V Ao[av, wS£
av't<li ~uf'~i'jvat e1tUe0f'£ea. , Timur's father was Sangal, an ordinary man,> and it is said
2
OU'tD<; f'£V S~ (, TEf'fJp1']<; eY£V£'tD 1ta'tpo<; LayyaA£w,
avSpo<; tSlW'tDU, 0<; e1td 't£ f]yay£'tD 't~V l;'vaTKa aV'tDU,
Aey£'tat ;Uf'~i'jVat av't<li 'tDlOVS£. 'D.<; Sf] eytv£'tD T£f'fJp1']<;,
'tfJv 't£ 'tfj<; 1tOA£W<; <pDP~~V e1tl't£'tpaf'f'£VD<; l1t1tD<PDP~O<; 'tE
"V, Kat 'tDT<; 't£ 1t£pt aV'ta S~ 'ta xwp[a 'ta<; <pDp~a<; e1tlV£-
f'Df'£VOl<; OUVlWV 't£ KatSlaAEY0f'£VD<; OUV£eE'tD av'tDT<;, w<;
a1tO KAD1ti'j<; O<p[OlV, "V SUVWV'tal, XP1']f'a'twv K'ti'jOlV 1tDl-
1'] 00 f'£VDl £1t' liAA1']V '(WOl xwpav' Kat S£lVO<; KA£1t't£lV
Y£V0f'£VD<; '(1t1tDU<; 't£ Kat U1tD~uyla Ka\ 1tpD~a'tWV 1tAi'jeD<;
{LI04} eA1']AaK£Val. OvS£v Uyl£<; "V av'tDU 'to 1tapa1tav.
Book 3
Lmur's first campaign was against Sebasteia, a prosper-
DUS city of Kappadokia. 1 Timur had been informed that
Bayezid was up to no good with regard to the rulers of the
Turks in Asia and he had not been reconciled with those rul-
ers, whom he had driven out after stripping them of all their
lands. So, as Timur had made no progress through the mes-
sengers whom he had sent to him, and as he saw that Bayezid
was behaving blasphemously in many other respects as well,
he prepared to set out for Sebasteia. As for Timur's origins,
how he came to power, and how he subjected all of Asia to
himself, in some cases by fighting wars and in others by mak-
ing treaties premised on the fear that he inspired, we have
learned that it all happened in the following way.
2
that such a son was born to him when he married his wife.
After Timur was born, he was entrusted with the city's herds
of horses and so he became a horse-keeper. He approached
those who grazed the herds in those lands, entered into a
discussion with them, and reached an agreement with them
that they would, if possible, make their living through rob-
bery and then move on to another land. He became a formi-
dable thief, taking off with horses, pack animals, and many
sheep. He did not enjoy the best of health. It is said that
'79
 THE HISTORIES
Kal reOTe Erel f'avSpav MyeTaL ava~fjvaL, Kal o<p9Ena vreo
TWV SecrreoTwv TOU O'(KOV /lUecr9aL S~ &Af'a f'EYLcrTOV areo
TOU TelXOV, -rfj, f'avSpa, t, ~v yfjv' Ta Te yap vreo~uyLa
Kal KT~VI'] EV "tfiSe Tft xwpq: reepL~aUeTaL TelXl'], W, f'EyL-
cr-ra elVaL Kal f'~ aVa~fjVaL eiJ1te-rfj. :0., Se i'jAaTO, EreL-
TpL~fjval Te aim;; TOV reoSa, Kal XWAOV yevEcr9aL TO areo
TouSe. AEyeTaL f'ev OUV W, f'axof'evov reAl']yfjval Te TOV
reoSa Kal XWAeUOVTa SLayevEcr9aL TO tVTeugev.
J MaxI'], Se yevof'tvl'], repo, Toil, reepLOlKOV" EAauvona
aVTOV Te /If'a Kal Ot crvvtgeno ~V apx~v, ~V lrerewv <pop-
~~V 0',xecr9aL Erel Toil, reoAef'lOV" EVTeugev repocrAa~0f'e­
vov, OT'P ltv reepL-rUXOL, Kal avareel90VTa KaTacrxciv xwpav
Te EPVf'V~V, Kal W, EltLTI']SelW, "XeLV repo, AncrTelav. 'Ev-
Teugev Se opf'wf'evov Ancr-reueLV Toil, se,ona, Kal KaTa-
KplveLv a<peLSw,. Kal XP~ f'aTa EltLKTl']craf'evov halpov, Te
repocrKT~cracr9aL aVTe;; /lUov, Te S~ Kal /lvSpe SUW, Xa',sa-
Pl']v Te Kal Mvp~ll']v. To YEVO" I'i S~ AEyeTaL, yevEcr9aL
TOUTW MacrcrayETa. TOUTOLV Se "KaTEp'P repocrxpwf'evov
reepLTtJXciv Te Tot, reOAef'(OL, AI']"~0f'EVOL, T~V xwpav, Kal
Tpevaf'evov Eree~eA9civ SLa<p9elpaVTa TOV, LrereOSpof'ov,
TWV EvavTlwv. Tfj, Se <P~f'I'], Erel ~v reOALv EA90uO'1']" EreL-
TpEVaL Te aUTe;; crTpaTLwTWv f'otpav OUK {I.I05} oAlY1']v Kal
xp~f'aTa, ",crTe gepareeueLv Toil, crTpaTLwTa,. Kal S~ TO
areo TouSe EreeydpavTa ~v crVv aUTe;; cr-rpaTLaV Kal
E~OTpUVOVTa af'<pl"tfi reoAef'lWV i'XeLv xwpq:, avSpareoSa Te
Kal vreo~uyLa W, reAcicr-ra EreaYOVTa E, ~V reOALV. Tov Sf.
~acrLAta MacrcrayeTwv EVLSOVTa TOUTO E, TOV Tef'~ PI']V,
180
BOOK 3
he was once climbing into a sheepfold and was seen by the
owners of the house, so he had to jump a long distance from
the wall of the pen to the ground. For in that land they en-
close pack animals and beasts within walls that are high and
not easy to scale. So when he jumped he broke his leg and
was lame from that point on. But it is also said that his leg
was wounded in battle and he was lame thereafter.l
In battle with his neighbors, he would ride out against
the enemy with his original band and they would drive away
their herd ofhorses,4 and from that point on he began to ap-
propriate whatever he came across. He also persuaded his
men to occupy a fortified location so as to have some-
where suitable for his robbery. Using that place as his base,
he robbed passersby and passed merciless judgment upon
them. He acquired money and attracted more followers to
himself, including two men, Haydar and Mirza.' It is said
that by race they were Massagetai. 6 With their assistance,
he attacked his enemies while they were plundering the
land, routed them in his attack, and killed his opponents'
cavalry raiders. When his fame reached the city,7 they en-
trusted him with a large contingent of soldiers and the
money to maintain them. From this point on he stirred up
and urged his army to take the land of the enemy, leading
countless slaves and pack animals back to the city. When
the king of the Massagetai saw this in Timur, he decided
,8,
 THE HISTORIES
a~LOuna 'ltap' tau'r4i 'rlfli)<; -rij<; flEY[O''r'l<;, Kal O''rpa'r'lYov
a'ltOSESElXEVaL ~ufI'ltaO''l<; ijS'l -rij<; tm' au'rov <r-rpa'rla<;.
4 Kal EnEu8Ev S~ Sp6f1ou<; 'rE avuO'al flEY[O''rov<; 'rWV
m,mo'rE YEV0[lEVWV <Yi>v 'rfi O''rpa'rl~, WO''r£ Ka'raAafl~aVElV
'rou<; 'ltOAE[l[OV<; il<pvw E'ltl'lt['lt'rona aU'roT<; Kal Sla<p8£l-
pona'rov eK£lVWV <r-rpa'r6v. Kal S~ Kal e<; xdpa<; EA86na
'roT<; evan(ol<; <paO'lv au'rov flaXEO'aflEVov 'rpE'itaO'8aL, Kal
emSlWKoV'ra eAaO'aL 'rE e<; Ba~uAwva, 'ro ITaySa'rlV OU'rW
KaAouflEVOV, Kal 'ltOALOpKoUV'ra flE'ra'lte[l'itaO'8al 'rOV tau-
'rOU SE<Y1t6'r'lv ~a<YlAEa. ME'ra Sf. 'rau'ra OU 'ltOAUV XPOVOV
'rEA£VTI]O'ano<; 'rOU ~aO'lAew<;, yij [la[ 'rE 'r~V yvvaTKa 'rOU
Sw'ltomv au'rou Kal E<; ~V ~a<YlA£laV Ka'raO''ri)VaL. D<; Sf.
e<; ~V ~aO'lA£lav a<p[KE'ro, E'ltlWV 'r0 'rE ITaySa'rlV Kal 'ro
:Ea[lapxavSlV E'ltOAlOPKEl. Kal ou 'ltOAU UO''rEPOV, w<; E~OSOV
'ltO l'l O'aflEvol of -rij<; 'ltOAEW<; ouStv 'ltAEOV E<YX0V, aXX
~n'lflEvol E<YijA80v t<; ~V 'ltOAlV Kal E'ltOALOPKOUV'rO, 'ltp0O'-
Exwp'lO'av aU'r4i Ka8' o [l0Aoy[av. D<; E'ltl 'r~V -rij<; :Ea[lap-
XavS'l<; ap~v 'ltapEyev£'ro, 'ltpoSoO'[av <YVv8eflEVov 'roT<; tv
-rfi Ba~uAwvl au'rov, Xdi8aptl e<; 'rOU'ro XP'lO'a[lEVov U'lt-
'l pE'rtl·
5 Tov [lEnol Mvp~['lv ilvSpa e'ltlElKi) 'rE a[la Kal {LI06}
O'VyKlpVWV'ra 'rOV TEfI~PEW, 8VfloU Ka'rEXElV E[l<pEpOflEVOV,
E<p' II 'rlllv ~yijO'aL'ro, [l~ 'ltpO~KElV aU'r4i ~V apx~v. 'E~'l­
ydO'8a[ 'rE alh4i ~V t<; 'ra O'VO'O'l'r~pla TEfI~PEW t~Y'lO'lV.
T~v 'rE yap O''rpa'rlav au'rwv ~u[l'ltaO'av Mvp~[EW U'ltO'rl-
8E[lEVOU t'ltlSlEAOflEVO<; 6 TEfI~P'l<; EO''rE SEKapxa<; Kal AO-
xayou<; Kal S~ Kal evw[l0'r(a<;, 'rov SEKapX'1v 'ltapEyyUa
S[aL'rav 'ltapEX0[lEVOV 'roT<; flE8' tau'rou O''rpa'rlw'raL<;
BOOK 3
that he deserved the highest honors from him, and so he ap-
pointed him general over his entire army.s
Timur covered greater distances with his army than any- 4
one ever had done before, so that he took his enemies by
surprise, attacked them suddenly, and destroyed their
armies. It is said that he routed the enemy by fighting per-
sonally in battle, and he pursued them all the way to Baby-
lon, which is called Baghdad. He besieged it and summoned
his own master and king. Shortly after this the king died,
so Timur married the wife of his master and ascended the
throne. When he attained the throne, he marched out and
besieged both Baghdad and Samarkand. Shortly afterward,
the city's defenders became desperate and made a sally but
they were defeated, returned to the city, and were again be-
sieged; finally, they surrendered to him by offering terms.
When he had control of Samarkand, he contrived the be-
trayal of Babylon by those inside the city, using Haydar as
his agent in the matter. 9
Mirza was a moderate man and would mollifY Timur, re- 5
straining him when Timur was carried away by anger and be-
lieved, for whatever reason, that he was not fit to rule. lO He
also taught Timur how they should go into the mess tents.
At Mirza's suggestion, Timur divided their entire army thus
among leaders of ten men, captains, and division command-
ers. He ordered the leaders of ten to provide their soldiers
with the means by which to live and to attend upon their
 THE HISTORIES
nape1val alytlKa -rcii AoXaycii, -ri]v -raXlerr1]v napexofLevov
-rou<; cr-rpa-rlw-ra<;, E1mSaV napayyEAU, -rOV<; Sf. ali napaye-
VOfLEVOU<; -rcii crepe-rEp'f. revofLEVoU<; Sf. t<; -ra crucrcrl-rla,
OUSEVaAelnEO"eat, ih'f fL~ e'l1] xwpo<; au-rcii anoSeSelYfLEvo <;.
Kat -r~v -re ayopav crl-r1Secreat tKEAeue Ka-ra -ra SeSoYfLEva
Ent-roii AOlnoii errpa-reufLa-ro<;. Klvelv Se -rou<; -re apxona<;
au-rwv tKUerrou<; eafLa Ent-ra uno -rwv fLeyaAwv cr-rpa-r1]ywv
napayyeAAOfLeva, werre ;ufL~a(velv Ka-racrKonov eLcrlov-ra
t<; -ro TefL~pew errpa-roneSov AeA1]eEVaL nwno-re, oil-re
;EVOV, 0<; av napwv -ruyxavu EV -rcii cr-rpa-ronES'f. Tou-rou<;
Sf. ali avSpt hEp'f Enl-re-rpaepeaL, Ka-raAuelv nap' eau-rcii
-rou<; ;EVOU<;, eL -ruyxavolev napayevofLevol E<; -ro errpa-r6ne-
Sov crl-rou SeofLevol. 'ncr-re veufLa-rl -rou fLeyaAou ~acrlAEw<;
Klve1creaL nav-ra S~ -rov cr-rpa-rov, Eep' 0 -rl av YEVOl-rO, Kat
tKelVOU S~ ayov-ro<; -ra nav-ra Eep' evt cruve~fLa-rl LEVaL
au-rlKa, EV -raxel napayevofLevo<; Ent -ri]v XPelav Kae(cr-ra-
creal au-rlKa fLaAa tov-ra. 'EcrnEpa<; Sf. yevofLEv1]<;, ono-re-ro
O"UVe1]fLa AafL~avOlev ot errpa-rlw-rat uno -roii fLeyaAou
~yefLovo<;, eelv Sp6fLoV au-rov -rlva l'Kacr-rov Ent-ri]v eau-roii
crK1]V~V E<; -rou" crUO"K~vou<; tov-ra. revofLEvwV Sf. tv -rat"
O"K1]val<; -rwv cr-rpa-rlw-rwv, -ra" epuAaKa" {L!07} neplvocr-relv
-re -ro cr-rpa-roneSov, e'l -rlva nou tSolev EK-rO<; -rwv crK1]VWV
yevofLevov, -roii-rov Aa~6v-re" E-rlfLwpouv-ro. Et SE -rl<; Ka-ra-
O"Kono<; napwv 'rVXU tv -rcii cr-rpa-ronES'f, OUK i'xwv onol
-rPC!1tOl-rO, Aelnecreal EK-rO<; -rwv O"K1]vwv Kat oil-rw<; au-rlKa
aAlcrKEO"eal. TaU-rn fLEv S~ Atye-rat YlvecreaL -ra TefL~pew
crucrcrf't'ta.
BOOK 3
captains, so that they could make their soldiers available as
quickly as possible whenever they were ordered to furnish
their men to their own captain. They were to be present in
the mess tents and no one was to be absent to whom a place
had been assigned. And he ordered the marketplace to pro-
vide supplies for the rest of the army at the usual prices.
Each of their officers was rotated frequently on the orders
of the senior generals, so that no spy who entered Timur's
camp could ever escape detection, nor any foreigner who
mlgbt happen to be present in the camp. If such foreign
gnests happened to be present in the camp and were in need
of food, they were assigned to a specific man and stayed
WIth him. Thus, the entire army was ready to move at the
great king's nod, for whatever was going on. When he was in
co~and, everything was set into motion immediately by
one signal; when he was present, everything was quickly or-
g~zed to move in whatever way was necessary. In the eve-
mng, the soldiers received a signal from the supreme leader
and each of them rushed to his own tent and his tent mates.
When the soldiers were supposed to be in their tents, pa-
trols went around the camp, and if they saw someone out-
side the tents they seized him and punished him, If some
spy happened to be present in the camp, he had nowhere to
turn, as he was excluded from the tents, and was thus imme-
diately apprehended. This is how it is said that Timur orga-
nized the mess tents.
 THE HISTORIES
6 Xa'ioap'1 v Oe'TOV Y£ £'TaTpov au'Tc;J 6~uv 'T£ E, 'TO U1t'1P£-
'TelV au'Tc;J 'Ta OEOV'Ta y£yov£val, E1tO'TPUV£lV 'T£ au'TOV
~a<rlAEa E1tt 'TOil, 1tOAEfLOU" fL'1oafLfi E, p<;tm:WV'1V 'TP£1tO fL£-
vov. Myoucn oe Mup~['1v, E1td 'T£ 1tap£Aa~£ 'ti]v 'tii<; LafLap-
Xavo '1<; ~aJlAdav, olaxp~JaJ9a, 'Tp01t'!' 'T0lc;J0£. 'E1td 'T£
JVv 'TOU'TOl<; ufLa 1t£pliwv T£fL~P'1<; A!]<Y'ti]<; 'T£ Ka9£lJ~K£l
Kat EXpl']fLa'T[~£To, olaA£yofL£vwv £1t' £uTuX~fLaTl TWV eTa[-
PWV, Kat £U'l'l']fLl~OVTWV T£fL~PI']V W, £V ~paXEt ~Ol'] £<; Ta
LafLapxavol']<; ~a<rlA£la 1tap£JofL£vou, imoAa~wv 6 up -:vr
~[I']" "aAIC W TaV," ~'l'I'], "'TOlaiiTa £JTl Ta LafLapxavol']<;
~aJlA£la, wm:£ OUK £U1t£'tii x£lpw9fjval U1tO T£fL~ P,£w:
avopo<; A!]m:oii Kat [OlWTOU. El 0' £'(1'] 1tO~e ToiiT~ aUT':'
y£V£J9aL, wm:£ £1tt T~V LafLapxavol']<; apm v 1tapl£Val, fLl']
hl 1t£PlWV olay£vo[fL'1v, aAAa T£9va[l']v aUT[Ka £"'£UJfL~­
vo<;." TaiiTa fLev J1toUOfi E<!>K£l u1toodKvuJ9al, JUVTUXl<;t
O£ TlVl OUK aya9fi xp~Ja<r9al £<; TO a1t0'l'9£YfLa.
7 XpOVOU oe £1tly£vofL£VOU, W<; E<; T~V apx~~ 1tap~y~v£'TO
'tii, 1tOA£W<;, TlfLfjJaL fLev ap£'tii<; £V£Ka imep TOV XalOapl']V,
'l'aJKOVTa Se aUTc;J, W, EKEtVO O~ 'TO e1to<; £1tt fLap-rUpwv
aAAwv dP'1fLEVOV aUTc;J OEOl fL£TaOlWK£lV, 01t£p {LI08} Ol-
'irrxUPl~OfL£vo<; U1t£~aA£V tauTOV 9avaT'!', avafLlfLV~JKWV,
W e'l1t£p t<; 'Ta LafLapxavol']<; ~a<rlA£la 1tapaytvolTO, "'£U-
<; - 9' '0
J9d'1 1'£ au'To<; 'tii<; yvwfL'1<;' evox0<; d 'TOU aV~Tou u~
T£fL~P£w, ~l'11tOp£l 'T£, 01tw<; iiv au'Tc;J 9£pa1t£UO~TO 't'1']v
o£~lav 1taparrxovTl 'Tc;J ~aJ'AEt, tOlWT!] 1'01'£ I\vTl, fLl'] 1tapa-
~fjVaL T~V JUV9~K'1V, "EA£Y£ oe 1tpo<; M,Up~[I']V TOla~£.
8 "OIJ9a, olfLaL, W Mup~['1, cn\ 1'£ Kat JUfL1tavT£<; ol aAAol,
OJOl E1tt ~VO£ 'ti]v apx~v 'Ta 1tpaYfLaTa rcp0'1yayofL£v, ouo
186
BOOK 3
Timur's other compauion Haydar was energetic in serv- 6
ing him and accomplishing what had to be done, and he en-
couraged the king himself to wage war and avoid idleness at
all costs. They say that after he had acquired the throne of
Samarkand Timur treated Mirza in the following way. When
Timur was still going around with them as a robber and
he had established himself and was enriching himself, his
companions began to discuss his good fortune and praised
Timur, saying that he would soon acquire the palace of Sam-
arkand. But Mirza responded, saying, "Good friends, the
palace of Samarkand is such that it could not easily be taken
byTimur, an ordinary man and a robber. If this should ever
happen to him, I mean that he should become the ruler of
Samarkand, may I then live no longer but die instantly as a
liar." He seemed to say this in an offhand manner, but by
some evil fortune his prediction came true for him.
When some time passed and Timur became the city's 7
ruler, he honored Mirza for his bravery more than Haydar.
But Haydar told him that he ought to follow through on
what had been said in the presence of other witnesses: he
argued that Mirza had cousented to a death penalty, recall-
ing that he had said that if the palace of Samarkand were
taken and he thus turned out to have been wroug in his judg-
ment, he would then be subject to death at Timur's hand.
And Timur wondered how he might still be served by Mirza,
a man who had given his right hand to the kiug as a pledge,
when he was still an ordinary man, not to violate the agree-
ment. Timur then said the following to Mirza:
"I believe that you, 0 Mirza, as well as all the others who 8
have enabled us to reach this position of power, know that
 THE HISTORIES
-ro{yrw o,~ flaAur-ra ~fllv E:m~e~aLweraflevoL bel ~v ~aCTL­
Aelav 1tapneLflev, =ovS~v -re afla o,~ OlaV -re fle-raSLwKov-
-re~, Kat Efl1teSojjv-re~ ~fllv, 0 -rL av ervvStflevOL -rOl~ -re E1tL-
TI]SelOL~ Kat tvav-riOL~, oux 01tW~ S~ OpK4', aAAa Kat 1.01'4'
Et'lcpLerfltvoL wflev au-roT~, o,~ ouStv E-rL ouSaflojj DV aercpa-
A"er-repov ouSt Exvpw-repov lpvfla -re Kat 01tAOV E~ -rov
~(ov -rovSe avSpw1t4' ~ ervflcpwv4' -re elVaL E~ -ra 1tav-ra Kal
fI~ 8wCPWVOjjV-rL cppoveTv aAAo-re aAAw~, E1teL8~ 1tOAAaKL~
lcpaflev -rou-r4' fl6v4' 'icrxeLv 0flOLo-r'l-ra -riii Eleiii· "O-rov S' av
-rwv avSpw1tWV fI'lSev uyLe~ el'l Atyov-ro~, 1tW~ av S~ 1tpa-r-
-rov-ro~ di ytVOL-r' av 1to,1to-re au-riii; Mtflv'lero 8t, o,~ Eflojj
-rij~ 8d;La~ Aa~oflevo~ lep'lerSa -reSvavaL ~-roLflo~ dVaL, d
E1tt -ra ~aerlAeLa 1tapLflev; Kat E1tl flap-rtlpwv 8e -rojj-ro erOL
dP'lfltvov CTVvSterSaL. ':Opa o13v erOL -ra -re AexStv-ra E:m-
-reMeraL, Kat -r~v Se;Lav -r~v ~fle-r"pav a1tOAUeraerSaL -rij~
ervVe~K'l~."
9 Mvp1;i'l~ 8e aflel~e-ro -rolerSe. '''AAX 01tW~ fltv, 0, ~aCTL­
Aeu, E1tt [I.I09J -r~v8e ~v apx~v, 01tW~ erOL ytVOL-rO, Kat crO
oLerSa Kat 1tav-re~ OU-rOL ot ervfl1tapov-re~ ervvieraerL, Kat o,~
1tav-ra -ra lcrxa-ra im08voflevo~, wcr-re erot e13 yevterSaL O-rL-
ouv. Kat -rpaufla-ra Se ;:er-rLv (SeTv, oera Aa~o,v ouSe 1tW1to-re
imeAoyL1;0fl'lv SELVOV 1tpO -rou xap(1;eerSaL. Et 8t Ecr-rLV O-rL-
ouv ~fllv dP'lfltvov, OUK ayaeft -rtIxn 8tOL av fI~ xapt1;ecrSaL
-rol~ E1tL-r'lSelOL~, uep' WV fleyaAa e13 1tE1tovSW~ el'l~; 'EKelvo
S~, ~aCTLAeu, t8LW-rtp4' flev i\V-rL -ravSpo,1t4' ou 1tavv -rL EfI-
1teSouv -ro Kat Eav-rou ~iov. 'E1teLSaV St erOL -ro apxeLv
e-rtpw~ acpiK'l-raL, -ro-re S~ ou SeflL-rov iJ 1tapa~ijvaL, el -rL
ervvtSe-ro. Kat ~fllv 6 Eleo~ 1toAAa ayaSa 1taptxe-raL SLa-ro
,88
BOOK 3
we have attained kingship by being true to these two princi-
ples especially: pursuing our objectives as zealously as possi-
ble, and holding fast to the agreements we make with our
friends and enemies. We hold them to be ratified not by
oaths but by our word, as no fortress or weapon is anywhere
more secure or strong in this life than for a man to be consis-
tent in all things and not to keep changing his mind all the
time. We have often said that in this alone are we similar to
God. If a man does not say anything sound, how may his ac-
tions ever lead him to prosper? Do you remember how you
once took my right hand and pledged that you would be
ready to die if we gained the palace? You said so before wit-
nesses. It is time now for you to do what you promised and
make good on your pledge."
Mirza replied with the following words: "But, 0 king, 9
you know and all those present know as well how I have un-
dertaken the most extreme perils so that you might come to
this position of power, in fact so that you might prosper in
any way at all. You can see the wounds I have received, as
I have never considered the risk when it comes to pleas-
ing you. But if there is something that I said in an unfortu-
nate moment, should you not look kindly on your friends,
through whom you have grown so mighty? As for that other
matter, 0 king, an ordinary man's pledge is not binding for
his entire life, although now that you are a ruler it would not
be right to break an agreement that you have made. And

THE HISTORIES
crvYYVWftr1V '{.rxElV 'tOl, t;af'ap'tavov()'lv t, ~f'it, cmouv.
"Hv St f'ol Kat 'tatJ't1']V l'apal'tovf'tv~ xapiO'ato ~v af'ap-
'tiav Kat l'Aeiw 'tOU'tWV O'Ol ytVOl'tO aya9a." Tau'ta AtywV
OUK' {l'El9E <paO'Kov'ta SElV O'vyyvwf''1v '{.rxElV , oI, CtV f'f]
EKouO'la ii 'tit af'ap~f'a'ta. IIw, S' CtV O'W~Ol'tO aiJ'ti/i ~
'tUm, f'f] 'tOV av'til'aAOV SlwO'af'tv~; Taii'ta eil'WV ~ov 't~
Mvp~i'1v 8lEXp~O'a't0, Kat tl'tv9El au'tov S'1f'OO'l<;! tm
O'vxvov 'tlva Xpovov, 9ata, ~aO'lAlKw,. , "
w
ME'tit Se 'taii'ta tl't 'Y pKaviov, to''tpa'tEVE'tO Kat 't'1V
'tau'tT] 9aAaO'O'av, Kat {9v'1 'tE OUK oAlya t, ~V 9aAaO'O'av
~V8E 'YpKaviav tvolKoiiv'ta l'apaAla Ka'tEO''tpt,\E'tO.
AtyE'tat Se au't'1 Kat KaO'l'la t, ~v 'tOU {9vov, 'tov'toV
tl'wvvf'iav' Sl~KEl Se Ka'tit f'EO"1f'~plav ~aKa, 'tE {Xwv Kat
Ka80vO'iov, tl't O"taSiov, {LIIO} 'tplO'f'vplov" l'pO, ~w 8e
Kat ~oppitv MaO'O'ayt'ta" ytvo, iiAKlf'OV 'tE Kat tv l'O~f'Ol:
EUSOKlf'oiiv, tl't 0''ta8iov, 8lO'f'vpiov, f'aAlO''ta. Tov'to 8E
'to ytvo, tAauvov tl't ~v IIEpO'wv xwpav AtyE'tal Ka'ta-
O"tpEtaf'EVOV l'oAiO'f'a'ta Ka'ta.rxElv EO''tlV ii, Kat ;rEf'~~'1V
'tou ytvov, 'tOU'tov YEVOf'EVOV <1i>v 'tal, MaO'O'aYE'tal, op-
f'it0'9al tl't ~V ~af'apxavS'1' apxfJv Kat l\O'O'vpiwv ~v
xwpav Ka'taO"tpEtaf'EVOV {XElV. , ,
II Tf]v f'tv'to l 9 aAaO'O'av 'tau't'1v Ul'O l'o'taf'wv t, av't'1v
OUK oAlywv tKSl8ov'twv f'EylO"t'1v 'tE yiVE0'9at Kat tl't 1'0A-
AOU, O"ta8lov, Sl~KElV, ouSaf'fi tKSlSouO'av, ii AtyE'tal, ei,
~v tK'tO, 9aAaO'O'av. Ll.lwpvxa f'tV'tOl tnv96f''1V, EYWY~
al'D 'tau't'1, Sl~KElV Kat t, 'tf]V 'Iv8lKf]V 9aAaO'O'av EK8l80l.
'EVOlKOUO'l 8e ~V 9aAaO'O'av ~VSE {9v'1 1'0AAa 'tE Kat
iiAKlf'a. Kat [X9ua, f'ev <ptpEl au't'1 ~ 9aAaO'O'a 1'0AAOU, 'tE
BOOK 3
God offers many rewards when we forgive those who wrong
us in any way. If you forgive this misdeed for me, as I ask of
you, many more blessings will come to you." But he did not
persuade him with these words, for Timur said that forgive-
ness is given to those whose transgressions are not of their
choosing. How might his fortune be preserved when he had
not refuted his opponent? Saying this, he killed Mirza, but
he mourned for him in public for a long time and buried him
royally.
After that he marched against the Hyrkanians and the re- w
gions by their sea. He conquered many peoples who lived on
the coasts of this Hyrkanian Sea. 11 It is also called the Cas-
pian Sea after the name of this people. It extends to the
south for thirty thousand stades, to the Sakai and Kadou-
sioi; to the east and north it extends to the Massagetai, a
hardy race that is famous in war, for twenty thousand stades.
It is said that this race set out against the land of the Per-
sians and that it conquered the towns, some of which it oc-
cupied; also that Timur was from this race and that it was
with the Massagetai that he attacked the kingdom of
Samarkand and conquered the land of the Assyrians."
This sea is very large because many rivers flow into it and n
it extends over many stades; it is said not to open out into
the outer Ocean at any point. But I have learned that there
is a channel that leads from it and flows out into the Indian
Ocean. Many hardy people live around this sea. It produces
'9'
 THE HISTORIES
Kat <'!'ya8ou<;, <pepeL 8£ Kat oCY'tpea f'apyapi'ra<; £xov'ta,
finEp 8f] Kat 1) 'IV8LKf] 8aAaCYcya, KatnAoTa nOAAa nAd 'tf]v
8aAacycyav 'tau't!']v, napa aAA1)AOU<; £nL7tAeov'ta <pop'tiwv
nAta, "ECY'tL S£ au't!'] 1) 8aAacycya npo<; £w f'aALCY'ta 'tii<;
ACYia<;, £<; ~v £KSLSoT I) 'tE Apa;!']<; no'taf'0<; f'tyLCY'tO<; Kat
XoMn!']<; npo<; ilw ptwv, Katno'taf'ot S£ IiAAOL OUK oAiyOL
Ta f'£V'tOL £<; 'tfjVSE 'tf]v 8aAacycyav il8v!'] uno KaSouCYiwv 'tE
IiPXeCY8aL np6cr8Ev E<paf'Ev, Kat 'tOU<; yE <popOU<; au'twv E<;
'tf]v Ka80uCYiwv nOALv £'tOU<; EKacy'tOU £naYELv Ent'tou'tou<;,
12
:0<; 'tou<; 'Y pKaviou<; u1tl']yaye-ro TEf'1) P!']<; Kat 'tov ~a­
CYLAea 'tou'twv aVEtAEv, ECY'tpa'tEUE'to £nl Ka80uCYiou<;, Kal
OU'tOL f'EV [un} CYUAAt;aV'tE<; CY'tpa'tLaV f'EyiCY't!']v napECYKEU-
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!jcy8E'tO 'tOU'tOU<; CY'tpa'twof'£VOU<;, n£f'nEL XdiSap!']v £nl
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Kijcyov'ta' au'to<; S£ En£f'EVEV ECY'tpa'toneSWf'tvo<; napEy-
yu'ta'tw 'tol<; KaSouCYioL<;, 'Enav8a S£ W<; £nU80v'to ot
KaSoUCYLOL 'tou<; nOAEf'iou<; E<; 'tf]v nOALv au'twv lona<;, 'ta
Ef'naALV YEVOf'EVOL '{EV'tO OUSEVt KOCYf''l' E<; 'tf]v nOALV, 'Ev-
'tav8a E7tL'ti8e-raL au'tol<; 10vCYLV Ent 'tf]v noALV TEf'ijp!,]<; crVv
'tQ Eau'tov CY'tpa'tQ, Kat 'tE'tapayf'tvoL<; Ef'~aAWV £'tpt,ya'to,
Kat SLWKWV Ent 'tf]v noALV ~AaUVE, Kat nOALOpKijcya<; Ent
XPOVOV 'tLVa napeCY'tfjcya'to,
ME'ta 8£ 'tav'ta ECY'tpa'tEuE'to £nt Apa~iav, Evo<; S£
'3
Apa~E<; f'£ya 'tE Kat 6A~LOV Kat ava 'tf]v ACYiav OU8EVO<; 'ta
Ei<; EuSaLf'oviav AEL7t0f'EVOV, naAaLOV 'tE (Iv Kat £nt nOAU
~<; ACYia<; SLiiKOV, npo<yxpWf'EVOV 'tE -rft 8aAaCYcrn -rft
'Epu8pq KaAOUf'tvn, "ECY'tL 8£ 1) Xwpa aih!'] f'EyiCY'tl] 'tE Kat
BOOK 3
many good fish and has pearl oysters, just like the Indian
Ocean, Many ships sail on this sea, carrying many cargoes
to each other. This sea lies at the eastern edge of Asia; the
Araxes, a great river, and the Choaspes flow into it from the
west, along with many other rivers, 13 We said earlier that the
peoples aro~nd this sea are ruled by the Kadousioi, and pay
an annual tnbute to them at their city.
When Timur had subjected the Hyrkanians and killed 12
their king, he marched against the Kadousioi, They assem-
bled a very large army and were preparing to defend them-
selves, should Timur attack When Timur found out that
they ~ere going to fight, he sent Haydar against their city,
to besIege It and take it as quickly as possible, But Haydar
stayed encamped very close to the Kadousioi, When the
Kadousioi learned that the enemy was coming against their
CIty, they turned round and fled in disorder toward their city.
Tlmurthen attacked them with his army on their way to
theIr CIty; stnking them when they were in such disorder, he
:outed them and pursued them to their city. After besieging
It for some tIme, he took it,
After that Timur marched against Arabia,14 The race of 13
the Arabs is populous and wealthy and second to none in its
prosperity among all the people ofAsia, It is ancient and has
spread over a large part of Asia, making use of the so-called
Red Sea, This land is extensive and the most pleasant to live
'93
 THE HISTORIES
KaAA[O'Tl'] OiKfjO'Cll 'twv Ka'ta -ri]V AO'[av xwpwv. 'D.lKl']'tCll Sf
lmo avSpwv S'KaLO'ta'twv Kat 'ta E<; 9pl']O'KeLaV CIl'J'tWV
O'o<pw'ta'twv. Kal ~a"'A£a vOfl[~OUO'lV ou -rUpavvov, itA")( E<;
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O'av [...} KaAouflEVn, fleyaAl'] 'te Kal1tAou't'll 1tpO<pEpouO'a.
'0 flo peT Se"tfi 't£Ai-yU1t't'll Kal IIepO'wv XWN Kat AO'O'up[wv.
A1to yap KOAX[So<; Kat <I>acrlSo<; xwpa<; E<; -ri]v 9aAaO'O'av
-ri]v E<; {I.lI2} KOlAl']V ~up[av, E<; 'tl]v AaoS[K£lav KaAou-
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1te~ft S,a1topeuoflev'll 'tl]v Xwpav, Kat 'to Ev't£G9£v Ka'tw
AO'[a<; wO'el xeppovl']crov y£yevfjO'9C1l, Kat -njv 'te Apa~[av
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1to'tafloTv 1t£p[ppu'tO<; Y£VOflEVl'] Kap1tOu<; 't£ tK<PEp£l lmep-
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'tWV 1taACIlO'tEpWV KeKAfjO'9C1l avSpwv.
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au'toG 1tOA£flouflEVOl<; cruV£flaX£l at'tlacraflevo<;, EO'Tpa't£v-
£'to. Kal St<; flfV EflaXEO'a'to 'tQ Apa~wv O''tpanvfla'tl, Kat
ouS' (;)<; I]Suv1]9l'] 'tpetaO'9C1l' fl£'ta Sf Sla1tp£O'~euO'aflevo<;,
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CtV O'<p[O'lV E1tl'tanOl, O'1tovSa<; 'te E1tOlI]O'a'to Kal'to't£ EA9£Tv
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'te -ri]v Xwpav 'toG ijpwo<; fll] Ael']Aa'teTv, Kal EStOV'tO O'<pCi<;,
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t<; -njvS£ 'toG ijpwo<; 'teAovv'twV 9pl']crKelav. N0fl[~e'tal Sf
'toG'to 'to yEvO<; £uayt<; 'te Kat CtyLOV, O'tl 'te 1tpofjAgev tK
194
BOOK 3
in of all the ia.nds that ale in Asia. It is inhabited by men who
a:e the most Just and extremely wise in matters of their reli-
gIOn .. By custom they have a king who is not a tyrant but is
app~Inted by t~em. o~ a footing of equality and equal rights.
ThelI royal capItal IS In a city by the sea called {...},WleIS
h' h'
I
alge and surpasses others in wealth. IS It borders on E
the I~d of the Persians, and that of the Assyrians. ::rr:
Kolchls. and the land of the Phasis to the sea by Kolle Syria,
t
at
fo the CIty. called Laodikeia, would be a malch of {• " } d ays
or an actIve man walking through on foot, and from there
he c~uld r~ach Asia Minor, which is like a peninsula, and
ArabIa, whIch IS ~utside of Asia. The land is fertile, full of
trees a~d palms; sItuated between two rivers, it is irrigated
on all SIdes and produces fruit that ale enormous in size and
v~st In number, so that the land was called Felix b the an-
CIents. y
S~ Timur malched against Arabia, accusing the Arabs of '4
making an .alliance with the Kadousioi when they were at
Wal WIth him. 16 Twice he fought with the Arabs' almyand
was unable to rout them. He then sent an envoy and asked
that they give him an army and pay an annual tribute, what-
ever sum he set for them. He made a treaty and then the
envoys of the Arabs came to him. When they arrived they
asked him not to plunder the land of the hero and they
p~ea~ed on their own behalf that they belonged to the law-
gtve~ s race and were the fathers of all who worshipped ac-
cordIng to the hero's religion. This race is believed to be
195
 THE HISTORIES
'tii<; xwpa<; au'twv MEXfte't'1<; " VOftoee't'1<;, Kat <1i>v 'tQ
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1tPOEA'1AUeE,<Yav, l'EyaAa a1tOSEl;al'EvOl "pya.
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'EK9t l'EVO<; Se TIjv vOftoeE<Ylav au'tou apx:Y1v ftEV'tOl ft'lSev
~la~E<yeal, ava1tdeov'ta 'tE 'tou<; Apa~a<; Kat LUpOU<; l'£'"Ca
'tau'ta' ftE'ta Se 'tau'ta 1tpO<YAa~oftEvoV 'tou AAlEW Suva<Y'tou
't£ 'tii<; xwpa<; Kat £1tl't'lSdou au'tQ, w<; l'aAl<Y'ta t1tlov'ta
1tpo<Yayweal au'tQ t<; TIjv vOl'oeE<Ylav, 01tOl uv £1tln, 'tou<;
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p<;<<Y'tWV'lv Kat TIjv 'tou edou ~aKxdav l'EV'tOl, <YUVExi'j Se
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.1
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l'£v yap UYE<Yeal, 1taAAaKlSa<; fttV'tOl a1to avSpa1toSwv,
BOOK 3
holY and sacred, as Muhammad the lawgiver originated
f rom their land and , with 'Umar, W h 0 receIved
. the law, 17 they
took over the realm ofAsia, performing great deeds.
M~ammad, their lawgiver, is said to have been the son
of Ali, from Arabia Felix. When he first set out his law- '5
cod~, at least, he compelled no one by force, but used per-
suasIOn on the Arabs and later the Syrians. After that with
the help of Ali, the chief of that land and his friend h '
. hh'
out Wit 1m and propagated his lawcode as widely as he
' ewent
could among the inhabitants of any land which he visited.
This lawcode promotes indolent mildness yet also enthusi-
asm for God, and especially constant study. Their custom is
to pray to God four times a dayI' and they let nothing pre-
vent them from praying. On the day of Aphrodite {Friday}
they all g~ mto the shrines together to pray.20 Their customs
prohibit mtroducing anything whatever' whether a statue
.
or any other Image, into their prayer in their shrines. They
have pnests who ascend to a conspicuous position in a tower
that is built in front of the shrine and there pray to God in
loud vOIce. and always reCite. t h e customary prayers, callinga
the~ out m order to be heard. We know that this race is es-
pecially devoted to prayer and for no reason at all will th
agree to neglect it. ey
In. other matters in their way of life and overall conduct 16
nothmg IS regarded as so reprehensible that it would pre-
vent th~m from living pleasurably; thus, they do not curb
nature m any way. For they marry more than one wife and
197

THE HISTORIES
ocral<; ltv ~Ka<r'tO<; 010<; 'tE {I.Il4} <'i1'] 'tpocp~v 1tap eXE<1eCU t<;
'tOY ~lov, fuvalKa<; Sf KouplSla<; ltyE<1eCU t<; 'ta<; 1tev'tE, Kal
'tou<; 'tE emo avSpa1toSwv 1talSa<; VOfll~E<1eal <1cpl<1lv ou vo-
eou<;, 1\.v Sf a1to 1taAAaKlSwv tAweepwv ytvwv'tal <1cpl<1l
1talSE<;, V6eOl 'tE au'tol<; vOfll~oV'tcu, Kal OUK d<; ~v 1ta-
'tp<i>av oU<11av d<1epxov'tal, 'D.voilv'tcu Sf Kal 'ta<; KouplSla<;,
0<10U ltv 'tl<; ~OUAOl'tO tKSoilvcu ~v eau'toil euya'tepa,
Aafl1taSwv Sl: 1tpOEV1']VEYflevwv <1cpl<1lV t<; 'tou<; yaflou<;
ltyov'tal'ta<; yuvalKa<;,1\.v SfaxeE<1e£i<; 'tjj yuvcuKl 6 av~p
t1td1tn 'toil Aomoil a1to 'tPlWV <11tA1']VWV cmocrxe<1eal au'tfj<;,
~S1'] ~AAo'tplw'tal 'ttl> AOY'!' ~ yuv~ 'toil avSpo<;, N°fll~E'tCU
Sf a'icrxl<1'tov, flv ltv 'tl<; a1to1teflY1']'tcu, aVel<; au't~v aya-
ye<1eCU' ltv Sf fl~ U1tO hepou flOlxwefj, OUK £;EO"'tlV a1ta-
yElV,
'7 O'Lv,!, Sf xpfj<1eCU aetfll'tOV a1tayopEuEl 'ttl> yevEl 'tou't'!',
Kal fl~ AoucraflEvov fl~ t;Elval au'ttl> e<; ~v 1tpO<1WX~V
ltval. L\.EKa'tdav Se 'tlva e;EAOflEVO<; 'ttl> 8Etl> 'toil £'tou<;, e<;
v1']<1'tdav au'tou<; 1tpoayE'tcu t<; 'tplaKov'ta Kal e1ttKElva
fjflepa<;, Tfj<; fltV'tO' ~flepa<; OA1']<; fl1']S' cmoilv 1tpo<11E<1eal
fl~'tE 'tpo'l'fj<;, fl~'tE 1tMEW<;, t<11ttpa<; Se, o'tav ltO"'tpa 'l'alv1']-
'tcu, <1l'tl~E<1eal' 1tav'twv Se flaAl<1'ta 'tOY Xpovov 'toil'tov fl~
e;£1val o'Lvou 1tle<1eCU 'to 1tapa1tav, I1Epl'teflvE<1eCU Se 'to
alSolov Xpfjvcu1tav'ta1ta<1lV, 'I1']<1oilv Sl: 8£Oil 'tE a1tOO"'toAoV
YEVe<1eCU vOfll~El, Kal e; ayytAou 'toil fa~pl~A Kal eK'tfj<;
Mapla<;, 1tapeevou 1:£ oil<11']<; Kal fl1']SEVl {I.Il5} avSpl cruy-
YEvoflev1']<; yEVVfj<1CU 'I1']<1oilv, flpwa 'tlva fld~w i\ Ka'ta ltv-
epW1tOV' Kal t<; ~v 'tEAW~V 'tOilSE 'toil K6<1flOU, e1tElSaV
BOOK 3
have concubines from among their captives however many
as each man is able to support and feed, Th~y may lawfully
marryup to five wives and they do not regard children born
to then, slaves as iIleaitimate
e - ' but if children are b orn to free
co~cubmes they, are considered illegitimate and have no
chum to an mhentance, They also buy their lawful '
h t 'h WIves, at
w a ever pnce t eir fathers are willing to sell their daugb-
ters, The women are led in procession to wedding ceremo-
mes preceded by torches, If a man can no longer stand his
Wife and proclaims that henceforth because of "the th
I "h' ree
sp eens e IS separated from her, the woman is thereby for-
mally separated from the man, It is considered a great shame
ro remarry a woman whom one has sent away. It is not per-
mitted to take her back again unless she has first committed
adultery with another man,2l
This race is forbidden to drink wine as someth'
I wful d' ' mg un- '7
a , an IS not permitted to go to prayer without having
washed first, They offer an annual tithe to God and th '
fast, lasts
d for thirty days and more {Ramadan}' D '
unngte ehlr
entire ay they are not allowed to touch any food or drink
but m the :vening, when the stars come out, they may eat:
Of all the times of the year, it is especially then that they are
n~t allowed to drink wine, It is mandatory for all to circum-
cise their genitals, They believe that Jesus was an apostle
of God, that he was born of the angel Gabriel and Mar'
., hhd la, a
vlrgm w 0 a never known a man , and that h ewasa h ero
greater than a normal man. At the end of this world, when
199
THE HISTORIES
BOOK 3

all people who have ever lived are judged, they say that Jesus
will judge the world. It is their custom not to touch pigs, but
they eat all other animals, if they have been properly slaugh-
tered. One God governs all, and as his servants he uses what
they call "fiery minds."22 Muhammad had been sent to com-
plete the work of the other lawgivers previously sent by God
into the world. They believe that circumcision purifies them
more than anything else, and they combine it with wed-
dings." It is their custom to place graves next to the streets
and they are not permitted to bury their dead anywhere
else. They wash and shave the body before burying it.
They believe this too, that whoever does not obey the 18
law should die by the sword. Among all the peoples who dif-
fer from them in religion, the only people they do not en-
slave are the Armenians, for an Armenian foretold the glory
that Muhammad would win throughout the world. For this
reason they are not allowed to enslave Armenians.'4 Pro-
claiming these things in the lawcode, they took over for him
the larger part of the world and rose to greatness in Asia,
North Africa, and quite a large part of Europe, that which is
near the land of the Skythians and the Turks today, and of
the North Africans in Iberia. It is said that Muhammad died
while his son Ali was king of Arabia. Muhammad was de-
clared lawgiver and they obeyed him wherever he led them.
They entrusted their affairs to him and allowed him to gov-
ern them in whatever way he deemed best. After that, he as-
sembled the largest army he could and launched it against

201
 THE HISTORIES
Kat 'Tfjc; ItAAI']C; Apa~lac; Ecr'TlV it Ka'Tacr'Tpe\jr6~evoc;, Kat TI]V
\jra~~ov Sla~ac; 'Tfic; Apa~laC; 'Ta -rftSe ao'TOU £8vl'] onl']ya-
ye'To. BacrlAeucraC; E'TI'] SEKa e-reAeU'Tl']cre SI: EV xwpl'l' 'Tlvl
MeKE, oU'Twcrl KaAOlJ~Ev'l'. Kat 0 'Te mpa'TOC; Kat ot 'Tfjv
Xwpav otKOUV'Te, l8a\jrav 'Te ~eyaAonpenwc; Kal EnEV81']crav
~eyaAwc;. Kat'TeAe'Tac; au'TC!' nOLOUV'TaL ot l\pa~eC; ava nav
E'TOC; WC; ~pwl 'Te Kal uno Beau 'Taxa EC; TI]v vo~08ecrlav
crq>lcrlV avSpt euayei cl1toSeSely~Ev'l'. Ta 'Te EC; 'Tfjv vo~o-
8ecrlav EnlelKei -re Kat 00 npavv'l' yevo~EV'l' OU'TWC; ye-
yevfjcr8al.
19 'Ene! SI: E'TeAeu'T1']crev, 'O~apl']C; 6 'TWV ~a81']'Twv au'Tou
SOKl~W'Ta'TOC;, uno 'TOU nalSoc; ao'Tou TI]v apxfjv napa-
Se;a~evo" Kat 'TOV cr'Tpa'TOv It~a ay6~evoc;, npw'TOv ~I:v
Ent ~lJplav EAauvwv -rf]v 'Te xwpav unl']yaye'TO, 'Ta ~I:v no-
Ae~wv, 'Ta SI: avanel8wv 'Te, crnevS6~evoc; Ent pl']'TOIC;. Me'Ta
SI: 'TaU'Ta Ko..lKac; 'Te EXelpwcra'TO Kat <t>puyaC; Kat MlJcrouC;
'Te Kat "Iwvac;, npoc; SI: Kal 'Ta Itvw 'Tfic; Acrlac; Enlwv Ka'T-
empE<pe'TO, -rf]v 'Te vo~08ecrlav [I.II7} E1tl~e~aLOU~evoc; 'TOIC;
ava TI]v Acrlav l8vecrl 'TWV ~ap~apwv, Kat 'TWV ;lJ~~ael']'TWV
ao'TOU EC; 'TlVaC; ItAAOlJC; ItAAn SlanE~nwv, nel8elv 'Te nelpw~e-
VO<;.
Kal 'Ta<pav 'TC!' MeX~E-rn nOAlJ'TeAfj Ka'Ta<1KelJacra~evo<;
20
ao'Tou unepeyEVe'TO, 'TeAe'Ta<; -re Ene'TEAel ao'TC!' ~eyaAa<; 'Te
ava nav £'TO<;, Kat 'TOU<; ItAAOlJ<; EneLeeV au'TC!' 'Te npocreuxe-
creal Kat E<; 'TOV 'Ta<pov au'TOU <pOl'TWV'Ta<; SlKalolJ<; ylvecr8aL'
Kat vuv an6 'Te 'Tfi<; Acrlac; Kal 'Tfj<; Al~UI']<; Kal ano 'Tfi<;
Eupw1t1']<; Sfj OUK bAlYOl tbv'Te<; EC; 'TO ~vfj~a 'TOU MeX~E'TeW
~Eya 'Te O'<plO'lV o"OV'Tal t<; euSal~ovlav aU'TOI<; <pEpelv 'TO
202
BOOK 3
Egypt
. h and the rest ofArabia with the intentl'on. 0 f conquer-
Ing t I em. He crossed the Arabian desert and subjected the
~eop es there to him. After reigning for ten years 25 he d' d
In a place that is called Mecca.26 The army and the inha~i-
tantsd of that land buried him magru'fi centIy and mourned
h'
~m eeply. The Arabs hold ceremonies every year honoring
m as a ~ero and as a holy man appointed over them b
God to brIng the law. His lawcode bears the mark of a .us~
man, not someone who became a tyrant. J
When. Muhammad
.. di e,
d 'Umar, th e most esteemed
among hIS dlsclples,27 received power from Muhamm d' '9
~on wh:c~
and led the army first against the land of Syria,2'
: s~bJected partly by fighting and partly by conversion,
aking t~eatles With specific terms. After that he conquered
t h e Kilikians , Phryglans,
. M' YSlans, and Ionians and he also
~t:ked Greater Asia and took it, establishing'the lawcode
r y among the barbarian peoples throughout A' H
dispatched his fellow disciples to various dispersed p:~:~s i:
an attempt to convert others too.
'Umar built a magnificent tomb for Muhammad aft h
succeeded him and instituted great celebrations in hi her e 20
tobhld sonor
hi e e every year. He convinced the others to pray to
E m and to become righteous by regularly visiting his tomb
ven now many people from Asia, North Africa and E .
ro~e c.ome to Muhammad's shrine in the belief that dOi:-
thIs Will contribute greatly to their own prosperity.29 Som!
20 3

THE HISTORIES
Kal T~<; aAA']<; l\pa~la<; ~<r-rIV il: KaTa<r-rpetOf'evo<;, Kal T~V
taf'f'OV 8Ia~a<; ~<; Apa~la<; Ta Tft8e aUTOU f9v,] un']ya-
yeTo, BaOlAeucra<; i'T'] 8£Ka tTeAeuT']cre 81: tv xwplCjJ TIVI
MeKt, oUTwcrl KaAOIJf'£vCjJ. Kal (\ Te <r-rpaTo<; Kal ot ~v
xwpav OlKouvTe<; f9atav TE f'eyaAonpenw<; Kal tntv9']crav
f'eyaAw<;. Kal TeAeTa<; aUTQ nOIOUVTal ot Apa~e<; ava nav
eTO<; w<; ~ pwl Te Kal uno Beou Taxa t<; ~v vOf'0gecrlav
cr<plow av8pl euaye1 an08e8elYf'£vCjJ. Ta Te t<; ~v vof'o-
gecrlav tnlelKeT TE Kal 00 TIJpavvCjJ yevof'£vCjJ oihw<; ye-
yev~cr9al.
19 'Enel 8t tTEAeuT']crev, '0f'ap']<; 6 TWV f'a9,]Twv aOTou
8oKlf'wTaTo<;, uno TOU na180<; aOTou ~v apmv napa-
8e~af'evo<;, Kal TOV <r-rpaTov af'a c<yof'evo<;, npwTov f'tv
tnl LIJplav tAauvwv Ti]v Te xwpav u1t']yayeTo, Ta f'tv no-
Aef'wv, Ta 8t avanel9wv Te, crnev8of'evo<; tnl p,]ToT<;. MeTa
8t TaiiTa KiAlKa<; Te txelpwcraTo Kal <l>puya<; Kal MIJcrou<;
Te Kal ''!wva<;, npo<; 8t Kal Ta avw ~<; Acrla<; tmwv KaT-
e<r-rp£<peTO, Ti]v TE vOf'0gecrlav {I.II7J tnl~e~alOuf'evo<; ToT<;
ava ~v Acrlav i'9vecrl TWV ~ap~apwv, Kal TWV ~IJf'f'a9']TWv
aOTou f<; Tlva<; aMOIJ<; aAAU 8Ian£f'nwv, nelgelv Te nelpwf'e-
VO<;.
20 Kal Ta<pOv TQ Mexf'£TU nOAIJTeAi'j KaTaCTKElJacraf'evo<;
aUTou unepey£veTo, TeAeTa<; Te tneTtAel aOTQ f'eyaAa<; Te
ava nav eTO<;, Kal TOU<; aAAOIJ<; fnelgev aOTQ Te npocreuxe-
cr9at Kal t<; TOV Ta<pov aOTou <poITwvTa<; 8lKalolJ<; ylvecr9al'
Kal vuv ano Te ~<; Acrla<; Kal Ti'j<; AI~U']<; Kal ano Tij<;
Eopwn']<; 8~ OOK DAlyOI lovTe<; t<; TO f'vi'jf'a TOU MeXf'£Tew
f'£ya Te cr<plcrlV otovTat t<; e08alf'ovlav aOToT<; <p£pelv TO
202
.~
I;
I
,I'
!
BOOK 3
!
Egypt and the rest of Arabia with the intention of conquer-
ing them. He crossed the Arabian desert and subjected the
peoples there to him. After reigning for ten years,25 he died
in a place that is called Mecca." The army and the inhabi-
tants of that land buried him magnificently and mourned
him deeply. The Arabs hold ceremonies every year honoring
him as a hero and as a holy man appointed over them by
God to bring the law. His lawcode bears the mark of a just
man, not someone who became a tyrant.
When Muhammad died, 'Umar, the most esteemed 19
among his disciples,27 received power from Muhammad's
son and led the army first against the land of Syria,>' which
he subjected partly by fighting and partly by conversion,
making treaties with specific terms. After that he conquered
the Kilikians, Phrygians, Mysians, and Ionians, and he also
attacked Greater Asia and took it, establishing the lawcode
firmly among the barbarian peoples throughout Asia. He
dispatched his fellow disciples to various dispersed places in
an attempt to convert others too.
'Umar built a magnificent tomb for Muhammad after he 20
succeeded him and instituted great celebrations in his honor
to be held every year. He convinced the others to pray to
him and to become righteous by regularly visiting his tomb.
Even now many people from Asia, North Africa, and Eu-
rope come to Muhammad's shrine in the belief that doing
this will contribute greatly to their own prosperity.29 Some
20 3
!,',:
I
THE HISTORIES
'rolOU'rav, I1apEuaV'ral S' at f'EV, at SI; ap'J'tlpiau 'rEAauO'l
'roI, unl;p O'<pWV athwv ~aUAaf'Evol, LEval, "EO'", S~ oSo,
xaAEnw'rcn'1 "E0'9al Sla ~v taf'f'av, Ent Kaf'l'jAwv Sf ~v
'rp0<P~v <pEpauO'wv Kat'ro vSwp' a<p90vw, yap O1)K i'xauO'l
Xp~0'9at aln<ji 'rO napanav, Kat av'rw S~ 'ra Em-rijSEla O'U-
O'KEuaO'af'Eval O'<piO'lv ava~aivauO'i 'rE Ent 'ra, Kaf'l'jAau"
O''1f'elOl, Slaxpwf'Eval E, 'r~v napelav 'raI, 'rau f'ayvl'j'rou
anoSel;EO'lV, !i S~ ano 'r~, iipK'rau EnlAEYOf'Eval, anal 'r~,
aiKauf'Ev'1' '(w9al Set athau" 'rau'r", 'rEKf'atpof'Eval 'r~v
DSOV SlanapEuav-rat, 'EnElSav SI; a<piKwv'ral E, xwpa,
av9l, 'rlva" EV aT, i'VEO''rlV vSwp, uSpEUO'af'Eval 'rau'rn EV-
'rEu9EV amaUO'l, Kat a<plKvaUV'rat ijf'Epat, 'rEO'O'apaKaV'ra
~V taf'f'av Sla~aV'rE, E, 'ro ~f'a 'rau MEXf'E-rEW, ,MYE'ral
SI; 'ro ~f'a 'rou'ra uno Ai9wv naAu'rEAEO"ra'rwv Ka'raO'KEU-
a0'9~vat, Kat Ev f'EO'", 'rau vaau 'ro ~f'a f'E'rEWPl~Of'Evav
anatwpeT0'9at, [Ln8} onEp ani9avov f'0l SaKeT, t.lEXEl Sf
ano'rau xwpou 'rau'rau, Ev ¢ 'ro ~f'a aU'rau, tnt'rov [, , ,}
wO'ei O''raSiau, EvEvl'jKoV'ra, Kat e;lOV'rE, tV'rEu9EV '(EV'rat
Ent 'rOV xwpav 'rau'rav, Tau, 'rE v6f'au, athau Kat 'ra 'AA-
Kwpa tK'rE9El'rat, 'rn 'rE a9avaO'ic,< 'rl9Ef'Eval ~, tux~"
ayvwf'0rrVv'1' auSEV 'rl navu a',av'rat f'E-reIVat 'r", 9el""
Tau'ra f'l;v auv ~V 'rau MEXf'E'rEW vaf'a9EO'iav t, 'roO'au'rav
avaYEypa<p9w ij f!LV,
21 TEf'l'jp'1, S' W, 'r~v xwpav 'rau'r'1v A'1',O'af'Eva" Kaln6-
AEl, £AWV tvia" unEK0f'i~E'ra Ent ~af'apxavS'1" ~Ku9a, SI;
Wpf''1f'Evau, enuv9avE'ra ano Tava',Sa, -rijv -re xwpav
au'rou EmSpaf'eTv Kat A'110'a0'9at aUK oAlya' xaAEnw, SI;
i'<pEPEV, 'Ev-rEu9Ev SI; aU'riKa "E'ra Df'OO'E tnt 'rau, Xa'r"tSa"
20'4
BoaK 3
travel in persan while athers pay maney to' thase whO' are
willing to' gO' an their behalf The road through the desert
is very difficult to' travel; the faad and water is carried by
camels and it is nat passible to' cansume much af either at
all. Once they have packed their necessities they mount the
camels and follow the directions of the compass to make
the journey. They take their bearing from the north, so that,
wherever in the world they need to go, they use it to de-
duce which way to go, Whenever they come to a place where
there is water, they replenish their supplies before depart-
ing, They reach the tomb of Muhammad after forty days
of travel through the desert, This tomb is said to be con-
structed of precious stones, and the tomb itself suspended
in midair in the very middle of the shrine, but this seems
unlikely to me,JO The distance from this place, where the
tomb is, to [, , ,} is about ninety stades, and when they leave
from there they go to that place, Muhammad's laws and the
al-Quran are expoundedJ! in public, They believe in the im-
mortality of the soul and hold that God cannot be sinful.
Let this account suffice, then, concerning Muhammad's
lawcode,
When Timur had plundered this land and seized some u
cities, he returned to Samarkand, He learned that the Sky-
thians had set out from the Don, invaded his land, and plun-
dered it extensively, which made him angry. But at that point
he was setting out to deal with the Khataians,32 It is said
20'5
 THE HISTORIES
AEYOV1:"al lie OU1:"Ol elVaL MarrrraYE1:"al1:"O 'ltaAalOV, Kat lila-
~av1:"E, 1:"OV Apa~'1v 'tfjo; e'ltt1:"alie 1:"oii 'lto1:"a~oii xwpao; e'ltl
'ltOAV Iile~eA9eLv, Kat 1><p' aU1:"olO; 'ltOl'1rra~Evovo; evolKi'jrral.
Tov1:"ovo; 'ltape<YKwa~e1:"o wo; £AWV, Kat rr1:"pa1:"w~a 'ltOl'1 rra-
~evoo; eO; 6yIi0i'jKOV1:"a ~vplaliao; e<Y1:pa1:"eve1:"o e'lt' aU1:"ovo;.
Kat rrv~~aAwv ~axn 1:"e eKpa1:"'1rre 1:"OVO; Xa1:"dtliao;, Kat e'ltl
TI]V ayopav aV1:"wv 1:"OV1:"WV Kat e'ltl1:"a ~arrLAela eAavvwv
o~oAOy[q 1:"e 'ltaperr1:"i'jrra1:"o, Kat ~lrr9wrra~evoo; 'lta~'ltOAAOVo;
aU1:"wv, 1:"OVO; ye Kpa1:"irr1:"ovo; 1:"a eO; 'ltOAe~OV yevo~EvoVo;,
4'xe1:"O liywv. 'O~i'jpovo; lit Aa~wv Kat 1:"WV api<Y1:wv 1:"OV,
'ltaTliao;, Kat <popov 1:"a~a~evoo; 1:"OV1:"OlO; a'ltayelv 1:"oii eVlav-
1:"oii, a'lti'jAavve. Ta lie Xa1:"aYa 'ltOAlo; err1:"l 'ltpOo; ew 'tfjo;
'Y pKaviao; ~eyaA'11:"e Kat euliai~wv, 'ltAi'jgel 1:"e av9pw'ltwv
Kal DA~'l' Kat-rft liAAn euliaL~oviq {I.II9} 'ltpo<p£povrra 1:"WV
ev -rft Arriq 'ltOAeWV 'ltAi'iV La~apxavli'1O; Kat M£~<PlOO;, eu-
vo~ov~£v'1 lie 1:"0 'ltaAaLOV 1>'lt0 Marrrraye1:"wv.
Twv ~EV1:"Ol I1eprrwv 1:"OVo; 'ltAel<Y1:0Vo; ~lrr9wrra~evoo;
22
1:"OV1:"OVo;, oIa 1:"WV 1:"e LKV9wv e~'lteLPOVo; wo; 1:"a 'ltoAAa ye-
VO~EVOVo; Kat1:"a eo; 1:"i'iv li[aL1:"av OUK£1:"l a~povo; Dnao;, ev
vQ EXWV e'ltt LKv8a, rr1:"pa1:"everr9aL, e'ltl TI]v ayopav aU1:"WV
1:"i'iv Oupliav KaAOV~£V'1V, Kat 'ltvv9av6~evoo;, wo; e'i'11:"E 1:"0
yEVOo; 1:"oii1:"O 'ltaAalO1:"a1:"OV 1:"e 1:"WV Ka1:"a TI]v O[KOV~EV'1V
e8vwv, Kal ouliEva E1:"l 1:"WV 'ltpO aU1:"oii ~arrlA£wv xelpwrra-
rr9aL mii1:"o 1:"0 y£voo;, KaKa lie wo; 'ltAeLrr1:"a epyarra~evov
'ltOlijrraL 1:i'jv 1:"e Arr(av Kat Evpw'lt'1V' e'Jtllipo~ft 1:"a 'ltAeLW
1:"a~lw6~evov -rft xwpq. Taii1:"a lie e'ltt voiiv 1:"l8£~evov, Kat
Wo; tJ.apel'l' 1:"Q 'Y rr1:"arr'ltew ~arrlAel yevo~£v'l' I1eprrwv Kat
206
BOOK 3
that in antiquity these were Massagetai who crossed the
Araxes and spread over a considerable area ofland along this
side of the river; they subjected it to themselves and settled
there. Timur had prepared to defeat them by assembling an
army that was eight hundred thousand strong and marching
against them. He engaged with the Khataians in battle and
defeated them, before advancing against their assembly and
royal court, which surrendered to him on terms. He hired
a great number of their best warriors and left, taking them
with him. He also took as hostages the sons of the nota-
bles and imposed an annual tribute on them, to be brought
to him. Then he departed. The large and prosperous city of
Khatai is to the east of Hyrkania. It surpasses the cities in
Asia in the number of its inhabitants, in its wealth, and in its
general prosperity, except for Samarkand and Cairo. In an-
tiquity it was well governed by the Massagetai.
Timur hired a large number of Persians because they 22
were very experienced when it came to the Skythians, and
their way of life is not a luxurious one. ll It was his intention
to march against the Skythians and against their chief as-
sembly, which is called the Horde. He had learned that this
race is the most ancient among all the peoples in the world
and that no king before him had been able to conquer them.
They had inflicted a great deal of harm on both Asia and Eu-
rope, as they controlled the land by raiding it. That was his
intention, given especially that Darius, the son of Hystas-
pes, campaigned against them when he became king of the
20 7

THE HISTORIES
£7tLO"tpa'tEvcraV'rt av'tou<; ovStv 'tt repoUXWp']crEV, "'P[l']'tO
au'to<; erel 'toii'to 'to KAlO<; ltval.
23 'ncr'tE SE au'tOu EXEcr8a, 'tE 'tou EPYOU eyyu'tepw 'tov'twv
yEVO[lEVOV, 1:<; -ri]v xwpav XEp,,]v1reOAlv Ka'tolK,cra<; {mO'tE
'tij<; ~a[lapxavS'1<; Kal cr'tpa'tlw'twv Kal'twv ap'cr'twv au't£ji
<Y'tEAAo[levwv e<; -ri]v areOlK,av 4\KlcrE reOAlv XEP',]V oil'tw
KaAOU[lev']v, [lEyaA!']v 'tE Kal EuSai[lova ihE 'tou ~acrlAlw<;
ev au'tfi Sla'tpi~ov'to<; Kai 'twv api<Y'twv au'tou, 'twv 'tE 'tij<;
Acria<; cr'tpa'twv e<; au-ri]v cruvlonwv, MEyaA'1 'tE ev ~paXEl
eyevE'to ~ XEpi'], Kal Euvo[l~8'] [lenol Kal ilcr'tEpov, oux
~Kl<Y'ta S£ ~acrlAew<; TE[l~pEw reEp,ono<;, "Oreol [lEV ovv
'ti'J<; Acria<; 4\Kl<Y'tm ~ reoAl<; ail't!'], Kal EhE ev 'tfi Acrcrupiq:
xwpq:, EhE Kal ev 'tfi M~Swv, OUK EXW 'tEK[l~pacr8al.
Aeyoucrl {LI20} [lev 'tlVE<; NTvov 't~v XEpi']v YEvecr8m 'to
reaAalov Kai 1:<; -ri]v Acrcrup'wv xwpav 'tE'tax8m, 'tEK[lm-
PO[lEVOl'tOU'tO areo 'tij<; ITaySa'tiv']<; Ba~uAwvo<;, OlKicra<;
S£ XEpi']v reoAlv, Kal 'ta ~acriAEla ev au'tfi reOl'1cra[lEVO<;,
ereEvoEl erel Atyure'tov 'tE Kal erel ~Kv8a<; cr'tpa'tEuEcr8m Kai
't~v 'tov'twv ayopav OupSav KaAou[lev']v, Kal cr'tpa'tov
[leyav cruvayetpa<; Kal 'tou<; Xa'tatSa<;' cru[lreapaAa~wv
~AauvEv Eu8u Tava·iSo<;. 'Ev'tau8a reu8o[lEvOl ~Ku8m TE-
[l~P']v ~acrlAla erei cr'l'ii<; erelov'ta [lEyaAn reapaCYKEUfi, 'tijv
'tE elcroSov EreE[lreov cr'tpa'tEU[la repoKa'taA']to[levou<; 'twv
6pewv, iJ E[lEAAE TE[l~p']<; crUv't£ji <Y'tpa't£ji au'tou S'ieval.
24 ~Ku8m [lEV OV'tOl 'to reaAal e<; [lolpa<; 'tlva<; Slnp'][levOl
eve[lov'to -ri]v xwpav areo "Icr'tpou E<Y'tE erel 'tou<; vreo 'tov
KavKacrov. Nuv S£ ytvo<; [lev'tol 'tov'twv e<; -ri]v Acrlav
YEv6[lEVOV, 'ta repo<; EW au'tou 'tE evolKfjcrav 't~v Erei 'taSE
208
BOOK 3
Persians but achieved nothing. This made Timur all the
more eager to secure the fame that would come with such a
success.
In order to implement his project he moved closer to 23
them and settled the city of Kherie with men from Samar-
kand; both soldiers and notables were sent by him to the
colony. So he settled this city called Kherie, and it became
large and prosperous, given that the king and his leading
men lived in it and the armies of Asia assembled there. In a
short time, then, Kherie became great and it was well gov-
erned both then and also in later times, but not least while
King Timur was alive. But I have no evidence as to where
this city was located in Asia,34 whether in the land of As-
syria or that of the Medes. Some say that Kherie was ancient
Nineveh and belonged to the land of the Assyrians, and they
cite Baghdad by Babylon as evidence. Anyway, Timur set-
tled the city of Kherie, established his royal court in it, and
planned to march against Egypt35 and against the Skythians
and their assembly that is called the Horde. He assembled a
large army and, taking the Khataians with him, he advanced
straight to the Don. When the Skythians learned that King
Timurwas coming against them with a large force, they sent
an army to seize in advance the pass leading into the moun-
tains, which Timur was about to cross with his army.
These Skythians were, in antiquity, divided into different 24
branches and roamed the land from the Danube to the peo-
ples beneath the Caucasus. One race of this people today,
which is in Asia, settled in the land that is to the east on this
20 9
 THE HISTORIES
..~<; l\O'la<; xwpav, Kal trelreOAAa ..e-.:paflfltvov, ~axa..aTo,
tKA~e']O'aV, uretp -rijV ..WV I1epO'wv xwpav t<; ..OU<; ~aKa<;
-.:e Kal KaSouO'lou<;' CUi" wv S~ Kal Tefl~ P']v alm)v o'lona,
yeyovtva, ..'vt<;. "EO'Tl St ..00..0 ..0 ytvo<; llAK'flOV ..e ..wv
Ka..a -rijv l\O'tav Kat reoAefl'Kw..a..ov, Kal crUv ..ou..o,<; Atye-
..at Tefl~p!,]<; -rijv ~yeflovlav ..wv tv -.:ft l\O'lq reapaAa~civ,
reA~v 'IvSwv.
25 Oi St AOl1COl ~Kueat Ka..a ..au..o <ppovoOO'l ..e Kal u<p'
Evlllpxov..at ~acr'AeT, Ka..a OupSav -rijv KaAoufltv!,]v ayo-
pav ..a ~aO'LAeta reoLOuflevo" areoSetKvuflevo, O'<plO" ~aO',­
Ata ytvou<; ..e ov..a ..00 ~aO"Aelou ..0 reaAa,o ..a..ov, Kal
~O'Tl S~ Kal illaxoO ~<; Eupw1C1']<; t<; ,,0'.1 BoO'1CopoV floTpa
..ou..wv OUK oAlyl'], ava -rijv xwpav ..au..l']v {I.I2I} Sl£O'Ke-
SaO'fltvov, Imo ~aO"AeT ..a....6f1evov, OtKOU ..wv ~aO"Atwv,
ovofla St ..ou..", l\..~'Kepl']<;. Ou..o, flev ouv w<; tree..pa-
reov..o O'<pii<; ..ou..", ..C;; ~acr'Aci, E<; -rijvSe a<p'KofievOl -rijv
xwpav, treEAaO'anE<; t<; ,,0'.1 "IO'..pov, Kal S~ Kal ..ov "IO'TpoV
S,a~av-.:e<;, floTpa .. ,<; OUK DAtI''] ~<; 8pQ:K']<; AeI']Aa..oOnE<;
tretSpaflov, Kat aVEXwpouv areo ~apfla..la<; Erel ..ov Tavdiv
[OV..E<;. KalreoAAa fltv ..00 ytvou<; ..ou..ou au..oO reapa ,,0'.1
"IO'TpoV EvtflE,vav. nv ..0 reAtov Erel I1ata~~..ew S,a~av
,,0'.1 "IO'..pov {tvtflE,vav} <jJKlO'e'] xwpt<; eKacr..ov fltpo<; ..00
yevou<; ..ou..ou YEvofievov. To St ureOAet<petv flepo<; au..oO
reepav ..00 "IO'TpoU reapa Ka~'fI~p",,,C;; ~acr'Aci A,..ouavwv
-rijv Stat..av ~xouO", -rijv nv vefl6f1Evo, t<; h, Kat '.10'.1, E<; ..E
"0'.1 repo<; ..OU<; reEpLOlKoU<; au..C;; reOAEflov (l'UfI~aAA6f1Evo,
..a Kpa"'O'Ta' oreou yap itv "0 yevo<; ..00..0 ..u-yxavwO',v
OV"E<;, SOKoOO'l ..e ..a t<; reOAEflov Kal £lO'l Kpa..,O'TOl. Oi St
210
BOOK 3
side of Asia, and then went off in many directions. They
were called Chaghadai, and they were above the land of the
Persians, toward the Sakai and Kadousioi. Some think that
Timur himself was one of them. This is the hardiest race of
those in Asia, and they are most warlike; it is said that it was
with them that Timur gained mastery over all the peoples in
Asia, except for the Indians. 36
The rest of the Skythians are united and are ruled by one 25
king; they have their court at the so-called assembly of the
Horde; and they appoint as their king a member of the most
ancient royal family;l7 There is a branch of them elsewhere
in Europe, toward the {Crimean} Bosporos; it is quite large
and they are dispersed throughout that land, subject to a
king from the royal family, whose name is Hajji Giray.38 They
entrusted themselves to this king and came to this land,
reaching the Danube. Moreover, they crossed the Danube
and a large group of them invaded and raided Thrace. Then
they withdrew, going through Russia toward the Don. But
a large number of this race stayed behind, by the Danube,
During the reign of Bayezid, most of them crossed the Dan-
ube and then each part of this race was settled separately.39
The remainder, who stayed on the other side of the Danube
have taken up with Casimir, the king of the Lithuanians. 4;
To this day they still roam and live off the land and offer him
powerful assistance in his wars against his neighbors. Wher-
ever this race happens to be, they have a reputation for
2II
 THE HISTORIES
nEpl'rov BOIYnopov Kat'r!')V TavplK!')v V~IYOV KaAOVf'ev'1v,
SlelpYOVIYav Aif'V'1v 'rE 'r!)v MalW'rlSa Kal 'rOV yE Ei\;ElVOV
nonov, uno 'r<li ~a<YlAE1 ih!;lKEpin 'ra 'rE <9v'1 'ra e<; ~V
A'1'i!;Of'EVOl Ka'rEIY'rp"'vav'ro e<; <popov anaywy1jv, 'rou<; 'rE
r o'r90v<; KaAOVf'EvOV<; Kat "IavvTov<; 'rou<; 'r!)v 'rOU Ka<pii
nOAlv EvOlKOUV'ra<;.
,6 Kal ~ap f'a'ria<; f'epo<; 'rl anaYEl 'r01"'", 'r<li ~a<YlAeT
<popov. ~apf'a'rat f'EV OVV oinpo<; EU;ElVOV nov'rov Kal at
npo<; WKEavov 'r<li f'EyaA", ~Kv9wv ~a<YlAeT 'rWV Ev "tjj
ayopq [LI22} <popov anaYOVIYlV, e; O'rOV 'r!)v ~apf'a'riav
emSpaf'OnE<; 'ret f'EV !,)vSpanoSiIYav'ro, 'ret SE A'1'iIYaf'EVOl
Ka'rE"XOV enl IYVXVOV 'rlva XPOVOV, Kal 'rau"n 'ro ano'rouSE
<popov 'rE ha;av'ro 'r<li ~a<YlAeT 'r<li f'EyaA"" Kal hov<;
EKaIY'rOV ImaYOVIYl. ~apf'a'ria f'EV ouv Sl!')KEl ano ~Kv9wv
'rWV vOf'aSwv enl ~iiKa<; 'rE Kal Al'rovavov<;, yevo<; 'rWV
"IAAVPlWV <pWvij 'ra nOAAa SlaxpWf'EVOV. Kal Slai'rn 'rE Kal
~9EIYl 'rOU 'I'1IYou VOf'Ol<; En1)KOOl, Ent 'rou<; "EAA'1va<; f'aAAov
'rE'rpaf'f'evol au navv IYVf'<pEpov'ral 'r<li 'Pwf'aiwv apXlEpeT,
'EAA'1VlK<Ii St apXlEpeT Xpwv'rat, Kal 'rou'r", nel90v'rat 'ra E<;
9p'1IYKelav 'rE Kal Sial'rav IY<piIYl. Kat ~9EIYl 'r01<; aU'ro1<;
'EAA~VWV Slaxpwf'EvOl, IYKwft "tjj ~Kv9wv napanA'1IYiq:
npo"Xpwv'ral. Ta f'enolnpo<; EU;ElVOV nonov ~apf'a'rwv
yev'1, ano AWKOnoAlxv'1<; KaAovf'ev'1<;, 1)YEf'oviat 'rE Sla-
AayxavOVIYl 'ra nOAAa, 'ro 'rE M0"X0~lOV 'rE Kal K[E~o<; Kal
To<papl Kal XWpO~LOV,2 nOAEl<; uno 'rvpavvov<; Eu9vVOf'E-
val, E<; 'r!)v f'eAatVaV oihw uno IY<PWV av'rwv KaAOVf'ev'1 v
~apf'a'riav 'rEAOUIYl. Ta St npo<; WKEavov uno 'r!')V IIpK'rOV
oiK'1f'eva yev'1 AWK!')V ~apf'a'riav KaAOUIYl.
212
BOOK 3
being powerful in war, as they actually are. Those by the
Bosporos and the island called the Crimea, which separates
the Sea ofAzov from the Black Sea, attacked and raided the
peoples in that land, under King Hajji Giray, to extract trib-
ute from them, namely the so-called Goths and the Geno-
ese who live in the city of Caffa.
Part of Russia also pays tribute to this king. The Russians ,6
by the Black Sea and those by the outer Ocean pay tribute
to the Great King of the Skythians of the Horde. They have
done so ever since the latter invaded Russia and enslaved
part of it while they plundered the rest and held it for some
time,4l and from that point on the Russians were assessed a
tribute to the Great King, which they deliver every year.
Russia extends from the nomadic Skythians to the Wallachi-
ans and Lithuanians. The Russians are a race that for the
most part speaks the language of the Illyrians [i.e., Slavs}. In
their customs and way of life they follow the laws ofJesus,
and incline more to the Greeks and do not follow the pon-
tiff of the Romans. They have a Greek bishop and obey him
in matters of religion and in their way of life. They also use
the customs of the Greeks but their dress is similar to that
of the Skythians. The Russian races by the Black Sea start-
ing from the so-called White Town42 are divided into prin-
cipalities, namely Moscow, Kiev, Tver, and Khorov,43 cities
that are governed by tyrants and extend as far as what they
themselves call Black Russia. They call the races that live by
the Ocean below the Arctic circle White Russia.
21 3
 THE HISTORIES
Ilpo, flEV'tOl WKEaVOV 1tOAl, OUYKPCt'tl'], KaAOUflEVl'], e,
apl<YrOKpa'dav 'tE'tpaflflEVl'], 6A~OV 'tE 1tapEXE'tat Kat a6't~v
EuSatflov[(! U1tEpq>epOUO'av 'tWV aAAwv -cij, ~apfla't[a,
1tOAEWV, -cij, 'tE A£UKfj, Kat flEAa[vl'], o6'twO't KaAoufI£vl']"
Kat SlfjKEl e1t' wKEavov aii'tl'] fj xwpa, 'Ivq>AaV'tl'] Ka-
AOUfI£vl'], "Ev9a S~ 0Pfl[~oV'tat Kat at a1to ~av[a, VfjE, Kal
fEPflav[a" q>op't[a q>£pouO'al BpE'tavlKa 'tE afla Kat KEA-
'tlKa e, -cfjVSE -cijv xwpav, A1to flf:V ovv [LI23J Tava'LSo, e,
WKEaVOV 'tov BpE'tavlKov Kat e1tt 't~V KEA'tWV xwpav ill']
av oSo, 'to flaKpo'ta'tov fjflEpWV 1t£V'tE Kat 'tplaKOV'ta 'to
otKoufiEVOV e1tt flfjKO" e1tt 1tAa'tO, St 'to fltv U1ttp 'tov
Tava'iv xwpav £Ivat flEylO''t1']v, a1to ~apfla'tla, {<YrE e1tt-cijv
AO'O'Uplwv xwpav, ~Ku9at v£flov'tat 'tfjVSE, "EO''tl flf:V OVV,
W, {flO lyE Ka'taq>alvE'tat, 'ta 61ttp 'tov Tava'iv xwpa flEY[<Yrl']
S~ 'twv ev'tft Eupw1tf] Ka't' aflq>w, flfjKO, 'tE S~ Kat1tAa'to,
e1tl flfjKlO''tOV SlfjKouO'a, Il£Pfllol St OtKOOO'l 'to 1tpO, ~op­
piiv 61tep 'tou, ~apfla'ta" OfiOpOl SE £to'l ~apfla'twv, Kal
q>wv~v -cijv au-cijv lEv'tat ot ~apfla'tal 'tol, IlEPfllol" A£YE-
'tal Si: 1tEpt IlEPfllwv 'taSE, w, {O''tl YEVO, a1to aypa, 'to
1tA£OV 'too ~[ou O'q>lO'l1tolOVflEVOV Kal [. , .}
'H fI£V'tOl1tpO, WKEaVOV SlfjKouO'a ~apfla't[a E1tl Ilpou-
O'lav KaAouflEVl']V xwpav SlfjKEl Kat E1tl 'tou, 'tav-cn A£U-
KOq>OpOU, Na~l']palou, Kat iEpOV 'to EV 'tUSE -cfi XWP(!' ~o­
KOUO'l St Y£VO, 'tOO'tO £Ival fEpfiavol, Kal q>wvft 'tft au'twv
EK£lvwv 1tP0O'XpWflEVOl Kal Sla1-cn, OtKOUO'l Sf: 1tOAEl,
1tEplKaAA£l, Kat Evvofloufl£va, E, 'to Kpa'tl<Yrov, "E<Yrl Se
'tOV'tOl, tEpoV, ii Sf: Kat 'to EV 'I~l']pl(! tEpOV VOfll~E'tat Kat EV
'tft 'PoS", eVOlKOOV Na~l']palwv y£vo" Tao'ta yap S~ 'ta
214
BOOK 3
The city of Novgorod, which is in the direction of the 27
Ocean, has an aristocratic regime and is richer and more
prosperous than the other cities in Russia, either of the
White or the so-called Black Russia, This land, called Inf-
land,44 extends to the Ocean, Ships from Denmark and Ger-
many anchor there, bringing British and French cargoes to
this land, The journey from the Don to the British Ocean
and from there to the land of the French, across the length
of the inhabited region, would last thirty-five days at the
longest, while in breadth the land above the Don is vast ,
from Russia to the land of the Assyrians, This is where the
Skyrhians roam, It seems to me that the land above the Don
is the largest in Europe with respect to both of its dimen-
sions, stretching over the greatest distances in both length
and breadth, The Permians live in the north beyond the
Russians; they are neighbors of the Russians, and the Rus-
sians speak the same language as the Permians, It is said
about the Permians that they are a race who live mostly by
hunting and [. , .J.
The part of Russia that extends toward the Ocean 28
reaches as far as the land called Prussia, toward the white-
robed monks there and their holy order in that land. 45 The
members of this race appear to be Germans, and they speak
the same language as the Germans and have the same way of
life, They live in beautiful cities that are well governed so
that they are very powerful. They have a holy order there
that is related to the holy order in Castile and the order of
monks who live on Rhodes. 46 It is clear that these three holy
215
 THE HISTORIES
'pta [Epa ava TIJV O[KOU[lEVI]V E<; TIJV 'l'OU 'II]O'OU epl]O'K£LaV
btt 'l'OU<; ~ap~apou<; ¢KI][lEva S~ Ka'l'atpavij £O''I'l, '1'0 'l'E £V
'I~I]p[q npo<; 'l'ou<; 'l'atJ'I'D 'l'WV Al~UWV Sla~aV'I'a<;, Kat
I'IPOUO'[WV npo<; 'l'E 'l'ou<; La[lW'I'a<; Kat LKUeWV 'l'OU<; v0[la-
Sa<;, athou {LI24} 'l'au'I'n arxou '1'0 naAalov ¢KlO'[ltVOU<;,
Kat 'PoS[WV Se npo<; 'l'OU<; tv Atyt\n'l',!, 'l'E Kal I'IaAatO''I'[vn
Sla'l'OV 'l'OU 'II]O'OU 'l'a<p0v Katnpo<; 'l'ou<; EV -rfi AO'[q ~ap­
~apou<;.
I'IPOUO'[wv Se eXOV'I'al La[lW'I'al, ytvo<; iiAKl[lov 'r£ Kat
29
OUSEVt 'l'WV nEpto[KWV 0[l0S[at'l'OV, ouSe 0[l0yAWO'O'OV.
N0[l[S£l S~ 'l'OU'I'O '1'0 YEVO<; e£Ou<; AnoAAw 'r£ Kat Ap'l'E[llV'
Sla['I'n Se XPWV'I'at 'l'fi naAat 'EAAI]VlKfi Kal ijeEO'l, O'KWfi Se
-rfi I'IPOUO'[wv napanAI]O'[q. Tou'I'wv Se exoV'I'at Bot[l0l, -rfi
'l'E La[lW'I'WV So;n 'l'leE[lEVOl Kal -rfi rEp[lavwv o[ EV -rfi
xwpq 'l'au"D EVOlKOUV'rE<;, JKWfi 'l'fi 'l'WV I'Iatovwv napa-
nAI]O'[q EO'KEUaO'[lEVOl. "EVEJ'I'l Se aU'l'OL<; [ll]'I'ponoAl<;, nOAl<;
EuSa[[lwv 'l'E Kat nOAuavepwno<;, Bpaya OU'I'wO'l KaAou-
[ltvI], KatnoAAol 'l'ij<; nOA£w<; 'l'au'I'I]<; ounoAu<; xpovo<; En£L
EnaUO'aV'ro 'I'<Ii nupt Kat 'I'<Ii ~A[,!, epl]JKEU£lV. Movov Se '1'0
eevo<; 'l'OU'I'O 'l'WV tv -rfi Eupwrrn tK'I'O<; YEV0[lEVOV 'l'aT<;
tyvWO'[ltVat<; ~[lLV tv 'I'<Ii napoV'rl epl]JK£Lat<;, 'rij<; 'l'E 'l'OU
'II]O'OU <Pl][ll Kat 'rij<; 'l'OU MEX[lt'l'EW Kat MwJtw<;' 'l'au'I'a<;
yap 'l'Ol JXESOV 'l'l 'iO'[lEV SlaKa'l'EX£lV TIJv 'l'E tyvWO'[ltvI]v
w<; 'l'a nOAAa ~[lTv OtKOU[lEVI]V. "EJ'rl [ltV'I'Ol, t'i nUVeav0[lat,
Kat 'l'a unep TIJv KaO'n[av eaAaO'O'av Kal 'l'ou<; MaO'O'ayE'I'a<;
;:evo<; 'IVSlKOV t<; 'l'au'I'I]v 'l'E'I'pa[l[lEvov TIJv epl]O'K£LaV 'l'OU
Art6AAwvo<;. N0[l[S£l Se £K£lVO '1'0 YEVO<; Kat e£OU<; E'I'l
216
BOOK 3
orders were established throughout the world to defend the
religion of Jesus against the barbarians, the one in Castile
against the North Africans who crossed over there; that
of the Prussians against the Samogitians 47 and the nomadic
Skythians, who formerly used to live in that region; and that
of the Rhodians against those in Egypt and Palestine on ac-
count of the tomb of Jesus and against the barbarians in
Asia.
Next to the Prussians are the Samogitians, a hardy race 29
whose way of life has nothing at all in common with that of
its neighbors, nor its language. This race believes in the gods
Apollo and Artemis. 48 They follow the ancient Greek way
of life and customs, but their dress is similar to that of the
Prussians. Next to them are the Bohemians who have the
same beliefs as the Samogitians and the Germans who live
in this land, but their dress is similar to that of the Hungari-
ans. They have a capital city that is prosperous and popu-
lous; it is called Prague, and it has not been long since many
of the inhabitants of this city stopped worshipping fire and
the sun.49 This is the only race in Europe that does not fol-
low one of the religions that are recognized by us these days,
I mean those ofJesus, Mnhammad, and Moses; for we know
that practically the majority of the known world adheres to
them. But there is, so I have learned, an Indian race beyond
the Caspian Sea and the Massagetai which practices that
same worship of Apollo. That race believes in other gods
21 7
 THE HISTORIES
aAAou<;, illa -re Ka, "Hpav, w<; npo·iov-rl npoO"w -rou A6you
SI]AWefjO"e-ral. Ka, nep' f'£v -rou-rwv -rau-rn En' -roO"ou-rov
eipfjO"ew.
30 I1oAavol (LI25} S£ ~xov-raL Lapf'a-rwv, Ka, -rti <pwvft
-rou-rwv v0f'l~ou(n, Ka\ ~eeO"l S£ Ka, Slal-r!] -rft 'Pwf'alwv
napanAI]O"lq. I10Aavwv S£ £xov-ral Al-rouavOl En' Ell~elvov
nov-rov Ka, En' Lapf'a-rlav KaefjKov-re<; Ka, ou-rOl. 'H f'£v
f'EAalva I1oySavla, fj EV -rti AeuKonoAlxv!] KaAouf'EV!] -ra
~aO"LAela ~xouO"a, ano ilaKwv -rwv napa -rov "IO"'t"pov En\
Al-rouavou<; Ka, Lapf'a-ra<; SlfjKel. rEvo<; S£ EO"'t"l -rou-ro
SOKlf'OV, ii av -rl<; -reKf'alpOl-ro, -rf]v -re <pwvfjv -rf]v au-r~v
l£f'evov, Ka\ ano naAaLOU SleO"XlO"f'£vOV Slxft -ro yEVO<; E<;
-rupavvlSa<; Ka, fjyef'ovla<; Suo Ka-rEO"'t"I]. Al-rouaVOl 8£
olln Lapf'a-raL<; eiO",v 0f'0yAWO"O"Ol, oll-re I1aloO"lv, olln f'ev
repf'avol<;, ou f'~v ouSt ila~lv, iSlq S£ -ro napanav
v0f'l~OUo"l <pwvft. "EO"'t"l S£ au-rol<; ~aO"LAela nOAl<; f'eYaAI] -re
Ka, nOAuaVepwno<; Ka\ euSalf'wv. Ka, SOKel -rou-ro -ro
yEVO<; elval -re f'Eya -rwv af'<p\ -rfjvSe ~v xwpav EeVWV Ka,
avSpelo-ra-rov, Ka, npo<; -re -rou<; I1pouO"lou<; -rou<; repf'a-
vou<; Ka, I1oAavou<; SlanOAef'ouv m:pl -re opwv -rwv E<; ~v
xwpav. "EO"'t"l Se Ka, -rou-ro -ro y£vo<; npo<; -ra -rwv 'Pwf'alwv
1'el] Ka, SlaL-rav -re-rpaf'fl£vov, O"Keuft S£ -rti Lapfla-rwv
napanAI]O"lq Xpwfl£vou<;, Ka\ -rti fleAalv!] I10ySavlq oflopo<;
-ra nOAAa ouO"a npo<; -rOl\-rOU<; aywvl~e-ral. (LI26}
3 Lapfla-raL S£ <pwvft Slaxpwv-ral napanAI]O"lq -rti 'ThAu-
'
plWV -rwv E<; -rov 'IovLOv napolKovV-rWV £O"'t"e En\ 'Eve-rou<;.
'Ono-repol fl£v -rou-rwv naAalonpol, Ka\ -r~v e-rEpwv 6n6't"e-
pOl -rou-rwv xwpav EnlvEflov-raL, ~ 'ThAuPlO' EnEKelva ~<;
218
BOOK 3
too, Zeus and Hera, as will be made clear later in the narra-
tive. 50 Let this suffice on these matters.
The Poles are next to the Russians and speak their Ian- 30
guage, but their customs and way of life are like those of the
Romans. Next to the Poles are the Lithuanians, and they
too extend as far as the Black Sea and to Russia. Moldavia
whose royal court is in the so-called White Town,5l extend~
from the Wallachians by the Danube to the Lithuanians and
the Ru~sians. This is an admirable race, insofar as one may
ascertam, andwhile it speaks one and the same language it
h~s, smce ancient times, been divided between two tyran-
mes and rulers. 52 But the Lithuanians do not speak the same
language as the Russians, the Hungarians, the Germans, or
ev~n the Wallachians; they use a language that is altogether
umque to them. Their royal court is in a large, populous, and
prosperous city.53 This race seems to be the greatest among
the peoples around this land and the most courageous and
they fight against Prussians, Germans, and Poles rega:<ling
the boundaries of then country. This race too has adopted
the customs and way of life of the Romans but its dress is
similar to t.hat of the Russians. It borders for the most part
on MoldaVia and fights against its people.
. The Ru~sians speak a language similar to that of the IIIyr- 31
lans who live by the Adriatic Sea, up by the Venetians. As
to which of them is more ancient and which settled in the
lands of other people, that is whether the IIIyrians crossed
21 9
 THE HISTORIES
Eupw:re1']<; Ola~aV'r£<; IIoAav[av 'r£ Kat ~apfla'r[av 4\K1']'YaV,
~ ~apfla'ral Oe e:ret 'raO£ 'rOU "I,npou Y£VOfl£VOl -djv 'r£ Mu-
tr[av Kat Tpl~aAAwv xwpav Kat O~ Kat 'IAAuplWV 'rWV :repiJ<;
'riJv 'Iov(QV iiXPl O~ 'Ev£'rwv 4\K1']trav, oil'r£ iiAAOU 'rlViJ<;
e:reueOfl1']V 'rWV :reaAa(Q'repwv old;lOV'rO<;, oil'r' iiv EXO<fll
:reav'rn w<; aA'1e~ ola<Yl]flf]vao-9al.
32 'E:reaV£lfll Oe e:ret ~Kt\9a<; 'rOU<; vOflaoa<;, i'> O~ YEVO<;
flEY'tr'rOV 'r£ Kat to-xupiJv Kat y£vvalo'ra'rov e<Y-rlv, olov
ouO£Vt 'rWV Ka'r" ~v otKouflev1']v e9vwv :reapa~aAA£(V, av
fI~ :reoAAaxn "V" 'r~v otKouflev1']v Ka'ra 'r£ Atr[av Kat
Eupw:re'1V etrK£Oatrflevov iiAAn 'r£ ~<; au'rwv ~a<YlAda<;
<i>K[tr91'], w<; -rft emopofln 'r" :reOAA« XP1'] tra fl£vov' t'i oe xwp<;t
f]petrKE-ro, 'rau'tt] eva:reoA£l<pgev 4\K'1tr£V. Et flev ouv e<ppov£l
Ka'r" 'rao£, 'r~V alJ~V evolKooV xwpav, Kal u<p' tVt ytVOl'rO
~atrlAU, ouoev£<; ot 'rWV tv 'rn otKouflEVn eV[<Y-rav'ro iiv,
"'tr'r£ fI~ trUVOflOAOY£IV au'r<l'. Nov Oe cmav'raxn ~<; Atr[a<;
tmv£flofl£vov Kat EV 'rn Eupw:rcn, e:ret -rft Elpqxn 'r£ Kat e<;
'rOV Botr:reopov eVO<Koov, Im<i>Kl<Y-ral 'r~<; tr<pwv au'rwv ~a­
trlAda<; ~<; e<; 'ro Oupoav. Ot flev ouv e<; 'riJv B6=opov
~v 'rau'rn xwpav e:relv£flofl£vOl Kat 'r~V 0flopoV A£'1 Aa-
'rooV't'£<;, 'tf]v 'r£ T~apKatrwV [LI27} Kal MlYKP£A[WV Kat
~apfla'rwv, Kat avopa:reooa w<; :reA£ltr'ra ayofl£vol e:rel 'riJv
Bo=opov, e:ret Ka<pitv :reOAlV Kal t<; 'r~v Malw'r,oa KaAou-
flEV'1V A[flV1']v a:reayoV't'£<;, "A[you n au'r" a:reoOlOofl£vOl
'rol<; 'r£ 'Ev£'rwv Kat'IavuTwv efl:reopol<;, oihw o~ ~(Q'r£uoutrl.
33 ~KUeal Oe ot tv -rft ayopq e:ret "fla!;wv n Kat u:reo~uy[WV
'riJv ~[ov :reo(QUfl£VOl, yaAaK'rl 'r" :reOAA" l:re:reWV 'r£ Kat
KPE<;t olaxpwfl£vOl, oiln tr['r"', oil'r£ Kpl9n Ka'ra<pavu<; dtrt
220
BOOK 3
beyond Europe and settled in Poland and Russia, or whether
the Russians came to this side of the Danube and settled
Bulgaria and the lands of the Serbs and of the Illyrians who
are by the Adriatic Sea as far as Venice, I have not been able
to learn from any previous writer who covered this material,
nor am I able to state an opinion that is categorically true. 54
I return now to the nomadic Skythians, who are the larg- )2
est, most powerful, and bravest race. It would be impossible
to compare them to any other people in the world had they
not dispersed throughout the world to many parts of Eu-
rope and Asia and established their rule elsewhere, through
their practice of widespread raiding. When they found a
land they liked, they left the other one behind and settled
there. If they had been unified, lived in the same land, and
had one king, none of the people in this world could have
stood in their way or refused to accept their terms. Now
they roam everywhere in Asia and Europe, living in Thrace
and by the [Crimean} Bosporos, and they have settled far
from their kingdom at the Horde. Those by the Bosporos"
roam that land and plunder the neighboring area, namely
the land of the Circassians, Mingrelians,56 and Russians.
They take as many slaves as they can back to the Bosporos,
taking them away to the city of Caffa and the Sea of Azov,
where they sell them cheaply to Venetian and Genoese mer-
chants, and thus make a living.
The Skythians of the Horde spend their lives on wagons 33
and pack animals, usually consuming the milk and meat of
horses. They do not appear to consume wheat or barley, but
221

THE HISTORIES
SLaxpwflEVOL, flEA[Vn St -r" nAeov Ka1 O''1KaAn, ALVii<; -rE
E0'9ii-ra<; <p0poilvn<; E<; -rl>v -rwv AL9wv OA~OV EVSaLfiovEO"ra-
-rOL Ka1nAovO'Lw-ra-roL vOfl[~ov-raL. To;oL<; St Xpwv-raL, -r"
rrUfinav EinElv, Ka1 ;[<pEO'L ~ap~apLKo1<;, Ka1 9vpED1<; -ro1<;
-rwv baKwv napanA'1O'[oL<;, nlAoL<; Se -ra nOAAa XPWflEVOL,
OV-rE Ii nEp1 ~apfla-r[av otKoUV-rE<;, O()-rE [fla-r[OL<; Iml> Ep[WV,
6-rL fI~ ALvo1<; vOfl[~ovdL. bL~KEL Se ~ ayopa -rov-rwv -rwv
~Kv9wv Ka1 -roil flEyaAov ~aO'LAEW<; En1 "S"v nEV'rEKa[SEKa
~flEPWV, ",O"rE EnLvEfI£0'9aL ~v xwpav E<; -r" EnL"'1 SELO-ra-
-rov O'<p[O'L Ka-raO"ravn<;, Ka1 Ka-r' 6A[YOV<; SLEO'KESaO'flEvoL ,
a<p' tKa-repov nAay[ov Ka9LO"rafiEvoL E<p' tvo<;' ~v -rE ayo-
pav nOLOilv-raL En1 fI~KLO"rOV, Ka1 SLavEflov-raL ~v xwpav,
-ro1<; {J1tO~Vy[OL<; ii<p90vov napExofiEVOL, Ka1 av-ro[ -rE E<;
-ra;Lv ~v ap[O'-r'1v un" O'<pwv VOflL~OflEV'1V Ka9LO"rafi EVO L.
Ka-r' au-rbv Se floVOV -rbv ~aO'LAEa Ka1 -roo<; -rau-rn ap[O'-rov<;
En1 KUKAOV<; Ka-raO'-rav-rE<;, Ka1 nEpLoSoV<; nOLOvflEvOL,
~aO'lAELa -rE napEX0VO'L -r4> ~aO'LAEl an" ;UAWV Ka-rEO'KEV-
a<TflEva. 'EmSLEAOflEVOL {I.I28} Se d<; flo[pa<; -ralh'1v rrUflna-
O'av ~v ayopav, iipxov-ra<; -rE E<pLO'-riiO'L -rOu-rwv, Ka1 EnElSaV
napaYYEAn ~a<TLAEV<;, XWPOilO'LV E<p' 6 -rL av YEV'1-raL Xpda.
34 Ton flEv ouv, w<; EO"rpa-rEuE-ro TEfI~P'1<; EAauvwv -rbv
"ii<; AO'[a<; O'-rpa-rov, Ka1 E1ti>90v-ro En1 O'<pii<; O"rpa-rEvoflE-
vov, ~aO'LAEo<; flEV-rOL ~v -rE ayopav rrUflnaO'av E<; O'-rpa-rl>v
nOL'1O'aflEvo <; EO"rpa-ronESEuE-rO, En1 nOAAoo<; -rl> ~a90<;
nOL'1O'aflEvo <;. Ka1 au-r,,<; flev -rau-rn -ra;aflEvo<; "E-rO "fl0O'E
En1 -roo<; nOAEfI[ov<;, flo1pav St npoEnEfiVE ~v napoSov
Ka-raA'1vofiEVOV<;, Ii ~flEnE SLanopEuE0'9aL TEfI~P'1<; "
~aO'LAEu<;, Ka1 SLaKwAilO'aL EKEAEVEV, 6noL SvvaLv-ro, w<;
222
BOOK 3
rather millet for the most part and rye; they wear linen gar-
ments and are considered the most prosperons and richest
with regard to the wealth derived from precious stones.
Generally speaking, they use bows, barbarian swords, and
shields like those of the Wallachians. They usually wear felt
hats, but not like those who live around Russia, nor gar-
ments made of wool because they do not use linen." The
Horde of these Skythians and the Great King extends for a
fifteen-day journey, so that they are most adept at distribut-
ing the land among themselves, even though they are dis-
persed into small groups, and they come to one point from
different directions. They extend their Horde out over the
longest distance, distribute the land, provide abundant pas-
turage for their pack animals, and thus arrange things for
themselves in the best way that accords with their customs.
They set up circular forts only for the king himself and the
notables and make circuit walls, providing their king with
a court constructed out of wood. They divide this entire
Horde into sections, appoint lords over them, and whenever
the king bids them they depart upon whatever business is
necessary.
At that time then, when Timur marched out leading the 34
army of Asia, and the Skythians learned that he was march-
ing against them, their king turned the whole Horde into an
army and made camp; this army had considerable depth in
numbers. 58 He himself drew it up into formation there and
set out against the enemy, sending a contingent in advance
to hold the pass through which King Timur would come.
He ordered them to block Timur however they could by
223
 THE HISTORIES
KpaT,cr'm flaxoflevov<; T<I> Tefl~pn. OilTO<; fl1:v 8~ reapa-
Aa~wv ~v flee' eaVTou flolpav, Tefl~ P'1<; 81: w<; btl]e, TOV
CT'rpaTOV, eueu Tava'i80<; treopeueTo, tv 8e;,~ 1'Xwv TOV
KauKacrov. 'Ered 81: elcre~aAev t<; T~V ~KVe'K~V, eilpe TOU<;
~KUea<; tcrTpa-roree8wfl£vov<;. Kat w<; !lcreovTo tmovTa,
reapeTacrcrov-ro w<; t<; flaX'lv, Kat aUTo<; Te aVTmapeTacrcreTo,
Kal flaXYJv flev T,va treo,~cravTo tv Tfi reap084', Kal ou81:v
reAeov ""Xe Tefl~p'1<; tv -rfi flaxn TaUTn· MeTa 8£, w<;
ere'1vAicraTo, Tfi ucrTepaiq aile,<; reapeTacrcreTo, Kat eflax£-
cravTo Kal e;eKpoucravTo aUTov, ",crTe fI'18' orewcrouv t;elvaL
aUTov reap,evaL e'(crw Kal ecr~aAAe,v e<; T~V xwpav. Kat
aUTou 1:£ 8,ecpee'pe TOU CT'rpaTeuflaTo<; aUTou OUK oAiyov<;
imo TWV ~KVeWV. MeTa 8e, w<; OUX 010<; Te ty£veTo £'icrw
reapeAeciv 81aKwAvoflevo<;, a~yaye TOV crTpaTov Kal av-
exwpe, ere' O'(KOV.
35 Tou 8' emyevofl£vov etpov<; CT'rpaT,aV w<; fleyicrT'1 v
crVAA£;a<;, Kat eret A'(yvreTov ev v<l> 1'Xwv crTpaTeuecreaL,
fl eTa 81: [U29} crvCT'rptta<;, !jAavvev aile,<; tret ~KUea<;,
crTaeflou<; tAauvwv w<; fleyicrTOV<;. Kat 1'cpe'1Te 8~ ecr~aAwv
e<; T~V ~KVeLK~V, Kat CTVvefl,;e floipq T,vt aUTou eret ~v
1'cp080v eree'yoflevo,<;, Kat crvfI~aAwv au-rfi hpetaTo. au
fI£VTO' ye areeytveTo, 6 T' Kat &;LOV AOYOV, ev TaUTn Tfi
crvfI~oAfi. at yap ~KUeaL fley'CT'rOV 8~ TOUTO 1'xovcr,v
ayaeov' tv Tn Tporefi CTVcrTpecpoflevo, aile,<; tAauvovcr,v eret
TOU<; reoAefliov<;, ou8ev T' KaTa T~V TpO~V xaAereov
Ocp,crTaflevo,. MeTa 8e, w<; eret TOV ~acr'A£a ~KVeWV !jAacre,
reapeTa;aTo Te el<; flaX'lV, Kat ol ~KUea, VVKTO<; areexwpovv
wcret crTa810v<; £'iKOcr, Kat eKaTOv. '0.<; 81: erci]e, Tefl~p'1<;'
224
BOOK 3
fighting vigorously against him. He took command of the
contingent that was with him. Timur led his army and pro-
ceeded directly to the Don, keeping the Caucasus to his
right. But when he invaded Skythia, he found the Skythians
encamped. When they realized that he was approaching,
they deployed for battle. He deployed in a counterforma-
tion, and a battle was fought at the pass in which Timur was
unable to accomplish anything. After that he made camp
and again deployed for battle on the next day. They fought
and repelled him, so that it was impossible for him to gain
entry and invade the country. A large part of his army was
destroyed there by the Skythians. Afterward, as he was un-
able to pass through because he was being blocked, he led
his army away and returned home.
The following summer he assembled a huge army with 35
the intention of invading Egypt. But then he wheeled
~round and advanced directly against the Skythians, cover-
mg the longest distances on each day's march. He arrived
sooner than expected, invaded Skythia and engaged with a
contingent that had hurried to meet his attack. He engaged
them m battle and routed them. But he did not accomplish
much by this battle, for the Skythians have this outstand-
ing advantage: when they are routed, they wheel around and
charge at the enemy again, and thus they do not suffer seri-
ous harm during routs. After that, when he advanced against
the king of the Skythians, he deployed for battle, but the
Skythians withdrew at night to a distance of about a hundred
and twenty stades. Timur came against them, advancing
225
 THE HISTORIES
Sl1']f'EpEUWV tm']AallvE, VIlK,O<; aVe,<; anEXWpOIlV O[ LKUeat,
W<TtE S~ 'tau'ra n010Uf'EVO<; i'Kaf'VE 't<ji TEf'~pn 6 <Ttpa'to<;,
KalnpoEKaAel'to t<; f'ax1']v 'tWV LKlleWV ~aO'lAea.
36 ME'ta St 'tau'ta <Ttpa'tonESEIlO'af'EVO<; e<; ~V UO''tEpa[av
napE'ta~a'tO Ka'ta '{Aa<;. TEf'~P1']<; St napE't<l<YO'E'tO EnlnoAo
'to ~aeo<;, EXWV tnl 'to SE~lOV Xa"(Sap1']v o-UV 'tOl<; MaO'-
O'aYE'tat<;, Enl St 'to EUWVIlf'OV 'tOY nalSa ao'tou Laxpouxov
o-UV 'tOl<; IIepO'a,,; 'tE Kal 1\O'O'llp[Ol<;, Kal Xa'tatwv, 00'01
elnov'to. 'Ene! St O'OVEf'lO-YOV aAA~Aol<; 'ta O''tpa'tEuf'a'ta,
Kal tf'axov'to, f'aX1']<; 'tE Kap'tEpii<; YEvof'ev1']<; ooSev 'tl
nAeov EO"XOV o[ LKUeaL ME'ta Se, w<; wO'af'Evol e'ixov'to
'tou EpyOIl tV'tOVW'tEpOV ot LKueat, ~oS' w<; t'tpevav'to 'tOY
TEf'~PEW <Ttpa'tov, {I.I30} anE'tpanov'to, Kal ane~aAOV EV
'tau"n 'tfi f'axn OOK 6A[yoll<;. Kal EnEO'ov ano 'tou O''tpa'tou
'tWV IIEpO'WV OUK 6A[Y01. "Y <TtEpOV f'eV'tOl, W<; ouStv
EnpaO'O'ov O[ LKueat f'aX6f'EVOl 't<ji TEf'~PEW O''tpa't<ji,
ijAallvov E<; 'to np6crw EX0f'EV01, W<; tv'to<; 'tij<; xwpa<; 't00<;
nOAEf'[OIl<; anoA1']vof'EVOL '0 f'eV'tOl TEf'~P1']<; O'Il<Ttpa<pe!<;
ijAallve 'tE au'to, 'ta Ef'naA1V YEv6f'EVO<;, Ka[ nw<; E<pe1'] E<;
'tOY Tava'(v a<plKOf'EVO<;.
37 ME'ta Se 'tau'ta t<; ~V 'I~1']p[av 't~V EV 'tfi 1\0'(1): a<plKOf'E-
I
I VO<; anExwpEl S,a 'tij<; KOAX[So<;, 'tOY <l>iiO'1V au'too Sla~a<;
no'taf'ov, 'tOY ano KallKaO'oll peov'ta Enl EU~E1VOV nov'tov.
'EO'~aAwv St t<; ~V 1\Pf'EV[WV xwpav am']AallvEv Enl
XEp[1']<;. 'EnEnpaYEl St OU'tW au'tou 'to <Ttpa'tEllf'a E<; ~V
Enl LKueat<; 'tau't1']v i:'AaO'lV. T<ji Se 'tp['t'!' E'tEl napaO'KEIl-
!
! aO'af'EVOl ot LKUeal w<; af'IlVOUf'EVOl ~aO'lAea TEf'~P1']V,
ijAaO'av 'tE Kal EneSpaf'ov xwpav ~V unep 't00<; 1\O'<1lJp[OIl<;.
226
BOOK 3
during the day, but the Skythians again withdrew during the
rught, so that by doing this Timur's army was eKhausted.59
So he began to challenge the king of the Skythians to battle.
After .that, he encamped and, on the following day, ar- 36
ran~ed hIs a~my by companies. Timur drew up in a deep for-
matIOn, havIng Haydar on the right with the Massagetai and
~n the left his s~n Shahrukh60 with as many Persians, Assyr-
Ians, and KhataIans as were with the army. When the armies
engaged with each other and fought, a furious battle ensued
and the Skythians were unable to accomplish anything. Af-
ter that, as the Skythians began to push back, they fought
more VIgorously, but they were unable to rout Timur's army.
Instead, they were routed and lost many men in this battle:
Many men from the Persian army also were slain. Later, as
the Skythians failed to accomplish anything by fighting
agaInst the army ofTimur, they withdrew further in order to
deal with the enemy in the interior of the land. But Timur
turned back and also withdrew, reaching the Don as quickly
ashe could.
After that,. he left and went to Iberia, the one in Asia,6! by 37
way ofKoichls, croSSIng over the river Phasis there, the one
that flows from the Caucasus to the Black Sea. After invad-
ing the land of the Armenians, he marched back to Kherie.62
That, then, was what his army did in this attack against the
Skythlans. In the third year the Skythians prepared to fight
back against King Timur: they advanced and raided the land
227
 THE HISTORIES
'E1tpEO'~eue'to l'OV ouv lJO''tepov 1tepl O'1tovSWV 1tpO<; 'te 'tOY
~aO'lAta 'tou OupSav Kal1tpo<; O'Ul'1ta<Yav 't~v ayopav, £1tl-
yal'lav 'te u1tlCY)(Voul'evo<;, Kal O'1tovSa<; 'te £1tOl~O'av'to, £'1"
4i ;ovou<; -re Kal <p[Aou<; elval aAA~AOl<;.
38 n<; So 'ta 1tpO<; 'toil<; LKU6a<; Ka6lO"t1'], ~AaUVEV £1tl
Luplav KO[A1']V. 'EAC«Ya<; So £1tl bal'aO'KOV ~V -re 1tOAlV
£1tOAlOpKel, Kal l'1']xava<; 1tpOO'<pOpWV 't<l> 'tELXEl i[AE 'te Ka'ta
Kpa'tO<; ~V 1tOAlV Kal ~VSpa1toSlO'a'to, 1tOAlV l'eylO''t1']v S~
'to-re ouO'av Kat EuSall'ovEO''tlh1']v, Kal'~Aou<; 'te Ev'teu6ev
a1t~yayev £<; ouaKlO'XlAlou<; 'ta<; {Ll3l} 1taO'a<;. "OA~OV S~
l'eyLCr'tov £v 'tau-rn 'tii 1tOAeL A1']',O'al'evo<; a~Aauvev o1tlO'w
£1t' olKou, Adav 'te 1tOAA~V Kal euSall'ova ayol'evo<;. 'E1tpe-
O'~eue'to l'ev'tOl Kal1tpo<; 'tOY 'tij<; Mel'<pLO<; ~a<YlAta, LOUA-
SaVOY olJ'tw S~ £;oxw<; KaAOul'evov, Kal ~;lou Ko[A1']<; LU-
pla<; lJ1t0XwpijO'al ol, wO"te £<; O'1tovSa<; 'tE LEVaL au't<l> Kal
eip~v1']v £1tl 'tou't'!' 1toLeIO'6aL. n<; So 1tP01tOl'1tOV'tl OU 1tpO-
exwpEl, ~S1'] 1tapaO'KwaO'al'Evo<;, EAWV 'te Kal avSpa1to-
SlO'al'evo<; ~v bal'aO'Kov 1tOAlV euSall'ova, a1texwpeL Sl'
al'tlav, ~v 'tlva e<; 'to 1tpoO'w 'tou AOYOU lwv <Y1']l'avw.
39 '0 So 'tij<; Mel'<pLO<; ~a<YlAEil<; xwpa<; 'te apXeL OUK oAly1']<;
Kal euSall'ovo<;' Cl1tO Apa~wv ap;al'evo<; Luplav 'te Ko[A1']V
Kal I1aAaLO"tlv1']v Kal O'Ul'1taO'av S~ A'lyu1t'tov u<p' au't<l>
~XeL. BamAeil<; So Ka6lO''ta'taL 'tij<; Mel'<pLO<; Kal'tij<; apxij<;
'tijO'SE 'tp01t'!' 'tOl<l>Se. "OO'Ol 'twv avSpa1toSwv ape'tij<; 'tl
l'e'ta1tOLOuv'taL ev'tau-rn 'tfi XWPII, U1tO ~aO'lAOw<; Ka6lO''tav-
'tal £<; 'toil<; O''tpa'tlw'ta<;. ElO'l So OU'tOl Sopu<popouv'te<; ~a­
O'lAoa, al'<pl 'tov<; SlO'l'uplou<;, Mal'aAouKlSe<; KaAOul'eVOl.
A1to 'tou'twv So, OO'Ol e1tlO'1']l'ol e1tl 'to Ka'tepya~eO'6aL
228
BOOK 3
above the Assyrians. 63 But he later sent envoys to the king of
the Horde and the entire Horde in order to make a treaty,
~ffenng a marriage alliance. And they made a treaty, agree-
Illg to be each other's friends and allies.
Having settled his relations with the Skythians, Timur 38
set out against Koile Syria. He advanced against the city of
Damascus and besieged it and, by bringing siege engines
agalllst the walls, he took the city by force and enslaved it. 64
At the time it was a huge city and very wealthy. He led away
from there a total of eight thousand camels. Plundering a
massive amount of wealth in that city, he marched back
home, bringing a lot of valuable loot with him. He had sent
an envoy to the king of Cairo, who bears the magnificent ti-
tle of sultan," and offered to withdraw from Koile Syria so
that he could make a treaty with him and establish peace
on that basis. It was when his overtures in this matter had
failed, seeing as he was already prepared, that he captured
and enslaved the prosperous city of Damascus, but he de-
parted for a reason I will disclose in a later section of my
narrative. 66
The king of Cairo rules over a large and prosperous land. 39
Beginning from the land of the Arabs, he controls Koile
Syria, Palestine, and all of Egypt. The king of Cairo and of
this realm in general is appointed in the following way.
AIl the slaves who display valor in that land are appointed
by the klllg to the ranks of soldiers. These soldiers form the
king's guard, about twenty thousand strong, and are called
the Mamluks. Among them, those who distinguish them-
229
 THE HISTORIES
o'tloiiv 'twv uno ~aOlAtw<; 't£'taYflevwv, OO'tOl t<; 'ta<; apxa <;
Ka'ta ~paxo Ka81enafl£vOl tnt fI£l~ov xwpoiial wX,]<; i\fla
Kant ~acnAtw<;, Ka1 t<; 'ta npw'ta 'tlflfj<; a;LOufI£vOl tn1'tou<;
KaAollfievoll <; M£AlKafl,]paSa<; Ka8[cnav'taL, a,!,' wv S~-rij<;
xwpa<; tn' au't~v ~S'] xwpoiicn ~v ~acnAtw<; xwpav, Ka1
en1 ~v -rij<; Mefl'!' 10<; apmv Ka1 ollfinCta-,]<; -rij<; 't£AtyUn'toll
Apa~[a<; 't£ Ka1 I1aAaLen[v,]<; Ka1 'twv &AAWV apxwv, OOaL
ono 'tou't'!' 'tQ ~aOlA£l {I.I32} 'tanov'taL. M£AlKafl,] paS£<;
do1v apxa1 t<; 'ta<; nOA£I<; 'ta<; uno njvS£ 't~v ~aOlAElaV
t1tl~flOll<;, &pxov't£<; Ka81enafl£vol uno ~aolAew<;.
T~v Se noAlv 'tau't']v -rij<; Mefl'!'LO<; fI£y[en']v S~ naowv
'twv Ka'ta ~v otKOllflEV,]V noA£wv ~en£ ~v &AA']V £vSaL-
flov[av Kat 'to nAfj80<; 'twv av8pwnwv. "0 't£ yap n£pt~o-
1.0<; 'tau't']<; -rij<; xwpa<; t<; En'taKoo[oll<; flaAlo'ta enaS[oll<;
SI~KWV. Evvofl£l-ral Se KaAAlo'ta naowv S~, WV ~fI£l<; 'i0fl£v,
noA£wv. O[K[a<; St ~X£IV KaAA[ena<; Aey£'taL E<; 'ta<; n£vnj-
Kona flllplaSa<;. 'Pd Se Sla flEO']<; -rij<; nOA£w<; N£lAo<; no-
'taflo <;, Kpa'tlenov uSwp nap£xofl£vo<;, pEWV ano apyupoii
OpOll<;. AYyun'tovSe crVflnaoav apS£u£1 E<; 'ta KaAAlena
Ka'ta 'ta<; SIWPllXa<; uno 'twv EKao'taXfj xwpwv Ka't£OK£lJ-
aOflevwv, wen£ ~v xwpav &pS£IV tnl't']SElw<; ~X£IV. 0[-
Koiiol Se 't~v xwpav 'tau't']v Mov08£Afj'taL Ka1 'IaKw~l-raL,
~8v'] 't"£ OVK DA[ya, Kat 'twv e<; 't~v 'toii 'I']oou 'tou 8EOii
8p,]oKElaV 't£Aounwv 't£ Ka1 '!'povouv'twv &AAWV &AAn,
ou't£ Ka'ta 'tou<; 'Pwfla[Oll<;, oil't£ Ka'ta 'ta "EAA']OI S£-
SOYfieva E<; ~v 8p,]OKElaV '!'povoiiv't£<;· aXil OOOl flEV dOlV
ApflEVlOl nAdo'tol ava ~v xwpav 'tau't']v, Mov08£Afj'taL
S~ Ka1 'IaKw~l-raL Ka1 MavlxalOl naflnoAAol.
23 0
BOOK 3
selves at carrying out any of the king's orders are soon pro-
moted to higher ranks, advance to a higher fortune in the
king's entourage, and claim the highest honor of the Melik
amirs, as they are called, or the "royal amirs." From that po-
sition they advance to the actual position of king and the
realm of Cairo and all Egypt, Arabia, Palestine, and all the
other dominions that are subject to this king. For the royal
amirs are the authorities in charge of the distinguished cities
of this kingdom, and are lords appointed by the king.
This city of Cairo is the largest of all the cities in the 40
world with respect to the size of its population and its gen-
eral prosperity. The circumference of its territory is about
seven hundred stades. It is the best governed city of all that
we knOw. It is said that it has the most excellent houses,
close to five hundred thousand of them." The Nile River
flows through the city, providing the best water, and it flows
down from the Silver Mountain." It irrigates all of Egypt in
the most excellent way by means of the canals that are built
through every district, so that it can efficiently irrigate the
land. In this land live Monothelites, Jacobites, and many
other groups whose religious customs and doctrines belong
to those groups who practice and worship the religion of the
God Jesus in other ways, that is, not according to the ways
of the Romans or the Greeks. But the Armenians are very
numerous in this land too, and there are countless Mono-
thelites,Jacobites, and Manicheans. 69
23'
 THE HISTORIES
4' L\.L~KeL Sf. ~ xwpa 1'00 'til<; MEfL<PlO<; ~aO"LAEW<; ano
AL~UYJ<; ~(ne nOALV XaAenlYJv oi)1'w KaAOufLEVYJV Ka1'it 1'~V
Acrlav' VOfLl~e1'at S' Oii1'o<; 0 ~a(1LAeu<; uno 1'e 1'WV EV 1'n
Acrlc,t E9vwv Kat uno 1'WV 'til<; AL~VYJ<; Kat S~ Kat uno 1'WV
EV 1'fi Evpwnn apXLepev<; 1'e 1'it E<; 1'~V 9pYJcrKelav av1'WV Kat
1'it E<; 1'OU<; VOfLou<; 1'00 MeXfLE1'ew, nafLnOAAWV av1'OO
1'au"D SLSacrKofLEvwV 1'OU<; 'til<; 9pYJcrKela<; av1'OO [l.'33}
v6fLou<;, Kat w<; ano 1'WV naAalO1'EpWV aPXLepev<; n
EvofLlcr9YJ, Kat ypafLfLacrL 1'oT<; WU1'WV anoSelKvvcr9at aKpL-
~Ecr1'a1'a S~ 1'OV 1'00 MeXfLE1'ew VOfLov. TDV Se 1'a<pov 1YJ-
croo Ka1'it ~V I1aAaLcr1'lvYJv Ka1'EXOV1'e<; fLEya 1'e ano<pE-
POV1'at KepSo<;, Kat apXOV1'e<; fLEYLcr1'OL S~ 1'00 ~acrLAEW<;
O"(KOU E<; <pUAaK~V 1'00 cr~fLa1'o<; Ka9lmav1'aL. L\.L~KeL Se
A"Lyun1'o<; anD <Dapou 'til<; hle;avSpela<; ~me 'houpalav
xwpav, Enl maSlou<; fLaALcr1'a nYJ [ ...} '0 Sf. NerAo<; 0 'til<;
Alyt\n1'ou n01'afL0<; EKSLSoT E<; 9aAacrcrav npo<; ~oppav
avefLov Ka1'it hle;avSpetav 'til<; Alyt\n1'ou. 'Ev1'e0gev apxe-
1'at ~ I1aAatcr1'lvYJ SL~Koucra ~cr1'e Enl KOrAYJV Luplav. 'Ev
1'au1'n S' ~cr1'L 1'0 1'00 Kuplou 1YJcroo crfjfLa, Ka1'it 1'~V 'Iepo-
croAufLwv nOALv, ~ S~ Ka1'EcrKa1t1'at. Kal aii1'at fLev napaALat
xwpaL' KOrAYJ Se Lupla SL~Ket EntApa~lav Ent 1'~v'Epu9pitv
9aAacrcrav 1'<Ii npo<; !'w lov1''' L\.La~aV1'L Se ~v 9aAacrcrav
'f'afLfL0<; 1'e SExe1'aL av1'oo 1'au"D SLanopevofLEvwv Ent 1'0
crfjfLa 1'00 MeXfLE1'ew. Ai)1'YJ S' ~ xwpa ~aO"LA£w<; 1'ii<; MEfL-
<p1O<; ovcra, npo<; Se Kat ~ <DoLvlKYJ.
42 L\.uvafLL<; SE EmL 1'<Ii ~acrLAeT 1'<liSe Ka1'it 9aAacrcrav
a;Loxpew<;, ~v9a S~ E<plcr1'a1'at LafL0<;, nAoTa n Kat
1'PL~ peL<;. Kunpov 1'e unYJyaye1'o, Kat Ent 'PoSOV Kat Kunpov
23 2
BOOK 3
The territory of the king of Cairo extends from North 4'
Africa to the city that is called Aleppo in Asia. This king is
regarded by the peoples ofAsia, North Africa, and even Eu-
rope as the senior cleric of their religion and of the laws of
Muhammad. Countless people have been taught his laws by
him there, and he has been regarded as their religious leader
from the early days, expounding the law of Muhammad with
great precision in their script. 70 They control the sepulcher
of Jesus in Palestine and derive much profit from it. The
greatest lords of the royal house are appointed guardians of
this tomb. Egypt extends from the Lighthouse of Alexan-
dria" to the land of the Ituraeans,72 a distance of about [ ...}
stades. The Nile, the river of Egypt, flows northward and
empties into the sea at Alexandria in Egypt. Here begins
Palestine, which extends until Koile Syria. The tomb of the
Lord Jesus is there, at the city ofJerusalem which has been
razed to the ground. 73 And these are the coastal lands. Koile
Syria extends to Arabia and the Red Sea for one traveling
east. As one crosses the sea, the sand there greets those who
are traveling to the tomb of Muhammad. 74 This is the land
of the king of Cairo, in addition to Phoenicia.
This king possesses significant sea power in terms of 42
ships and triremes, and Samos presides over them. 75 He sub-
jected Cyprus and has sent his armies by ship against
233
 THE HISTORIES
1tEflVal -ra n 1tAota Kal cr-rpa-rov criJv av-rois. ~la1tAEvcras
80 nlv -rE 1tOAlV E1tOAlOPKEl, Kal 'ri]v vijcrov [I.I34} AI,.(craflE-
, I
vos 1tpocrE~aAE -rE -riii -rdXEl E1t1 ijflEpaS lKavas' Kal WS
ov80v 1tpOVXWPEl ij -rijs 1tOAEWS alpEcrlS, a1tEXWp!]crEv E1t'
o'(KOIJ. Tijv flEnol Kv1tpov V1t!]yayE-ro, Kal -rov -rE ~acrlAEa
!
Kv1tpoIJ /iywv -rE 4IXE-rO' a'j>' oli 8ij-ra xpOVOIJ 'j>opov -rE
a1taYEl ij Kv1tpoS -riii8E -riii ~acrlAEi. ~OKEi 80 ij vijcros aih!]
V1tO -r6v8E YEvEcr9m -rov ~acrlAEa -ro 1taAmov. KEA-rol 80 wS
a'j>iKono E1t1 -rb -rou 'I!]crou -rou 8eou crijfla, 80IJAwcraflEvol
nlv -rE vijcrov -rav""1v u1t!]yayono cr'j>icrl, cr-r6AOV E1tayoflE-
VOL Kal 8vvafllv a~loxpEWV. 'Hl Kal 'EvE-rol Afla90uv 1tOAlV
Ev8aiflova XElpwcraflEvOl E1t1 crIJXVOV -rlva Xp6vov 8laKa-r-
Eixov, OPfl!]nlPLOV -rijs 1tpbS A'(YIJ1t-rov Efl1tOp iaS av-rwv.
Kal -ro EnEu9Ev emo KEA-rWV ~aCJ"lAEis 8laYEv6flEVOl ~acrl­
AEVOIJcrlV EV -rav-rn -eft vijcr<p. N Eflov-rm flEV-rOl Kal ol J\pa-
~ES flEpOS -rl -rijs vijcrOIJ -rav""1S Kal 1tOAlV KaAOIJflEV!]V
AflfloxwC1"'IJv. Tiii flev oliv ~acrlAEt MEfl'j>lOS -rE Kal At-
yU1t-rOIJ 1tOAEflOS -rE Ecr-rl1tpOS -rovS EV -rft Apa~tq Kal 1tp bS
-rODS 1mb -rijs Al~V!]S, 8la'j>EpoflEVOIJS 1tEpl yijs opwv, fla-
XEcraflEv<p -ra -rE /iAAa Kal 8ij 8la XaAE1tLOv. XaA£1tLOV 80
1tOAlS av-rou EV -eft Acriq flEyaA!] -rE Ka\ Ev8aiflwv, Kal Eft-
1topiav 1tapExoflEV!] -rijs n Acrias Kal AtyU1t-roIJ Ka\
Apa~[as. "I1t1tOIJS 80 EK'j>EPEl ij xwpa ail-r!] YEwa[oIJS. ~o­
KEi 8, Kal ~ -rE A'(YIJ1t-rOS Kal ij 1tpbS Al~V!]V xwpa 'j>EPElV
l1t1tOIJS -rE aya90DS Kal KaflijAOIJS·
43 Tijv flEV-rOl XaAE1ti!]v 1tOAlV TEflijP!]S, O-rE 8ij Kal E1tl
[I.I35} ~aflaCJ"Kbv Ecr-rpa-rEVE-ro, U1t!]yayE-ro, Ka\ KOLA!]S
LIJp[as OUK OAiYl]v xwpav Ka-racr-rpEvaflEVOS a1tEXWPEl 8l'
234
BOOK 3
Rhodes and Cyprus. Sailing across, he besieged the city,
plundered the isla~d, and attacked the walls for many days:
But as he was makmg no progress in taking the city, he de-
parted for home. ~ever~heless, he did eventually subject
Cyprus and captvre Its king before leaving. Since that time
Cyprus has paid a tribute to this king." But it seems th t
this island had come under the power of this king long ag:.
When the Fre.nch came to the tomb of the God]esus, they
~nslaved thIS Island and subjected it to themselves, bring-
mg thelf fleet and significant forces. 77 The Venetians seized
the ~rospero~s city of Limassol and held it for a long time,
making It theIr base for trade with Egypt. Then, the kings of
the French reIgned over this island. Nevertheless, the Arabs
also h~ld part of this island and the city called Famagusta.
The ~g of Cairo and Egypt has fought wars against those
m Arabia and North Africa over their differences regarding
borders; he has fought over other places but especially over
Aleppo. Aleppo is his large and prosperous city in Asia and a
trading center for Asia, Egypt, and Arabia. The land breeds
noble horses. Egypt and the land toward North Africa also
seem to produce good horses and camels.
Timur subjected the city of Aleppo when he marched 43
agalllst Damascus," and he conquered a large part of the
land of Kolle Syria, but then he departed for the following
235
 THE HISTORIES
ah:lav -r~voe. '0 yap -rOL -rije; Xa-rciLrje; ~a(nAeUe; -rwv tvvta
KaA01)ftevO e;, oli-roe; 0' CtV Kat" -ri'je; 'Ivolae; ~acrLAeue;, oLa~ae;
-rOY ApaSt]v ~v -re xwpav t1ttopafte -rou TqL~pew, Kat
avopa1tooa we; 1tAelcr-ra a1taywv 4lXe-ro alieLe; t1t' O'{KOO
n
Ct1tOXWpwv. "Hyaye oe cr-rpa-rov, Atye-raL, te; -recrcrapa-
Kov-ra Kat f-Ka-rov ftOpLaoae;. Teft~pt]e; oe we; ~Aaove -r~v
-raXlcr-rt]v, -ri'je; ftev xwpae; u'l>LEftevOe;, -r4' Oe -raxeL E1teLyofte-
VOe; OLa'llOAaSaL, ocra -re ~v au-r4' "ftopouv-ra, ~v Xa-rcilwv
xwpav, Kat EV -rfi I1epcrwv aVeLe; Kat Kaooocrlwv apxfi OUK
"cpet] Ka-raAa~wv -rOY ~a<1LAEa. 'Ev-reueev OLa1tpecr~eocra­
ftevoe;, <11tovoae; -re t1tOL~cra-ro, ev v4' "Xwv E1tt I1aLa~~-rt]v
-rOY Aftoopa-rew cr-rpa-reuecreaL. 'E1tOL~cra-ro ovv cr1tovoae;,
ECP' 4> a1tayeLv cpopov lKavov {mep -ri'je; -rwv Macrcraye-rwv
xwpae;, ijv Ka-racr-rpe'!taftevoe; elXev .
44 ne; Oe 1tpOe; -rou-rov cr1tovoae; -re E1tOL~cra-ro Kat etp~vt]v,
Sovt]vexet] au-r4' -ra Ee; -roue; a1to -rije; Ka-rw Acrlae; TOUpKWV
ijyeftovae; acpIXeal -re 1tap' Eao-rov, Kat -ra 1tept -r~v MeAL-
~vt]v. 'E1tOALOpK~crav-ro -rau-rt]v -r<li I1aLa~~'L1l' I1apa<1Keo-
acraftevoe; Oe cr-rpa-rov ftEYLcr-rOV ~Aaovev E1tt Le~acr-reLav,
1tOALV -ri'je; Ka1t1taOOKlae; eu8alftova. L'>.oKel 8e av-rt] ij 1tOALe;
~acro..eLa yevEcreaL -rou 1tpo-repov ~acrLAEwe; [I.I36} TOUpKWV,
Kat a1to -rau-rt]e; 6pftWftEVOOe; -roue; TOUpKOOe; -ro 1taAaLOV
xwpav tJ1taY0ftevooe; -ri'je; -re Acr(ae; OUK OA(Yt]V, Ee; -rOV'EA-
A~cr1tOV-rov -re Kat av-rLKpu Bo~av-rloo xwpav -r~v te; ~v
Acrlav tm8paftelv xeLpt 1tOAAfi acpLKoftevOOe;. Teft~pt]e; ftev
iii ovv we; acplKe-ro, E1tOALOpKeL -r~v 1tOALV' I1aLa~~-rt]e; 8e a1tijv
,
-ro-re, E1tt Ae~a8eLav -ri'je; BOLw-rlae; Kat e1tt I1eA01tOvvt]crov
BOOK 3
r~as~n. The king of Khat ai, who is known as the "king of the
nine and IS also the king of India, crossed the Araxes and
raided Timur's land. He seized as many captives as he could
and departed, returning home.'9 He led an army, it is said,
that was one hundred and forty times ten thousand strong.
Tlmur advanced as quickly as possible, abandoning that
land and hurrying to defend his territories that bordered on
the land of the Khataians. Coming to the kingdoms of the
Persians and the Kadousioi, he was not in time to catch the
king. At that point he sent an envoy and made a treaty, be-
cause he Intended to march against Bayezid, the son of Mu-
rad. So he made a treaty, whose terms were that a substantial
tribute would be paid on behalf of the land of the Massage-
tai, which he had conquered.
Whe~ he had made a treaty and peace with this king, he 44
became Involved in the matter concerning the rulers of the
Turks from Asia Minor who had come to him, and also the
business of Melitene, which had been besieged by Bayezid. 80
He prepared a huge army and advanced to Sebasteia, a pros-
perous city in Kappadokia. It seems that this city had been
the royal court of the previous sultan of the Turks, and it was
from this city that the Turks had set out in the past to sub-
Ject much of Asia. 81 With large forces, they had raided in
Asia as far as the Hellespont and the land across from Byz-
antLOn. When Timur arrived, he besieged the city. Bayezid
was absent at that time, campaigning against Lebadeia in
Boiotia and against the Peloponnese and Thessaly. He had
237
 THE HISTORIES
Kat EkC1;aA[av <1't-pa't'wOfleVO<;. Ka't'EAlTCe S1: ev 'tfi Le~a­
<1't'elq <1't'pa't'ov 't'e 't'OV tij<; l\<1[a<; Kat1taiSa 'Op80ypoUA'lV'
Kat 't'au't'n Ka't'a<1't''l<1afleVO<; au't'o<; flev E1t! IIeA01tOVV'l<10V
E<1't'pa't'eUe't'O. "Ev8a S~ 1tv80flEV<!', w<; Tefl~p'l<; EAMa<; 1t0-
ALOpKO['l Le~a<1't'eLaV, ~AavVe 't'it Efl1taALV yevofleVO<;, Ka!
OUK E;eyeVe't'O au't'4i E<1~aA8V E<; tijv IIeA01tOVV'l<10V.
45 'E1teLYOfleVO<; Se 't'~V e1tt tijv l\<1[av 1tOpelav E1tU8e-r0
itAwVa[ 't'e tijv 1tOALV Kat avSpa1toSL<1afleVOV 0'lXe<18aL ali8L<;
it1tLOV't'a E1tt Xep['l<;' D<; yitp S~ 1tpO<1E~aAeV E1t! ~fltpa<;
[Kava<;, O[ ClTCO tij<; 1tOAeW<; E;eKpOU<1av-ro 't'OV Tefl~peW
<1't'pa't'ov. 'Ev-rau8a EXWV fle8' eav't'ou OpVK't'it<; E<; OK't'a-
KL<1XLA[OV<; 't'OV apL8flov, iJ1twpV<1<10V ,mo tijv nv opuYfla't'a
<ptpov't'a E<; 't'o 't'8X0<; tij<; 1tOAeW<; it1tav't'aXfj. Kat £vLa fl1:v
oi tij<; 1tOAeW<; n<180v't'o 't'e, Kat av't'0pu<1<10V't't:<; Kat au't'ot
E;eKpOU<1av't'o' 't'it S1: 1tAtw ~VUe't'O au't'4i Ii't'e 1tOAVXeLp[q
Epya~ofltvwv. D<; S~ ~S'l 't'it 't'elm OpWPVK't'O Ka! E1tt ;u-
AwV ~S'l ~v fle't'Ewpa, 1tiip tVLEV't'e<; Ka't'e~A~8'l 't'e 't'it 't'elm
au't'ofla't'a, Kat {I.I37} t1tL1te<10V't'e<; Ev't'au8a oi 't'ou Tefl~peW
<1't'pa't'Lw't'aL ei<1t1tL1t't'OV E<; tijv 1tOALV, Kat oihw Ka't'e<1Xov
autijv.
'I 46 Ka! 't'oil<; fl1:v livSpa<;, 1tapeyyv~<1av-ro<; 't'ou ~a<1LAtw<;,
,
aU't'[Ka CAOV't'e<; tijv 1tOALV SLexp~<1av't'o' 1taiSa<; Se Ka! yv-
vaiKa<; 't'~<; 1tOAeW<; E<; Eva xwpov ityaywv tijv 't'e 'l1t1tOV
J i~
I
E1ta<peL<; Ka't'eXp~<1a't'o, W<1't'e fl'lStva 't'WV tij<; 1tOAeW<;, fl~'t't:
'I livSpa, fl~'t'e yvvaiKa, fl~'t't: 1taiSa, 1tepLyeVE<18aL, OlK't'pO-
"
't'a't'a S1: ;Vfl1tav't'wv 't'WV EV'tfi 1tOAeL 8avov't'wv. Atye-raL Se
yeV.t<r8aL av8pw1tov<; afl<P! 't'it<; SWSeKa flvpLaSa<;. IIpo<; S1:
Kat tAe<paV't'Lwv-rwv EV 't'au't'n 'tfi 1tOAeL 1tAfj80<; eVpafleVOV
BOOK 3
left the army of Asia in Sebasteia with his son Ertogrul; hav-
ing made that arrangement, he himself was campaigning in
the Peloponnese. 82 When Bayezid learned that Timur had
advanced to Sebasteia and was besieging it, he retreated and
marched back, and so he did not manage to invade the Pelo-
ponnese.
As Bayezid was hnrrying to Asia he learned that the city 45
had been taken and that Timur had taken captives and left
again to go back to Kherie. Timur had attacked it for many
days, but the people of the city had repelled his army. He
had with him about eight thousand sappers who dug under-
ground tunnels that led up to the walls of the city on all
sides. Some of the people inside realized this and dug coun-
tertunnels and themselves repelled the enemy. But Timur
had completed more, given that he had a larger workforce.
So, when the walls had been undermined and were propped
up on wooden bearns, they set fire to these and the walls col-
lapsed of their own accord. At that point Timur's soldiers at-
tacked the city, stormed it, and thus captured it. 83
On King Timur's orders, the men were killed as soon as 46
the city was taken. The women and children of the city were
gathered in one place and the cavalry were let loose to cut
them down, so that not one person from this city survived-
not a man, woman, or child: everyone in this city died in a
most pitiable way. It is said that its population was about
one hundred and twenty thousand. It is also said that he
found in this city a multitude of people suffering from
239
 THE HISTORIES
AEynm KeAeU<1al aveAeTv. Tou'tou, flev ouv, i"ttl 11<1ge'to
neplov'ta" OUKE'tl e'ia 1;wv'ta, neplVO<1'telV, aAI( w, 11<1ge't0,
'tOU 1;ijv am'JAAanev, ou 9Efll, elVal <pa<1Kwv el, 'tOlau'tl]v
yevoflEvoU, wXl]v nepllEVal 'tou, 'te Aomou, 'tWV av9pwnwv
8la<p9eipov'ta, Kal au'tou, W, 'ta nOAAa napanaLov'ta,.
AEye'tal 8e 'tau'tl], 'tij, nOAew, TI]V <1ufI<popav unep-
~aA£<19al 'ta, nwno'te yevoflEva, 'twv nOAewv ;ufI<popa,.
47 '0 p90YPOUAI]V 8e 'tOY naI8a I1ala1;~'tfw <1UAAa~WV
1;wv'ta enl ijflEpa, neplijye, fle'ta 8e 'tau'ta aVeAelV eKEAW<1e.
I1ala1;~'tI], 8e w, eJt{)9e-ro EKa<1'ta fld ou nOAu, ihe 8ij ij
nOAl, aAOU<1a 8lf<p9apl], Kal 6 naT, au'tou fle't' ou nOAu
~yyeA'to 'teAeu'tij<1al uno ~a<1lAEW, Tefl~pew, ;ufl<p0P~ 'te
expij'tO w, flaAl<1'ta Kal ev nEv9fl ijv. D.la~a, 'te yap 8ij e,
TI]v]\.<1Lav, W, ~O<1KOV 'tlva ewpaKfl aUAouv'ta, AEye'tal 8ij
elnelv, [I.I38} em8I]AW<1av'ta 'to na90, au'tQ, olov ijv,
"aUAel 8ij <i>8~v, ou'te Le~a<1'tflav CmWAe<1eV, ou'te naI8a
'Op90ypOUAI]V." 'Bv yap s~, W, AEye'tal, 'Op90ypOUAI],
'twv ijALKwv 'ta nav'ta Kpa'tl<1'tO" Kal e;I]~<1a<19al enl
nOAeflov [Kavo,' 810 8ij Kal ev 'tft ]\.<1L<;I Ka'teAmev au'tov,
n
enl'tpEta , 'tijv apxijv au'tQ, 80KoLI] alhQ e, 'to enl'tl]-
8flo'ta'tov Ka9 l<1'taVal. Ka'ta flev oily TI]v e, TI]v Le~a<1'tflaV
1'Aa<1lV Tefl~pew 'to<1ao'ta eyEve'to.
Me't' ou nOAu 8e Kal ij npe<1~eia e<pLKe'to napa 'tOY
AaLAana I1ala1;~'tl]v, Kal eKEAW<1eV au'tov an0800val 'te
'tijv Xwpav 'tol, ijyeflO<1', Kal 'ta, 'te 8l<1XlALa, Kafl~Aou,
~ouwpou, Kal <1Kl]va, 8ij 8l<1XlALa" aT, elW9a<1lV o[ vOfla-
Se, ava 'tijv ]\.<1Lav Xpij<19al, Kal ev 'toT, vaoT, 'toT, uno TI]v
I1ala1;~'tew apxijv flvl]floveue<19al au'tov W, ~a<1lAEa, Kal
BOOK 3
leprosy and he ordered them to be killed. In fact, wherever
he discovered such people he would not permit them to go
on living. As soon he discovered them he would take their
lives, saying that it was not right for people who had fallen
into such circumstances to go about causing the death of
even more people, and that they were crazy, for the most
part. It is said that the misfortune suffered by this city sur-
passed any misfortune that any city has ever experienced.
Timur captured Ertogrul, the son of Bayezid, alive and 47
led him around for some days, but afterward he ordered his
execution. 84 When Bayezid, shortly afterward, learned of
each of these events-that the city had been taken and de-
stroyed and that his son had been killed shortly afterward
on the orders of King Timur-he regarded them as the
greatest calamity and was stricken with grie£ He crossed
over into Asia, and there he saw a certain shepherd playing
his pipes, and reportedly said something like this that re-
vealed his sorrow: "He is playing the pipes, having lost nei-
ther Sebasteia nor his son Ertogrul." For it is said that
. Ertogrul was the most powerful among his peers and capa-
ble of waging wars. That is why Bayezid had left him in Asia
and entrusted his realm to him, because he thought that he
would manage it in the most efficient way. That is what hap-
pened during Timur's attack on Sebasteia.
It was shortly afterward that the embassy came to Baye- 48
zid the Hurricane, telling him to return the land to the rul-
ers; to supply the two thousand camel-loads of butter; the
two thousand tents, which the nomads in Asia typically use;
that Timur should be commemorated as king in the shrines
under Bayezid's authority; and that he should use the
 THE HISTORIES
vo~l<Y~a-r' 8£ XPii<YSa, -r<ji ~a"'A£w<; TE~~P'l e<; ""fll'a<yav
-ri]v apmv au-roU, KaSEAbV-ra -ro eao-rou vo~,<Y~a. Ilpo<; 8£
Kat -rwv l'al8wv au-rou lva n-rouv-ro l'apaylvE<YSa, e<; -ra<;
TE~~PEW Supa<;. Kal ijv-rau-ra 1'0 'ii, <pLAov -rE Kat e1tl-r~8ELOV
{<YE<YSa, TEfl~PEW ~M'Aew<;' ijv 8£ ~~ 1'0l~"l1, XPii<YSa,
au-r<ji w<; l'OAE~l4' ~M'Aea TE~~P'lV. 'II, 8e 8~ AtyE-rat So-
~wSev-ra -rov Ilata~~'t"1']v eKelVO 8~ -ro £1'0<; etl'elV, 0 Kat
l'pO-rEpOV ~o, 8E8~Aw-ra" w<; ijv ~~ el"Ka-ra~a<; a<plKo,-rO
el" au-rov, -ri]v yovaTKa au-rou e<; -rpl<; al'ol'Eflta~Evov
{L I 39} '!1tOAa~ETv auS,<;· 0 8~ al<1)(6v'lv <pepE' ~EyaA'lv,
etpii<YSat o-r4'ouv -ro {l'o<; -rou-ro.
49 IlpoSe~Evo<; ~ev ouv -ra l'apa -rij<; l'pE<Y~ela<; au-roii -ro
Ila,a~~-rEw £1'0<; 6 TE~~p'l<; oUKe-r, e<; ava~oA~v el'o'ET-ro
-ri]v i:'Aa<Y,v, Kat au-rlKa l'apa(J"1Ceoa<Ya~Evo<; <Y't"pa-rov -rov -rE
l'ap' eao-r<ji LKOSWV -rwv vo~a8wv Kal T~axa-rat8wv, e<;
6y80~Kov-ra, w<; AeYE-ra" ~op,a8a<;, ijAaovEv el'l Ila,-
a~~-r'lv 8,a <l>poyla<; -rE Kat A08la<; -ri]v l'opelav l'O'01J~E­
vo<;. Ila,a~~'t"1']<; 8e w<; e;opKw<Ya<; TE~~P'lV, ijv ~~ w<;
~8vva-ro Kpa-r,<Y-ra l'apE(J"1Ceoa<Y~evo<; e1tl'Jet, <YovayElpa<;
<Y't"pa-rov w<; ~8vva-ro ~ey'<Y't"ov, <YO~l'apaAa~wv Kal -rou<;
Tp,~aAAou<; au-rou 80po<popoo<;, e<; ~oploo<; ~aA'<Y't"a 1'00
yEvo~evoo<; -rov-roo<;, e<p' oT<; 8£ ~eya e<ppovE' w<;, 01'0'
l'apa-royxavOlEv, av8pwv ayaSwv yEvo~evwv, Kal l'pO-
Se~vo<; w<; hle;av8po<; 6 <l>'Al1t1toO -rou<; MaKE8ova<;
EXWV ~ES' eao-rou Kat e<; -ri]v l\<Ylav 8,a~a<;, AapETov
ah'MaflEvo<; -rij<; e<; -rou<; "EAA'lva<; Bep;Ew eAMEw<;, -r<ji
eao-rou eAa<Y<YOV' 8~ <Y-rpa-r<ji el"WV Ka't"E<Y-rpeta-ro, Kat -ri]v
l\<Ylav v<p' av-r<ji el'o,~<Ya-ro, £<Y-rE el't "Y <pa<Y,v -rli<; l\<Yla<;
BOOK 3
coinage ofKingTimur throughout his realm, and abolish his
own coins. 85 In addition, the envoys demanded that one of
his sons attend the Porte of Timur. If he were to do these
things, he would be a friend and ally of King Timur, but ifhe
were not to do them, then King Timur would treat him as an
enemy. It was at this point, it is said, that Bayezid grew an-
gry and spoke the words that I mentioned earlier 86 that if
he did not come and attack him, then he should ~enounce
his wife three times and then take her back again. These
words would bring great shame upon anyone to whom they
are spoken.
Citing Bayezid's words that his envoys had reported back 49
to him, Timur no longer delayed his advance, and immedi-
at.elY prepared an army of the nomadic Skythians who were
with him and the Chaghadai, a total, they say, of eight hun-
dred thousand men. He advanced against Bayezid maki
h' h ' ng
~s way trough Phrygia and Lydia. As Bayezid had bound
Tlmur by oath to come against him as fully prepared as he
might be,87 he assembled the largest army possible includ-
ing his Serb bodyguards, who were about ten thousand
stron~. He took great pride in them because they were brave
n:-en III whatever circumstance they found themselves. He
cited Alexander, the son of Philip, who took the Macedo-
nians with him and crossed over into Asia, blaming Darius
{III} for Xerxes's war against the Greeks. Alexander de-
feated him in an attack with a smaller army, subjected Asi
to himself, and even reached the Hyphasis River in Asia. S;
243

THE HISTORIES
eA'lAaKE1' E:n:lo"rEUE 8e Kal airros 't'<\J tau't'o;; O"t:pa't'EUf'a't'l
e'mwv KaSalpYj(J'£lV 't'axi> 1tavu TI]V TEf'YjpEw ~a(YlA£lav Kat
e1t1 'lv8ous acplK£O'Sal.
50 I1apaAa~wv 8f] OUV 't'0 't'E Eupw1t'JS Kal l\O'las O''t'pa-
't'EUf'a, es 8w8EKa f'upla8as, 'l£'t'o <'>f'00'£ E:n:t 't'OV [ LI 4 0 }
T£f'YjP'lv, cpS~val all't'OV ~OUAOf'£VOS EV 't'fi xwpq ~O"t:p~'t'o-
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f'axtO'aO'Sat, TEf'Yjp'lS 8£ E1tt1E181a <1Jpuylas eAa~vwv, ~~l­
a~Yj't''lS 8£ 81a 't'~S Ka1t:n:a801das E:n:£lyE't'o, cpS'lVat, au't'ov
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'.OS 8£ ev 't'fi l\pf'Evlwv YEVOf'EVOS XWP<;l E1tUSE't'O TEf'Yjp'lv
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WS 8f] Kat TEf'Yjp'lV au't'ov lEO'Sal E1tUVSavE't'o, Taxi> 8£
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E1tl't'pt:n:E1V't'oii <1't'pa't'oii e:n:t :n:upOUS Kat KP1S~S £1tt I1p,ou~
O"JS, a,pa f]v :n:apa~aAAElv 't'ov l1t1tOV, XaAE:n:alVElv 't'£ au't'~
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E!;ElVat ds :n:upouS d<11tVat· iSv 't'lva 8' C!V Aa~ol d<1EASov't'a,
e't'lf'wpEl't'O.
5' AtyE't'at 8£ au't'<\J EO"t:pa't'o:n:E8EUf'ev<!, 1tEpl Ka1t1ta8oKlav
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't'as 't'E <1K1']vas a:n:£vEYKaf'EVOV E1t1 1tOAU a:n:OO'1taO'at Kat
.11 1
f'£'t'£wpOUS :n:Ol1']<1af'EVOV Ka't'aAa~ElV, Kal 't'oii't'~ Ka~' au't'oii
y£vt<1Sat olwvov £is 't'a <1't'pa't'£uf'a't'a, ME't'a 8E [ LI 4I}
244
BOOK 3
Bayezid too now believed that by attacking with his own
army he would quickly destroy Timur's kingdom and go as
far as the Indians.
Taking the army ofAsia and Europe, then, which was one 50
hundred and twenty thousand strong, Bayezid marched
against Timur, wanting to catch him encamped in the land
by the Euphrates, and intending to engage King Timur in
battle. But Timur marched against him, advancing through
Phrygia, Meanwhile, Bayezid was hurrying through Kappa-
dokia, wanting to catch him by the Euphrates, in the land
of the Armenians, When he reached the land of the Arme-
nians, he learned that Timur had already entered his own
territories, advancing through Phrygia, and so he turned
back and headed straight for Phrygia, as he learned that
Timur was now there, As Bayezid was hastening, the pace
was fast and his armies covered a great distance in a short
time, so that they became exhausted and unhappy with him,
They resented the fact that he was making bad use of his fa-
mous daring, His armies were also angry and losing patience
with him because he allowed no one in the army to take
wheat and barley at Pronsa, even though it was time to fod-
der the horses. For no one was allowed to go into the town
for wheat; whomever he caught going in he punished,
It is said that while Bayezid was encamped in Kappado- 5I
kia a very violent wind blew on his army, and it ripped up
the tents, lifted them away into the air, and dragged them
over a great distance, This was construed by the army as a
bad omen for him. After that, when he was marching in
2 45
 THE HISTORIES
'mih-a W, a1tEAaUVOV,1 E1tt '~V <l>puyfav Ea-K~VW'O, '~V -re
O'Kl']V~V au,ou E, 'Pel, a-ua--rl]a-aflevou, -roi>, afl<p' au-rl>v
1taTSa, au-r0fla-rov 1tEa-OUa-aV, El-rE -rij, yij, fI~ SuvaflEVI],
Ka-rEXElV ,a rrxolv[a -rij, a-KI]V*, El-rE Kat itAAn nn ;UVE~I]
-rou-ro' -rft -rE Yii a1tElpija-9al au-rQ, fI~ E1tl~a[VElV -rij,
<l>puy[a" 'EAA~VWV -rE -rIVE, av-rou 1tapaYEvoflEVOl ~ Tpl-
~aAAWV o[WV[Sov-ro. MyE-ral flev ovv Kat1tptv ~ E1tt -rijv
l\a-[av Sla~ijVat, l\A[I]V -rOY Xapa-r[VEW 1taTSa, itvSpa S~
-rwv 1tap' eau-rQ -ra E, a-VVEa-lV oVSEVI>, AEl1t0flEVOV, XPI]-
fla-r[a-at av,Q fI~ rr-rpa-reuEa-9al E1tt TEfI~ PI]V, ,P01t'!' Se ih,!,
Svval,o ampaAE(J',a,,!, SlaAuEa-9al av,Q -rijv 1tpl>, TEfI~PI]V
Sla<popav. 'EKeAWE Se eau,ov 1tEfl1tElV, Kat U1tlOXVEl,O
SlaAAa;al -re av,Q ~aa-lAea TEfI~ PI]V, t'i ltv av,o, ~OUAOl-rO.
Tov Se U1tOAa~ov-ra <pavat, w, ou -rft EKElVOU a-uvea-El
1tlrr-rEUWV a<p[Kol,O E1tt fleya EUSatflov[a" ~yEflova, ,oa--
ou,ou, Ka,arr-rpE'itaflEvov, aAAa 'n eau,ou Opflfi -re Kat
YEVVatO'I],I' -rUxn Se El1tElV Kat ,OAfln E1tl,pa1t0flEVOU,
,wv ~aa-lAtwv 1tOAAOU" Kat S[xa a-uvea-EW, flEyaAI]" E1tl-
Sd;aa-9at epya, O'VVEa-El Se ,I> 1taV e1tl-rpE'itav-ra, a'(rrxlrr-ra
a1tOAEa-9al.
52 METa Se ,au,a, W, EV -rft l\PflEV[WV eyevETo E1tt TEfI~PI]V
rr-rpa'WOflEVO" E~OUAEUETO W, S~ Kpa,la--ra -rijv flaXl]v
1tOl~a-at,O. METa1tEfI'itaflEvo, Se ,oi>, ap[a-,ou, E, ~OUA~V
Ka9frr-ra,0. Ka[ nvwv YEvoflEvWV E1t' afl<po-repa -raT,
yvwflat" AeyETat IIpa:lfll]v [I.I42} ,oV l\A[EW, fleYla-,OV S~
1tapa ,Q IIataS~<n SuvaflEvov, ~OUAEuov,a Ae;at ,0IaSE.
"U ~aa-lAEu, e1t' ltvSpa, 1tapaO'KEUasn rr-rpa-rEUEa-9at ,a-re
1toAeflla AEyoflEVOU, elVat aya90i>, U1tO 1tav,WV, Oa-Ol S~
BOOK 3
Phrygia he made camp, but his tent collapsed of its own ac-
cord on three boys who were part of his entourage; and this
happened either because the ground could not hold down
the tent ropes or for some other reason. Some Greeks who
were there with him, or some Serbs, took this as an omen
that the earth itself was preventing him from setting foot in
Phrygia. It is said also that, before he crossed over into Asia,
Ali, the son of Hayreddin, a man second to none in pru-
dence among his retinue,88 tried to persuade him not to
march against Timur and to find the safest way that he could
to settle his differences with Timur. Ali asked to be sent
himself and promised to reconcile him with King Timur on
whatever terms he wanted. But Bayezid responded by saying
that it was not by relying on Ali's prudence that he had ar-
rived at such great prosperity and had conquered so many
rulers, but rather through his own boldness and bravery. He
said that many of the kings who had entrusted themselves
to chance and daring had accomplishments to show for it,
even when they lacked great prudence, but those who
staked everyrhing on prudence had been shamefully de-
stroyed.
After that, when he was in Armenian territory in his 52
march against Timur, Bayezid was deliberating on how best
to fight the battle. He summoned his leading men and con-
vened a council. Some of them had different opinions, and it
is said that ibralrim, the son ofAli and a man who was highly
influential with Bayezid,89 gave the following advice: "0 sul-
tan, you are preparing to march against men who are said by
all to be skilled in military matters, by all, certainly, who
247
 THE HISTORIES
T~<; TE yvwfI'1<; aUTWV Kal apET~<; £7tElpa<1aVTO. TOUTOl<;
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OflOU ;UflnaVTa aya9a, nEpl TE ~<; apx~<; eKdvov aywvl~E­
::1 <19al Kal nEpl T~<; SvvaflEW<;. Nuv Se Kal ~V d<; flaX'lV
,I, Ka9l<1TaflEVOl flaXE<1WflE9a, ouSev Sla TOUTO f]fliV ~<1Tal.
" you, when you lose your power together with your throne.
"Hv St, onEp anEuxoflat, E<; Touvav-rlov ~fllv Ta npaYflaTa
nEpl<1Tfi, <1KOnEl Sf], W ~a<1lAEU, onolov ano~fJ<1ETal <10l
imo TOUTOV, Tf]V TE Suvafllv afla Ka1 ~a<1lAdav ano~aAOVTl.
3vfl~alvEl S~ ouv <10l fI~ anD TOU t<10V aywvl~E<19at <101
KaKdv<p. lld90flat Se fI'1Se O"tlflnav-rl Tiii <1TpaTEUflaTl
TEflfJp'1v ~a(1lAta, d <1w<ppOVEl, ~v flaX'1v nOlf]<1a<19at,
aAA: E<; flolpa<; [Kava<; SlEAOflEVO<; aUTou Ta {LI43} <1Tpa-
TEuflaTa SlanElpii<19al f]flwv· Kal d flev Tfi fill} flolp"
EvaVTla tovTE<; nEplYEvoLflE9a, Tfi hep" ai'i9l<; flET' OU nOAD
XP'1<1aflEVO<;, E<; il S~ anayopEUElV ~flii<; KafloVTa<; flaxo-
fltVOl<; EKdvOl<;' OU yap TOlOUTOV emlV TO eKdvov <1Tpa-
TWfla, olov enElSav e<; XElpa<; a<pLK'1Tal, aUTLKa E<; <pv~v
TpanoflEvov otXE<19al' aAAa Ka1 ev Tfi TpOnti ~tATlOV f]fl wv ,
avaAafl~avElv TE <1<pii<; <1VVlovTa<; nvv9avoflal, Ka1 avafla-
XOfltvov<; flEyaAa anOSdKVV<19al epya. ll.oKEl oi'iv fl Ol
OflO<1E fleVTOl fI~ tE<19al en1 TO TEflfJpEW <1TpaTWfla, Sla Se
BOOK 3
have made trial of their determination and valor. I myself
have spoken with them many times and have ascertained
that their valor is all that it is made out to be; moreover, we
have been informed that Timur's army is many times larger
than ours. Thus, for both these reasons, I would not advise
that we place our hopes in our army attackingTimur's camp.
Even if we should win the battle, we will derive no benefit
whatsoever. If we were about to fight having invaded their
land, then there would be every good reason for doing so, as
we would be contesting his realm and his power. But now,
even if it comes to a battle, there is nothing in it for us. Sup-
pose that-and I pray this does not happen-it goes against
us: consider, 0 sultan, what the outcome of this will be for
Anyway, you are not even fighting him on equal terms. I am
sure that King Timur, if he is sensible, will not commit his
entire army to the battle, but he will test our strength by di-
viding his armies into large contingents. Then, even if we
manage to overcome the one contingent that comes against
us, he will quickly deploy the next one, and in that way will
wear us down as we tire from fighting them. For his army is
not the sort that is routed and flees when it comes to blows.
Even in flight it is better than ours, for I have learned that
they can regroup and recover, and fight again so as to per-
form great deeds. In sum, I believe that we should not at-
tack Timur's army but follow it by traveling through the
249
 THE HISTORIES
,WV opewv nopeuof'£VOU, E<p£ne0'9al, 0" EyyU,a,a ye-
v0f'evou" Kat onOl ,e npoxwpol'l, KaKouv,a, ev f'''pel ,0
EKdvou O'1'p4,euf'a. 8~Aa S' av Y£VOLTO ,au,tl, w, oilTe
E1tlSPOf'ft XP~O'aL" av hl ,ou Aomou E<plO'1'af't\Vwv ~f'WV
Kat E1tlO'1tOf'£Vwv EyyUTaTa, O'LTl1;e0'9al ,e OOK av hl TOU
Aomou SUVaLTO lKavw" WO'Te 4noxpwVTa elVaL aUT@ Ta
E1tl~Sela. 'EnelSav S' tv Tft EKelVOU yevwf'e9a E1tlO'1tOf'e-
VOL T@ Tef'~pew3 O'1'paTevf'aTl, T'lvlKauTa S~ opf'wf'£V4'
otKaSe '@ O'TpaTeUf'a" Kat EX0f'£V4' ,~, otKaSe oSou
En£XOlf'£V Te av Kat af'uVOf'eVOl f'axmalf'e9a."
53 Tau,a einovTo, TOU I1pdff'ew, ,av"tl ETp4noVTO Kat ot
AOlnot ~V ¥i<pOV Tl9£f'evol. BaO'lAeiJ, Sl: I1aLa1;~T'l' A£ye-
Tal einelv ,4Se. "To nA~90, eOlKev, w avSpe" n EyW
TEKf'alpof'aL, tif'ii, SeStTIe0'9al. 'AAA: EKelVO S~ Kat tif'el,
;i: to',e, W, nA~90u, otiSev tiyl£, EO'TlV, onou av ape~ napa-
Y£V'lTaL. "IO'Te S~ Kat 8tp!;'lV TOV 8apelou, ~aO'lAta I1ep-
O'wv, nA~9'l on6<ra ayof'evo, Ka1 E, ~v Evpwn'lv Sla~a,
1
napa ~paxV E1tJlEl an09avouf'evo" ei f'~ [I.I44} MapSovLO,
tinoO'1'a, E~ f'uvev aVT@ ,ov oAe9pov tnavlovTl E, ~ouO'a.
Ka1 'AAt!;avSpov to'1'e, W, 8apel4' f'axm4f'evo, ,~v Te
~aO'lAelav a<pelAeTo Ka1 atiTov an£KTElve. KatnoAAou, Sl:
nu9£0'9aL oIf'aL ,WV ~f'e,£pwv TovpKwv OA[Ytl xelpt
I
f'ey4Aa anoSel!;a0'9aL {pya. Ka1 ~f'el, S' EV Tft Eopw1tt1
9af'a Sl: En1 Ta, f'4xa, tovTe, ytv'l Te hpey4f'e9a yev-
valoTa,a S~ yevof'eva ,wv E, T~V OtKOUf'tV'lv E9vwv, KeA-
TOV, TE Ka1 I1alova,. Ka1 Sla ,auTa f'~ oihw <pauAt1;wv
~f'ii, E, yeVVaLOT'lTa KaKlou, Te Kat <pauAoTtpou, ano-
<pa[vou ~Ku9wv TE Kat T1;axa,dfwv, Ot !;l<pel ooSenwnoTe
BOOK 3
mountains, come as close as we can to them, and then, when
he advances, we can do damage to a part of his army. Clearly,
if we operate in this way, Timur will no longer be able to
make a sudden attack, as we will be watching and following
closely, nor will he be able to gather abundant supplies in the
future so as to have adequate provisions. And then, when we
enter Timur's territory in pursuit of his army and he is hur-
rying to get his army back home and following the road that
leads there, we can stop him and fight in retaliation."
When Ibrahim spoke these words, the rest were swayed 53
by his opinion and gave him their support. But Sultan Baye-
zid reportedly said the following: "My men, it seems as
though you are afraid of their numbers; that is how I inter-
pret it. But you should know this too, that there is no safety
in large numbers where valor can be found. You know how
Xerxes, the son of Darius [I}, the king of the Persians, led
vast multitudes and crossed over into Europe, but would
quickly have died in that attack had not Mardonios sup-
ported him and protected him from that calamity as he was
returning to Susa.'o You know Alexander too, who fought
against Darius [III} and stripped him of his throne and
killed him as well. I think that one can also learn about many
of our Turks who have performed great deeds with only
smaIl numbers. We too in Europe have often gone into bat-
tle and routed the most courageous races in the world, the
French and the Hungarians. Therefore, do not belittle our
bravery or declare us to be worse and less significant than
the Skythians and the Chaghadai, who have never ever used
 THE HISTORIES
ouSaf'U Exp~<1anO, aA): l'i 'to;CjJ f'OVCjJ Kat 6"i<1'toT<; ~aA­
AOV'te<; E<; xeTpa<; ltVaL ou nCtVV 'tl EetAOV<1I."
54 Tau'ta elnov'to<; 'tou ~a<1lMw<; AEye'taL 'tOY E,ev£ lip-
xov-ra £'JtEl'JtELV 'TO laSE. '''E'JtEl 'TOlVUV SOKEI 0'0l, W ~aO'LAeu,
tnt 'tou<; nOAef"OV<; ~f'a<; Df'O<1e ltval, Wl S~ n£le6f'evo<;
tf'ot 'tou<; 'te e'l<1avpou<; aveCjJyw<; S(SOV 'tcl> <1'tpa-reuf'a'tl
nOV~<1anl S~ Kat KeKf''lK6'tl, w<; tcp' 0 'tl liv YEVOl'tO 'ta
. ··1 npCtYf'a'ta lDna, 'tou'twv S£ 'tWV <1WV e'l<1avpwv oihw Sl-
: 1
SOf'EVWV 'toT<; <1'tpa'tlw'tal<; EV KEpSel t<10f'EVWV ~f'Tv Kat
OUK anoAovf'EvWV. "Hv 'te tcp' ~f'Tv YEV'l'taL, nOAAanACt<1la
e;of'ev KepSavoune<;· ~v 'te tnt 'tcl> I1Ep<1f1, lif'elvov OV
'tau't!l yevof'evov." Tau'ta Mywv OUK Enelee I1aLas~'t'lv,
EVea yvwf''lv anocp'lvaf'evo<; w<; -rft Tef'~pew <1cppayTSl
t<1cppayl<1'taL lipa 'ta [I.I45J I1aLas~'tew xp~f'a'ta, Kat Sla
'tau'ta ou 'tOAf'<i>'l au'ta SlaVelf'aL 'toT<; <1'tpa'tlw'taL<;. Tau'ta
f'£v ouv E<; 'to<10U'tov t~ovAeue'to I1aLaS~'t!l·
55 Me'ta S£ 'tau'ta, w<; tAauvwv OUK av(el, acp'Ke'tO tnt
OUYKpav 't~<; IPpvy(a<; nOALV, EVea S~ Kat Tef'~p'l<; t<1'tpa-
'toneSeue'to, tnt MV<1(av tv Vcl> EXWV Kat tnt I1pou<1av 'ta
~a<ro.ela I1aLas~'tew <1'tpa'teue<1eaL. '0,<; S£ anou tyEve'tO
'tou Tef'~ pew <1'tpa'teuf'a'to<;, t<1'tpa'toneSeue'to Kat au'to<;
tnt <1'taS(ov<; nev'teKa(SeKa ano 'tou Tef'~pew <1'tpa'tonE-
Sov. "Evea S~ Mye'taL 'tOY Tef'~ P'lv, w<; tnlov'ta <1'tpa'to-
neSeue<1eaL t7tVee-r0, eavf'Ct<1al -re ~v 'toAf'av au'tou, Kat
w<; ano Apf'evlWv 'taXil napeYEve'to tn' au'tov, Kat w<; OU'tW
tK 'tou tf'cpavou<; Kae,<1'ta'tO au'tcl> t<; f'CtX'lv, OU'tW S~ tv
'taxel <rUv 'tcl> <1'tpa'teuf'a'tl tAauvwv. Kat tcp' Innov S~ AEye-
'tal ava~Ctv'ta tAa<1aL 'te O'tl tyyv'tCt'tw 'tou <1'tpa'tonESov
BOOK 3
swords but who only shoot with a bow and arrows, as they
positively do not want to come to blows."
When the sultan had spoken these words, it is said that 54
the lord Ine added the following: "Since you have decided,
o sultan, that we should go to meet the enemy, come, trust
me in this. Open your treasuries and give them to the army,
which has labored hard and is tired, so that, however things
turn out, we will benefit from having given your treasures to
the army. We will not have lost them, for if it goes well for
us, we will have made a profit many times over. But if it goes
well for the Persian, well, it will be better to have happened
in this way." Yet he did not persuade Bayezid by saying this,
as he was declaring his opinion that Bayezid's money was
actually stamped by Timur's stamp and it was for this rea-
son that he did not dare distribute it to the soldiers." That,
then, was the extent ofBayezid's deliberations.
After that Bayezid did not let up in his advance and 55
reached Ankara, a city of Phrygia, where Timur was en-
camped. 92 Timur's intention was to march against Mysia,
specifically Prousa, the royal court of Bayezid. When the
latter was close to Timur's army, he also encamped, at a dis-
tance of fifteen stades from Timur's camp. Whereupon it
is said that Timur, when he learned that Bayezid had come
against him and had encamped, admired his daring, the
speed with which he had reached him from Armenian terri-
tory, and how he was about to offer him open battle after
advancing with his army at such great speed. It is said that
Timur mounted his horse and rode as close as he could to
253
 THE HISTORIES
IIata~~-rew, Kal-ril, 'l'UAaKil<; 8wmxf'evov Kat-rO er-rpa-rone-
SOV, w<; terK~VW-rO, aVaKayxaerat -re Kat dnelv' "iil;lO<; ~f'lv
ou-ro<; AalAanlnapa~aAAecr8at -rij<; -rOAf'']<; au-rou, ou f'ev-
-rOl ye apE-r~<; ~veKa xalpwv ye anaAAa~e-ral. "EolKev uno
Salf'ovo<; nOAEf'lou tAauveer8at oihw navu' f'eAayxoA~
yilp S~ 6 KaKoSalf'wv Kat oUKe-rl erw'!'povel." Tau-ra d-
nov-ra tAaerat -rE tnt -ro tau-rou er-rpa-roneSov.
56 Kat-rfi uer-repal .. au-rov crVv -rol<; aplcr-rol<; au-rou, "xov-ra
af''!'t -rfi {...J, tnl1tef''itat LaXpouxov -rov nalSa au-rou Ent
IIata~~-r']v. 'Ev-rau8a w<; fier8e-ro tnlov -ro Tef'~pew er-rpa-
-rEUf'a Ka-r' au-rou, nape-ra~a-ro Kat au-ro<; tnt AO'!'OU -rlVO<;
w<; f'axouf'EVO<;. Kat -ro euwvuf'ov au-rou f'epo<; -rou Kepa-
-ro<; ETXev 6 -rij<; 1'w er-rpa-r']yo<;, -ro {I.I46J Se Se~[()V dXev 6
-r~<; Eupwn']<; ~yef'wv' tv f'eer,!, Si: tnl -rou AO'!'OU !Spu-ro
6 IIala~~'r']<; crVv -rol<; ve~Auerl Kat -rol<; af''!'' au-rov. La-
Xpoux0<; Si: i'xwv -roil<; T~axa-raiSa<; Kat -rwv IIeperwv -roil<;
apler-rou<; En!'Jel eruv-rnayf'ev,!, -r<i' er-rpa-reuf'a-rl tnt IIal-
a~~-r']v. OU f'tv-rOl ye tKUKAOU-ro, ana tSlSou xwpav an-
ltVat, d ~OUAOlV-rO, w<; av f'~ KUKAoUf'evol er'!'wv af'dvove<;
ytVOlv-rO, nEpt 'ituX~<; aywvl~0f'evol. :Euvt~aAt -re Ka-ril-r6
-r* Eupwn']<; er-rpa-rEUf'a, Kat Ef'aXE-rO. Xl<; Ent nOAU f'i:v
-rij<; ~f'epa<; tf'axov-ro, wer-re f',]S' avanaueer8at "Xelv -ro
IIata~~-rou cr-rpa-rEUf'a. Tpl~anot Si: Ev-rau8a avSpe<; YE-
VOf'EVOl aya80l Ef'axov-rO a~lw<; AOYOU, Kat tf'~aAov-re<; t<;
-rOU<; T~axa-ra'iSa<; -ra -re Sopa-ra Ka-rea~av, Kat Sl']ywvl-
~ov-ro tv-re-raf'evw<; EXOf'EVOl -rou i'pyou.
57 IIata~~-r']<; Si: w<; twpa -ro -rij<; Eupwn']<; au-r<i' er-rpa-reuf'a
KlV']8i:v t<; npoerw Kat f'axof'evov, aVeKaAel-ro f'i:v EV -rfi
254
BOOK 3
Bayezid's camp, observed the sentries and how the tents
were pitched in the camp, and laughed, saying, "I think it is
rigbt to compare his daring to a hurricane, but it will not go
well for him here on account of his valor. He seems to be
driven by a demon of war. This iII-starred man is brimming
with bile and is no longer acting sensibly." Saying this, he
rode back to his own camp.
On the next day Timur took his leading men and hav- 56
ing around {.. .] he dispatched his own son Shahrukh against
Bayezid. When the latter realized that Timur's army was
coming against him, he too deployed on a hill there to offer
battle. The left wing of his army was commanded by the
general of the east {i.e., AsiaJ, while the right wing was com-
manded by the ruler of Europe;" in the middle, upon the
hill, Bayezid took up his position with the janissaries and his
retinue. Shahrukh moved against Bayezid with the Chagba-
dai and the leading Persians, keeping his army in formation.
He did not surround them but gave them room to with-
draw, if they wanted to, so that they did not become stron-
ger than the enemy through being surrounded, in which
case they would be fighting for their very lives. He engaged
with the European army and battle was joined. They fought
for most of the day so that Bayezid's army could take no
rest. The Serbs proved their mettle there and fought wor-
thily. They threw themselves upon the Chaghadai, broke
their spears, and battled hard, sticking to their task in a de-
termined fashion.
When Bayezid saw his European army move forward in 57
the fighting, he called back the general of Europe in the
255
 THE HISTORIES
aKf'U tij, EUpWTCIJ' TOV crTpa't"l]yov, 6ppwSwv f'~ TCapacru-
pEl, KUKAW9£l1J Kal KlvSuVEu011 S,a<p9apfjvaL, f'ETETCEf'TCETO
Sf: E, TeV XWpOV, E, <Iv lSPUTO T~V ap)(l)v. KatTCpw-ra f'f:V
oux Vm')KOUcrE, SES,W, TO TCpiiyf'a· f'ETa SE, ""; ETCl<pEpO-
f'EvOU aUTQ TOU ~acrlAEw, Kal ~Aacr<pIJf'0UVTO" aVEKa-
AElTO T~V crUV't"a~lV. 'EVTau9a Ol T~axaT«iSE, ETCElcrTCEcrOV't"E,
ToT, TOUpKOl, ETCEKElVTO TCavu <pOVEUOVTE" E, 0 S~ E<;
<pUnV KaTEcrT'1crav aUToiJ<; TpaTCfjVaL. 'EvTau9a W<; Wp-
f'1JV't"0 E, <pUyfjV, ETClKElf'EVWV TWV TCOAEf'LWV Kat TO aTCO tij<;
Acr[a, cr-rpaTEUf'a aUTLKa E<; <punv Wpf'IJTO. Kat aUTLKa "
IIala~~TIJ' LSwv TaUTa OUKETl EVEf'ElVEV, aXX ETCt lTCTCOV
9~AElav ava~a<; E<PEUYE KaTa KpaTO<;.
58 'EvTau9a W, TCponpov K~puYf'a TCETCOllJf'tVOU TEf'~PEW
[r.I47} ~acrlAtw, f'IJSEva KaTaKaLvElv TWV TOU IIaLa~~TOU,
f'6vov Sf: aTCEKSUof'EVOl TOUTOU<; ~<p[Ecrav' ou yap E~fjV
"f'0<pUAOU<; OVTa, avSpaTCoSL~Ecr9aL. IIala~~T'1<; Sf: Tavav-
TLa TOUTWV K'1pu~a, E, TO crTpaToTCESoV, W<; <Iv ltv Aa~OlEV
TOU TEf'~PEW crTpaTou, TCaV't"a<; KaTaKT£lVElV. LaxPOUXo,
f'Ev ouv W, e-rP"'vaTO IIala~~TIJV, ~SIJ Ta cr-rpaTEUf'aTa
TEf'~ PEW, Kat Ilcra Ef'aXOV't"O Kat ocra ETCt TOU cr-rpaTOTCESoU
E-rUyxaVEV OVTa, Wpf'IJTO ETCt TOV IIala~~TEW crTpaTov
<p9fjVaL ~OUA0f'EVO<;. Kat ETCl T~V xwpav e-rpaTCovTo ETCt S,-
apTCayfjv, ETClSpOf'U XPlJcraf'Evol, EcrTE ~v 'IwvLav Kat E<;
TOV 'EAA~crTCOVTOV, ev9a S~ TCOAAat f'f:V KWf'aL EA~<p9IJcrav,
TCoALcrf'aTa Sf: EplJf'w91J OTl TCAElcr-ra, TWV lTCTCOSpOf'WV
TOU TEf'~PEW ava ~V xwpav TOU IIala~~TEW S,a9EOVTWV
aTCaVTaxft .
59 IIEpt Sf: Tev IIala~~TIJV TOlOVSE ~uvlJvEX91J YEVEcr9aL.
BOOK 3
thick of the battle, fearing that he might be carried away, bec
come encircled, and risk being destroyed. He sent him back
to the position to which he had originally been assigned. At
first he did not obey, as he was afraid to do so. But when the
sultan berated him and began to curse him, he recalled his
formation. Thereupon the Chaghadai attacked the Turks
and overpowered them, killing many, to the point that they
routed them and put them to flight. And when they turned
to flight with the enemy in pursuit, the army of Asia also
immediately turned and fled. When Bayezid saw this he did
not linger, but mounted his mare and fled as fast as he could.
According to the instructions that King Timur had given 58
in advance, they did not execute any of Bayezid's soldiers,
but only stripped them bare and let them go. For it was not
permissible to enslave men of the same race. But Bayezid
had proclaimed the exact opposite in his camp, namely that
they were to kill all whom they captured from Timur's army.
When Shahrukh routed Bayezid, Timur's armies, both those
that had fought and those that were in the camp, charged
against Bayezid's army, trying to get there first. They also
turned to plundering the countryside, making raids as far as
Ionia and the Hellespont. Many villages were taken there
and a multitude of towns was abandoned as Timur's cavalry
raiders poured everywhere through Bayezid's territory.
As for Bayezid himself, the following happened to him. 59
 THE HISTORIES
D<; yap 1ge1 ava Kpeno<; oli-ro<;, eneKelv-ro -rE Kal EnES[w-
KOV ot T~axa-raiSe<;, af'lAAWf'eVOl eAeTv au-rov. Kal nOAV
f'f.V npo~Aauvev a-re Enl 1nn'l' -raxu-ra-r'l' enl<pepof'evo<;·
f'e-ra Se, w<; Enl -rov no-raf'ov a<p(Ke-ro, TIJv 11t1tOV Aeyou'n
S'¥1cracrav Kap-repw<; EgeA~crat -rou uSa-ro<;. I1ata~~-r'1<;
yap Evocrel -rw xeTpe Kal -rw noSE uno noSaypa<;, Kal Ka-ra-
crxElV oux 010<; -rE eyevE-ro. 'Ev-rau9a S~ IJ1t0xaAacrat TIJv
1nnov uno -rou uSa-ro<; Kal Ael<p9~vat -rou Spof'ou, wcr-re
-rou<; cr-rpa-rlw-ra<; TEf'~ P'1 cruAAa~eTv -rE I1ata~~-r'1v, Kal
ayayeTv napa ~acrlAea Tef'~ P'1v. 'EaAwcrav f'f.V ouv EV -rfi
f'axn -rau-rn Kal Mw~<; Kal nav-rE<; crxESOV ot -rou I1at-
a~~-rEw iipxov-rE<;' ou f'~v xaAEnov £na90v {LI48} 6-rLOUV,
nA~v -rwv tf'a-r(wv. Kal yap Mw~<; eSoKEl -re -rwv aAAwv
Kpa-rlcr-ro<; yeyoveval' Kal S,a -rou-ro nepl~yev £Xwv -r<li
cr-rpa-roneS'l' Kal S(at-rav napexof'EVO<;. 'EaAw Se Kal ~
yuv~ -rou I1ata~~-rEw ev I1poucrn' Kal yap ~v -rE I1poucrav
EneSpaf'ov, Kal -ra<; yuVatKwv(-rlSa<; a<peLAov-ro. I1po<; Se
Kal TIJv 'EAea~apou 9uya-repa, I1ata~~-rEw Sf. YUValKa,
f.AOne<; a~yayov napa ~acrlAea. MoucrouAf'av'1<; f'ev ouv
Kal 'I'1crou<; Kal MeXf'e-r'1<; Kal ot Aol1tol -rwv I1ata~~-rew
na(Swv Ka-reAel<p9'1crav, Kal Ot f'ev EV -rfi Eupwnn, ot S' EV
-rfi Acr(", 6V-rE<; Slecrw~ov-ro, onOl £Kacr-r'l' npouxwpel.
60 T<Ii f'ev-rot I1ata~~-rn, w<; ~X9'1 evav-r(ov ~aJlAew<;,
Aeye-rat elneTv au-r<li -rolaSe. "'n KaKoSatf'oV, -r( Se ou-rw
navu -rov crau-rou Sa(f'0va e~la~ou, npoKaAouf'evo<; ~f'a<;
Enl f'aX'lv; "H OUK EnU90U, w<; -r<li Ef'<Ii -r<liSE cr-rpa-rEuf'a-rl
Sucr-r~vwv nalSe<; av-recr-r'1crav;" I1ata~~-r'1<; Se "'noAa~wv
af'el~e-ro, ii S~ Aeye-rat, w<; "OUK ltv S~ E<; -rou-ro ""X'1<;
BOOK 3
He rode with all his might and the Chaghadai went after
him and gave chase, competing with each other to catch
him. He had a strong lead as he was riding a very fast horse.
But later, when he reached the river, they say that the horse
was thirsty and desperately wanted to drink. Bayezid's hands
and feet were in pain because of gout and he was unable to
restrain the horse. Thus the horse eased up because of the
water and slowed down, with the result that Timur's sol-
diers apprehended Bayezid and brought him to King Timur.
In this battle, Musa was captured along with almost all of
Bayezid's officers,94 but they suffered no harm beyond losing
their clothing. Musa seemed to be more powerful than the
rest, for which reason he was led around with the army
and provided with necessities. Bayezid's wife was also cap-
tured at Prousa, for they raided Prousa too and removed the
harem. They also captured Lazar's daughter, who was one of
Bayezid's wives, and took her to the king." SiHeyman, isa,
Mehmed, and the rest ofBayezid's sons were left where they
were: some found safety in Europe, others in Asia, each in
whatever way he could.
It is said that when Bayezid was summoned before King 60
Timur, the latter said this to him: "You ill-starred man, why
did you force the hand of fate in this way by challenging us
to battle? Haven't you learned that only the sons of unhappy
parents resist my army?"" Bayezid replied to him, it is said,
that "I would not have fallen into such misfortune ifTimur
259
 THE HISTORIES
acp"coifl'lV, ltv fl~ athQ nClpeiX£'"rD npaYflCl'rCl tKcivoo;, 'ra -re
aAACI KCll ano tevwv 'rQ MeXflE't!] 'rQ ~pwlnoAefliwv eClfla
aVClKClAouflevoo;." ":A).X ~v fI~ e-re'rVcpwO"o," i:cp'l Tefl~p'lO;,
"oihw flEYCl navIJ cppOVWV, OUK av 8~ to; 'roii'ro O"IJflcpoP<XO;,
oTflCll, acpiKOIJ' oii'rW yap e'iwee 'ro eelov 'ra navIJ flEYCI cppo-
voiiv'rCl KCll necpIJO"'l flEVCI fleloiiv wo; 'ra nOAAa KCll O"fllKpU-
velv." 'Ev'rCliieCl 8~ tnlflEfltClO"eat ClU'rQ AEye'rCll ~Clo"lAECI
Tefl~p'lv ~v {I.I49} tnl 'rovo; KUVClO; 're KCll iEpClKClO; CPlAO-
'rlfliClV, wo; av8pl KVV'lyQ t<iJK£l ~v 'rEXV'lV, KCll OUK ap-
xonl ayOV'rl to; nOAEflOlJo;' AEye'rCll yap rrCllCl~~'r'lO; to; 'rOVO;
En'rClKlO"XlA(OIJO; K'r~O"ClO"eCll iepClKocpOpOIJO; KClI KUVClO; aflcpl
'rOVO; E;ClKlO"XlA(OlJo;. 'Ev'rCliieCl 'rov 're rratCl~~'r'lV cpavC!l
unoACI~ov'rCl, "aAAa 0"01 fltV'rQ LKUen, A'l<nii E'rl onl KClI
'rClU'r'lV tnl'r'l8euoV'rl ~V 'rEXV'lV, ou navv 'rl ltv npO~Kel
aypClo; ou8£ Kvv'lyeO"iwv' tflol 8t EO; 'rou'ro -re yevV'leEV'rl
KCll 'reepClflflEV'l', 'rQ l\flovpa'rew 'rou 'Opxavew, ~Clo"lAEWV
nC!l8(, fletijv KCll KVVWV KCll iepaKwv CPlAO'rlfl(Clo;." 'Ev'rClueCl
8~ aXeeO"eEV'rCl 'rov ~ClO"lAECI neplClXe~VC!l EO; 'ro o"'rpCl'rO-
ne80v tKEA£lJO"ev tnl ~fllOVOIJ, KCll (J"IJplTIoflevov uno 'rou
O"'rpCl'ronE801J neplClyClyelv. no; 8£ neplClXeEV'rCl ~yClyOV,
EpeO"eC!l ClU'rOV AEye'rCll, ei 'rou yEVOVO; tKcivCI 'rIJyxavel Em-
'r'l8euflCl'rCl, Wo; 'ra 'rwv [epaKwv 're KCll KVVWV. Me'ra 8t
'rClU'rCl tv cpvAClKij tnol~o"CI'rO.
6, KCll apClO; O"i>v 'rQ O"'rpCl'reuflCl'rl ~ACllJvev tnl 'IwviClv KCll
~V 'rClU't!] napClAov XWPClV, EV vQ i:xwv ClU'rOU 're 81Cl-
xelflaO"C!l KCll ~pOO; tmcpC!lvofltvoIJ EO; ~v Eupw1t1]v 81Cl-
~~VCll. 'Enevoel yap, wo; KCll npo'repov fl01 8e8~Aw'rCll, to;
~v Eupw1t1]v 81Cl~ao; n<xO"av -re ucp' ClU'rQ nOl~O"C!O"eC!l, to; 8
260
BOOK 3
had not given me the gtounds for it, among other things
because he was called in so often to help people who were
the enemies of the hero Muhammad." "But if you were not
so arrogant," Timur said, "and did not think so highly of
yourself, I believe you would not have reached such depths
of misfortune. For God is accustomed to cut down to size
those who think highly of themselves and are all puffed up."
At this point it is said that King Timur reproached him for
his passion for hounds and hawks, which made him look like
a man who was a huuter by profession, not a lord and mili-
tary leader. For it is said that Bayezid owned about seven
thousand falconers and six thousand hounds. Bayezid re-
plied by sayiug, "For you, a Skythian, who are still a bandit
and practice that art, hunting with hounds and the chase
would not be appropriate. Yet a passion for hounds and
hawks does befit me, the son of Murad, grandson of Orhan,
a son of sultans, who was born and raised to it." At this King
Timur became angry and ordered him paraded through the
camp on a mule, and he was mocked and taunted by the
army as he was being led around. But as they were leading
him arouud like this, he is said to have asked whether that
race actually did engage in those pursuits, like those with
hawks and hounds." After that, Timur imprisoned him.
Timur broke camp and advanced with his army against 6,
Ionia and its coastal lands. He intended to spend the winter
there and to cross over into Europe in the spring. For he was
planning, as I stated earlier, to cross over into Europe and

THE HISTORIES
Sf] bet 1:a<; 'Bpad.dou<; a<p[KYJ1:aL crr~Aa<;, EV1:EVSEV St
avSl<; E<; Al~UYJV Sla~fjVaL, Kat S,a 'tfj<; Al~UYJ<; bcaVlevaL E<;
1:f]v eaU1:0V xwpav, ~Ufl1Caerav lJ1cayoflEVO<; 1:f]v 1:au1:!1 ~1CEl­
pOV 1:fj<; OlKOUflEVYJ<;. >E1CpEer~EUE1:0 flEV OVV Kat1Cpo<; 1:0V
BusaV1:[ou ~aerlAEa, ~V 1:E Sl(,,~aerlV a[1:0UflEVO<; aLJ'tOV
reAOla 1:£ Kat1:pl~pEl<;.
62 AtyE1:aL St Kal1:oSE ~acrlAEil<; TEf'~PYJ<; E<; I1aLaS~1:YJv.
n<; {I.I50}yap a~xSYJ ~ yuvf] aU1:0v,'EAwsapou Suya1:YJ p,
~<; Sf] flaAlcrra 1:WV aAAWV Epaer1:f]<; EWnaVE I1aLaS~1:YJ<;,
Kat reEplfjyE flES' eau1:ov i!xwv EV 1:ili er1:pa1:oretS4J, Ereler1:fjera[
Ol EVaV1:[ov 1:0V avSpo<; au'tfj<;, o[voxofjera[ 01. Tov St EV
flaAa axSEerSEV1:a £l1Cuv AtYE1:aL, "aX).: 0151:' av C1Uf'<pWVW<;
1:ili erili rea1:pt Kat flYJ1:pt EpyaSOLO' [S,W1:WV yap 1:0U1:WV Kat
reEV~1:WV YEvoflEVO<; S[KaLO<; 0151:' ltv dYJ<; wer1:' ltv ErelKEp-
1:of'fjeraL ~aerlAEwv reaLer[ 1:E Kal yuval~[, Kat E~U~p[SEl<; E<;
1:0il<; eroil<; 1:ft <puerEl Swreo1:a<;." Tou1:4J fltv 1:0laV1:a AEyOV1:l
YEAW1:a 1:£ Ereo[" 1:oil<; A6you<;, Kat ETClXAwaswv EreterKw-
TC1:EV ola ouStv Uylt<; oil1:E <pPOVOVV1:l oil1:E AtyoV1:l. O[
fltV1:0l I1aLaS~1:£w apXOV1:E<;, E<; AOyOU<; a<plKofLEVOl 1:01<;
TEf'~PEW 0puK1:al<;, ii <pacrLv, U1CE<1X0V1:0 apyt\pLOv 1:EAEeraL
reafLreoAu, d U<pEAOlV1:0 I1aLaS~1:YJv ureopu~av1:£<;. "EvSa Sf]
8puYfLa 1:E reolYJerafLEvol EV 1:ili er1:pa1:0reES4J, Kal d<; 1:f]v
C1KYJV~V, EV ii EerK~vou rralaS~1:YJ<; EV <puAaKft WV, E~l6v1:E<;,
w<pSYJerav urea 1:WV 1:au1:n <pUAaKWV Kat EaAWerav' ou yap
EV1:0<; EY£VOV1:0 1:fj<; erKYJvfj<;, &X)': EK1:0<;, ii E<pUAaererov
retpl~ YEvofLEVOl iiVSpE<; urea TEfL~PEW 1:aXS£V1:E<;. Tau1:!1
w<; E~nEerav Kat EaAwerav, areE1:afLoV1:0 1:a<; KE<paAa<; urea
~acrlAEW<;.
262
BOOK 3
subject it all to himself until he reached the Pillars of Hera-
kles, and from there to cross over to North Africa and to
return to his own land across North Africa, subjecting the
entire continent of the world in this way.98 He sent envoys
to the king of Byzantion {Manuel II}, seeking transport
ships and triremes from him for the crossing.
King Timur is also reported to have done the following 62
to Bayezid. When the latter's wife, the daughter of Lazar,
whom he loved more than any of the others, had been taken
away, and Timur was taking her around in the camp with
him, he made her pour his wine in front ofBayezid, her hus-
band. It is said that the latter grew very 'angry and said,
"Your actions do not accord with the status of your father
and mother. For they were ordinary people and poor, and so
it is not right for you to mock the children and the wives of
kings, and to insult those who are your superiors by nature."
That is what Bayezid said, but Timur laughed at his words,
mocked him, and ridiculed him for thinking and saying
crazy things. Bayezid's lords, they say, approached Timur's
sappers and promised to pay them huge amounts of silver
if they could secretly get Bayezid out by digging a tunneL
They actually made a tunnel under the camp heading to-
ward the tent in which Bayezid was being held under guard,
but they were seen by the guards there as they emerged and
were caught. For they did not emerge inside the tent, but
outside, where the men stationed by Timur were keeping
watch. As they emerged there, they were caught, and the
king had them beheaded.
 THE HISTORIES
63 'Enl LflUPV'1<; flEV OUV a<plKOflevo<; n]V TE LflUPV'1V elAe
'rPOXi01(OI<;, Kal -riJv EV 'rQ a[YlaAQ aKpav uno 'Pwfla[wv
'rau'r!] Ka'rexoflEV'1V unopu~a<; Ka'rE~aAE 'rIO, Kal 'rau'r'lV
eAwv nOAiO'fla'ra 'rIO aAAa 'rfj<; xwpa<; 'rau'r'1<; EneAauvwv
!lPe!, <0<; OL npouxwpel {LI5I} npoO'~aAAOV'r1 E<p' EKaO''rOV.
Tplxft yap, AtYe'ral, Ol!'1pel 'ra<; nOAe!<; Tefl~P'1<; 'rol<; 'rIO 'rpo-
xol<;. KUKAol oe /Sv're<; OU'rOI Kal KAiflaKa<; exovTE<; EV'rO<;,
<OO''re ava~aive!v Enl 'r0 'relXO<;, E<; -riJv 'ra<ppov ayov're<;
Ene'rieeO'av avope<; OlaKoO'101 eKamov 're'raYflEvol, Ola'rou
'rpoxou eLO'IWV eKamo<;, E<; 'r0 nEpav 'rIO Eyiyve'ro 'rfj<;
'ra<ppou, O'TEyasoflevOI uno 'rou 'rPOXOU. :0.<; OE nEpav
yiyv01V'r0, aVE~atVOV 'ra<; KAiflaKa<;, Kat oil'rW !lpouv -riJv
nDAlv. Me'ra OE noAAol /Sv're<; aU'rQ EV 'rQ O''rpa'ronEo",
i!xouv TIJv nDA1V, <OO''re Enl 'r0 'relX0<; 'ra XWfla'ra ava~aivelv,
Kal avw Ola 'rWV XWfla'rwV ~Ai01(e'ro aU'rQ 'r0 'relx0<;. EIxe
OE Kat 6puK'ra<; E<; flupiou<;, Kat opuO'O'ov're<; 'ra TEim Ent
flE'rewpwv ;UAWV KaeelO'n]KEO'av. Me'ra Oe 'rau'ra nup
EVlet<; 'ra ;uAa, Kat w<; EKaie'ro 'ra ;uAa, 'ra 'relm eime'rw<;
i!nm'rov, Kat'rau'rt] EO'Emn'rOV E<; TIJV nOA1V. Oil'rw flev OUV
!lpel Tefl~p'1<; 'ra<; nOAel<;.
64 :0.<; Oe ~0'1 eap unE<palvev, a<piKe'rO nap' au'rov ayyeAia,
w<; 'rOU 'Ivowv ~aO'IAew<; npeO'~ela a<plKOflev'1 Ent Xepi'1v
fleyaA!] Xe!pl OElVa TE -riJv nDA1V EpyaO'al'rO, Kat Ent 'rOU<;
e'1O'aupou<; naplWV 'rOU ~aO'IAew<; 'rov 'rIO <popov Aa~wv
OrX01'r0, Kat anelAoi'1, w<; OUKE'r1 Eflflevol 'ral<; O'novoal<; "
'Ivowv ~amAeu<;. Tau'ra w<; E"""ee'rO, neploe~<; yevoflevo<;
fI~, EnelO~ a<piKol'rO ~ npeO'~ela napa ~amAEa 'rwv 'Ivowv,
BOOK 3
Timur came to Smyrna and captured it with his "little 63
wheels."" He took the citadel by the shore, which was held
by the Romans,lOo by tunneling under it. After he had taken
it, he captured many towns in that region by marching
against them, attacking each in turn as he advanced. It is
said that Timur would break into the cities in three ways
with his wheels. These were circular devices that had lad-
ders inside them for scaling the walls: rwo hundred men
were assigned to each, and they would bring it up to the
ditch and make the attack. Each man would enter the ditch
by means of the wheel and would cross to the other side of
it, protected on top by the wheel. When they reached the
other side, they would climb the ladders and thus take the
city. In addition, he also had many men in his camp who
used to throw up earth around the city so that they could
climb the mound to the walls; thus, by reaching the top over
the earthen mound, he could take the walls. Finally, he also
had about ten thousand sappers who would dig tunnels un-
der the walls and prop them up with wooden beams. After
that they would set fire to the beams and, when the wood
burned through, the walls would simply collapse and they
would enter the city at that point. It was in these three ways
that Timur would capture the cities.
With the arrival of spring, however, news reached him 64
that envoys of the king of the Indians had arrived at Kherie
with a large military escort and had done great harm to the
city.10l They had even entered the king's treasury and taken
off with the tribute, and they also threatened that the king
of the Indians would no longer abide by the treaty. When
he learned this, Timur was frightened that when the en-
voys reached the king of the Indians, the latter would come
 THE HISTORIES
eTClWv l<a-ra(n:pe'POl-rO -r~V eau-rou xwpav, OXOV-rO<; mJ-rou
afl'P l [LIp} -rou<; e:rnjAUOa<; nOAtflou<;, Kallifla eern£l mJ-rov
Kal -ra av9pwn£la ev ouoevl eer-r!'JK(\-ra aer'PaA£l, Kal O£lVa
nOl!'Jerafl£vo<; -rou<; 'Ivoou<; npter~£l<; esu~pleral e<; au-rov
oil-rw<; avalo!'Jv, ~Aauvev, w<; dX£ -raXler-ra, enl X£pl!'J<;, -rov
-r£ Ilma~~-r!'Jv lxwv fI£9' eau-rou Kal -rov natoa au-rou. Kal
ouotva AOYOV enol£i-ro au-rou T£fI~P!'J<;, aneopa enl ~v
na-rp¢av xwpav.
65 Ilma~~-r!'Jv 0, uno Avn!'J<; vo~erav-ra nAw-r~erm -rov
~lov l'Paerav. Oil-rw fltv oilv e-r£A£v-r!'Jer£ Ilma~~-r!'J<; 6
Afloupa-r£w, av~p 6Pfl~v n Kal -roAflav enlo£lsafl£vo<;,
onol av napaytvol-rO, aslav AOYOU, Kal-rOAfln fI£yaAn ano-
o£lsafl£vo<; fpya Ka-ra -re Aerlav Kal Eupwn!'Jv, ~aerlA£vera<;
f-r!'J ntv-r£ Kal dKoerlv. 'Hv ot ou-rw<; au9ao!'J<;, ~ern fI!'J oevl
nd9ecr9m, w<; eau-re;; eappovv-rw<; xwp£iv enl -rou<; nOAe-
fllou<;. 'E-reAev-r!'Jere 0, ev -rfi 'Iwvlq, olaxelfla~ono<; au-rou
Tefl~p£w -rOY er-rpa-rov.
66 '0 ot 'Ivowv ~aerlAeu<; ou-ro<; eer-rlv 6 -rwv ewea ~aerlAewv
-roilvofla fxwv, T~axa-ra!'J<; ~aerlAev<;. Twv ewta 0, ~ctcrl­
Atwv ~amAta y£voflevov -rou-rov, -rov Ola -rou<; Maerera-
yt-ra<; er-rpa-rov fleyav enl Tefl~P!'Jv enl1teflvav-ra, Atye-rm
-rov -re ApaS!'Jv £nlona ola~~vm, Kal -ra nAtw ~<; -rav-en
xwpa<; Ka-raer-rpevaflevov tn' otKou ailel<; anoxwp~erm.
Llv!'J<; -re ~aerlAev£l Kal 'Ivola<; [Kal} SUflnaer!'J<;, Kal Ol~K£l
au-re;; ~ xwpa enl Tanpo~av!'Jv v~erov, e<; 'IvolK~v eaAaer-
erav, e<; ~v ot fleYler-rol ~<; 'Ivola<; xwpa<; no-raflol [LI53}
eKoloouerlv, 0 -re rayy!'J<;, 'Ivoo<;, AKeerlv!'J<;, '1"oaern!'J<;,
'1"opaw-r!'J<;, "1" 'Paerl<;, fltYler-rol o~ OU-rOl Ilvn<; ~<; xwpa<;.
266
BOOK 3
against him and conquer his territory while he was preoccu-
pied with wars in neighboring lands. At the same time, he
realized that human affairs are never secure, and he took
to heart the way in which the Indian envoys had insulted
him so shamelessly. So he marched to Kherie as quickly as
he could, taking Bayezid and his son with him. Timur paid
no attention to the latter, and so he escaped to his native
land. 102
They say that Bayezid died after becoming sick with 65
grief Thus died Bayezid, the son of Murad, a man who,
wherever he went, had shown great daring and remarkable
boldness. He displayed great daring in his accomplishments
in Asia and Europe, and reigned for rwenty-five years. 103 But
he was impetuous, so that he listened to no one else, and
advanced confidently against the enemy. He died in Ionia,
where Timur was spending the winter with the army.104
This king of the Indians is the one who is called "he of 66
the nine kings"; he is King Chaghadai. When he became
king over the nine kings, he dispatched a large army against
Timur on account of the Massagetai. It is said that he
crossed the Araxes in his advance, conquered most of the
land there, and then returned to his home. He reigns over
ChinalO5 and all of India. His land extends to the island of
Taprobane [Sri Lanka} in the Indian Ocean, into which flow
the largest of the rivers of India: the Ganges, Indus, Ake-
sines, Hydaspes, Hydraotes, and Hyphasis, which are the
 THE HISTORIES
<IMpeL S, ~ 'IVSLK~ xwpa ayaea f"v nOAAa Kat ilA~ov
nOAUV, Kat a 'te ~ao-LAei>~ ;vf'na01]~ 'tij~ xwpa~ int' au'tov
yevof'£vl]~. 'Opf'wf'evo~ S, oO'to~ ano 'tij~ un,p raYYl]v
xwpa~ Kat 'tij~ napaAlov 'IVSLK* Kat Tanpo~avI]~, EAee'iv
Ent 'tov ~a(nAEa Xa'taT'1~, 'tij~ xwpa~ 'tij~ EV'tO~ rayyov Kat
'IvSOii, Kat Ka'taerrpe"'af'evov 'tijv'tau'tt] xwpav 'ta ~aaLAeLa
EV 'tau'tt] S~ 'tfi nOAeL nOL~aao-eaL' ;vf'~ijvaL S, 'to'te
yeveaeaL "'P' £vt ~aaLAe'i ;uf'nao-av 't~v 'IVSLK~V xwpav.
67 N0f'l~Ovo"l S, OO'tOL eeou~, 01 'te 't~v Xa'tat'1v xwpav
otKoiiV'te~, AnoAAw 'te Kat Ap'tef'Lv Kat S~ Kat ·Hpav.
<I>wv~v S£ ou 't~v au'tijv a'PlaLv leV'taL, &.1.';': E~ i'ev'1 'te
nOAAa SLn PI] f'Eva euvof'e'i'tat Ent nAe'ia'tov S~ avepwnwv
Ka'ta 'te nOAeL~ Kat KWf'a~. Elvata~ S, avayovaLv lnnov~
f"v 't<li AnoAAwvL, ~ov~ S£ 'tfi "HpW 'tfi S, Ap'tEf'LSL eUOVO"L
naTSa~ ap'tlw~ ~~aO"Kov'ta~ ava nav i''to~. <I>epeL S£ ~ xwpa
aihl]1tVpoi>~ f"v Entnev'teKalSeKa n~xeL~, w~ AEye'taL, ~a­
aLALKou~, Kat KpLea~ S, 'tOY au'tov 'tponov, Kat f'eAlvl]v E~
'to au'to f'EyeeO~. KaAaf'lvoL~ S, nAo[OL~ xpwf'evoL SLa-
nopef'euovaL 'tOY no'taf'ov. <I>epeL S, ~ 'IvSLK~, w~ AeyovaL,
'toaov'tov 'to f'eyeeo~, werre an' au'toii vavnYJyeTaeaL nAoTa
f'eSlf'vwv 'teaaapaKov'ta 'EAA'1VLKWV.
68 To f"v yevo~ 'tov'to ou naw yvwa'tov ~f'Tv yevof'evov
nOAAa~ a1tla'tla~ napexeL f'~ neieeaeat nept au'twv, oaa
nvveavof'at. "H 'te yap xwpa au't'1npMw [I.I54} EKnoSwv
yevof'£v'1 ou navv EnL~SeLO~ eraw <!>K'1'tat 'te Kat onoL i'XeL
~ewv 'te Kat SLal't'1~' revo~ f'EV'tOL taxvpo'ta'tov yevof'evov
'to naAalov 'tou~ 'te ITepawv ~aaLAeT~ Kat Aaavptwv, ~yov­
f'evov~ 'tij~ Aala~, eepaneueLv f'£v 'toi>~ 'IvSwv ~aaLAe'i~,
BOOK 3
largest in the land. India produces many goods and much
wealth, and the king rules over the entire land. 106 Setting out
from the land above the Ganges, as well as from coastal In-
dia, and Taprobane, he attacked the king of Khat ai, the land
between the Ganges and Indus, conquered that land, and
established his own royal court in that city. It was at that
time when all the land of India came under the control of
one king.
The inhabitants of the land of Khatai lO7 believe in the 67
gods Apollo, Artemis, and Hera. They do not all speak the
same language but are divided into many races; it is the most
well governed among all people, organized into cities and
villages. They make sacrifices of horses to Apollo and oxen
to Hera. To Artemis they sacrifice every year children who
have just reached puberty. The land produces wheat that re-
portedly grows to a height of fifteen royal cubits, and barley
in the same fashion, and millet to the same height. They
cross the river in reed boats. India produces reeds of such
a size, they say, that ships with a capacity of forty Greek
medimnoi can be built from them. lOB
The fact that this race is not well known to us means that 68
there are many incredible stories told about them that are
not to be believed, at least as far as I can ascertain. The land
is very remote and so it is not easy to learn how it is settled
in its interior and what its customs and way of life are. This
race became very powerful in the past and the kings of the
Persians and Assyrians, the rulers of Asia, served the kings
 THE HISTORIES
bee[ 'tE LEflipafll, Kat Kupo, 6 'tou Kafl~uero1J 'tov Apa;I]v
Sla~av'tE, flEyaA,!, 'ttiJ reoAefl'!' £xp~eraV'to. "'H 'tE yap LEfli-
pafll, 'twv Aerer1Jpiwv ~aerLAlerera eret 'twv 'IvSwv ~aerlAea
eAaUV01Jera flEyaAn reapaCTKE1Jij, eree[ 'tE 'tov reo'taflov Slt~I],
ereErepayEl 'tE xaAErew'ta'ta Kat au'tou 'tau-rn e'tEAEu'tl]erE.
ME'ta Sf. 'tau'ta Kupo, 6 Kafl~uerEw, ITEperwv ~acrlAEu"
AeyE'tat S~ 'tov 'tE Apa;I]v Sla~a" Kai SlaywvleraflEvo,
repo, 'tou, Maereraye'ta, ~repa;e 'tE 'ta xaAErew'ta'ta, Kat
athou ureo yvvalKo, TOfluPLO, TIj, MaererayE'twv ~aerlAE1J­
,il
ouerl], are08avETv.
69 TEfI~Pl], flf.V ouv W, ureo 'tou ayytAo1J erc68E'to 'ta reEpt
~v repeer~e[av 'tou Xa'tall], ~aerlAtw" are~Aa1JVeV, w, elXe
'taxo1J" eret Xepi'l,' ITalas~'tl], Se, w, e'ipl]'tal, Ka'ta ~v
6Sov heAeu't'lerev, ureEvex8el, e, 't~v fltAalVaV (mo Aurel]"
Mwiicrfj, Sf. 6 reaT, au'tou, a<pe8el, (mo ~aerlAtw, Tefl~pl],
erei 't~v rea'tptiJav xwpav a<piKe'to. BaCTlAeu, Sf. Tefl~pl], W,
eytve'to e, 'ta ~aerLAela 'ta ta1J'tou, 'ta 'te tv 'tij apxu au'tou
Ka8 iCT'tl] , ii tSoKel KaAAlCT'ta eXelV au'ttiJ, Kat repo, 'tov
'IvSwv ~aCTlAta Slevex8el, ereOAeflel. {!.I55} Me'ta Sf. 'tau'ta
etp~vl]v 'te treol~era'to, t<p' <Ii 'te ;evol 'te Kat <pLAOl elVat
aAA~AOl" Tou't'!' eyevov'to reaTSe, LaXpouxo, 'tE Kat ITa-
'iayyoupl], Kat A~S1JAa'tou<pl]" LaXpouxov 'tov repeer~u­
'tepov reaTSa au'tou Ka'teAme ~aerlAta areoSel;aflevo,. Au-
'to, Sf. reept epw'ta, exwv Kat ev'tau8a reoA1JrepaYflovwv
t'tEAeu'tl]ere. AeyE'tal yap S~ Tefl~pl], flaAler'ta S~ av8pw-
rewv e, 'toerou'to ureo <puerew, ax8~vat, wer'te veaVierK01J,
tvav'tiov au'tou yvval;t KeAeuelv flicryeer8at, wCT'te Kat 't~v
<puerlv epe8iselV au'tou eret 'toU'to. :0., Sf. areo tpw'twv
27 0
BOOK 3
of the Indians, ever since Semiramis and Cyrus, the son of
Cambyses, crossed the Araxes and found themselves in-
volved in a major war. For Semiramis, the queen of the As-
syrians, launched a major expedition against the king of the
Indians and yet, when she crossed the river, she fared very
badly and died there. After that it is said that Cyrus, the son
of Cambyses and king of the Persians, crossed the Araxes
and fought with the Massagetai. But he too fared very badly
and was killed there by a woman, Tomyris, the queen of the
Massagetai. 109
So when Timur learned from the messenger about the 69
embassy sent by the king of Khatai, he marched, as quickly
as he could, to Kherie. As I said, Bayezid died along the
way, overcome by depression and grie£ His son Musa was
released by King Timur and returned to his native landYo
When King Timur reached his palace, he arranged the af-
fairs of his realm in the way that seemed best to him, and
waged war against the king of the Indians over their differ-
ences. After that he made peace on the condition that they
be friends and allies with each other."! The sons born to
him were Shahrukh, Baysunqur, and ~bd-al-Lati£"2 He ap-
pointed the eldest son, Shahrukh, to be king after him,1I3
while he himself indulged in sex and died preoccupied with
that."4 In fact it is said that Timur was tormented by his na-
ture more than any other person, to such a degree that he
ordered young men to copulate with women in front of him
in order to become aroused enough himself for the act. But
27'
 THE HISTORIES
ytVOl'"t"O, btt :n:oAEfllov<; au'dKa S~ 'tpt:n:Ecr9at, fI,]St:n:O'tE
~crvxlav /iyov'ta. Kat E;v~plcrat S~ AtyE'tal ~v <pucrlV
au'tou 8<; 't~v Slat'tav :n:Epl a<ppoSlcrla YEvoflEVOV.
70 Tou'tov flEv S~ 'tEAWrllcrav'to<; fcrxE 't~v ~acrlAelav ~a­
Xpoux0<;, av~p 'ta 'tE /iAAa E:n:lElK~<;, Kat 'toT<; :n:EpLOlKOl<; 'ta
:n:OAAa cr:n:EVSOflEV6<; 'tE Kal ~ovxlav /iywv SlE'teAEl. MET'
ou :n:oAv 'tEAev't~crav'to<; ~axpouxov 'tou TEfI~PEW I1aYay-
youp']<; " VEW'tEpO<; :n:aT<; fcrxE 't~v ~acrlAelav, :n:po<; 'tov<;
aSEA<pov<; au'tou SlEVEX9el<;. OUAl']<; flE:V yap 't~v 'tE KaSov-
crlwv xwpav Kal 'YpKavlav Ka'ttxwv :n:po<; A~SvAa'tou<p']v
'tOV aSEA<pov SlEVEX9el<; E:n:OAtflEl, Kat w<; I1a"layyoup,]<;
E:n:ayoflEVO<;, 't~V 'tE xwpav a<pelAE'to, Kat au'tov ~wyp~cra<;
eTXEV EV <pvAaKft. ME'ta SE: 'tau'ta 'tEAev~crav'to<; I1a"lay-
you pEW T~OKl']<; lcrxE ~V ~acrlAelav. I1po<; 'tou'tOV
M:n:a"lfl:n:ouP,]<; [I.I56} 'tWV EWea ~acrlAtwv E:n:lyafllav :n:Ol,]-
craflEVO<; Kal E1tl'tpa<p9el<; ecrxE ~V ~acrtAelav' Kat 'ta
~aflapxavStj<; :n:paYfla'ta Ka'tacrxwv, Kat'IvSwv ovflflaxlav
E:n:ayoflEvo<;, :n:po<; 'tE 'tov T~OKl']v I1a'layyoupEw E:n:OAtflEl
:n:aISa. T~OKl']<; flE:V ouv 'tou<; 'tE ~Ku9a<; E:n:ayoflEvo<;, Kal
'tij<; Acrovplwv xwpa<; ~acrlAEuwv E:n:t I1a'layyoup']v 'tov
aSEA<pov 'tov 'tE :n:OAEflOV Slt<pEPE Kat cr'tpa'tevcraflEvo<;
flax!] 'tE tKpa't']crE Kat ~aflapxavS']v :n:apEcr~cra'tO.
7' Ou :n:OAV SE: iI<Y'tEpOV 'twv Evvta ~acrlAe1 OVflflUX'l'
XptjcraflEvo<; Kat EV 't4i Ta~pt~1l:n:6AEl EuSalflovl Acrovplwv
'ta ~acro..Ela :n:ol,]craflEvo<; :n:po<; 'tE 'tOV<; AevKupva<; :n:o-
AEflWV SlE'ttAEl Kat ~aflaxl']v :n:OAlv 8:n:OAlOPKEl, 'ta 'tou
KapaYAouKEw ~acro..Ela. Ta~pE~'] Se :n:OAl<; elvat flEyaA,] 'tE
Kat EuSalflwv Kat 'twv EV 'tft Acrlq flE'ta yE ~aflapxavS']v
BOOK 3
when he set sex aside, he would immediately turn to war
against his enemies, so that he was never at rest. It is said
that he committed offenses against his nature with his sex-
ualhabits.
When Timur died, Shalrrukh took the throne. He was a 70
man who was generally reasonable and who, for the most
part, made treaties with his neighbors and maintained
peace. Shalrrukh, the son ofTimur, died shortly afterward,
and Baysunqur, the younger son, took the throne and fen
out with his brothers.ll5 For UIug-Beg held the land of the
Kadousioi and Hyrkania and fought against his brother
Abd-al-Latif after falling out with himY' But Baysunqur
came against him, stripped him of his land, captured him
alive, and imprisoned him. After that, when Baysunqur died,
Juki held the throne. ll7 Babur "of the nine kings" made a
marriage alliance with him, and so he held the throne after
inheriting it. liB He also took over the affairs of Samarkand,
made an alliance with the Indians, and fought against Juki,
the son ofBaysunqur.Juki brought in the Skythians, reigned
over the land of the Assyrians, and fen out in a war with his
brother Baysunqur. He marched against him, defeated him
in battle, and took over Samarkand. 1l9
Shortly afterward, relying on the king of the nine as his 7'
ally and using Tabriz, a prosperous city of the Assyrians, as
his royal capital, Juki waged war against the White Sheep
and besieged the city of Shemakha, the palace of Kara
Yiililk.120 Tabriz is a large city, prosperous, and, after Samar-
kand, first among all the cities in Asia in its income and
273
 THE HISTORIES
XP'l f'cnwv -re 1tpOo-oS", Kat -rft aAAn EvSaLf'ov(<;< 1tpoexouo-a·
mjp4<; -re -rpe'l'EL ~ xwpa aih'l f'e-ra!;4v -re KaAA.lo--r'lV
1tOLOVf'ev'l Kat 't"ij<; Laf'axi'l<; 4f'elvw. WepEL Sf. Kat KPLf'i~LV
mjpa oihw KaAoUf'EVOV 1tOP'l'vpOUV, t1tt -ra If'4-rLa, -r4 -rE
a1tO tpiwv Kat o-'lpWV, ~a'l'~v evSELKvuf'eva 4!;(av AOyOV.
"Eo--rL 151: 1tAta -ra ev -rftSE -rft xwp<;< ITEpo-WV -rwv jh~af'(wv
KaAovf'evwv' Oo-OL yap ~v A-r~af'iwv 'l'wv~v 1tpolEV'raL,
ITepo-aL 1:'£ O,,-rOL o-Uf'1tav-rE<; Kat -rfi ITEpo-WV {I.I57} 'l'wvfi
SLaAtyoV'raL. OlKouo-i -rE Ta~pt~'lv -rE Kat KaYLVOV Kat
NLye-r('lV, 1tOAEL<; EuSa[f'ova<; -rWV M~Swv Kat Ao-o-vpiwv
xwpa<;. Laf'axi'l 151: 1tpo<; -rft APf'EV[WV xwp<;< <!JK'lf'ev'l,
1tOAL<; EvSa(f'wv -rE Kat 1toAv4v8pw1t0<;.
72 A1tO Se 't"ij<; 8vya-rpo<; T~OKiEW, Kapa"lo-ou'l'ew Sf. yv-
vaLKo<;, eytvE-ro T~avLo-a<; 1tal<; Kapdio-ouq>EW, T~OK(EW Se
41toyovo<;. O,,-ro<; -rE ITaySa-rl'l<; 't"ij<; Ba~vAwvo<; e1t~p!;e,
Kat Ao-o-vp[wv ~v xwpav Ka-rao--rpE'/t4f'EVO<; Ta~p£~'lv -rE
Eav-r4i U1tf]y4yE"t"D Kat 1tpO<; -rov M1ta"lf'1toUpEW 1talSa SL-
E1toAtf'EL. 'E1tEA4o-a<; 151: 1tpO<; 'Ep-r~Lyy4vLV e1tOALOpKEL
1tapao-"'lo-af'EVO<;, Kat -r~v Apf'EViwv tv-ro<; Evq>pa-rov xw-
pay e-runavev oi'io-av u1tf]yaYE-ro. ME-ra Se -rou T~OKiEW
1taLSo<; wPf''lf'tvov a1to Laf'apxavS'l<; -r~v -rE Ba~vAwva
t1tOALOpKeL, Kat av-rov t1tLOV'ra ol f'aXn e1tEKpa"'lo-E. Kat
~v Ba~vAwva EAwv, t1tt Ta~pt~'lv eAauvwv, e<; -rOVSE o-vv-
SLaq>£pEL -rov 1tOAEf'OV. Xao-av'l<; f'tV-rOL 6 f'aKpo<;, LKEV-
Stpew -rou -ro 'Ep-r~LyyavLv SLaKa-rtxov-ro<; a1toyovo<; wv
Kat 't"ij<; Kapa"t'AoUKEW f'oipa<;, e1tt ~v ap~v 1tapeyevE-ro
~v APf'EV(WV, o-vvEAavv0f'£vwv av-r4i -rwv -re Kapdi-
AOUKEW 1taiSwv. O,,-rOL yap w<; U1tO -rou ~ao-LA£w<; T~avLo-a,
274
BOOK 3
other wealth. The land produces silkworms and the finest
silk, better than that of Shemakha. It also produces a pur-
ple silk that is called "crimson," which highlights garments,
those of both wool and silk, with a remarkable dye. Most
things in this land are produced by Persians called Ajems;
for all who speak the language of the Ajems are Persians and
can converse in the Persian language. I2l They inhabit Tabriz,
Kaginos, and Nigeti, prosperous cities of the land of the
Medes and Assyrians. Shemakha is situated toward the land
of the Armenians, and is a prosperous and populous city.
Jahanshah,122 the son of Kara Yusuf and grandson ofJuki, 72
was born to the daughter ofJuki, the wife of Kara YUSU£I23
He ruled Baghdad near Babylon and conquered the land
of the Assyrians, subjecting Tabriz to himself and fighting
against Babur's son. He advanced on Erzinjan, besieged it,
and took it, and he subjected all the land of the Armenians
bounded by the Euphrates. I24 When Juki's son set out from
Samarkand, he besieged Babylon and, whenJahanshah came
against him, he defeated him in battleY5 He took Babylon
and advanced on Tabriz, and is still waging this war. Mean-
while, Hasan the Tall, who was a descendant of rskender
who had once held Erzinjan and belonged to the tribe of
Kara Yiiliik, came to power over the Armenians, and the
sons of Kara Yiiliik marched with himY' For when they
were besieged in Shemakha127 by King Jahanshah, Kara
275
 THE HISTORIES
KapaY<Y01J<pEW 1talSO" tv Laflaxln 1tOAlOpKOUflEVOl tv
cmop<!' dXOVTO, 1tpO<YESeOV'tO 'tOU M1ta'(fl1tOUPEW £<Y~aA£lv
£, -rfJV M'lSIK~V, il, 1tEl<YSEl, 'tE £<Ye~aAE, Kat cmave<Y't'l 'tE
6 T~avl<Yii, imoxwpwv 1tpo<; 'tov M1taYfl1toup'lv, 'tiL flEV
<Yufl~aAAwv, 'tiL SE A'l·(~oflEVO<; -rfJv xwpav £KElVOU. Ot
fleVTol ~YEfloVE<;, I) 'tE MEvSE<Yla" A:(Slv'l<; Kat Lapxav'l<;,
aAOv'tO, rrata~~'tEW 't~v [!.I5B} 't£ xwpav Ka'teAa~ov £1tl-
K£AEUOVTO, TEfl~PEW, Kat £<; 't~V tau'tou xwpav KaSlma'to
"Kamo<;. 'OpWV S1: Xa<Yav'l, <Yufl~aAAoflev'lv au't<li Suva-
fllV a;loxpEWV, ~v 'tE l\PflEVlwv xwpav u1t1']yayE'tO Kat
'toil<; T~avlSa<;, Kat 1tpO, 'toil<; KOAXlSo<; ~a<YlAEr<; £1tl-
yafllav 1tOl'l<Yafl£vo, elp~v'lv £1tOl~<Ya'to.
BOOK 3
Yusuf's son, they did not know what to do and so begged
Babur to invade Media. He agreed and invaded, whereupon
Jahanshah picked up and went against him, partly by engag-
ing with him directly and partly by plundering his territo-
. 128Meanwhile, t h e other rulers [of Asia Minor},
nes.
Mentqe, Aydm, and Saruhan, reclaimed their lands at
Timur's order when Bayezid was captured, so each of them
was restored to his own land.l29 When Hasan saw that a sig-
nificant force was attacking him, he subjected the land of
the Armenians andJanids, and made peace with the kings of
Kolchis through a marriage alliance. 130
 /1'
[I.I59} Me-rl< flev ouv -r~v Tefl~pew avaxWp']OlV trei
Xepf'], 'I']crou, 0 repecr~u-repo, -rwv I1ata~~-rew rea[Swv ~v
-re ~acrlAdav Ka-rtcrxe, cruUt;a, -re -rou, ap[cr-rou, -rwv
eupwv -rou rea-rpo" Kat ve~AuSa, repocrayoflevo" iScrou, S~
~Suva-ro. T", yl<p S~ I1ala~~'t!1 tytvov-ro naiSe, olSe, 1']-
crou, -re Kat MoucrouAflav,], Kat Mwm;, Kat MeXflt-r,], Kat
1']crou, 0 vew-repo, Kat Moucr-racpa,. 1']crou, flev au-r[Ka
fle-rl< -r~v Tefl~pew avaxwp']crlv tv 'tft Acr[", yevoflevo"
i'xwv -rou, -re ve~AuSa, fle-r' au-rou Kat -rwv ap[cr-rwv, acral
SltcpUyov ~acrlAta Tefl~p,]v, -ra -re I1pouCTl], ~acr£Aela i'crxe,
Kat ~v &U']v 'tfj, Acr[a, ap~v tau-r", ureayoflevo, -ra,-re
apxa, Sltvelfle, Kai t, ~v Eupwre']v Sla~l<, ~v -re ~acrl­
Adav Ka-rtcrxev 'EU~vwv trei -rl< Eupwre'], ~acr£AEla ov-rwv.
n
Kat &PX0v-ra Se tcp[cr-r']crlV tv -rli Eupwret], S~ au-r", trel-
-r']Sdw, "XElV tcpa[ve-ro.
MoucrouAflav,], flev ouv opflwflevo, ana Bu~av-r[ou
2
cruv[cr-ra-ro tret -rav 'I']crouv, Kat -rl< reoA£fI,a yevoflevo, av~ p
ayaeo" Kat tre' au-rov repocryevofltvwv -rwv 'tfj, Eupwre'],
ap[cr-rwv Kat ve']AuSwv, iScrOl -re au-rou tV<i>KOUV, tnnel -re
S,l< 'tfj, Eupwre'], tree;eAeWV Kat ureayoflevo, -rau-r']v
tau-r"" areov-ro, -rou 1']crou t, ~v Acr[av Kat Sla-rp[~ov-ro,.
Me-rl< Se -rau-ra t, -r~v Acr[av Sla~a" "xwv -ra area 'tfj,
Book 4
~en Timur left for Kherie, Isa, Bayezid's eldest son,1
took the throne, gathering to his side the leading men of his
father's Porte, and securing the support of as many of the
janissaries as he could. For Bayezid had the following sons:
Isa, Siileyman, Musa, Mehmed, isa the Younger, 2 and Mus-
tafa. After Timur's departure, Isa was in Asia and, given that
he had the janissaries with him and as many of the nobles as
had escaped from King Timur, he took control of the palace
at Pronsa, assumed control of all the affairs of the realm in
Asia, and distributed the offices. 3 He then crossed over into
Europe and took over the kingdom while the Greeks held
their capital in Europe. 4 He appointed a governor in Eu-
rope, someone whom he thought would be useful to him.
But Siileyman set out from Byzantion to engage with Isa. 2
He was a capable man when it came to war and was joined
by the leading men and janissaries who lived in Europe. He
advanced, marching through Europe and subjecting it to
himself while isa was absent and busy in Asia. After that he
crossed over into Asia with the army from Europe and
279
 THE HISTORIES
Eupwnl]<; IY'rpaTWf'a, eO'TpaTEUETO enl 'II]O'OVV TOV [Lr6o}
aSEA'I'OV SlaTpl~ov-ra nEpl KannaSoKiav, end O'UVEf'axouv
ot TOV Llvwnlou ~yEf'0VE<; aUT<ji Kal ol Tii<; O'uf'f'axia<; AOl-
nol TWV Tupavvwv. LUf'~aAwv Sf. aUTov Tau't)] T<ji aSEA'I'<ji
Kat TpE'/taf'EVO<; nOAAa TE TOV O'TpaTEUf'aTO<; aUTOV ev Tfi
f'axn SlE'I'9ElPE, Kal S~ Kal 'II]O'OVV ~wyp~O'a<; SlExp~O'aTO
~aO'lAEuO'avTa hI] TEO'O'apa. OUTO<; f'f.V S~ OUTW Ka9atpE-
9el<; uno MouO'ouAf'avEw hEAEUTI]O'EV.
n<; Sf. MOuO'ouAf'avl]<; e<; ~v ~a(J'lAe!av KaTeO'TI] Kal
J
e~aO'iAwE, Mw<ri'j<; f'Ef'a91]f'Evo<; Kal a'l'E9el<; uno TEf'~­
pEW ~a(J'lAew<; eKof'i~ETO enl T~V naTp£iJav xwpav Kal enl
9aAaTTl]<;. 1\.'I'lKOf'EVO<; Sf. enl TOU<; 'Of'OUpEW narSa<; TOU<;
MouO'OUAf'aVEW nOAEf'lou<; Sla ~V npo<; TOV 'II]O'ovv aUTwv
O'uf'f'ax1av, enl Llvwnl]v TE Kal KalY'raf'ova, Kal eVTEv9EV
enl ~aKlav Sla~a<; Sla TOV Eu~e!vou novTou Kal enl Mup-
~av TOV ~aKla<; ~yEf'6va, aUT<ji TE SlEAEX91] Ta TE /ina, Kat
w<; ~V enl ~V ~a(J'lAe!av O'UVEmAa~I]Tat, SOVVat aUT<ji
np6<roSov ev Tfi Eupw1t]'] Kal xwpav OUK OAlyl]v. rIpo<; TE
yap "Enl]va<; nOAEf'la ~V aUT<ji, ene! TE MUP~EW narSa
aUTov ev Bu~av-rl", unESe~aVTO, Kal unerrxOVTO ~V apx~v
aUT<ji f'ETa MouO'OUAf'aVEW enlTl]Se!ou O'UYKaTEpyaO'E-
O'eal. OUTO<; f'Ev ouv TOV TE Mw<ri'jv unESe~aTO /iO'f'EVO<;,
Kal aim;; nape!XETo ~v TE SlalTav Kal Ta emT~SEla, Kal
TOV O'TpaTov Sf mh<ji eSISou.
4 'Ev-rEVeEV Sf. w<; e<; T~V 1\.O'lav MOuO'ouAf'avl]<; a:n:i'jv,
emppEovTWV aUT<ji TWV ano Ti'j<; Eupwnl]<;, OO'Ol ~Xeov-ro
MOUO'OUAf'aVn OUK EU 'l'EpOf'EVOl nap' aUT<ji, Kal apf'wf'E-
VO<; Aa~wv TE TOUTOU<; Kal ana [I.I6r} ~aKWV IY'rpaTOV
280
BOOK 4
campaigned against his brother isa, who was spending his
time in Kappadokia, as the rulers of Sinope had allied with
him along with the other tyrants of the alliance. Siileyman
attacked his brother there, routed his army, and killed many
of his men in the battle. He also captured isa alive and killed
him, after he had reigned for four years. isa, then, was de-
posed in this way by Siileyman, and died. 5
When Siileyman established himself on the throne and J
began to reign, Musa, who had gained some experience and
had then been released by King Timur, also returned by
sea to his native land. 6 He went to the sons of Umur, who
were enemies of Siileyman on account of their alliance with
isa, namely to Sinope and Kastamonu,' and from there he
crossed the Black Sea to Wallachia and approached Mircea,
the ruler ofWallachia. 8 He spoke with him about many mat-
ters, including how he might take over the throne with his
help, for which he would give him an income in Europe and
a lot of land. Mircea was hostile to the Greeks because they
had received his son in Byzantion and had promised to assist
the latter to gain the throne with the help of their ally Siiley-
man.' So he received Musa gladly, maintained him and pro-
vided him with necessities, and gave him his army.
At this point, when Siileyman went off to Asia, men from 4
Europe, who hated Siileyman because they had not been
treated well by him, flocked to Musa. Musa set out with
them and a large army of Wallachians, and Dan, a ruler of
28r
 THE HISTORIES
lKavov, e1ClJ'JCofltvOtJ au'ti!i Kat Ll.avotJ 'tou Ll.aKwv ~yeflo­
vo~, -n'jv 'tE Eupwnl]v Ka'ttcrxe, Kat ent 'ta ~acrLAela 'tij~
A8plavotJnoAew~ naplwv Kagelcr-n'jKel 'te ~acrlAeu~, Kat ent
'tOV a8eAq>ov e~ -n'jv Acrlav napecrKetJa~e'to cr'tpa'teuecr9al.
MOtJcrotJAflavI]~ 81: ~nelye'to Kat au'to~ q>9iiVal npo'tepo~
e~ -n'jv Acrlav 8la~a~' 8ltyvw yap Kat aflq>oiv liflelvov Kat
npo~ 'tOU E'ttpOtJ elval, "no'tepo~ liv ent -n'jv 'tou htpotJ
apx~v Sla~a~ -n'jv flaXl]v nOl~cral'tO au'tou Kat fI~ e1Clflelv!]
'tov a8eAq>ov enl6v'ta. Ll.la~a~ 'tE ent 'to BtJ~av-rlOv, wcr'te
au'ti!i q>LAla elvalnpo~ 'tov BtJ~av-rlotJ ~aCTlAta, liye'tal-n'jv
~acrlAtw~ tJl'i80uv 'IavtJ'totJ 'toii N'top,a 9tJya't£pa. Yl'L80iiv
81: 'toii ~acrlAtw~ 'EAA~VWV ayoflevo~ MOtJcrotJAflavl]~ "
rrala~~'tew nai~, Kat e~ BtJ~av'tlOv 8la~a~ ecr-rpa'teue'to ent
'tov aSeAq>ov.
5 Mwcrii~ 81: w~ 'tax,cr'ta eJtUge'to napa ~acrlAta 'EAA~VWV
Ka'taAuelv ev BtJ~av'tl"" au'tlKa e~AatJve, Kat anoAa~wv
ev BtJ~av'tl", OUK e'(a e~ -n'jv Eupwnl]v e;eA90v'ta avacr-rptq>e-
cr9al. MOtJcrotJAflavl]~ fl1:v ouv cr'tpa'tov, w~ ~8uva'to, fltyl-
cr'toV ano 'tij~ Acrla~ 8lanop9f1eucra~ ent -n'jv BtJ~av-rlotJ
xwpav au'toii ecr'tpa'tone8eue'to, Kat 'tov ye a8eAq>ov enl-
ov-ra entflelvev. 'Ev-raii9a w~ liflq>w e~ flaXI]v nape'ta;av-ro,
crtJvt~aAov Kat eflaxov-ro. Mwcrii~ fl1:v 'tou~ 'te Ll.aKa~ Kat
Tpl~aAAou~ i'xwv fle9' EatJ'toii Kat {I.I6z} ~'ttnavov 'tov
'EAea~apotJ naiSa Kat 'to ano 'tij~ Eupwnl]~ cr-rpa'tetJfla
TOUpKWV nape'tacrcre'to. BacrlAeu~ fl1:v S~ npo~ 'toii'tov
AoyOtJ~ ntflta~ crtJve~otJAeue'to au'ti!i ev 'tfi napa'ta;el 9ap-
poiiv'ta ltval ent 'to BtJ~av-rlOv napa ~acrlAta Mwcrtw~
nOAu aflelvw 'te Kat enlelKEcr-repov' iiv yap 8~ Mwcrii~ 'ta
BOOK 4
the Wallachians, went with him. lO He took over Europe and
when he reached the palace at Adrianople he declared him-
self sultan,l1 and prepared to campaign against his brother
in Asia. But Siileyman, who had crossed over into Asia, has-
tened to make the first move. For he realized that whichever
of them crossed over into the other's territory and fought
the war there, rather than waiting for his brother to attack
him, would be at an advantage over the other. So he crossed
over to Byzantion, given that he was on friendly terms with
the king of Byzantion {Manuel II}, and married the king's
granddaughter, the daughter of the Genoese man Doria.l2
So Siileyman, the son of Bayezid, married the granddaugh-
ter of the king of the Greeks, crossed over to Byzantion, and
marched against his brother.
As soon as Musa learned that Siileyman was staying in 5
Byzantion with the king of the Greeks, he advanced imme-
diately and intercepted him at Byzantion, not allowing him
to move into Europe and roll him back. Siileyman ferried
the largest army he could from Asia over to Byzantine ter-
ritory and encamped there, awaiting his brother's attack.
Both sides deployed for battle, engaged, and fought,1l Musa
had the Wallachians and Serbs on his side along with Stefan,
the son of Lazar,!4 and he also deployed the European army
of the Turks. The king of the Greeks, however, sent word
to Stefan and advised him, while he was in formation for
battle, that it would be a much better and more reasonable
choice for him to desert Musa and have every confidence
in coming over to Byzantion; for Musa was generally
 THE HISTORIES
'tE liAAa btaXe~<; E<; 'tOV<; crtJflflaX0tJ<; Kal E<; 6prilv 'taxV<;'
L'tEreaVO<; flev ouv EV 'tfi reapa'ta;El W<; 't<;i 'EAA~VWV
<YtJVEeE'tO ~acrlAE1 'tE Kal MotJcrotJAflavll, atl't0floA~craV'tE<;
a<plKOV'tO Erel BtJ~aV'tLOV.
6 Mwoij<; Se W<; EflaXE'tO <YtJflfll;a<; 't<;i aSEA<p<;i, 'tOU<; 'tE
areo 'tij<; Acrla<; hpEya'tO Kal ereE;EAeWV ESlwKE. MotJ-
crotJAflav'l<; Se W<; ~TI'leEl<; aVEXWpEl Erel BtJ~aV'tlOV, W<;
EYEVE'tO reapa 'tfi reOAEl, ErelAE;aflEVo<; ~OtJA~V YEvval-
o'ta't'lv Kal EXWV flEe' eatJ'tou wcrd reEv'taKocrlotJ<; livSpa<;,
tmppEov'tWV Kal illwv 'tlVWV, oreoStJ0flEVO<; 't~v 'tij<;
reoAEw<; 'ta<ppov, EXOV'tO<; 'tou aSEA<pou Mwcrew<; afl<pl ~v
SlW;lV Kal Sla<peEipOv'to<; cri>V'tOl<; eatJ'tou, w<; ereE;epxol'to
'tov<; reoAEfllotJ<;, trel'to cr'tpa'toreESov ao'tou a<plKoflEVO<; 'to
'tE O"tpa'toreESov Ka'tElA~<pEl, Kal 'tov<; tmYlvofievotJ<; areo
'tij<; flaX'1<;, 01 Ka'ta<pEuyotJcrl 'tE Kal EreavllEcrav, SlE<peElpE.
Kal w<; treav~KEl 'tE au'to<; Mwoij<; EAauvwv trel 'to
cr'tpa'toreESov areo 'tij<; flaX'l<;, Kal i!yvw S~ Ka'tElA'lfifiEVOV
'to O"tpa'toreESov, au'tlKa e<; <ptJrilv 'tE atl'to<; hpareE'to Kal
'tou cr'tpa'tEofla'to<; SlE<ptJYE, Kal liAAll liAAO<;, ii EKaO"t'!'
{I.I63} repooxwpEl. Ot flEV 'tlVE<; Kal Ere' ao'tov atl'tlKa loV'tE<;
'tOY MOtJcrotJAflav'lv w<; ~acrlAta repocrEKuVOtJV, Kal e;-
EAauvov'tl e<pElreov'to. MOtJcrotJAflav'l<; flev S~ oiJ'tw 'ta
repaYfla'ta <<YXEV afl<pl 'talv ~reEipolv, YEvvalo'ta'ta Se reav-
'twv, WV ~ flEl<; '{crflEV, repo<; 'tOY aSEA<pov SlaywvlcraflEVo<;.
7 'EreEAacra<; flev oov e<; ~V ASplavoureoAlV 'tn ~acrLAEla,
~V 'tE ~acrlAEiav Kal ~V apmv Ka9lO"t'l au't<;i, ii eSoKEl
Kpa'tlcr'ta <XElV. Mwoij<; flev ouv e<; ~V reaplO"tploV xwpav
a<plKoflEVO<;, Kal <YtJYYEvoflEVO<; MUP;EW flav'!' 't<;i flaKlac;
BOOK 4
detested by the allies and had a hot temper. Accordingly,
Stefan agreed on the matter with the king of the Greeks and
with Siileyman while he was in formation, deserted, and
came over to Byzantion.
When Musa engaged with his brother in battle, he routed 6
the soldiers from Asia and began the pursuit. Siileyman, de-
feated, withdrew to Byzantion but, when he reached the
city, he made a courageous decision: having about five hun-
dred men with him, and with others coming to join him, he
slipped down into the city's moat while his brother Musa
was hard in pursuit with his men and killing them. To strike
back against the enemy, he reached Musa's camp and occu-
pied it, killing those who had survived the battle and who
were fleeing there to seek shelter. When Musa himself ar-
rived, as he returned to his camp from the battle and real-
ized that it was occupied, he immediately turned to fliglrt
and ran away from his army, while his men scattered every
which way. Some of them even went straight to Siileyman
himself and did obeisance to him as their sultan, pledging
to march with him on campaign. So this was Siileyman's sit-
uation on both continents, after he had fouglrt against his
brother more bravely than anyone else of whom we knOw.
He marched to the palace at Adrianople and established 7
himself in power on the throne in the way that seemed best
to him. Musa, meanwhile, went to the Danubian region and
met up with Dan, the son of Mircea and ruler of Wallachia,
 THE HISTORIES
~yeflovl Kal1tpOTepOV I:\VTl cruv~gel aUT4', Ol£Tpl~e 1tapa
1'4' Alf1'l', 1tapaflel~wv ItAAllv e; Itnll<; xwpav. Mou-
crouAfiavou OE p",9ufloVVTO<; Te Kal 1tepl ofilAlav EXOVTO<;
Ta Te 1tpaYfiaTa otoalveTO. OlTe yap ItpxoVTe<; aUT4' Te
~X90VTO w<; ouoEv "Y'E<; DV aVTOV, Kal 1'4' aoeA<p4' aUTOV
1tpocryevofltvwv KaTa ~paxi' TWV ToupKwv ovotva AOYOV
e1toleho. D<; flEV ouv e1t1 ~v ~acrlAelaV a<plKeTO, T~V TO
0tpflllv ToT<; "EAAI]<YlV a1ttOwKe Kal ZI]TOVVlV Kal ~v
1tapaALOV 1'* Acrla<; xwpav, Kal e1tl~OeLO<; WV exap(craTo
aUToT<;, e'i TOU O£OlVTO, w<; OuvaTOV ~V aVT4'. 'E1tpecr~eu­
OVTO flEV ouv aUT4' Kal ot "EAAI]ve<;, ~ouAeuoflevol fI~
aVelVat aUTOV e<; ~V ofilAlav OilTW 1tavu, w<; e1tlcr<paA£<; Te
OV aUT4' Kal ouoaflft efl1teoovv aUT4' T~V ~acrlAelaV 1tpO<;
TOV aoeA<pOv. TOUTWV flEV ouotva AOYOV 1toLOuflevo<;, ew-
gev oE Kal e<; t<Y1t£pav 1tepl T~V [I.I64} aKpaT01tocr(av
ji
OleTtAel, 1tpo1tlvwv ToT<; aplcrTOl<;, Kal w<; aVa1taUOlTO, e1t-
, I eyelpoflevo<; av9l<; e<; ofilAlav Ka91<YTaTo. AeyeTal o£, w<;
EXOVTO<; ev TaT<; Xepcrl ~v <PlaAllv i!Aa<po<; e1t1 TO crTpaTo-
1teOOV 1tep'WV olDel, Kal e1tl90pu~OUVTWV aUT4' TWV crTpa-
TlWTWV, w<; ~ i!Aa<po<; e1tl1tapft, ayxov yevoflevo<; e1tetpiiTo,
el <plaAI]V e1t1 TOV K£paTO<; <pEPOl, w<; TaUTI]V avaKTI]crofle-
VO<; e1t1 Tij<; OfilAla<;. THv flEVTOl Itnw<; 0 MoucrouAflavI]<;
e1tlelK~<; Kal TO crwfla pWflaMo<; Kal 0Pfl~V e<; TO flaxecr9at
KpaTl<YTO<;.
8 Mwofj<; OE TouvaVTlov 9uflOV Te aKpaT£crTepo<; w<;
e1tl1tav, Kal Taxi'<; 01: flaAlcrTa e<; Op~V, Kal E1tecr9al 1'4'
oucrfleVel flI]OEV aVl£VTa. 'E1tel Te OUV e1tlyevofl£vwv aUT4'
OUK oAlywv e<; TO 1teolov KaT£~I] Kal e1t1 MoucrouAflaVI]v
BOOK 4
who was his associate from before,l5 He spent time by the
Haimos, moving from place to place. But Siileyman grew
lazy and became preoccupied with banquets while his pub-
lic affairs fell into disorder. The lords began to detest him
and thought that he was unreliable, and he paid no attention
to the fact that the Turks were gradually going over to his
brother. When he gained the throne he returned Thessalo-
nike to the Greeks along with Lamia and the coastal land of
Asia. 16 He was their friend and granted them any favor that
was in his power to give, if they asked it of him. The Greeks
sent him envoys, advising him not to be so deeply engrossed
in his banquets, as he was endangering himself and was do-
ing nothing to secure his throne against his brother. But he
paid no attention to them and spent all his time, from dawn
to dusk, drinking heavily. He would start drinking before
breakfast and, after resting in the afternoon, would rise and
head straight back to the banquet. It is said that once, when
he was holding the bottle in his hand, a stag wandered into
the camp. The soldiers loudly alerted him that a stag was
there, but he tried to get close enough to place the bottle in
its antlers so that he might retrieve it during his banquet. In
other respects, however, Siileyman was sensible, physically
strong, and had a strong passion for fighting.
Musa, by contrast, had an altogether uncontrollable 8
temper and quickly grew angry, and he would not let up in
the pursuit of his enemies. After many had rallied to his
side, he came down onto the plain and advanced against

THE HISTORIES
~Aavve, XacravI]S -re () -rWV vel]AuSwv ilpxwv Kal BpeVE~I]S
"XWV imroSpoflovS -n;S Eupw1tl]S I]u-rofloAI]rrav au-rIKa
1tapa MwrrEa, '0 SE !OS firree-ro -rOUS ve~AvSas c((perr-rl]-
Ko-ras [eval e1t1 -rov aSeA'l'0v, ~Aavvev eveu Bv~av-rlov e1t1
-roTS "EAAI]'" Kal TI]v Bv~av-r[ov ~arrlAeLav ev Vef "xwv
rrvflfl1;al, !OS ev-reiieev au e1tl -r~v Arrlav Sla~as e1tlXeLpoT
-ra tv -rfi Arr[" 1tpaYfla-ra. Kal !OS "xwv -roTS ToupKDlS
e1tISI]AoS ~v Ka-ra TI]v {)Sov TI]v es -ro Bv~av-rLOv 'l'EpOV-
rrav, ev-raiiea rrvAAeYEv-res ot -r~vSe -r~v xwpav {LI65}
o[Koiiv-res ToiipKol -rov -re MovrrovAflav!,]v e~wypl]rrav Kal
a~yayov 1tapaMwrrea, xapl~oflevol -ref ~arrlAe1. '0 flev-rol
Mwoijs -rov -re aSeA'l'ov Sl£xp~rra-ro Kal -rouS ye ToupKovS
1taVOlKi, 0" rrvAAa~ov-res ~KOV ilyov-res, 1tvpl rrVv yvval;i
-re ilfla Kal 1talrrlv eVE1tpl]rre, 'l'afLevos aeEfLl-ra epyarra-
flEVOVS, Kal ~a"'AEa rr'l'wv av-rwv rrvAAa~ov-res -rau-rl]v -r~v
SiKI]V (l1tEXOl£V,
9 Av-roS S~ v1tEAa~e TI]v ~a"'AeLav, Kal es TI]v Arrlav Sla-
~as Ka-rerrTIJrra-ro -ra eKeLVOV 1tpaYfLa-ra, Kal eSOKeL av-ref
arr'l'aAErr-ra-ra E;eLV. Kal e~Aavvev tv Vef EXWV 1tOALOP-
K~rreLV Bv~av-rlov, Kal-rfi -re 8EPfLn 1toAefLov e~veyKe, Kal
-ref Tpl~aAAwv ~yefL6vl1toAefLwv Sl£YEve-ro, TIJv -re xwpav
av-roii e' ilfLa AI]'i~ofLevos Kal L1teVSepo~I]v TI]v fLI]-rP01tO-
Alv,av-roD 1tOALOpKwv. L-rE1taVOS fLEV ouv oo-rOS 'EAea~apov
IIala~~-rew -n;S YVValKOS aSeA'l'0S, BoiiAKoS S£ -roilvofLa
"xwv. TIS 'EAea~apos enAeu-rl]rre, TIJv -re ~yefLov[av 1tap-
EAa~e Kal E-rLJpavveve, -ref -re IIala~~-rn rrvrr-rpa-revofLevos,
iJ ltv 1taparreAAn. Kal -ron S~ ev -rfi 1tpOS MovrroLJAfLav!']v
yevofLEvn fLaxn 1tpOS -ref Bv~av-ri'l' fLe-rerr-r!,] n a1to MwrrEws
288
"II!!'
BOOK 4
Siileyman. Hasan, the commander of the janissaries, and
Evrenos, who led the cavalry raiders in Europe, immediately
defected to Musa's side. When Siileyman realized that the
janissaries had rebelled and gone over to his brother, he
made straight for the Greeks of Byzantion with the inten- ;
tion of joining forces with the kingdom ofByzantion; then,
I
from there he would cross over to Asia again and take care
of his Asian affairs. But as he was doing this he was clearly
identified by the Turks on the road that leads to Byzantion,17
The Turks who lived in that area assembled, captured Siiley-
man alive, and took him off to Musa, hoping to ingratiate
themselves with the sultan. Musa killed his brother but, as
for the Turks who had arrested him and brought him there,
he burned them alive with their entire households, includ-
ing their women and children. He claimed that they had
done something forbidden by arresting their own sultan,
and so they should suffer this punishment.
Musa now ascended the throne and, after crossing to 9
Asia, set his affairs in order. It seemed to him that they
would be most secure. He then set out with the intention of
besieging Byzantion, He fought a war against Thessalonike
and waged war against the ruler of the Serbs, plundering his
land and besieging his capital, Smederevo. Now this Stefan,
the son of Lazar, was the brother of Bayezid's wife, and was
named Vuk. When Lazar died he had received the principal-
ity and became tyrant. He campaigned with Bayezid when
ordered to do so. In the battle against Siileyman that had
then taken place before Byzantion, Stefan had abandoned
 THE HISTORIES
bel 1:0V aSEAcpov Kat rl'hof'oA'lO"E' S,' Ii Se 1tOAQIOV E1tl-
cptpwv 1:~V 1:E 1tOA1V mhou E1tOA10PKEl Kat 1:~V xwpav
ESiJOU.
w n~ St E1tEAaUVWV E1tOA10PKE1 BU~UV1:lOV, E;'lPWE1:0 1:E
lif'a E1t1cptpWV 1:E Kat E1ttXWV, oO"a -rfj~ xwpa~ ~SUva1:o, Kat
1:P1~PE1~ Kat1tAOTa, w~ ~SUva1:0, 1tAeLO"'t"a vau1t'll"1O"Uf'EVO~
E1tiJE1 S,U 1:E -rfj~ ~1te[pou Kat S,a 9aAarrO"'l~' [I.I66} 'Ev1:au9a
1tA'lpwO"aV't"E~ ot "EAA'lVE~ 1tAoTa, oO"a btijv athoT~, Kat S~
Kat 1:P1~ pEl~, ~youf'tvou 'Ef'f'avou~AoU 1:0U vo90u 'Iwavvou
1:0U ~ao"lAtw~ 1tmSo~, aV1:av~yoV1:0 1:E Kat tvauf'uX'1O"av'
Kat EV[K'lO"av 01 "EAA'lVE~. OV1:0~ St 6 'Ef'f'avoufjAo~, 61:oU
~a<TlAtw~ 1taT~, 1:a E~ yvWo"lV Kat CPPOV'lO"lV OUSEVO~
AEl1t0f'EVO~, E1tl1:o E;'lYET0"9a1 E~ 1tOAEf'OV iKavo~ 1:E ESOKE1
EV 1:4' 1:0't"E 1tapOV1:1 Kal 'lUSOKtf'El. ~,' Ii S~ EUSOK1f'WV
£<lAW 't"E U1tO 1:0U as£Acpoii ~arr1Atw~, Kat E<T1tEo"WV E~
elpK1:~V SlEytVE1:0 E1tt £1:'l £1t1:aKa[SEKa criJv 1:0T~ 1ta10"tv
au't'ou.
II Mwrrfj~ f'E.v oilv w~ EO"CPUA'l 1:~V Ka1:a 9aAaO"O"av Suva-
f"V, £1tlWV S,a -rfj~ ~1te[pou ESiJOU 't"E ~V Bu~av1:[ou xwpav
Kat 8tpf''lv, ~V E1tOA10PKE1 Kat Tp1~aAAoT~ E1tOAtf'El. I1po~
f'ev oilv 1:0i>~ EV 't"ij 1\0"[a TOUpKWV ~yEf'ova~ O"1tovSa~
1t01'lO"Uf'EVO~ e[p~v'lV ~yE, Kat EV 't"ij Etlpw1ttJ 1:a 1tOAAa
Sla1:p[~wv EWrxaVEV. "EAA'lVE~ f'tv oilv, w~ hEAEU't"'JO"E
MOUO"OUAf'UV'l~, E1tayOf'EV01 1:0V 1taTSa atl1:0U, 1:ol\vo f'a
'0 pxav'lv, O"uv£O"1:'lO"av E1tl MWO"eL' f'E't"a Se 1:aii1:a £1tEf''it av
E~ ~V 8tpf''lv, w~ EV1:EU9EV 1:4' 1:E M1toySuv'I' Kal 1:0T~
ltAA01~ 1:0T~ 1:au'tl1 TOUpKWV S,a XP'lf'U1:WV E1tlKOUp01~
6Pf'Wf'EVO~ 1:E E1tt ~V Etlpw1t']v E1tEAaUV01 Kal ~V xwpav
BOOK 4
Musa and defected to his brother. It was for this reason that
Musa was making war against him, besieging his city, and
plundering his land.!'
Musa also marched out and besieged Byzantion.!9 He w
equipped his army, brought it up, and positioned it as well as
the terrain permitted; he also built as many triremes and
ships as he could, and attacked the city both by land and sea.
Then the Greeks manned all the ships they had, as well as
their triremes, and put Manuel, the illegitimate son of King
loannes, in command. 20 They attacked and fought a naval
battle. And the Greeks won. This Manuel, the king's son,
was second to none in his judgment and good sense, and
seemed, at that time, to be very capable when it came to
military leadership and was generally highly regarded. Be-
cause of this high regard, however, he was arrested by the
king's brother and thrown into prison where he and his chil-
dren stayed for seventeen years. 2!
When Musa's naval attack failed, he attacked by land and II
plundered the hinterlands of Byzantion and Thessalonike,
which he besieged; he also fought against the Serbs. He
made a peace treaty with the rulers of the Turks in Asia and
so spent most of his time in Europe. But the Greeks, when
Silleyman died, had backed his son Orhan and set him up
against Musa. After these events they sent Orhan to Thes-
salonike so that, using it as his base, he could attack Europe
from there and subject the land with the help of Bogdan22
and the other Turkish mercenaries. The boy was entrusted
 THE HISTORIES
KaTaoxOI. '0 flEVTOlnaT<; eneTITpanTO avSpl TOUpK'" ano
Ao-[a<;, fIaAanav", Touvofla, Ta flev I!AAa OUK ayeVVeL,
nlm<ji Se OU naw. Kal e<; TI]v 8EPfl'1v a<p[KeTO, e;lWV S'
eneuSev ~el S,a T~<; MaKeSov[a<; enl Btppolav Te Kal TI]V
Tau'l'!] {I.I67J xwpav, KainpooxwpOUVTWV ath<ji TWV TaUTn
emveflofltvwv TOUpKWV ~Aauvev enl 8enaA[av. Mw~<;
Se w<; enVSeTo TOV MoU<YouAfiavew naTSa nlv Te xwpav
unayoflevov Kal eAauVOVTa enl 8enaA[av, o-uvT[geTal
npoSoo-[av T<ji fIaAanav"" WO-Te napaSOUvat aVT<ji TOV
naTSa emOVTl Kal Sla"'1 fI~val EKaO-TOTe, onOl eAauvolev
nepLione<;. OliTO<; flev oliv w<; EKamaxou nOl n)<; xwpa<;
en[Ol, Slemjflalvt Te T<ji MWO-eL Kal eS~Aou, ii enlWV o-<p[o-lV
Te nep'-nlXO' Kal TOV naTSa napaSo['1 aVT<ji. 'EytVOVTO fI>:V
oliv oi afl<pl TOV naTSa enl TO e<; 8enaA[av KaS~KOV opo<;
n)<; MaKeSov[a<;, Kal enauSa W<; imeo-'1 fI~vaTO uno fIa-
Aanavew T<ji MWO-eL, enlWV TOV Te naTSa e~wyp'1o-e Kal TOV
mpaTOV Sul<pSelpe. MeTa Se TaUTa enl TI]V MnoySavou
xwpav a<plKOflevo<; nlV Te xwpav aVT<ji Tav'l'!] 61t1jyayeTo,
Kal ToT<; "EAA'1o-l S,anOAeflwv np0o-eLxev eVTeTafltvw<;. "EA-
A'1ve<; fl£V oliv OUTW<; enoAeflouno.
I2 Kal 'I'1o-ou<; 6 vewTepo<; TWV fIata~~Tew na[Swv enl
TOU<; "EAA'1va<; a<plKoflevo<; ~me TI]v TOU 'I'1o-ou Sp'1<YKe[av
fleTt~aAAe, Kal ov nOAA<ji umepov ITeAeuTljo-e. MeXflIT'1<;
flev oov, Kal 00'1'0<; Mwo-tw<; flev aSeA<po<;, naT<; Se fIat-
a~~Tew, ano n)<; Kapaflavou xwpa<; 6pflwflevo<;, enelS~ ev
[Kav<ji ~AlK[a<; ~v, TOU<; Te rruyyeveT<; TWV ToupKwv fle't!'Jel,
oT<; enl TI]v 4p~v <nmaplwv. Kal Slanpeo-~euofltvwv, Kal
TWV 'EAA~VWV unoSexoflEvwV Kal aVTwv KaTa Svvafllv <<;
BOOK 4
to a Turkish man from Asia by the name of Balaban, who was
noble in other respects but not very trustworthy. Orhan
reached Thessalonike and then went on through Macedonia
to Berroia and the land there. Joined by the Turks who lived
there, he advanced on Thessaly. When Musa learned that
Siileyman's son was taking over the land and advancing on
Thessaly, he came to a treacherous arrangement with Bala-
ban: the latter would turn the boy over to Musa when he
arrived and, meanwhile, keep him constantly informed of
their movements. And Balaban did inform Musa of each
stage of their journey and specified where he could meet
them if he were to come, so that he could turn the boy over
to him. So when the boy's retinue was near the mountain of
Macedonia that borders on Thessaly, there, when Balaban
gave the signal, Musa attacked them, captured the boy alive,
and destroyed his army." After that, Musa moved on to Bog-
dan's territory and subjected the land to himself He also
fought persistently against the Greeks. Thus the Greeks
became involved in the war.
Isa, the youngest of Bayezid's sons, also came to the .2
Greeks and even converted to the religion ofJesus, and died
shortly afterward. 24 As for Mehmed, who was also a brother
of Mus a and Bayezid's son, he set out from the land of Kara-
man when he came of age and sought out his Turkish rela-
tives in the hope that they would assist him in claiming
the throne.25 They sent envoys whom the Greeks received
well, promising all their help in raising him to the throne.
293
 THE HISTORIES
-r~v (LI6S} ~acnAelav au-r';; <ruX\~"'e<r8at, ~v -re1\<r(av un-
'lyaye-ro, ax80f'evwv -rwv -rij, 1\<r(a, ap(<r-rwv -rij, Mw<rew,
ev apXii -rupavv(oo, Kal nporrxwpOVV-rWV -r';; MeXf'e'l1,
-ril, -re 1\<r(a, unfjp~e Kal end ~v Eupwn'lv un'lyaye-ro.
w,
O,,-ro, f'ev o~, Mou<rouAf'av'l, -re e~a<rLAEUe Kal MW<rfj,
Kal 'I'l<rou" npo-repov ot -ro nato(ov em-re-rpaf'f'evOl, f'~
Ka-ra0'lAoV, onoL 'TUnaVOL ov -ro naLo(ov yev0f'evov -rol,
aoeA'1>OI" oeooLKo-re" f'~ <YUAA'l<p8el'l -re Kal anoAOl-ro,
xopoonoLOu 'TLVO" ev IIpou"l1napeKa-re8ev-ro, W, ltv -r~v
-reXV'lv tKf'av8avoL. Kal f'e-ra -rau-ra, w, ev-rau8a -rij,
~ALK(a, ~v, on!] aV'TLAa~"<r8at -rwv npayf'a-rwv au-rwv oIo,
-r' ~v, exwp£L enl Kapaf'avov -rov AAL<rOVpLOV. Kal ev-reu8ev
o~, W, npo<r8ev f'0l to'lAou-ro, opf'wf'evo, -rij, -re 1\<r(a,
eune-rw, ~p~e, <YUv£1tLAa~0f'evou -rou Kapaf'avou Ka( 'TL-
vwv iiAAWV ~yef'0vwv -rwv tv -rn 1\<r(".
'3 Kal enl Bui;av-rLOv SLa~a, -r';; -re 'EAA~vwv ~a<rLAel e,
AOYOU, a<p(Ke-ro, Kal opKLa nOL'l<raf'evOl, fi eSoK£L au-rol,
em-r'lSe(w, "X£LV, ~Aauvev enl -rwv TpL~aAAwv ~yef'ova,-ra
-rij, ElpgK'l" w, <ruf'f'(~wv -re eKelv<!, Kalnpo<rAa~wv ~v
eKelvou ovvaf'Lv tn(!] f'axouf'evo, -r';; aoeA<p';;. MW<rfj,
f'ev-roL, enet enU8e-ro -raXL<r-ra SLa~a(vov-ra ano -rij, 1\<r(a"
en~Aauve oilv nOAA';; -r';; rr-rpa-revf'a'TL en' au-rov, (LI69} Ka(
nOL -ril, xwpa, SL£Aauvov'TL Ka-ra XapLOunoALv npo<ref'L~e
-r';; aSeA<p';; Kal e, f'ax'lv Ka8(rr-ra-ro. Luv-ra~af'evo, Se
e7t!'J£L· Kal 0 aSeA<po, au-rou MeXf',,-r'l, av-rentl£L <ruv-re-
-rayf'ev<!, -r';; <r-rpa-revf'a-rl, Kal w, of'o<re tyevov-ro -rOlV
aSeA<polv -ra rr-rpa-revf'a-ra, -ro f'ev -rij, 1\<r(a, oLa~av oilv
-r';; MeXf'e'l1, -ro oe ano -rij, Eupw1tlj" <ruvef'LrryOV Kal
294
BOOK 4
Mehmed subjected Asia, as the leading men detested Musa's
tyrannical rule and went over to him. And so Mehmed came
to rule Asia and then subjected Europe. Regarding Mehmed,
then: while Siileyman was reigning and then Musa and isa,
those who had earlier been entrusted with the boy feared
that his brothers might learn where he was, in which case he
would be taken and killed. So they entrusted him to a rope
maker in Prousa, that he might learn this skill.26 Later on,
when he came of age and was fit to make his own decisions,
he went to Karaman Alishur27 It was from there, as I men-
tioned above, that he set out and easily took over Asia, with
the help of Karaman and some of the other Asian rulers.
Mehrned crossed over to Byzantion and entered into ne- '3
gotiations with the king of the Greeks (Manuel II}. They
swore oaths on terms that seemed advantageous to them
and then he went to the ruler of the Serbs, in Thrace, so that
by joining up with him and gaining his forces he could go
and fight against his brother. But when Musa learned that
he had quickly crossed over from Asia, he advanced against
him with a large army. He engaged with his brother while
the latter was passing through the land somewhere near
Charioupolis and forced him to battle. He deployed his sol-
diers in formation and then attacked him. And his brother
Mehmed returned the attack with his army also in military
formation. When the armies of the two brothers came to-
gether, the one that had crossed over with Mehrned from
Asia and the other that was from Europe, they engaged and
295
 THE HISTORIES
efiaxoV'to. ME"t' ou nOAU Se e"tpanE"tO "to ano "t~<; Acr!a<;
CY"tpa"tEUfla, Kat ""Pfl']"tO e<; 'l'lJyt'Jv. MEXflE"t']<; fltv S~ 6
xopS!v']<; ent i\A!']v IIatas~"tEw naTSa e<; BlJsav"tLOv Sl-
EcrWSE"tO, Kat"ta CY"tpa"tEufla"ta SlEcrwSOV"to. 'EV'tEU9EV au91<;
ent ~v Acr!av Sla~av"ta enEppWVVlJv"to "tE au Kat aVEAafl-
~avov"to cr'l'"<;, W<; au91<; emoV"tE<; Kat avaflaxoufiEVOl "t4i
MwcrET nEpt "twv iiAAWV npaYfla"twv.
I4 XpOVOlJ SE ou nOAAou SlEA90v"t0<; cruvaye[pa<; "to "t~<;
Acr!a<; cr"tpa"tEUfla SlEnop9f1EuE"t0 uno "twv 'EAA~VWV e<; ~v
Eupw1t']v. 'E<; flEV ouv "t~V Acr!av Sla~~Vat "tOY Mwcrta Sl-
EKWAlJOV "EAA']VE<;, enEt EnEKpa"tOlJV "t~V "t~<; 9aAa"t"t']<;
Sla~aow, Kat "tOV "tE 'EAA~=OV"tOV enE~ pOlJV Kat "to ev
IIponOV"t!Sl 'lEpOV. MEXflt"t']<; flEV OUV, W<; e<; ~V Eupwn']v
Sle~'] aU"t4i"ta CY"tpa"tEufla"ta, 'iE"tO Eu9u Tpl~aAAwv W<; "t~V
SuvafllV eKe!vwv npocrA']VOflEVO<; a~loxpEWV oucrav. :0<; St
~ne!YE"tO CYlJflfiT~at Mw~<;, W<; eytvE"tO ev IIav!olJ XWP'1
oil"tw KaAOlJfltvn "tfi unep "tOY AlfiOV XWN, ev"tau9a Ka"ta-
Aafl~aVEl en!npocr9Ev YEVOflEVO<; Sla "tOU OpOlJ<; " Mw~<;
"tOU aSEA'l'OU. Kat w<; ftcr9E"t0 {LI70} Enlov"ta "tOY aSEA'l'0V
eyyu"ta"tw ot YEvecr9at, napE"ta~a"to "tE Kat e!<; flaX']V
Ka9!CY"tl]. ME"t' OU nOAu St E"tpanE"tO, Kat 'l'EUyWV 4IXE"tO ent
"tWV Tpl~aAAwv ~YEfiova.
'5 Kat enE1S~ SlE"tPl~EV au"tou, EnEfinE MyolJ<; napa "tWV
TOUpKWV "tou<; ap!cr"tolJ<; nEpt anoCY"tacrEw<;, npo<;"tE Xacra-
v']v"twv e1t']AuSwv iipxov"ta Kat ent BpEve1;ea Kat AflolJpa-
"t']v. Ot St "tOU<;"tE AOYOlJ<; npolEV'to Kat cr'l'!crl AOYOV 8S!SO-
crav nEpt anoCY"tacrEW<;. 'EV"tEU9EV BpEveS']<; au"to<; "tE
au"tofiOAeL napa MEXflE"t']V, EXWV nap' ealJ"t4i TOUPKOlJ<;"tE
BOOK 4
fought. The army from Asia was soon routed and put to
flight." Mehmed the rope maker sought refuge with Ali, a
son of Bayezid,29 in Byzantion, and his armies were also
saved. At that point they crossed over into Asia again, gath-
ered their strength, and regrouped so that they could again
attack Musa and fight him over the rest of the realm.
Not much time passed before Mehmed had assembled I4
the army of Asia and was ferried by the Greeks to Europe.
The Greeks had prevented Musa from crossing over into
Asia, as they controlled the straits and patrolled the Helles-
pont and Hieron in the Propontis. JO Mehmed, then, when
his armies had crossed over into Europe, went straight to
the Serbs so that he could gain their forces, which were sub-
stantial. But Musa was eager to engage with him when he
reached the land of Panion,3! which is what the land above
the Haimos is called. There, by going over the mountain,
Musa intercepted his brother. When Mehmed realized that
his brother was close by and about to attack him, he de-
ployed and prepared for battle. But he {presumably
Mehmed} was quickly routed and fled, going to the ruler of
the Serbs. 32
While Mehmed was residing there, he sent messages to '5
the leading Turks urging them to rebel, to Hasan, the com-
mander of the janissaries, to Evrenos, and to Murad. 33 They
replied, giving their word that they would rebel. Then Evre-
nos personally defected to Mehmed, taking with him as
297
 THE HISTORIES
W, 1tAdIT'tou, Kal S~ Kal 'tou, 1taISa, XaITavew l <TUV 'twv
vel')AvSwv'toI, apLIT'tOl,. 'Ev'tevgev w, 'tQ MeXflE'tf) 1tPOIT-
eyEVE'to Svvafl'" wlT'te S,a1te'piiIT9at iKavO, eIVat 'tov .
aSeAcpOV, Aa~WV Kal 'tov Tpl~aAAwv ~yeflova fle9' EaU'tOV
~AaUVeV E1tl 'tov aSeAcpOV w, flaxovflevo,. Mw~, flev ovv
S,avoovfl evo , Efl1tOSWV yevEIT9al 'tQ aSeAcpQ, wlT'te fI~ E;-
eAaVVelV ei, ~V Evpw1t1')v Kal 1tpoITayeIT9at av'tQ ~v
xwpav, £Xwv 'ta, 'te 9vpa, Kal'to 'tij, Evpw1t'1' IT'tpa'tEUfla
a1tav 1tA~V 'tWV 1tapa MeXflE'tl')V av't0floAl')lTav'twv, Slt'tpl~e
Ka'ta 't~v 'twv MUITwv xwpav.
,6 'Ev'tav9a E;eA9wv 6 MeXflE'tl'), £IT'tpa'to1teSeve'to. :0, Se
ayxov yevoflevo, 'tQ IT'tpa'tevfla'tl MWITEW" 1tape'ta;a'to
ei, flaX1'Jv· Kal eIxe flEv 'to evwvuflov av'tov KEpa, 6 'twv
Tpl~aAAwv ~yeflwv, 'to Se;lov Se Bpevt~l'), <TUV 'toI, 1talITlv
athov' 1tapfjITav yap av'tQ 1taISe, yev6f1evOl aya901 Bapa-
flO, 'te Kal lULl'), Kal BdK'1, Kal '!l')ITov,. 'E1telS~ [I.I7r} Se
Kal Mw~, 1tapa'ta;aflevo, eIxev EV 'ta;el 'ta IT'tpanvfla'ta
au'tOv, Kal1tap'WV E1te<TK01tel Kal Ka9LIT'tl'), W, athQ tSoKel,
1tapeAaVvwv a1tanaXfi. 'Enali9a XaITav'1, 0 'twv vel')Av-
Swv apxwv av't0floA~lTa" 'ton S~ 1tpOITeAaITa, 'tQ 11t1t'l'
t1tl 'to Mwm\w, IT'tpa'tEUfla ECPWVEl 1tpO, 'tou, ve~AuSa,.
'~n 1taISe" 'ti SlaflEAAe'te Kal OUK t;EpxeITge <hl 'taX'lT'ta
t1tl 'tov ~aITlAEa uflwv, avSpa 'te 'twv 'toli YEVOU, 'O'tou-
flavLSwv S'Kato'ta'tov n Kal t1tlelKElT'ta'tov Kal1tav'ta, S~
'toli ytvou, au'toli U1tep~aAAoflevov ape'tfi, aAAa avtXE<Tge
u~pl~oflevol Kal KaKw, 1tpanov'te, U1t' avSpo, U~plIT'toli
'tfi cpUITel Kal aAa~ovo, Kal Eau'tQ Kal 'toI, E1tl't1')Sdol,
au'toli ouSev uYle, Exono,;"
BOOK 4
many Turks as he conld, including the sons of Hasan and the
leading janissaries. Then, when Mehmed had assembled
substantial forces to make trial of his brother, he took the
ruler of the Serbs with him and advanced to fight his brother.
Musa's plan was to block his brother from marching into
Europe and taking over that land, so he took the Porte and
the entire army of Europe, except for those who had de-
fected to Mehmed, and made his base in Bulgarian territory.
Mehmed marched off there and made camp.34 When he ,6
came near to Musa's army, he deployed for battle. The ruler
of the Serbs held his left wing, and Evrenos the right, with
his sons; for his sons were present, and they were good men,
Barak, Ali, Beyce, and Isa. Then Musa deployed and placed
his armies in formation; going along the ranks, he inspected
them and set them in order, as seemed best to him, and he
rode along the entire length. At that point, Hasan, the com-
mander of the janissaries who had defected, rode his horse
up to Musa's army and called out to the janissaries: "My
sons! What are you waiting for? Why are you not coming
forward as quickly as you can to your sultan, a man of Otto-
man lineage, who is most just, reasonable, and surpasses his
entire family in virtue? Why instead do you endure insults
and maltreatment at the hands of a man who is offensive by
nature, arrogant, and completely unreliable to himself and
his friends?"
299
 THE HISTORIES
17 Tau'ta Myov'to, 'tOU Xacn'VEW, a,<mEP EAaUVWV Ent'ta,
ouna;El, ~KOUEV, (\ 'tl MYOl 6 av~p OD'tO" unoAa~wv S£
'tl, eq>aOKEv. "hlX, OJ ~aolAEu, oux opit, Xaoav1']v 'tOY VE-
1']AUSWV apxov'ta, f'£ya 'tlf'1']9£v'ta uno oou, W, E;u~pi~El
'tou, vE~AuSa, EnlKaAouf'EvO, Ent anoo-raolVj" 'Ev'tau9a
W, ~KOUOE 'tau'ta Mwcrij" O1;K£'tl EnEOXEv au'tov, aAAa
Enaq>El, 'tOY Lnnov EK£nEl Enl 'tOY Xaoav1']v W, aVaLp~OWV,
Kal !'9El ava Kpa'to,. Xaoav1'], f'£V ovv EnEl 'tE 'taXlo-ra
ij09E'tO Mwo£a ava Kpa'to, EAauvov'ta En' au'tov, eq>EuYE
'tE atho, Ka'ta Suvaf'lv, Mwcrij, S~ Eq>ElnE'to SlWKWV. 'Ev-
'tau9a Ka'taAa~wv q>Euyona Ka9aLpET 't<li ;iq>El'tOV avSpa,
avw9Ev Ka9El, 'to ;iq>o,. ElEpanwv {LI72} S£ 'tou XaoavEw,
W, EnETSE'tov SE<mM1']v av'tou aVaLpE9Ev'ta, Kat W, 'to 8EU-
'rEpOV Mwcrij, Enava'tElV0f'EVO, 'to ;iq>o, naiowv av9l"
,
Ka'tfjpEV 0 XaoavEw 9Epanwv, Kat ~V xETpa Enava'tElV0f'E-
i:
i'i!
il!
VO, 't~v xETpa 4q>ETAE 't<li ;iq>El. '0 S£ W, ij09E'tO 'tfj, XElPO,
! av'tou nEoou01']" ~AauvE f'£nOl Ent'to o-rpa'tonESov. Kal
W, ij090no au'tov 'ta o'tpa'tEuf'a'ta AEAW~1']f'£vov, q>EU-
yOV'tE, 4>xov'to npo, 'tOY 4SEAq>OV. 'Ev'tau9a S~ Kat au'to,
ovSev En£xwv Sp0f''¥ 4>xE'to q>EUYWV Ent ~v tJ.aKia, x,opav.
MEXf'E't1'], f'£v ovv aV'tiKa, ,0, 'ta o-rpa'tEuf'a'ta ijEl En'
av'tov Kat 'ta npaYf'a'ta aV't<li EytVE'tO, av'tiKa ESOKEl 'tOY
4SEAq>OV EmSl,oKElV. Kal Kaf'vov'ta av'tov Kal oUv 'tfi f'lit
e,
XElpt EAauvona Kat 'tl !'Ao, Ef'~aA6v'ta OUAAaf'~avoUOl,
Kat ayonE, napa 't<li 4SEAq><Ii, Ka'tExp~oa'to au'tiKa 4y-
xovn 'tOY AaLf'OV ~laoaf'EVo,.
18 'Ev'tau9a MEXf'E't1'], 6 I1ala~~'tEw ~v ~aolAElaV napa-
Aa~,ov, 'tou, 'tE "EAA1']va, Enl't1']SElOU, ona, au't<li, 't<li
300
BOOK 4
As Hasan was saying this, Musa, who was riding along the 17
ranks, heard what that man was saying, and someone then
said this in response: "0 sultan, do you not see how Hasan,
the commander of the janissaries, whom you so greatly hon-
ored, is insulting the janissaries by inciting them to rebel?"
When Musa heard that, he could no longer restrain himself;
giving his horse free rein, he spurred it against Hasan with
all his might to kill him, galloping at full speed. When Hasan
realized that Musa was charging at him as fast as he could,
he fled with all his might, and Musa followed in pursuit. He
caught up with the man as he was fleeing and struck him
down with his sword, bringing his sword down on him from
above. When Hasan's servant saw that his master had been
struck down and that Musa had raised his sword to strike
him again, this servant swooped down, swung his arm, and
severed Musa's arm with his sword. When Musa saw that his
arm had been cut off, he rode back to the camp. But when
his soldiers saw that he was wounded, they left and went
over to his brother. Then he too gave up and left quickly,
fleeing for Wallachian territory. Mehmed, as soon as the
armies came over to him and he had control of the situation,
immediately decided to pursue his brother. The latter grew
tired, riding as he was with one arm, and when he entered a
swamp he was captured. They brought him to his brother
who had him killed immediately by strangulation.
Thus Mehmed, the son of Bayezid, came to the throne. 18
The Greeks were his friends and he granted to the ruler of
301
 THE HISTORIES
Tpl~aAAWV ~YEfloVl xwpav £Swp~craTo [KaV~V Tfi nap OiK4l
aUTOU. METa Sf. TaUTa cr-rpaTEUfla £nmEflta, £nl ~V D.a-
Kia, xwpav TaUTI]V TE £Snou. 'E, OV S~ npEcr~El, ntflta, 0
TWV D.aKwv ~YEflWV cr:n;ovSa, TE tnol~craTo, £<p' q; cmaYElV
<popov, QV Tlva £Ta;aTO aUT<ji MEXflETI], 0 ~acrtAEU"
"EAAI]crl flEVTOl <plAia ~v aUT<ji S,a TtAoU,. D.lO Kal 'Eflfla-
VOUfjAO, 0 BuSavTiou ~acrlAEu, tnt I1EAonovvI]crov a<plKo-
flEVO, TOV TE 'Icr9f1ov t-rdx,crE, Kat TOU, I1EAonovvI]criou,
aUTOU flETanEfltaflEVO" £nElS~ £TdX,crE TOV 'Icr9f1ov.
'9 '0 S1: 'Icr9f1o<; OUTO<; ;uflnacrav ~V I1EAonOVVI]crov, WcrTE
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crTaSlou<; ano 9aAaTII]<; d, 9aAaTIaV Ka9~Kwv, Ka9' QV S~
xwpOV Kat "Icr9f1la t-rEAElTO TOL<; "EAAI]crl. D.l~KEl Sf. ano
Kop(v90u nOAEw, crTaS(ou<; nEvTE Kat dKOcrl. TOUTov TOV
'Icr9f1ov £AauvoVTO<; 2EP;EW TOU D.apE(Ou tnt Ta, A9~va,
£TElxlcravTo I1EAonovv~crLOl, S,aKwAuE,V ~OUAOflEVOl fI~
nap'Eva, dcrw -rfj, I1EAonovv~crou TOV ~ap~apov. METa S1:
TaUTa 'IoucrTlvlavo<; " 'Pwfla(wv ~acrlAEU<; TO SEUTEPOV
t-relX,crE. Kal OUTO<; S~, w<; dp1']vaLa aUT<ji npo<; MEXflETI]v
TOV I1atas~TEw, £<; I1EAonovVI]crov a<plKOflEVO<; TOV TE
aSEA<pOV aUTou Ka9lcr-rl] £nt ~v apX~v -rfj, I1EAonovv~crou
Kat TOV 'Icr9f1ov £TE(X,crEV, wcrTE aiJT<ji TEAEcrat TOU, I1EAo-
novvI]crlou<; £nt T~V TOU 'Icr9f1ou <puAaK~v XP~ flaTa. I1po-
I]YOPEUE fl1:v OUV £<; TOV 'Icr9f1ov cruAAtYEcr9al. Ot S1:
tnd90vTO Kat cruAAEX9EVTE<; £TdX'SOV, crufl~aAAoflEVOV
£Kacr-rov T~V eauTOU Suvafllv. 'End TE S~ £<; TEAO, ~yaYE
TO Tdx,crfla, £VTau9a cruAAafl~avEl TOU<; I1EAonovvI]crlwv
iipxovTa<;, olnoAuv KaTExovTE<; Xp6vov ~v xwpav OUSEV
302
BOOK 4
the Serbs [Stefan} extensive lands bordering on his own. J5
After that he sent an army against the land ofWallachi a and
plundered it. As a result, the ruler of the Wallachians sent
envoys to him and made a treaty according to which he had
to pay as tribute whatever sum Sultan Mehmed set for him. 36
Mehmed's friendship with the Greeks, however, lasted to
the end. Because of it Manuel, king of Byzantion, was able
to go to the Peloponnese and build a wall across the Isth-
mos,37 and he summoned the Peloponnesians when he was
walling off the Isthmos.
This Isthmos cuts off the entire Peloponnese so that it is '9
effectively an island, and it extends about forty-two stades
from sea to sea. It was here that the Greeks used to cele-
brate the Isthmian Games. It is twenty-five stades from the
city of Corinth. The Peloponnesians fortified this Isthmos
when Xerxes, the son of Darius, marched against Athens,
wanting to prevent the barbarian from entering the Pelo-
ponnese. 38 After that Justinian, the king of the Romans, for-
tified it a second time. 39 Manuel too, then, as he was at peace
with Mehmed, the son of Bayezid, came to the Pelopon-
nese, established his brother as the ruler of the Pelopon-
nese, and fortified the Isthmos 40 He thus had the Pelopon-
nesians pay him money to make the Isthmos secure, and he
proclaimed that they should assemble at the Isthmos. They
obeyed, assembled, and built the wall, each one contribut-
ing in proportion to his means. When the wall was com-
pleted, he then arrested the lords of the Peloponnesians,
who had held the land for a long time but had shown little
30 3
 THE HISTORIES
.. ,1taVU 1tdeE<reat ..oT<; 'EAA~VWV ~YEfl6<rl ~OUAOlv-rO, 0 '"
fl~ mp(mv au..oT<; OOKOUV l<; .., W<PEAElV au ..ou<;, T 6..E flev
o~ <runa~wv ..ou..ou<; tKOfl(SE..O t1tt BUsaV"LOV, £XWV Kat
..oil<; ITEA01tOVV'l<r[ou<; tv <puAaKft. Tou..ou<; flev 4\XE-rO
iiywv.
20 MEXfle"'1<; Oe w<; t~a<rLAEUE, XP6vou tmYlvoflEVOU
t<r-rpa..EVE..o t1tt ..Ov 'I<rfla~A'lv LlVW1t'l<; ~yEfl6va, ih, ..,;;
Mw<rEl <pLAo<; ..E t06KEl Kat tm~OElo<; w<; <rUfl~aAt<reat t<;
..Ov Kae' £au..ou 1t6AEflOV, ITpE<r~dav O£ 1tEflVa<; Kat ..a;a-
flEVO<; a1taYElV <p6pov ~V "OU xaAKOU 1tp6<roSov (OOKEl
yilp [LI74} "OU..o ..0 xwp[OV ..Wv Ka..iI ..~V A<r(av <pEpElV
fl6vov, WV ~ flEl<; '(<rflEV, ..ov xaAK6v). Tov ..ou Se ~V 1tp6<r-
oSov 1tapaSoil<; ...;; ~a<rlAET MEXflE-rn <r1tov8a<; -rE t1tOl~<ra..o
Kat ..Ov 1t6AEflOV Ka..EAV<ra..o. ITpo<; flEV"Ol ..oil<; OUEVE-
..oil<; S,EveXeEi<; t1tOAEfl'l<rE S,a ..E "~V 1tpo<; 'I6vLOV xwpav
..Wv OUEVE..WV, ~V t1tl1tEflva<; <r"pa..Evfla..a tS!'iOU. "Evea
S~ Sla1tPE<r~EU<raflEVOl, W<; ouSev Eupav..o tm~SElOV,
t1tOAEflOUV au..,;;.
flOKE' Se "OU..o ,,0 ytvo<; 1taAat6v ..E YEVE<reat Kat ..Wv
Ka..a ..Ov 'I6VlOV Euyevwv2 Kpa..,<r..OV S~ Elvat Kat yEV-
val6..a ..ov. 'U,KOUV Se ..0 1tpW"OV xwpav ~V 1tpo<; ...;;
flUX';; "OU 'IOV[OU a1tO 'IAAUP'WV Kae~Kou<rav t1tt'I..aA(av,
Kat 'EVE..Ol flev ..0 1taAatOV WVOfla/;ov..o, flE..a Se ..au..a
OUEVE..Ot tKA~e'l<rav. 'OPflWflEVOl Se a1tO ..~<; ~1tdpou, ..a
*
flev 1tpOatpE<rEl, ..a O£ Kat avayKU, SnOUflEV'l<; .. xwpa<;
au ..wv, 6'J<r..E tv a<r<paAEl fliiAAOV <i>K~<reat, t1tt v~<r6v .. ,va
~paXElav Kat -rEvaywS'l a1to ..~<; ~1tdpou t<; 1tEV..EKa[SEKa
<r-raS[ou<; 4\K'l<rav. l\1t0 <rfllKpOU Sf .. ,VO<; 6pflwflEVOl,
BOOK 4
inclination to obey the rulers of the Greeks because they
believed it was not in their interest to do so.4l So he arrested
them and transported them to Byzantion, where he held the
Peloponnesians under guard. So Manuel left, taking them
away.
After Mehmed began to reign and some time had passed, 20
he marched against ismail, the ruler of Sinope, because he
had apparently been a friend of Musa who had supported
him in the war against Mehmed. But this ruler42 sent an en-
voy and set a tribute to be paid from the income from his
copper, for it seems that this place alone in Asia, as far as we
know, produces copper. So he paid the income from this
to Sultan Mehmed, made a treaty, and ended the war. 43
Mehmed then fell out with the Venetians and waged war
against them over the Venetians' territory by the Adriatic
Sea, and he sent armies and plundered it. They sent envoys
to him but did not find him receptive at all, and so they went
to war against him.44
This people [the Venetians} seems to be ancient and the 21
most powerful and brave of the noble peoples around the
Adriatic Sea. At first they dwelled in the land by the inner-
most part of the Adriatic Sea, the land which extends from
the IIIyrians to Italy, and they used to be called Enetoi, but
afterward they were called Venetians. But they moved away
from dry land, in part by choice and in part because of ne-
cessity, as their land was being plundered, so that they could
live in greater security on a small shoal-water island on
which they settled some fifteen stades from the mainland.
They had small beginnings but, when others who lived
 THE HISTORIES
<nlAAeyoflEvWV t<; mhou<; Kai -rwv emo -r* ~1teipou 1tepL-
olKwv, U1tO -rWV 1toAefllwv O-rL flaALcr-ra KaKoufltvwv, Kat
1tPocrYLvofltvwv ael a1to nj<; ~1te[pOU, £!>K1cr9'l -re " xwpo<;
i settled and was well governed. So this city attained great
I Oo-ro<; Kat EUVOfl~9'l' 'E<; fltya SuvaflEW<; tXWPEL Sf. ~ 1tOAL<;
I au'r'l euvofloufltvwv -rE -rwv t<; mi~v cruveA'lAu9o-rwv.
22 A1tO -rE -r~<; ~1te[pOU t1tL~flWV avSpwv e'l -rLva -r~v -rE
I xwpav a<pEAOflEVOL ot 1toMflLOL EltLSLWKOLEV, Ev-rau9a
I
,I YEvoflEVO<; <lJKEL. MeyaA'l<; Sf. -r~<; {LI75} 1tOAew<; EV ~paXEl
YEvofltv'l<; 1toAAol TE 'EAA~VWV -re Kat 'Pwflalwv KatllAAwv
cruXVwv yEVWV IlVSpE<;, ytvou<; ov-re<; 1tEpL<pavou<;, ~v -rL<; EV
-rft 1ta-rpISl au-rou fI~ EO <pepOL-ro, e'l-rE U1tO -rwv av-rLcr-racrL-
w-rwv SLWKOflevOL, EhE U1tO -rwv 1tOAefllwv E;EAauvoflEVOl,
E<; -rau-r'lv S~ ~V 1tOALV cruveAtyov-rO, IlVSpE<; t1tlCT'l flol
-re Kat aya90i Kai1taTSe<; avSpwv -rE ov-re<; E1tL<pavwv Kat
xwpa<; apxov-rwv OU <pauA'l<;' Tou-ro flf.V EK -r~<; Ka-ra -rov
'IOVLOV xwpa<; Kat nj<; 'EAAaSo<;, -rou-ro Sf. Kat EK nj<; 'I-ra-
Ala<; E;EAauvoflEvOl Kat Ev-rau9a a<pLKoflEVOL <lJKOUV S~
acr'l'aAtcr-repov. 'ExouCT'l<; Sf. -r~<; 1tOAEW<; Efl1toplav, O-rL
flaALcr-ra avaYK'l<; a1tOSElKVuflEv'l<; t<; -rou-ro -rpt1tEcr9m eva
eKacr-rov, SLa -ro fI'lSaflfi nj<; ~1teipou -rou<; E1toIKou<; av-rtXE-
cr9aL, fI'lSt, ocra 'l'tpEL ~ ~1teLpo<;, Epya1;oflEvwv ~v nv,
ana Kat a1to 9aAaff'l<; EcrKOflL1;ofltvwv -ra E1tl~SeLa E<;
~v 1tOALV.
2) Xp~ fla-ra fleyaAa EpyacraflevOL a1to -rou-rOU ~v -re Suva-
fllV a;LoxpEW a1tESeiKvUV-rO a1tav-raXfi, Kat ~v 1tOALV
SL£!>KOUV oIK'lfla-rwv TE -r<;i 1tOAUTEAeT Kat fleyaA01tpE1teiq
olKLwv Kat vawv. TpL~peL<; Sf. vau1t'lY'1craflEvoL O1iK oAlya<;,
Kat SuvaflEL<; 1tEpL~aAOflevOL icrxupa<;, 1tpO<; -re -rou<; EV -rn ,
306
BOOK 4
around there on the mainland joined them, as they were suf-
fering badly at the hands of their enemies, and as more peo-
ple always kept coming from the mainland, the place was
power, as those who emigrated to it were well governed.
If ever a notable man on the mainland was deprived of his 22
land by his enemies and they pursued him, he came to settle
here. The city quickly became large and many men from
the Greeks, Romans, and various other peoples, men who
came from proud families, would come to this city if they
were not faring well in their own countries, whether because
they were being persecuted by their political rivals or driven
out by foreign enemies. These men were notables and of
good class and were the sons of men who were notables , the
lords of substantial lands. Whether they were driven out
from the lands around the Adriatic Sea and from Greece , or
from Italy, they came and settled here in greater security.
The city had trade, in fact everyone had of necessity to turn
to it, as the settlers had no foothold on the mainland, nor
could they work the land for the products that the mainland
could offer, but instead they had to import necessities for
their city by sea.
They made a great deal of money from this and rose to 23
great power in all ways. They adorned their city with sump-
tuous buildings and magnificent houses and churches. They
built numerous triremes and invested themselves with pow-
erful forces. Out of envy, they attacked those who had a
30 7
 THE HISTORIES
9aAann Svva-roil<; SOKOVV-ra<; yeve0"9at :rrpoO"ev1']veYfleVOI
<p90v", Sle:rrOAefLovv, Seel t:rr' ao-roil<; -rov :rroAeflov t:rrl-
<pepov-rwv -r<li SOKeiV t:rrt fleya ~S1'] xwpijO"at Svvaflew<;.
T~v -re :rrpo<; -rov 'IOVLOV xwpav tK:rrAeov-r1 t:rr' [I.I76} apl-
O"-repa, a:rr' ao-rov S~ -rov flvxov, xwpav -re ooO"av 00 <pauA1']v
Kat :rroAel<; eoSalflova<; u1t1']yayov-ro· t:rrl Se -ro Aiyalov
:rreAayo<; a<pIKt0"9at· -rou<; -re :rrapa:rrAov<; ao-rov -rau't!1
Ka-raO"-rpe"'aflevol KtpKvpav -re tXeLpwO"av-ro O"tlfl:rraO"av
Kat Ev~olav -re Kat Kp~-r1']V Kat I1eAo:rrovv~O"ov -ra<; :rroAel<;.
Kat t:rrt ~vplav Se a<pIKofLevOl O"'rOA", Kat Kvp~v1']V :rroALV
u<p' aMol<; :rrol1']O"afLevol fleyaAa CmeSelKVvv-rO fpya, :rrpo<;
-re -roil<; ~ap~apov<; -rau't!1 :rroAAaxfi Slavavflax~O"aV're<; Kal
-rij<; 9aA""0"1']<; -rij<; tv-ro<; 'HpaKAelWV O"'r1']Awv t1tlKpa-r~-
O"av-re<;. Ka-ra -re Eopw:rr1']v :rrpo<; -roil<; ev -rft 9aAaTIt] So-
Kovv-ra<; Suva0"9at O-rLOVV SIe:JtOAefLovv. Kal 'haAla<; flev-rol
-rij<; :rrapa:rrAov ooSev, 0 -rl Kat a;LOv AOYov, u:rr1']yayoV'ro
O"<plO"IV, O-rl fL~ 'Pa~evv1']v :rrOAIV eoSalflova -reAev-r~O"aV'ro<;
-rov tv ao-rft ~yeflovo<;, Sla -ro fl~ e<; -ro oflo<pvAOV leval
:rroAefL"" aXil: t:rrt -roil<; aAAoq>uAov<; Slavavflaxelv.
24 'E:rroAefL'1O"av Se OU-rOl :rrpo<; -re -roil<; "EAA1']va<;, Kat vav-
flaXlat<; :rreplyevofLevOl -r~v -re fl1']-rPO:rrOAIV txelpwO"av-ro
e:rrIO"1toflevwv O"<plO"I Kal ecrneplwv =xvwv, t;1']yovfLevwv s'
ao-rwv e:rrl -roil<; "EAA'1va<;. Kal w<; -rij<; ~:rrelPOV av-reXeO"9at
~p;av-ro, tv ~paxei S~ xwpav -rij<; ~:rrelPOV tK-r~O"av-ro
aya9~v, Kat "xvpav ~v :rroAIV au-rwv :rrapelxov-ro, Ka-r'
afl<pw -rw Svvaflee t:rrt fleya av;ov-re<;. I1p6<; -re -roil<; -rij<;
~:rrelPOV ~yeflova<; Slevex9tv-re<; t:rroAefl'1O"av t:rrt :rroAAa<;
yevea<; -rov :rroAeflov, Kat Sle<pepOV XP1']fla-rwv :rrpoO"oS",
308
BOOK 4
reputation for having become powerful at sea, and fought
wars against them; they brought war against them out of
fear, to all appearances,45 and thus they advanced to great
power. They subjected the land to the left as one sails ant of
the Adriatic Sea from its innermost bay, a land that is impor-
tant and has prosperous cities, and they reached the Aegean
Sea. They subdued its coastal regions, seized all ofKerkyra,
Euboia, Crete, and the cities of the Peloponnese. They
reached Syria with their fleet and subjected the city of
Kyrene to themselves, performing great deeds. 46 They
fought naval engagements with the barbarians there on
many occasions and dominated the sea within the Pillars of
Heraldes. They were able to carry out wars against those in
Europe with a reputation for naval power. They did not,
however, subject to themselves any significant portion of
coastal Italy-except for Ravenna, a prosperous city, when
its ruler died47 - so as not to wage war against their own
people and to fight naval wars only against foreigners.
These people [the Venetians} fought against the Greeks, 24
defeated them in naval battles, and seized their capital;
many westerners were with them then, but they were the
leaders of the campaign against the Greeks. 48 As they began
to claim the mainland [of Italy}, they soon acquired good
lands there and fortified their city, thereby greatly increas-
ing their power on both land and sea. They fen out with
the rulers on the mainland and fought a war with them that
lasted for many generations. They excel at making their city
30 9
 THE HISTORIES
n']V nOAlV f'eyaAI]V eaUTOlS napal1Keual1af'eVOl. [!.I77}
MeTa Se TaUTa Kat uno ~ap~apwv3 ~at1lAEWS T~S 'haA[as
npos El1nEpaV xwpas [npos} TOV 'PWf'I]S apXlepEa EK-
nel10VTa Ten']s apmS Kat n']s'Pwf'a[wvnOAews, KaT~yayov
Te TOV apXlepEa, Kat npos TOV ~al1lA£a nOAef'~l1av-res,
Wl1Te £f'neSWl1at "Ii apxtepel n']v apx~v, vaIJf'ax[q Te £n-
eKpaTI]l1aV Kat KaT~yayov.
25 Kat npos Te TOUS 'lavIJ'loIJS, SOKouvTas n']S KaTa Ta
xwp[a £Kell1e Kat T~V napaAOV T~S 'lTaA[as £nlKpaTelV,
nOAef'ov £l;eveYKOVTeS f'eyaAa anoSe[I;at1eat "pya, nOA-
AaXfi Slavauf'aX~l1avTeS Kat neplyevof'evol. OUTOl TOlyap-
OUV TOV npos TOUS OueveTOUS nOAef'ov avalpouf'evol
OA[YOU SelV T~V nOAlv aun']v £xetpwl1av-ro, EnmAeUl1av-res
Tpl~pel1l Kat vaIJl1tv £nt TOV OueVeTWV Alf'Eva, Kat
£ll1eAeov-res KaTa TO £nt KAll;ol]v. 4 ITOAlS Se aUTWV 4\KI]-
Tat, 01t!] S~ 6 Alf'~V f'Eyas Te &lv KatnevTaKOl1[OIJS l1TaS(ous
Sl~KWV A~yet £S n']v KaTa TOV 'HplSavov xwpav· TauTn
yap 'HplSavos,f'Eyas Te TWV KaTa n']v 'haA[av nOTaf'wv
Kat vaIJl1t nA6'if'OS, npos Tau-rn S~ £KSlSOl ES n']v eaAal1-
l1av, Tau-rn S~ ouv £ll1eAeoul1at at v~es TWV 'IavIJ'lwv Ent
TOV OueveTwv Alf'EVa ~V Te KAll;ol]v KaTEt1X0V Kat ~vSpa­
noS[l1aVTo. MeTa Se TaUTa npos n']v nOAlV Stenpel1~eu­
OVTO. Kat tv cmop", Se 6vTeS ot tv Tft nOAet, Kat OUK "XOV-
TeS, 6 " YEvwvTal, UnaKOUl1a[ Te TOlS 'lavu'lolS "cpal1av
ETOlf'Ol elvat, Kat [LI78} lOS /'tv SOKO(I] aUTOlS !;uf'CPOPOV
elVat Kat EnLT~SetOV nOALTeUel1eal, Kat aLTell1eat l1cpiiS
EKEAeuOV, 6" ~OUAOv-rat, lOS napeX0f'EVWV ho[f'wS aUTolS
TaUTa.
310
BOOK 4
great by bringing in revenues. After that, when the pontiff
of Rome was removed from his position and from the city of
the Romans by the king of the barbarians in the land to the
west ofItaly, they restored the pontiff; having fought against
the king in order to confirm the pontiff in his position, they
prevailed in a naval battle and restored him.4'
They also waged a war against the Genoese, who had 25
risen to a position of dominance in the nearby regions and
the Italian coast, and they performed great deeds, fighting
many naval battles and winning. But the Genoese too, tak-
ing up the war against the Venetians, carne close to captur-
ing the city itself, sailing their triremes and ships against the
Venetian harbor and entering at the point by Chioggia. 50
This city of theirs is built where the harbor, which is large,
extending for five hundred stades, ends by the regions near
the Po. For this is where the Po, one of the great rivers of
Italy and one that is navigable to ships, flows into the sea. So
it was from there that the ships of the Genoese sailed in
against the harbor of the Venetians, when they seized and
enslaved Chioggia,5l After that they sent envoys to the city.
The people of the city were at a loss and did not know where
to turn, and so they said that they were prepared to obey the
Genoese and govern themselves in whatever way seemed
advantageous and useful to them, and they asked to be told
what they wanted, so that they could carry it out for them.
3II
 THE HISTORIES
26 Oi St o,~ Ta 1tapa Tij~ 1tDAEW~ ~KouO'av, OiDf'EVOl TI]V
1tDAlV KaTaA~tEO'eaL aUeaSEO'TEpDV TE a1tEKplvavTo Til
1tPEO'~etq:, cpaf'EVOl aiTETO'eaL aUTOV~ E1tt TPel~ ~f'Epa~
E;ETval O'cplO'l S,ap1ta!;E,V TI]V 1tDAlV. Oi f'EVTOl1tPEO'~El~ o,~
a1tExo,p'1O'av Kat Ta E1tEmaAf'EVa Til 1tDAEl a~yyEAov, ~
TE <r6YKA'1TO~ Kat " S~ f'0~ V1tEpaXeEO'eEt~ Til TWV 1tOAEf'lwv
aueaSetq: TE Kat aKoAaO'Iq: vau~ TE aUTIKa t1tA~ pwO'av,
oO'a~ ~SuvaVTO, Kat aUTot E~ Ta~ vau~ Ef'~aVTE~ av~yoVTo
E~ TOV Alf'Eva. 01 TE "Iavu"Lol aVTav~yoVTo, Kat aUTIKa tv
T<ii Alf'EVl EvaUf'aX'1O'av, Kat ouStv 1tAEOV E<rX0V oi 1tOAEf"O'.
'EVTau9a o,~ t1tETpa1tOVTO ~TT'1 f'EVOl et~ KAl!;D'1V, aUTIKa
ol OUEVETOt vauv CPEpOVTE~ f'Eylm'1v TWV 1tapa O'cplO'l VEWV
E~ TO TOU Alf'EVO~ mDf'a, t'i S~ et<riJEO'av oi 1tOAEf'LOl,
KaTESuO'av aUTou TauTn (eml yap TOUTO mEvo,TaTOV), Kat
TO O'TDf'a E1tlKAetO'aVTE~ Alf'<ii TOV~ "IavuTou~ tv Til KlD!;n
t;E1tOAlDpK'1O'av.
27 A1tE1tElPWVTO f'£V oily Kat T~~ Slo,pUXO~, ~ EK TOU 'Hpl-
Savou E~ TOV Alf'Eva acp'KVelTaL, SLOpUO'O'OVTE~, WO'TE
EK1tA6"if'Ol YEVEO'eaL TaT~ eauTWV vauO'tv t1tt TOV 'HplSavov·
aAX OUX oIol TE tytvOVTO avuO'aL TOUpyOV. 'ESDKEl st Kat
" rraTa~lou ~yEf'o,V O'uf'~aAEO'eaL aUToT~ t~ TOV TE 1tOAE-
f'OV, Slacpopo~ WV ToT~ OUEVETOT~. OliTol f'£V Alf'<ii £K1tOAl-
OpK'1eEVTE~ U1tO Tij~ OUEVETWV 1tDAEW~ 1tapESo<rav O'cpa~
Xp~O'eaL O'cplO'lv, 0 Tl ~OUAOVTaL, Kat Tau-rn aIO'X'O'Ta a1to,-
AOVTO, OUKETl1tapa TO [I.179} SEOV O'WcppOVlO'eEVTE~. Oi St
OUEVETOt TO a1tO TOUSE O'TpaTEuOf'EVOl t1tt TI]V "IavuTwv
1tDAlV 1tOAAaxil TE tvauf'aX1']O'av Kat t1tEKpaT'1O'av, Suvaf'lv
312
BOOK 4
When the Genoese heard the city's response, they 26
thought that they would be able to seize the city and replied
harshly to the embassy, demanding the right to plunder the
city for three days. But when the envoys went back and an-
nounced this message to the city, the senate and the peo-
ple were extremely distressed by their enemies' haughtiness
and impudence, and so they manned as many ships as they
could, boarded them themselves, and sailed to the harbor.
The Genoese advanced against them and a naval battle was
joined in the harbor. The enemy had the worst of it. De-
feated, they retreated to Chioggia, whereupon the Vene-
tians immediately brought their largest ship into the en-
trance to the harbor, through which the enemy had entered,
and sank it there-for this was a very narrow point. Block-
ing the harbor mouth in this way, they besieged the Genoese
in Chioggia to starve them out. 52
The Genoese then made an attempt to widen the canal 27
that leads from the Po to the harbor so that they could sail
their ships to the Po, but they were unable to accomplish
this task. It seems also that the ruler of Padua had joined
them in this war, as he was at odds with the Venetians. 53 De-
feated in this siege and starved out by the city of the Vene-
tians, they surrendered to be treated in whatever way the
Venetians deemed fit. But even though they were so shame-
fully defeated, they still did not learn their lesson as they
should have. From that point on the Venetians campaigned
against the city of the Genoese, fought many naval battles
313
 THE HISTORIES
TE 1tEpL1tOLOUf!EVOl TO cmo TOVSE, Ka1 Tfj, 9aAa<Y<YI], £'(PYOV-
TE, Tfj, KaT' eKElVI]V 'ri]v xwpav.
28 "Ev9a S~ ~Uf!'P0P~ 1tEp'E1te<Yev ~ 1t(JAl, aUTI] OU 'tfi
TUXOU"11 S,a Ta, vauf!axia, TaUTa,. "Y <YTepov f!EnOl TOV
Te TOV rraTa~iou ~yEf!ova Tl<Yaf!eVOl, TIJV TE 1tOAlV E1tO-
AlopKI]<Yav, Ka1 imaYOf!EVOl Tfj, ~1tElpOU anElXOVTO ~e­
~alOTepov E, <Y'Pa, exupOVVTe, T~V ap~v Tfj, ~1tElpOU.
Kal1tpoTEpOV f!EV'rOl ap~v Tlva E, T~V KaTa 'ri]v ~1tHpOV
KTI]<Yaf!EVOl, Kal Tap~(~LOV 1tOAlV euSa(f!0va E1tlKTI]<Yaf!e-
VOl, 1tpo~yayov 'ri]v xwpav aUTWV, E1taYOf!tvwv TWV T~,
1toAew, EX9El T<!> <Y'PeTtpC!' 1tpO, TOU, mpwv ~yef!0va,. Ka1
"<YTepOUf!eVOl, w, TO rraTa~LOV exelpw<YaVTO TOV ~yef!0vo,
Kapapiwv Tfj, oiKia, 1tpO, TOUTOU, S,evex9EvTo" opf!w-
f!evol cmo TOUTOU 1tOAH, Te iXAAa, OUK oAiya, KaTempt-
'/tavTo TWV KaTa 'ri]v 'haAiav xwpav Ka1 E, 'ri]v Alyupiav,
iXAAa, Te S~ Kal OUI]pwvI]v 1tOAlV euSaif!ova, E~eA<i<Yane,
TOU, ~yef!0va, allT~, KAlf!aKiwv Tfj, oiKia, OUTW KaAou-
f!tvou" Ka1 01l,Ken(av Ka1 rrpl]~iav, 6A~(a, Te 1toAel, Ka1
E1tl~ f!0u, TWV vvv KaTa 'ri]v ·haAiav.
29 MeTa S£ Taiha 1tpO, TOV Alyupia, Tllpavvov S,evex9tv-
Te, E1tOAtf!ouv E1t1 <YUXVa ETI]. "Eml S' 0 ~yef!wv OUTO,
oiKia, TWV {LI80} Map,aYYEAwv, iXpxwv S£ MeSLOAavou
1toAew,. '}Iv S£ E1tlTI]Seuf!a<Yi Te oA~lwTaTI], Kal 'tfi
ellSalf!0v(q 1tpoexel TWV tv 'tfi 'ITaAiq 1toAewv, Kat 1tOAU-
av9pw1to, ou<Ya 1taAatoTaTI] Te SOKel yevt<Y9al Ka1 aiEl Te,
E~ chou <!>Ki<Y91], ellSalf!0v~<Yal Tol, Te E1tlTI]Seuf!a<Yl Tol,
1tOAef!'Kol, Ka1 01tAWV KaTa<YKeuii. Me<Yoyato, S' ov<Ya ~
1tOAl, aihl] S,EXe, a1to 9aA<i<Y<YI], Tfj, 'IavuTwv <YTaSiou,
314
BOOK 4
with it, and prevailed. From then on the Venetians preserved
their power and closed off the sea that is by that land. 54
That city,55 then, suffered a serious misfortune because 28
E1tl-
of these naval battles. The Venetians later set out to punish
the ruler of Padua and besieged his city.56 They brought the
mainland under their control and secured their position by
establishing a firmer hold on it. Of course, they had previ-
ously acquired holdings on the mainland when they took
over the prosperous city of Treviso." They had extended
their territory when the people of that city called them in
out of hatred for their own rulers. They later seized Padua
when its ruler, who was from the house of Carrara, fell out
with them, and they used it as a base to conquer many other
cities in the land of Italy and Lombardy, including Verona,
a prosperous city, whose rulers, of the house that is called
Scaligeri, they expelled;58 and Vicenza and Brescia, both
wealthy and famous cities in Italy today.59
After that they fell out with the tyrant of Lombardy and 29
fought a war with him for many years. This ruler was from
the house of Mariangeli and was lord of the city of Milan."
In its achievements, wealth, and general prosperity, Milan
surpasses all the cities in Italy. It is populous and appears to
be very ancient and, ever since its foundation, it has fared
well in its military endeavors and the manufacture of arms.
The city is situated inland, about six hundred stades from
iXAAU
 THE HISTORIES
afl<pi TOU<; £~aKOo-lOU<;, ayxou Sf. 4>K'1Tat T~<; raAaTla<;, ~Tl<;
Kai La~6'ia xwpa K£KA'1Tal. 'PEL Sf. reoTafl0<; Sla T~<; reo-
AEW<;, Kal EKSlSol OUTO<; E<; TEo-lv'1v reoTaflov repo<; rra~ln
reOAEl. TEo-lv'1<; S' au ErelppEl E<; TOV 'HplSavov repo<; IDa-
KEVTln reoAEl flEyaAn ~<; Alyup[a<;' OUTO<; flf.V t'j EKSlSol,
repOTEpoV flOl SES~AWTal.
30 AtyovTal S' O[ T~<; OLKla<; TaVT'1<; E<; TIJV MESLOAavou
Kai T~<; ilAA'1<; Alyup[a<; apx~v KaTao-~Vat Tpore", TOl<iiSE.
ApaKWV areo OpED<; <pOlTWV E<; T~V reoAlV av9pwreou<; Sla-
<p9dpwv OUK Ereavo-aTO, TOV<; TE Erel Ta ~pya Erelov-ra<; Kal
Erei TOU<; aypov<;, YUValKa fI£V, t'j A£YETal, ~USty TlreOlovflE-
VO<;, Kai TOV<; yE iivSpa<; Erei o-uxvov XPOVOV SlEAUflalVETO.
KaireoAAoi S~ Ere' aUTov EreEA90v-rE<; reoAAa TE Kal aV~KE­
ma repo<; TOU 9'1po<; EreEreov9Elo-av' ~vuov Sf. ouS£v. OUTO<;
S~ 6 Mapu'YYEAO<;, repwTo<; T~<; oLKla<; TavT'1<;, BpETavo<;
Sf. TO yEVO<;, 9EpcmOVTa E~oreAlo-a<; reavoreAlq Kai aUTO<;
EVESvo-aTO reavoreAlav. METa SE, w<; t'jo-av Erei TOV 9~pa, TOV
fI£VTOl 9EpC(1COVTa xavwv KaTa fI£o-oV Eo-E<pOpEl E<; TOV
AatflOV {!.IBI} aUTou' w<; S' ~S'1 xavwv oihE Ev-rO<; Aa~Elv
oIo<; TE Ey£vno, oihE E<; Tourelo-w E~OPfl~o-at, reEAEKEl T~V
KE<paA~v TaU SpaKov-ro<; KaTalpwv Sl£TEflE. Kal 0 fltVTOl
SpaKwv TavTn EreEO-E, Kai ~ reoAl<; ~AEU9tpWTO TOU 9'1p0<;
reoAEflouVTO<; aUTfi. Kai oihw S~ mpa't'lyov TE o-<plo-lV of
TO MESl6Aavov EVOlKOUVTE<; Eo-TIJo-avTo, Kai ~yCto-9at
EKEAEUOV Erel TOU<; reoAEfI[ou<; w<; ilvSpa aya90v YEvoflEVOV.
MET' OU reoAuv Sf. XPOVOV ~YEflwV TE KaT£m'1, Sopu<popOU<;
EXWV afl<p' aUTOV Kai TOU<; EV Tfi reoAElreEl9Eo-9al avaYKa1;wv.
Oihw S~ iip~aVTO<; Tau't'l<; ~<; xwpa<; Erel T£o-o-apa<; YEVEa<;
BOOK 4
the Gulf of Genoa. It is not far from France and the region
that is called Savoy. A river runs through the city and emp-
ties out into the Tieino River by the city of Pavia. The Ti-
cino flows into the Po by Piacenza, a large city in Lombardy.
I have already stated where the Po flows out. 61
This family {the Mariangeli} is said to have come to 30
power over Milan and Lombardy in the following way. A
dragon would come regnlarly from the mountain to the city
and relentlessly kill its people as they were going to their
work and to the fields, but, so it is said, it would do no harm
to the women. So for a long time it preyed on the men. Many
set out to destroy it but the beast horribly injured them, and
they accomplished nothing. Mariangelo, then, the first of
this house, who was of British origin," equipped his servant
with a full array of armor and then put on armor himself
When they had encountered the beast, the latter, its maw
gaping open, swallowed up the servant into his throat down
to his waist. With its mouth wide open like this, however, it
was unable to swallow the rest of him or spit him back out,
so Mariangelo brought his ax down onto the dragon's head
and cut it off The dragon fell there and the city was liber-
ated from the beast that had been attacking it. 63 Thus the
inhabitants of Milan made him their general and urged him
to lead them against their enemies, as he had shown himself
to be a formidable man. But shortly afterward he made him-
self ruler, surrounded himself with bodygnards, and forced
the people of the city to obey him. Thus this land was ruled
31 7
 THE HISTORIES
E, -rOV <l>LAl1"CnOV ~ apx~ neplijAge, npc>, (\v 8ij Ot Oueve-rot
EnOAeflouv 8levex9Ev-re,.
31 Ta -re aUa Kat errpa-rt]yov, EA6flevol (npio"lV E, -rov
II n6Aeflov av8pa, -re aya90v, Kat xwpa, apxov-ra, OUK
I
DA[yt],. I1pw-rov flEV-rOl Kapafllvl6Aav errpa-rt]yov eYAov-ro
Enl -rov Alyupia, apxov-ra. Kal w, au-roii <1uvie<1av Ka-ra-
npo8t86v'rO, -rijv xwpav Kat <1Uv-rlgefl£voU -r4J Me8lOAavou
ijyefl6vl, <1uUa~6v-re, aVelAOV, Kat <l>paYKi01<Ov -rov <l>op-
-riav En[KAt]v fle-raneflnOflevol ijyel<19al -re au-rwv EKEAeuov
Kat E-riflWV fleyaAw" -ra -re aAAa eu80Klfloiiv-ra Katn6Ael,
-ri), AlyUpiwv xwpa, OUK DAiya, napaerrt]Jaflevov, -rijv-re
apxijv -ri), ~nelpou Ent fleya npoijyaye 8uvaflew,. 11,
flev ouv npo, -rou-rou, nOAefloiiv-ra, aUijAol, ;uflnaJa ij
'haA[a 8lEJ-rt] npc>, EKa-rEpou" Kat w, EnoAeflt]Jav, E, -ro
np6Jw i6v-rl -roii A6you 8t]Aoii-ra[ flOl, W, EyEve-ro.
32 'EnavElfll 8ij Ent -rijv Oueve-rwv n6Alv, W, -rau't!] "tjj
n6Ael EYEve-ro -rUm En' afl<po-repa "tjj n6Ael £vaUa; JUfl-
~av. Kal [I.I82} aiht] E, -r6v8e -rov n6Aeflov EAOflEVt] eau"tjj
errpa-rt]yov, -ra nOAEflla aya90u<;, EV 8e 8ij Kat (\v EJij flt]va
Kapafllvl6Aav, Kt]8eJ-rijv yevoflevov -roii AlyUPWV -rupav-
vou. Toii-rov flEV-rOl w<; Enl~ouAeuov-ra J<p[Jl Aa~6v-re<;
anEKTelVaV, <l>op-riav 8e fle-raneflvaflevOl EJ-rijJav-ro J<piJl
J-rpa-rt]yov EA6flevol. 11<; flev oov ~pya an08elKvuflEvou<;
fleyaAa Te Kat a;la A6you, ent XLAla ht] eu8aiflova<; 8laye-
VOflEVOU<;, aAAol<; nOAAaxfi Ka-ra -rijv 'haAiav £veu80-
KlflijJat Ka-ra8t]A6v Eerrl. Kal Eflne8wJal au"tjj -ra Ka-ra -rijv
ap~v, w<; EAaXlJ-ra EJ<pMAe-ro tmo -rwv nOAm;;v, -rfi8t 1tl]
BOOK 4
for four generations until power came to Filippo,64 with
whom the Venetians fell out and were fighting.
The Venetians appointed good men as their generals in 31
war and as governors of their extensive territories. At first
they appointed Carmagnola as general to fight against the
lord of Lombardy. When they realized that he was betraying
their country and making deals with the ruler of Milan, they
arrested him and killed him. "Then they called in Francesco,
known as Sforza, urged him to lead them, and paid him great
honor." He was particularly successful and subdued many
cities in Lombardy, and turned their mainland empire into a
great power. While they were fighting each other, all ofItaly
took sides, and my account will later on reveal how they
fought."
I return now to the city of the Venetians and to how this 32
city's fortunes fluctuated. In this war it chose for itself gen-
erals who were skilled at warfare, among whom was Carma-
gnola, as I said, who was related by marriage to the tyrant of
the Lombards. 68 When they discovered that he was plotting
against them, they arrested and killed him. They called in
Sforza and decided to appoint him their general. It is per-
fectly clear that they have performed great and remarkable
deeds, have enjoyed a thousand years of prosperity, and have
acquired a good reputation among others throughout Italy.
The way in which they have firmed up their power, so that it
is least open to being put at risk by the citizens, clearly
319
 THE HISTORIES
iiv Ka'taSl]AO, YEVOl'tO ~ 'tij, n6Aew, SLOlKl]<Yl" W, tv ~pa­
Xel Sla<Yl]flfjvat.
'Hv yap aihl] ~ nOAl, 'to naAatOV Sl]floKpa'tla, Kat uno
JJ
S~flOl, 'te iifla tv 'tal, apxal, au'twv, ii, npeho, TI]v nOAlv,
n tSOKet KaAw, ~XflV "'p[<Yl, Sl<!>KOUV. Mna Sf. 'tau'ta, W,
Ent 'ta ~pya "'pwv ot Sl]flo'tat E'tpEnoV'to, Kal OUKE'tl <yxOA~V
~yov, ~<Y'te Ent 't~v SLO[Kl]<YlV A6yov nOlel<Yeat, W, EKa<Y'to'te
avayKa~ol ~ouAeue<yeal " Xpovo" EnlAel;aflevol -rou,
ap[<Y'tou" ehe TIm 'tlV[, e'i't"e S~ Kat 'in'J'!'4' EAOflevol, oihw
nept -rou-rOU, E, apl<Y'toKpa-r[av 'to napanav E'tpa1tl], Kat 'to
ana 'touSe d<YE'tl Kat VUV Ct<r'!'aAw, Sl4'Kl]flEVl] Ent flEya
Suvaflew, txwpl]<Ye.
J4 tl.LOlKehat St. Ka'ta 'taSe. "E<Y'tlV ~ fleyaAl] ~OUA~ Ka-
AOUflEVl] au'tol" tv ii Ent ~flEpa, OK'tW <yxOA~V iiyOU<YlV. 'Ev
'tau't!] St. 'tfi ~oUAfi 'ta, 't"e apxa, 'tWV nOAewv alpouV'tal,
'in'J'!'OU, 'tl9EflevOl, Kat 'ta, tv'tfi nOAfl au'tfi apxa" onll iiv
Ka9l<Y'twV'tal. N0fll~nal St. t;elvat, w, ~"1 [LI83} 'tE<Y<Yapa
Kat e1KO<Yl yeyovw, e'(l], d<YlEVat t, 'tau"1v TI]V ~OUA~V, fjv
au'tQ TI]V apmv <Yuvexwp~el] ye d<YlEval, Kiiv <YUyKAl]-
n.
'tlKO, E'(l]<Yav S' iiv OU'tOl afl,!,t 'tou, Sl<YXlA[OU" ot 'ta, 't"e
'in'J'!'OU, 'tl9EflevOl Kat 'ta, apxa, \;uflnCt<rl], fjSl] 'tij, apxfj,
alpouflevol. 'Hyeflwv St. 'tou'twv t<Y'tlV, DV iiv t'Awv'tat, 'tov
nap' au'tol, Kpa'tl<Y'tov SOKouv'ta yevE<Yeal. (!lEPfl S' ou'to,
Suo 'in'J'!'ou" 'tleEflevo, ii iiv ~OUAOl-rO npo<Y't[ge<Yeat. ME-
Vet S' ou'to, ~yeflwv 'tlflwflevo, 't"e 'ta npw'ta uno 'twv <Yuy-
KAl]'tlKWV Kat EV 'tol, ~a<YlAeiol, Enlflevwv, ~xwv ~v 't"e
Sanavl]v uno 'twv 'tfj, nOAew, npoe<Y'tl]Ko'twV. napfl<Yl S'
au'tQ ~OUAl],!,OpOl iivSpe, f; 'tov apleflov, halpol 't"e au'tQ
320
BOOK 4
reveals how the city is administered, which can now be ex-
plained briefly.
This city used to be a democracy of old, and they gov- JJ
erned the city as they thought best through their demes as
well as by their elected offices. After that, as the demesmen
turned to their private affairs and no longer enjoyed the lei-
sure required for public administration, whenever circum-
stance required them to make decisions they would choose
the leading men, either by lottery or by electing them in a
vote, and thus the government turned entirely into an aris-
tocracy that revolved around these men. From then on and
to this day, Venice is securely governed and has advanced to
great power.
It is governed in the following way. They have the so- J4
called Great Council, which meets for an eight-day session.
In this Council they appoint the magistrates in charge of
the cities by casting votes, and they also decide on the ap-
pointment of the magistracies of the city itsel£ Their cus-
tom is that one may enter this Council upon reaching the
age of twenty-four if he has been granted entry to a magis-
tracy and is a senator. There are about two thousand mem-
bers, who cast votes and appoint the magistracies of the en-
tire government. Their ruler,69 whomever they appoint, is
the one who seems to have become most powerful among
them. He holds two votes, and may cast them however he
wants. This ruler is honored by the senators above anyone
else, and he resides in the palace, maintained at the expense
of the leading men of the city. He has advisors, six in number,
321
 THE HISTORIES
oV'W; Kal 'ti]V 'tlfl~v 't~e; ~yeflov[ae; <YuyKa'tepya~6f1evol,
btl fI~vae; E; a:n:aAAaTI6f1evOl ~e; "'pwv OU'tOl apme;.
35 Me'ta St 'ti]V fleyaA'1V ~OUA~V E<Y'tlV ~ ~OUA~ yepou<Y[a
KA'1'tWV KaAOuflEV'1, aflq>l 'tOVe; 'tp,aKO<Y[OUe;. Afpoiinal St
'tOV'tOUe; ~S'1 Kal 'tae; AOl:Jtae; apxae; ev 'tfi fleyaAn ~OUAfi,
e1tlAe;aflevOl 'tove; 'tafle£vw q>povoiiv'tae;. Kav 'tav'<n S~ 'tfi
'twv KA'1'tWV e:n:ovofla~ofltvn ~oUAfi :n:ep[ 't£ :n:OAEflWV Kat
e[p~v'1e; ~OUAevov'tat Kal :n:pe<Y~etWv, 0 'tl ilv fi SeSOYfiEVOV
'tOV'tOle;, :n:e[ge<Y9at av't[Ka 'ti]v :n:6AlV, Kal Ee; 0 'tl ilv S6;n
'tav'<n 'tfi ~oUAfi, ;vfl:n:ao-av 't~v :n:OAlV [EVat. 'E:n:l St 'tOle;
!I
'twv OAWV eYKA~fla<Ylv tq>e<Y'tii<Ylv ilpxov'tee; SEKa, 01 'tlvee;
I 'ta 'te eYKA~ fla'ta Kal 'tae; :n:OlVae; e:n:lq>EpoU<YlV Evl EKa<Y't~.
"E~e<Y'tl Sf 'tOV'tOle; 'tov 'te ~yeflova Aa~onee; 9ava'tov
a:n:aye<Y9at, v:n:o fI'1Sefl'iie; 'twv apxwv a:n:al'toufiEVOUe; 't~v
a['t[av ~e; S[K'1e;. L'.lat~<Yal yap ou'twe;, Kal Ka9[<Y'tav'tat
~S'1 ;ufI:n:a<Y'1e; 't~e; :n:oAeWe; {I.I84} ee; 'tae; eu9Vvae; 'twv O'tl-
oiiv :n:ep[ 'tlva e;aflap'tov'twv ~ :n:epl 'ti]v :n:OAlV ~ te; aAA~­
AOUe;' ilyov'tal St 9ava'tou, ov'tlva ilv iJ:JtOS'KOV eupw<Yl,
Ka9[<Y'tav'tal St Kal ee; 'tae; ilAAae; S[Kae; SlKa<Y'ta[, 'twv 't£
t:n:lXWp[WV IiAAOl Kal ee; 'tove; ;tvoue; IiAAOl. 'E:n:l 'tOV'tOle;
eq>l<Y'tii<Ylv lipxov'tae; 'te<Y<YapaKov'ta, te; ove; e:n:etSaV at S[-
Kat avevex9w<Ylv, eu9vvou<Yl 'tae; 'itilq>oue; te; 'to <Yq>[<YlV e:n:l
'to we; Kpa'tl<Y'ta EXetV SOKoiiv. "Hv St fI~ <YUflq>EpWV'tat ee;
'ti]v S[K'1V, e:n:l 'ti]v 'twv KA'1'tWV ~OUA~V avaq>Epe'tal, KaKel
:n:oAu:n:paYfiovel'tat Kal 'ti]v a:n:o~a<Ylv 1o-xel.
36 Et<Yl flfv ouv Kal ilAAal apxal OUK OA[yat ~e; :n:oAeWe;,
q>UAaK~e; 't£ :n:Epl Ka9~Kou<Yal, Kal ee; 'tove; VUK'tOe; a<Y'ta<Ytav
'tlVa ee; 'ti]v :n:OAlV :n:pa<Y<Yonae;. Kal ayopavoflol hepol
322
BOOK 4
who are his companions and assist him in the dignity of the
principality.70 After six months these advisors are relieved of
their position.
After the Great Conncil is the so-called Senate-Council 35
of the Avogadori {Attorneys}, with about three hundred
members.71 They are chosen, along with the other magistra-
cies, in the Great Council, and they select the most sensible
men to serve there. In this so-called Council of the Avoga-
dori they deliberate regarding war and peace and also em-
bassies, and whatever they decide the city then obeys: what-
ever this Council decides must be done, the entire city does
it. Ten magistrates are in charge of accusations concerning
the whole state, and these men bring the indictments and
impose punishments in each case.72 They are permitted to
arrest and execute even the ruler himself, as their verdicts
are accountable to no other magistracy. In this way they ad-
minister justice, and they have jurisdiction over the en-
tire city to punish those who have committed any offense,
whether against the city or each other. They can impose the
death penalty on whomever they find guilty, but they pre-
side as judges over other trials too, some over the locals and
others over the foreigners. In addition to these men, they
appoint forty magistrates and, whenever trials are referred
to them, they cast their votes directly for what seems to
them to be the most powerful case. 73 If they do not agree in
the verdict, they refer the case to the Council of the Avoga-
dori, and it is there scrutinized closely and resolved.
There are many other magistracies in the city, which per- 36
tain to security and deal with those who create disturbances
in the city at night. Other men are appointed officials of the
323
 THE HISTORIES
KaSimav-tat 'tOU<; <pOpOV<; 'tWV e1ti 'tlVl 1tpaYfLa'twv Kat e<;
'ta<; 1tpoO'oSov<; 't~<; 1tOAEW<; a1tat-njO'£l<;' o[ S~ 'ta<; 1tpoO'-
6Sov<; 1tpanoV'tE<; KaSlmafLEvol, e<p' oil<; S~ 'ta 't* ;VfL-
1tacr!]<; 1tOAEW<; xp~fLa'ta Kat o[ <P0pOl ava<pep0V'tal.l\pxov-
'tE<; Si: o[ YEpatpO'tEpOl 'tE Kat a;lwfLa'tl1tpOeX£lV SOKOOV't£<;
KaeiO''taV'tal Sla ~iov W<; epywSE<; DV Ka't' eVlav'tov Aoyi~E­
O'eat 'ta<; 1tpoO'oSov<; 'tE Kat e;oSov<; 't* 1tOAEW<;, 0 'tl /:lv
a1toyevol'tO 'tE Kat1tEplytVOl'tO m!'twv 'tWV XP!]fLa'twv.1\7to
fLi:v OOV 'tOl!'tWV a[poOV'tal O'<piO'lV ~yEfLova, e1tElSaV O'<piO'l
'tEA£V-njan· 'E<; 'ta 1tpw'ta 'tlfL~<; aV~KovO'lV e<; 'tav't!]V 't~V
1tOAl'tEiav' 'tov<; 'tE yap e!]O'avpou<; Kat 'ta<; 1tpoO'oSov<;
e<popwO'lV OO'tOl Kat em'tp01tEVOVO'l. Xp!]fLa'ti~ovO'l Si: O'<pi-
{I.I85J -njv apmv av'twv, crUv 't<!' ~YEfLoVl 1tapa-
O'lV e<;
YEvofLEVOl emE aKpoaO'lv 1tptO'~EWV Kat 'tWV fLEYaAWV £1'tE
~aO'lAtwv £1'tE Kat ~yEfLovwv ava<popa<;. Kat avSpE<; OO'tOl
~ 't~<; 1tOAEw<; OA!] e;ovcria, 6vofLa~E'tal Si: Kat ~yEfLovia.
37 IIpotXEl S' au't!] ~ 1tOAl<; SvoTv 'tWV ev 'tfi 'l'taA[q 1tOAEWV,
OtKlWV't£ EV1tPE1tdq Kat Ka'taO'K£Vfj 'tWV E1tt ~<; eaAaO'O'1J<;
otKoSOfL!]fLa'tWV, W<; 'to E1t[1taV ~<; 1tOAEW<;, Kat 1tAov't'"
'tWV EV 'tfi 1tOA£l EVOlKOVV'tWV, a't£ ~<; 1tOAEw<; E1tt EfL1topiav
em't!]SElw<; EXOVO'!]<; w<; fLaAlO''ta Kat xp~fLa'ta EV1tE'tW<;
1tOPl~ofLtV!]<;. KEKoO'fL!]'tal Si: ~ 1tOAl<; au't!] 'ta'tE aAAa, Kat
EmvEi", EV'tO<; ~<; 1tOAEW<; <jJKoSOfL!]fLtv"" KaAAlm", 'tE
tSETv Kat EV1tp£1tEma't"', 'taT<; 'tPl~PEO'lV E;!]p'tv!,ev", W<;
1tAElO''tal<; Kat 1tAoiOl<; aAAol<; 1tafL1toAAol<;, Kat 'tfi Ka'ta-
O'K£Vfi 'tov'twv a<peovw<; 'tE ExOVan m!'too a1to 'tE 01tAWV
Kal aAAwv, oO'a E<; xpEiav <ptpEl 'taT<; vavO'L L'.l~KEl Si: e1tl
1teV'tE maSlov<;, Kat avSpE<; W<; 1tAETmol Epya~ofLEvol
BOOK 4
market aod have jurisdiction over the taxes that are levied
on traosactions aod the city's demaods for revenue. The
business affairs aod taxes of the entire city are referred to
those who have been given jurisdiction over revenue mat-
ters. These magistracies are given for life to older men who
seem most suitable, as it is a difficult task to calculate, over a
whole year, the income and expenditures of the city, what
has been spent and what remains of the city's money. It is
from among these men that they choose their new ruler,
whenever the old one dies. They have the highest rank aod
honor in this system of government, for they supervise and
maoage the treasuryaod the revenues. They negotiate with
sovereign power, as they are present with the ruler to hear
the petitions of embassies and powerful men, whether these
are kings or rulers. These men are, in sum, the sovereigns of
the city, aod they are known as the Signoria. 74
This city surpasses the cities in Italy in two respects, in 37
the elegaoce of its houses aod the construction of water-
front buildings, which is the city's very being, as well as by
the wealth of its inhabitaots, given that this city is favorably
situated for trade aod has a knack for making money. The
city is adorned in many ways, including ao Arsenal that has
been built within the city and that is very beautiful to be-
hold and very elegaot. It harbors very maoy triremes and a
multitude of other ships, and there is abundaot equipment
there, consisting of weapons aod other gear, that serves the
ships' needs. It is five stades long, and a great number of
 THE HISTORIES
au'toil Ka9' eKC«J"tt]V £<; 'ta<; vail<;. }\pxoV'ta<; S£ alpouV'tal
'tou EVlaU'tOU SVO E<; 'to E1tlvELOV 'tou'to Kat E<; ;Vfl1ta<1av 't~V
Ka'ta<1KEU~V. ·'I1t1tOl<; S£ ouSev 'tl xpfj'tat fj 1tO/U<; ail-rt] ,
aMa 1tE~ii 'tE E1t' aM~AOU<; <pom;;<1l Kat1tAOlap[Ol<;, 'tft fl£V
'tfj<; 9aAb.O"<1t]<; Sla'tWV O[KlWV Slt]KOV<1t]<;, 'tft S£ Kat aK'tWV
Ka'tE<1'tpwfltvwv 1tAlv90l<; a1taV'taxii 'tfj<; 1tOAEW<;. TdXEl S£
ouS£v 1tEpl~e~At]'tal fj 1tOAl<;.
38 Ta<; fl£V'tOl apXa<; 'tWV <1<PE't£pWV 1toAEWV E<1'tE ~V fj1tEl-
pOV {I.I86} 'tfj<; 'l'taAla<; Kal E<; ~V 1tapaALOV xwpav au'twv
Sla 't£AOU<; S£ W<; E1tt 'to 1toAl> alpouv'tal. 'E1tElSaV S£
£1tavlw<1lv E<; ~V 1tOAlV, fjv 'tl fl~ op9w<; 1tE1tpaYfl£vov Ii
av'tC;;, 'ta<; 'te Eu9Vva<; SlSW<1l Kat SlKt]v, E<p' 01<; fl~ KaAw<;
1tE1tOAl'tEUfltva 'tUrxaVEl au'tC;;. Ka\ alpouV'tat fl£v OV'tOl
<1'tpa'tt]yov <1<pl<1lv OUK E1tlXWPLOV E<; 'ta <1'tpa'tevfla'ta 'tfj<;
fj1telpou, SESlO'tE<; fl~ 1tpo<1ayoflevOl 'tou<; <1'tpa'tlw'ta<; 1tEp\
~v ap~v vEw'tEpl<1W<1l Kat KlVSUV£Vcrn aU'toT<; Sla<p9apfj-
Vat 'ta 1tpaYfla'ta. 'E<; fl£V'tOl 't~v apX~v 'tfj<; 9aAb.O"<1t]<; OUK
Exov'te<;, 01tw<; £1taywv'tat aAAo'tplou<;, Ka9l<1'tii<11 't£ EK
'twv E1tlxwplwv aU'tOKpa'tOpa<;, E1t£lSaV 1tOA£fl ETv £;£p-
xwv'tal, Kat [s[" Ka't' EVlau'tov 'ta<; S£Ka 'tPl~ pel<;, /1.<;
£1tl1t£fl1tOU <1lV E'tOU<; eKa<1'tOU E<1't£ 'tov 'IOVLOV Kat E<; 'to
AtyaTov, 'twv v£wv au'twv, at £1tt Efl1top[av a<plKVOUV'tat £1tl
Atyu1t'tov Kat Al~Vt]V Kat WK£avov Kat Ei\;elVOV 1tOV'tOV.
Ka\ Ka9atpouv't£<; 'to An<1'tplKOV, 01tOl /l.v 1tEPlWXW<1lV, a[
S£Ka au'tal 'tplfjpel<; Sla'tpl~ou<1lV oAoV EVlau'tov, E<; o1tep
al StKa a<plKVovflevat a1taAAanOU<1l 'tav'ta<; 'tfj<; <puAaKfj<;.
'E1tl1t£fl1tOU<1l S£ Kat 'tpl~pel<; E1tl £fl1top[av fj 1tOAl<;, £;w-
voufl£vWV 'tWV 1tOAl'tWV 'tav'ta<;, E<1't£ hle;aVSpelav Kat
BOOK 4
men work on the ships there every day. They choose two
magistrates each year for the port and the entire shipyard.
The city does not use horses, for the Venetians visit each
other on foot and by small boats, because the sea extends
between the houses, and the waterfront is paved with stone
throughout the city. The city is not surrounded by walls,
They appoint the magistrates for their own cities on the 38
mainland of Italy and their coastal territories, mostly in or-
der to collect the taxes due to them. But when the magis-
trates return to the city. if there is something that they have
not done right, they are called to account and pay a pen-
alty for those matters in which they have not governed well.
They do not choose a local general for their mainland
armies, because they are afraid that he might suborn the sol-
diers, incite sedition against the state, and have the means
to endanger their affairs, When it comes to command at sea,
however, they do not bring in foreigners but appoint com-
manders from their own countrymen whenever they sail out
to war. Everyyear, through private means, they send out ten
triremes to the Adriatic Sea and the Aegean from among
their ships that travel for trade as far as Egypt, North Africa,
the Ocean, and the Black Sea. These ten ships spend an en-
tire year rooting out piracy wherever they find it; afterward,
the ten return home and are relieved of the duty to provide
security. The city also sends out for trade triremes, for which
their citizens pay, and they go to Alexandria, Syria, the Don
327
 THE HISTORIES
Lup[av Kal Tava"(v Kal E<; ,a<; Bpe,avlKa<; v~<rou<; Kal E<;
,~v Al~Vl']V. Etl']<rav S' i:lv at ,pl~pel<; au,m Suo Kal e'{KO<rl,
f'e[~ou<; ,wv aAAWV ,pl~pewv, an Enl Ef'nop[av Ka,e<rKeU-
a<rf'tval. N0f'[~e,al S' au,ol<; E<p' eKa<T't"l']<; vew<; KalnalSa<;
<rUYKAl']"KWV avSpwv Enl ~v Ef'nop[av a<plKVel<r9m, f'e-
f'l<r9wf'tvou<; Kal ,ou,ou<; crUv 'n vl'] 1 Enl ,~v Ef'nop[av.
39 'El;eupl'],al f'EV ovv ,0U,Ol<; ,01<; Ouevnol<; npo<; ,oV
[LI87} Alyup[a<; .upavvov SlanOAef'0u<rl xp~f'a,a 'n
aAAn Kal S~ Kal ,wv nOAl't"WV tKa<r,ou 'tfj<; ou<r[a<; 6 SeKa-
"<rf'o<;, npo<; oil<; S~ ,anel ~ nOAl<; h~<rLOV np6<roSov ora
,au xptou<; anoSO<rlv. Kal ana S' i:lv EnayytAn Aaf'~avelv
,ou<; nOA[,a<;, ,pta S~ £Ka<r,OY EnayytAAEl anoSlSovm
£,ou<; eKa<r,ou. OUK £<T't"lV, i\,e Enl ,ou<; nalSa<; ,e Kal
EYYOVOU<; OUK a<plKVel-rm ~ ,olau,l'] npo<roSo<;. 'El;wvounal
f'Ev £VlOl ,au,a<; OUK OA[you "vo<; napa ,wv tvSew<; ,au
~[ou <r<p[<rlV EXOV,WV Kal euSmf'0vou<rl.
40 L\.OKel Se ~ nOAl<; aihl'] Oueve,wv cmo naAaLOu euvo-
f'0uf'tvl'] f'l']Seva <p9fjval Enl vew,epl<rf'ov a<plKe<r9al, nA~v
S~ Ba'(f'0uvSov veav[av, oA~lw,a,ov SOKouv,a yevt<r9al,
avaK,wf'evov ,0 nAfj90<; Enl ,aUTO wpf'fj<r9m· ano olK[a<;
St "vo<; ~Al'j9tv,a uno yuvalKo<; avwgev, EV -rfi aSQ npo-
'(ona Enl ,a ~a<r£Aela Em<rn0f'EvOU au,Q ,au nA~90u<; Kal
Se=o,l']v <r<pwv Kal 'tfj<; nOAew<; imoSelKvufLtvou, Kal
,au-rn ~Al'j9tv,a A[9", an09avelv. "Y <T't"epov f'tV'Ol ouStve<;,
i\" Kal al;LOV AOYOU, E<; vew,epl<rf'OY nepl ,~v nOAlv ,au,l'jv
El;l'jvtx9l'j<rav, SElvw<; ,aUTO <puAanofLtvl'j<; 'tfj<; nOAew<; f'~
<ruf'~fjvm au-rfi, 6" f'~ ,ov nalSa ,au ~yef'0vo<; ,wv <I>ou-
<rKaptwv OlKta<; <pa<rl vew,ep[~ov,a eaAwKtval uno ,wv
BOOK 4
River, the British Isles, and North Africa. These triremes
can be up to twenty-two in number and they are larger than
other triremes because they have been built for trade. It is
their custom to place the sons of senators aboard each ship
so that they learn the business of trade, and they too are
hired, along with the ship, for the trade run.
When the Venetians were fighting against the tyrant of 39
Lombardy they raised money in many ways, including a con-
n tribution of one tenth of the property of each citizen, and
the city fixed for them an annual income to pay back the
contribution. Whatever sum it announces that the citi-
zens will receive, it specifies that each will be repaid three
times each year. But this annuity is not inherited by sons and
grandsons. Some even purchase this credit at a high price
from those who are in need, and they prosper.
The city of the Venetians appears to have been well gov- 40
erned since ancient times and no one has managed to insti-
gate sedition in it, except for a young man, Bajamonte. He
had grown rich and suborned the crowd to attempt this. But
he was struck from above by a woman in a house as he was
processing through the street to the palace, with the crowd
following behind him and acclaiming him as their master
and master of the city; he was struck by that rock, and died. 75
After that no attempts worth mentioning were made at rev-
olution in this city, as it took every precaution to prevent
that from happening, unless we include the son of the lord
of the Foscari family who, they say, was convicted by the
32 9
 THE HISTORIES
-rfj<; 1tOAEW<; SLKa<Y'tWV, Kal E<; aVaYKa<; a<pLKOfLEVOV fLEyaAa<;
fL!,]S' o'nouv EtiplO'KELV tv Eau't'<ii, Kal 't'ov fLev veavlav EK-
1tE1t't'WKEvaL SLit 'ti]v [u88} £au't'<ii E1tEVEx9eLO'av al't'lav'
89EV Kal EU<ppOO'tiV!']V EU1tOp!,]O'afLEVOV Ka't'EA9eLv. Kal
au9L<; aAwvaL SLa<p9etpav't'a 't'OV IivSpa EKeLVOV, 3<; a1tfjyEv
au't'ov 1tpoSoO'la<;. 'E<; avaYKa<; lov't'a 't'ov oil't'w<; EK1tE1t't'W-
K6't'a SLa't'pl~ELv EV Kp~'t'!1. 'EltL<pEpofLEV!,]<; S' E<; au't'ov
au9L<; al't'la<;, E1tl 't'ou't'o fLE't'a1tEfLvafLEvou<; 't'ou<; SEKa -rfj<;
1tOAEW<; 1toAu1tpaYfLoveLv, Kal OUX Etipov't'a<; a1to1tEfLVctL 't'E
au9L<; E<; Kp~'t'!']v, Kal fLE't" ou 1tOAU au't'ou 't'EAEU-rfjO'ctL,
4' :0.<; fLev ovv 'tfi 1tOAEL 't'av't't]1tOAEfLOV E1tayyEtAa<; MEXfLE-
't'!']<; " I1ctLa~~'t'EW 1tal<;, Kal 't'PL~PEL<; E1tA~pwO'av E1tl 't'al<;
1tp0<puAaKal<; IiAAa<; aEl Kal SUO YEvofLEva<;, ~1tAEOV au't'aL
Eu9u 'EAA!']O'1tOV't'Ou, ~YOUfLEVOU I1E't'pOU 't'ou AaupESavwv
oida<;, E<; ilO''t'EpOV Kal 'ti]v E1tl 't'OU<; 'IavuTou<; O''t'pa't'!']Ylav,
Kal <Y'tpa't'!']YLKW<; EUSOKlfL!,]O'EV. Ou't'O<; S~ ouv o1JV 't'al<;
vauO'lv a<pLKOfLEVO<; t<; 't'OV 'EAA~O'1tOV't'OV E1tl -rfj<; KaA-
ALOU1tOAEW<; aVEKwxeuE fLE't'EWpOU<; 't'1t<; vau<; tv 't'<ii 1tEAaYEL,
EKWV fLEv OUX ti1tapxWV 1tOAEfLOU' ESOKEL 't'E yltp etp~v!']v 't'E
elVctL Kal 't'1t<; O'1tovSIt<; fL~ AEAU0'9ctL, Kal afLUVELV fLEV't'OL
E1t!,]YYEAAE't'O au't'<ii, U1tap;aL So 1tOAEfLOU fL!']KE't'L. 'ESOKEL 't'E
yltp Kal fL~ 1tOAEfLEIV, 't'WV 1t6AEWV O'<plO'L tv 'tfi 't'ou MEXfLE-
't'EW )(wp~ ti1tO ToupKWV fL~ KaKW<; 1tarrxELV, ~V 't'E 'tfi 1tpO<;
't'OV 'IOVLOV Kal tv 't'<ii Alyal'" 1tEAayEL. Tou't'''' fLOV OVV oil't'w
EltL't'E't'aK't'aL U1tO -rfj<; O'UyKA~'t'OU, afLuvofLEVOV fLOV SLavau-
fLa)(ijO'ctL, [u89} eKOV't'a So elvaL fL~ U1tap;aL 1tOAEfLOU.
4' :0.<; So a<plKE't'o t<; 't'OV 'EAA~O'1tOV't'OV Kal a1to -rfj<; i\O'la<;
eSpaLOuv't'O al 't'PL~PEL<;, 0 -rfj<; KaAALOU1tOAEW<; il1tapx0<;
33 0
BOOK 4
city's judges for attempting a rebellion, as he had fallen into
great need and could not earn anything, The young man was
exiled because of the charge brought against him, but he
came back from there, having found a way to procure fa-
vor.76 He was arrested again for killing the man who had in-
dicted him for treason, Exiled and in need, he went to live
on Crete, When an accusation was again laid against him,
the Ten of the city brought him back for a detailed investi-
gation, but as they could not find [anything against him}, he
was sent back to Crete, Shortly afterward he died there."
It was on this city, then, that Mehmed, the son ofBayezid, 4'
declared war. The Venetians manned their triremes, those
that were always on guard duty plus two more, and these
ships sailed straight for the Hellespont under the command
of Pietro of the Loredan family; he later had command of
the campaign against the Genoese, and enjoyed consider-
able military success."When he arrived with his ships at the
Hellespont, by Gallipoli, he kept them riding at anchor out
at sea, as he was unwilling to start the war, for it seemed that
the peace was still holding and the treaty had not been bro-
ken, His orders were to defend himself, not to start a war.
The Venetians had decided against a war, as their cities in
Mehmed's territory were not being harmed by the Turks, in
either the Adriatic or Aegean Sea. The senate had ordered
him to fight a naval battle only in self-defense, but not to
actively provoke a war.
But when Loredan arrived at the Hellespont and his tri- 4'
remes were sitting there off the coast of Asia, the governor
33 1
 THE HISTORIES
OUKE'tl avaCT)(e'tov tnOleho 'tOV~ Oueve'tov~ oi\'tw nep'-
<pavw~ u~PIS£lv t~ -riJv ~aOlMw~ xwpav Kat au'to 'to tnl-
veLOV au'tov, Kat w~ tnA~pou ot 'ta~ vav~, aV'tav~ye'to Kat
ou'to~, EXWV 'tPl~p£l~ nEV'te Kat e'iKO(Jl, vfja~ OE iiAAa~ af'<pt
'ta~ 6yoo~KoV'ta, w~ oeoln6f'evo~ 'tov~ Oueve'tOv~ 't<!' ~a­
a-lMw~ VaU'tlK<!'. OU'tOl f'Ev nponea-av tnl IIpolKovl"]a-ov,
f'e'tewpou~ Exov'ta~ 'ta~ vav~ au'twv. 'H 0, IIeAonovvl"]a-la
unoAEA£ln'to w~ ua-'tepov avayof'Evl"]. 'EV'tavea w~ ayxov
tytve'to 'tPl~Pl"]~ f'la 'tov ~aa-lAEw~, f'e'tenEf'ne'to {:, ~yef'wv
'twv Oueve'twv O"I"Jf'eLOV tnapa~, KeAeuwv ,nea-eaL Kat f'~
tf'~aAA£lv. O[0f'evo~ 0' {:, 'tfj~ 'tPl~pOU~ iipxwv 'tfj~ IIeAo-
novvl"]a-la~ w~ KeAeuol tf'~aAA£lv, 'to rrUvel"]f'a o[0f'evo~ ot
yevEa-eaL uno 'tov mpa'tl"]yov, tf'~MA£l 'te 'tft 'tov ~aa-l­
AEW~ Vl"]l Kat Ka'taou£l. At 0, AD mat 'twv ~ap~aplKwv vewv
[Oova-al w~ unfjpK'to nOAEf'ou Kat t~ f'''XI"]v KaelmaV'taL,
tndyov'taL tnaf'uv£lv ~ouA0f'eVaL tnt -riJv IIeAonovvl"]a-lav
vavv. 'Ev'tavea o~ at Aomat 'twv Oueve'twv 'tPl~p£l~ Ka't-
lOOVa-aL 'to yeyovo~, w~ tnt -riJv a-<p£'tEpav at ~ap~aplKat
vfje~ tndyov'taL, av'tav~yov'tO Kat au'taL tnl vauf'ax(av.
Kat w~ tvauf'''Xouv, OlEKnAouv 'te tnol~a-av'tO, Kat Ka'ta-
oua-av'te~ vav~ 't£ 'tlva~ Kat swyp~a-av't£~ 'ta~ Aoma~ t~-riJv
yijv hpt"'av'to Kat tVIKI"]a-av Oueve'to(, vav~ Aa~ov't£~ 'twv
~ap~"pwv 'tp'O"KaloeKa, Keva~ 0, 'ta~ nAelou~' ot [r. I 9 0 }
yap TovpKOl, w~ aAIO"Kol'to ~ vaii~, t~ -riJv e"Aaa-a-av
Emn'tov Kat £~EVeoV tnt 't~v yijv.
43 'EV'tavea w~ fjOl"] nOAef'ov 'tol~ Oueve'tol~ aveA0f'Evol~
npo~ ~aa-lMa MeXf'E'tl"]v, -riJv 'te A"f''''aKov nOALOpKlq:
naperr-riJa-aV'to Kat <pUAaK~v tYKa'teAmOV, Kat au'tot
33 2
BOOK 4
of Gallipoli could not bear the fact that the Venetians were
so brazenly insulting the territory of the sultan and his port.
He manned his ships and sailed against them in person, tak-
ing twenty-five triremes and about eighty other ships, to
scare off the Venetians with the sultan's fleet. The Venetians
then advanced to Prokonnesos and anchored their ships at
sea. But a Peloponnesian ship was left behind to catch up
later. When one of the sultan's triremes carne near, the Ve-
netian commander summoned the Peloponnesian ship by
raising the signal flag, ordering it to follow and not to en-
gage. But the captain of the Peloponnesian trireme thought
that the signal he was being given by the general was an or-
der to engage, and so he attacked the sultan's ship and sank
it. The rest of the barbarian ships saw that war had begun; so
they prepared for battle and hurried to defend themselves
against the Peloponnesian ship. When the rest of the Vene-
tian triremes saw what was happening, namely that the bar-
barian ships were rapidly advancing against their own, they
too sailed into battle. In the fight they broke the enemy line,
sank some ships, captured others, and ran the rest aground.
The Venetians won, capturing thirteen barbarian ships,
although most of them were empty. For when a ship was
captured, the Turks would jump into the sea and swim to
shore. 79
As the Venetians were now at war with Sultan Mehmed, 43
they took Larnpsakos by siege, left a garrison, and went
333
 THE HISTORIES
4>XOVTO tn' OlKOV Ct'TCOnAtoVTE<;. 'EVTau9a flEVTOl Ot Te
OueveTot TOUTOV TOV O"t'paT'1y6v, 0<; nep,eytveTo TOU TWV
~ap~apwv O"t'OAOV, ~yOVTO 9avaTov w<; npOTepov unap-
!;aVTa as,K[a<; Kat AeAVK(\Ta Ta<; O"ICovSa<; napa Ta i:n-
eO"t'aAflEva aUT<ji. Kat tv S[Kt] yevoflevo<; napa S,Kao'TaT<;
aneAu9'1 fl~ ",;"0<; npo.epo<; unap!;al TOU npo<; ~ap~apov
noAEflov. MeT' ou nOAuv SE Xpovov SlenpeO'~euO'aVTo Kat
O"TCovSa<; i:nol~O'aVTo. 'E<; TOUTOV<; fli:v OVV OUTW<; £o-xe T<ji
~aO'lAel MeXflt't't].
44 ToT<; Si: "EU'1O'lV i:nl~SelO<; Te Kat O'vv~9'1<; ~!;[OV gepa-
neuelV, ihov ltv Se~O'alVTo nap' eavT<ji, S,' atT[av T~VS£,
MovO"t'aq>ii<; yap TOl 6 TWV II",a~~TEw na[Swv, fllfl'1O'afle-
vo<; MWO'Ea TOV aSeAq>ov, Kal npo<; TOV l:lvwn'1<; ilpxovTa
noMfl'ov DVTa T<ji as£Aq><ji MeXflE't't] aq>lKOflevo<;, Kat ilp-
Kla nOl'1O'aflevo<;, «IO"t'e !;tVOV<; elva[ Te Kat q>LAOV<; aAA~Aol<;,
Kat npo<; TOV ll.aK[a<; ~yeflova SlanpeO'~evO'afl£vo<;, w<;
aUTOV ilO'flevo<; iJ'TC£StxeTo Kat TaAAa unlO-XVelTO O'VYKaTep-
ya~£0'9", Ta i:<; ~V ~aO'lAe[av, Sl£~'1 T£ et<; ~V ll.aK[av
MOVO'Taq>ii<;, Kal XPOVOV aUTo9, SlaTphJra<; O'vxv6v, i'xwv
ilvSpa<; Tp,aKoO'[ov<; £npaO'O'£ npo<; TOU<; ToupKWV ap[-
O"t'OV<;, fleTlWV EKaO"t'ov. D<; S' ouSi:v npoexwpet (~V yap
MeXfle-r'1<; Ta TE aUa i:nl£lK~<; Kal t<; TO gepan£uelv TOU<;
ap[O"t'ov<; TWV ToupKwv OUK {I.I9r} aSoKlfl0<;, Tponov T£
~O'VX[ov), 'it£vSij T£ naTSa tvtq>'1vev elv", TOU II",a~~T£w
TOV MovO"t'aq>iiv, Kal w<; ouSaflft KaTaq>avij O'x6VTe<; ~v
SlaTpl~~v aUT<ji' TOV SE naTSa TOUTOV TEAevTijO'at nap'
avSpt i:nlT'1Se[~ Kal TOV Tponov SlKaloTaT~, 0<; aq>TKTo
nap' eavTov TOV 9avaTov TOU nalSo<; SlaO''1flijVat,
334
BOOK 4
away, sailing for home. But there the Venetians put this
general, who had defeated the barbarian fleet, on trial for
his life, as he had been the first to commence hostilities and
break the treaty in contravention of his orders. When he
stood trial, however, he was acquitted by the judges be-
cause he had not initiated hostilities against the barbarian. 80
Shortly afterward they sent envoys and concluded a treaty.81
That is how Sultan Mehmed stood in relation to them.
Mehmed was a friend to the Greeks and was usually ready 44
to ptovide them with whatever they requested from him,
for the following reason. One of Bayezid's sons, Mustafa,
following the example of his brother Musa, went to the ruler
of Sinope, who was at war with his brother Mehmed, and
they swore oaths to be each other's friends and allies.82 He
also sent an envoy to the ruler ofWallachia,83 and, when he
was well received - he promised to support him to gain the
throne - Mustafa crossed over to Wallachia and spent quite
some time there. He had three hundred men and began to
negotiate with the leading Tnrks, approaching each one in-
dividually. But he made no progress, for Mehmed was gener-
ally reasonable and especially adept at winning the favor of
the leading Turks, and he kept calm. Mehmed claimed that
Mustafa was not a true son ofBayezid and that no one knew
anything certain about his career: the son of that name had
died, and he knew this from an associate of his, a most up-
right man who had visited him precisely to announce the
death of the child. 84
335
 THE HISTORIES
45 'Ev-rauSa Moucr-ra<pCie;, We; ouSev au-rQ Ka-ra VOUV tn-
e~aLVeV emo !laKiae;, Kat oiof'evoe; eau-rQ iif'eLVOV t~eTvm,
~v 8ni-roue; "EAA'lvae; a<plK'l-rm tv f'ecr4l TIje; apx~e; MeXf'e-
-rew lSpuf'evoue;. 'EAauveL ana !laK(ae; SLa f'e<fl]e; TIje;
E>pqK'le; tnt -ri]v E>epf''lv, nOALv 'EAA'lv(Sa. Kat te; Aoyoue;
a<pLKof'evOe; -rQ 'EAA~VWV ilPXOV-rL etoUeL -re ete; -r~v nOALv
Kat Ka-reA~<pS'l. MeXf'e-r'le; Se we; tnuSe-ro -raXLcr-ra te; -r~v
E>epf''lv a<pLKecrSm -rov aSeA<pov, au-r(Ka ouSev tnLcrxwv
Spof'aTo<; btl]eL tnt-ri]v E>epf''lv, napaAa~wv cr-rpa-rov, Kai
t~~-reL -rov aSeA<pOv -rou<; "EAA'lvae;. '0 f'ev-rOL TIj<; E>Epf''le;
ilpxwv ilyyeAov nEf'tae; tnt-rov Bu~av-r(ou ~a<rLAEa tS~AOU
-re, w<; exeL au-rQ nept -rou nmSoe; rraLa~~-rew Moucr-ra<pCi,
Kat we; MeXf'E-r'le; tneAauvwv t~m-roT-ro -rov aSeA<pov ola
teuS~ av-ra Kat SLa<pSeipov-ra ye au-rou. BacrLAeue; Se
npEcr~uv -re i'nef'te npoe; MeXf'e-r'lv, Kat (fUveSe-ro au-rQ
-rov Moucr-ra<pCiv t<; <puAaK~v -re nOL~cracrSm Kat f''lSaf'fi
f'eSLEvaL -re amov-ra. Kat Ent -rou-r4l apKLa -re EnoL~crav-ro,
Kat Moucr-ra<pCiv tv 'EnLSaUp4l TIje; rreAonovv~crou Kat tv
-rfi ilKpq -r~<; nOAew<; KaSeip~av-ree;, au-rov -re -rov Mou-
cr-ra<pCiv, Kat -rov ~f'upv'le; ilpxov-ra Zouval,,'lv, iif'a au-rQ
ana !laK(ae; tnt -ri]v E>epf''lv a<pLKof'evov Kat cruvem-
Aa~0f'evov -rou npoe; MeXf'E-r'lv noAEf'ou. [I.I92} Tou-roue;
f'ev OUV"EAA'lvee; eIxov tv <puAaKfi tnt cruxvov -rLva Xpovov,
f'e-ra Se -rau-ra ~yayov te; -ri]v A~f'vov Kat te; -r~v "If'~pov,
Kat au-rou eIxov tv <puAaKfi, 8<; il S~ e-reAeu-r'lcre MeXf'e-r'l<;
(, rrma~~-rew. To-re f'ev S~ xapL~0f'evoL -rQ ~acrLAeT ol
"EAA'lve<;, Kat -ri]v "f'0(av av-ranoSLSov-re<;, Ka-rESev-ro
-rou-rou<; tv 'EmSaup4l -r~<; rreAonovv~crou' Kat OUK ecr-rLv,
BOOK 4
At this point Mustafa, who could see that he was making 45
no progress in Wallachia, believed that it would be better
for him if he went to the Greeks, who were established in
the very middle of Mehmed's territory. He set out from Wal-
lachia and went through central Thrace to Thessalonike, a
Greek city. He negotiated with the governor of the Greeks,
entered the city, and was arrested." As soon as Mehmed
learned that his brother had arrived at Thessalonike, he let
nothing prevent him from rushing there, taking an army
with him, and demanding that the Greeks surrender his
brother. The governor of Thessalonike, however, sent a
messenger to the king of Byzantion [Manuel II} and ex-
plained how matters stood with Mustafa, the son ofBayezid,
and that Mehmed had marched there and was demanding
his brother as an impostor who was trying to overthrow
him. The king sent an envoy to Mehmed and they agreed
that Mustafa would be put in prison and would not be re-
leased under any circumstances. They swore oaths upon it
and Mustafa was imprisoned in the citadel of the city ofMo-
nemvasia in the Peloponnese. Along with Mustafa went Ju-
nayd, the lord of Smyrna, who had come with him to Thes-
salonike from Wallachia and had joined in the war against
Mehmed. 86 The. Greeks held them in prison for a long time,
transferring them afterward to Lemnos and Imbros, where
they were also kept in prison, until the death of Mehmed,
the son of Bayezid. 87 At that time, then, the Greeks were
in favor with the sultan and they paid him back when they
placed these men at Monemvasia, in the Peloponnese. For
337
 THE HISTORIES
o'tou a1towXOlev lila 'tau'ta 1tapa ~a<rlAel MeXftt'tt]. To'te
fti:v oov 1tapao-xov <r<pl<rlV tv ~eA'tlovl 'te 'rij, 1tpo<rgev e1tt
1tOAUV xpovov ad Ka'ta<r-ra<rel ewrxavov 6v'te" eO 1tpa't-
'tov'te" Kat n'iv 'te IIeA01tOvv1]<rov Ka9l<r-ra<rav e1tt'to <r<pl<rl
80KOUV i';elv W, <ruft<pepw'ta'ta.
46 'Eftftavou~A'" fttV'tOl eytvov'to 1tat8e, 6 'te 'Iwavv1], 6
1tpe<r~u'tepo" DV 8~ 'tot, "EAA1]<rlV a1te8d;a'to ~a<rlAea, Kal
Av8poVlKO, Kat Eleo8wpo, fte'ta'tou'tov Kal Kwv<r'tav'ttvo,
Kat 81]ft~'tpLO, Kat Elwfta,. T£ij ft£V'tOl 'Iwavv!] 't£ij 1tpe<r~u­
'tep"" 1tav'twv 'twv IlAAwv Kpa't[<r't", 80KOUV'tl yev£<r9al,
n'iv 't£ ~a<rlAelav e1te-rpe'/te, Kal a1to 'haA[a, ayoftevo,
au't£ij YUValKa 'tou Mov<pepa'tou ~yeft0vo, 9uya'ttpa,
e1tlelKfj ftev 'tov 'tp01tOV, a1]8fj 8i: ~v 6'/tlV, 8la8~fta'tl 'taL-
vlw<ra, apXlepta 'te Kal ~a<rlAta e<rn'i<ra'to 'tot, "EAA1]<rl.
Tau't1]v fti:v ouv, W, o15'te <ruV<l>Kel o15'te <ruveytve'to, E,
"X90, a<plKoftevo, Kal a1]8w, "xwv au'tft e1tl 'tlva Xpovov,
Kal ~ 't£ yuv~ 'tou ~a<rlAtW, evewpa E, au~v 'tov iiv8pa
a1]8w, "xov'ta, Kal au~v lmex9ave<r9aL 't£ij av8pl e, 'ta
ftaAl<r-ra, e1tl~a<ra vew, {r.I93} exwpel a1t01tA£ou<ra E1tt
'haA[a, 1tapa 'tOU, 1tpO~Kov'ta,. 'Hyaye'to 8e yuvatKa
~v a1tO Lapfta'tla" 'tou Lapfta'twv ~yeft6vo, 9uya'ttpa.
OU'to, ftev ouv oihw 8la'te9d, e~a<ro..euev.
47 Av8poVlK'" fti:v n'iv 'te Eltpft1]v E1tt'tpe'/tev OlKelV, av8pl
OUK ayeVVel ftE'ta ye 'Iwavv1]v 'tov ~a<rlAta. Kal E1tl 'tlva
Xpovov 8layevoftevo, e, vo<rov 1teplfjAgev EAe<pav'tla<rlv,
Kal ~v Eltpft1]v a1tt80'to 'tot, OuevE'tot" W, 'rij, 'te 1tOAeW,
OUK E1tl't1]8elw, exou<r1], e,<puAaK~v au'rij" Kal <r<pl<rl 'ta
1tpayfta'ta 1tOV~PW, ~81] "xov'ta. Kal W, e8£80K'tO ~S1]
BOOK 4
this reason they could not go wrong as far as Sultan Mehmed
was concerned. So things were much better for them at that
time than they had been for a long time previously; they did
well and arranged their affairs in the Peloponnese in a way
that they thought would work to their advantage in the fu-
ture.
Manuel had the following sons: the eldest was Ioarmes 46
{VIII}, whom he appointed king of the Greeks, then An-
dronikos, and after him Theodoros {II}, Konstantinos, De-
metrios, and Thomas." Manuel entrusted the kingship to
Ioannes, the eldest, who seemed to be the strongest of the
lot, and brought a woman over from Italy for him to marry,
the daughter of the ruler of Montferrat. She was a good
match but was unattractive. Crowning him with a diadem,
Manuel made him bishop and king of the Greeks. 89 But as
Ioarmes would not live or sleep with his wife, after a while he
came to hate her and was on bad terms with her. The king's
wife saw that her husband was treating her badly and that
she had become loathsome to her husband, so she boarded a
ship and sailed for Italy to return to her relatives. Ioarmes
then married a woman from Russia, a daughter of the ruler
of the Russians. 90 And so he reigoed with his affairs settled
in this way.
Manuel entrusted the management of Thessalonike to 47
Andronikos,., a man no less noble than King Ioarmes. After
some time passed Andronikos fell ill with leprosy, and he
gave Thessalonike to the Venetians as the city was unable to
defend itself properly and its affairs were already in disorder.
As they decided there that this course would be better both
339
 THE HISTORIES
au'tol<; 'tau't!1 mplOl 'tE au'tol<; Kat 'tfi reoAEL Ilfl£LVOV i'erE-
ereat, imESo'to 'taD't']V 'tol<; OUEVE'tOI<; ou reoAAov 'tLVO<;.
AVSPOVLKO<; flEV'tOL t<; ITEAoreovv']erov reapa 'tOV aSEA,/,ov
a'/'LKOflEVO<; -n'JV 'tE Slat'tav ElXEV tv Mav'tLvEf'l' 'tij<; AaKw-
VLK~<;, t<; 0 S~ tlCLKpa'tovv'to<; 'tOV v0m]fla'to<; ~S'] 'tEAtW<;
hEAED't'] erE.
48 Tov So ElEOSWpOV 'tOD'tOV5realSa l5V'ta ~aerLAEi><; 'Eflfla-
vou~Ao<; £reEreofl,/,£L reapa aSEA,/,ov ati'tov ElEoSwpoV 'tov
reop,/,upoytvv']'tov, £,/,' <!J SLaSoxov 'tE 'tov realSa Ka'taAL-
reElv £rei 'tfi ITEAoreovv~Olp. Kal w<; tSt;a'to 'toV'tov aSEA-
,/,ov 'tE reaTSa Kat £lCL't']SefOU, £IXt 'tE reap' eau'tQ, Kal w<;
£'tEAED'ta, Ka'tEAL1CE 't~v apx~v au'tQ. Ou'to<; So w<; trel ~v
~YEflovlav Ka'tEcr't'], £Y'lfiE 'tE yuvalKa area 'haAla<;, euya-
'tEpa MaAa'tEer'ta 'tov MapK']<; ~yEflovo<;, 'tQ 'tE KaAAEL
SLarepEreouerav Kat 'tfi "Un KoerflLO't']'tL. "Yer'tEpov fltV'tOL,
w<; £<; fllero<; 'tE a,/,lKE'to 'tfi yuvaLKt Kat t<; EXeO<; a'/'LKOflEVO<;
t<; SLa,/,OpaV Ka'tter't'], t<; ~V Na~']palwv Slat'tav WPfl,]'to
YEVEereat, Kat 'tOV [I.I94} 'tE aSEA,/,ov av'tov flE'tEreEflreE'to
tret ~v apmv, w<; treef ot tSoKEL LEVat t<; 'to Na~']palwv
~ fLa, 't~v 'tE apx~v treL'tpttwv alhQ Kat ~v ouerlav.
Ov'to<; fLtV'tOL OUK eL<; fLaKpaV aVeL<; flE'tE~aUEv, areo'tpE-
reofLtvwv 'twv aplcr'twv athov area 'tOD'tOU Kat OUK tlCL-
'tP£1COV'tWV LEvaL au'tQ, eL<; 0 WPfL,]'to.
49 TQ fl1:v ouv repecr~u'tEPCP EleoSwpcp 'tQ reLhpcp real<; OUK
tyEVE'tO area 'tij<; 'PatVEp[OU euya'tpo<;, VOeOL S1: tytvoV'to.
'HyayE'tO yap ov'to<; ~v 'tov Ae']vwv 'tupavvou euya'tEpa,
reaerwv S~ AEyoflEv,]v elVat KaAAler't']v 'twv eL<; £KelVOV
'tOY Xpovov KaAAEL SLEvEYKouerwv. 'PaLVtpLO<; S1: ov'to<;
BOOK 4
for themselves and for the city, they gave it away to the
Venetians in exchange for a small sum." Andronikos went
to his brother in the Peloponnese and lived in Mantineia,
the one in Lakonia, until the illness worsened and he finally
died."
As for Theodoros [II}, while he was still a child, King 48
Manuel sent him to his own brother, Theodoros [I} the Por-
phyrogennetos, for the boy to be his successor in the Pelo-
ponnese. The latter received the boy, who was the son of his
brother and friend, kept him by his side, and, when he died,
left the principality to him.94 When this Theodoros, then,
succeeded to the principality, he married a woman from It-
aly, the daughter of Malatesta, the ruler of Marche, who was
distinguished for her beauty and good manners.95 But later,
as he came to hate his wife and bitter differences emerged
between them, he became eager to take monastic orders
and summoned his brother to the principality so that, when
he decided to take on the monastic habit, he might entrust
the principality to him along with his property. But shortly
afterward he changed his mind, as his nobles dissuaded him
from doing this and they would not allow him to proceed
with his plan."
The elder Theodoros, his uncle, had no sons from his 49
wife, the daughter of Nerio, but he had illegitimate ones. He
had married the daughter of the tyrant of Athens, who was
said to be the most beautiful of all the women who at that
time were renowned for their beauty. This Nerio was the
34'
 THE HISTORIES
Kop[v90v 'te £-rvpavvWe Ka\ A9,]vwv, 't~, n BOlW't[a,
E1t~p!;eV ~(""e E1tl 8enaA[av XWp~O'al. 'E~p!;e S£ 'tp61t'"
'tOlQSe. 'Omhe E1tl'tou, "EAA']Va, EvayoV'to, 'toil 'Pw!la[wv
apXlepEW, Empa'teUOV'tO O[ cmo ~, ECT'ltEpa, KeA'tol 'te
a!la Ka\ OUeVe'tOl, 't6n S~ Ka\ O[ emo Nea1tOAeW, 'toil ~a­
(J'lAEW, Ka\ cmo Tvpp']vwv OIP!l,]V'to avSpe, Ka\ 'Iavvtwv
!lEya SvVa!leVOl E1t\ ~V~, ITeA01tOVV~crov 'te a!la Ka1.~,
aAA,], 'EAMSo, Ka'tampOq>~v. Ka\ ~v !lEV'tOl ITeA01tOVV,]-
crov Ka'tempetaV'to aAAOl'te Ka\ a1tO~, 'Iavvtwv !l0[pa"
'tOU O'{KOV ZaxaplWV, ~V n Axa:tav Ka\ "HAlSO, 'ta 1tAelW
Ka\ S~ Ka\ ITUAOV Ka\ Me~v'], xwpav OUK OA[Y']V, Eme
E1tl AaKWVlK~V EAacraL. T~v !lEV'tOl !lecr6yalov ~, ITeAO-
1tOvv~crov Ka'teIxov au'to\ 'to'te IT£A01tOVV~crLOl "EAA,]Ve,.
BU!l1tacrav S£ ~v 1tapaALOV~, ITeA01tOVV~crov O[ a1to~,
Ecr1tEpa, Ka'tampeta!l'VOl dxov, KeA'tO[ 't, S~ Ka\ [I.I95}
K'A't[~']Pe" Kal 'tWV 'Iavvtwv Kal Tvpp']vwv aAAOl 'te Ka\
S~ Ka\ 'PalveplO, a1to (IlAwpeV'tla, aq>lK0!leVO, E1t\ 'tfi
cr'tpa'tlq 'tau'tt], 'tOU O'{KOV 'tWV A~a'ioAWv, 't~v 'te AnlK~v
Ka'tE"Xe Kal BOlW't[av, w, Kal1tponpov !lOl SeS~AW'taL, Ka\
(IlwKatSo, xwpa, 'ta 1tAelW.
50 A[yvpe, !lEV'tOl ~v Eil~Olav 1tOAAQ ~'tl 1taAaLO'tepOV
Ka'tE"XOv' aq>' wv e1tl'tpa1teVn, O[ OUev£'tol E1tl p']'tQ ~,
v~crov e1te~1'Jcrav. Me'ta St 'taiha Ka'ta ~paxu 1tpo'iov'te,
!;u!l1tacrav 'te ~v Eil~Olav Ka'tE"XOv, e, Slaq>opav crq>[crt
'twv AlyUPWV aq>lKvov!lEVWV, Ka\ 't~v 'te xwpav Ka\1tpocr-
6Sov, au'twv, OcrOl 'toI, OUeve'toI, E1tl~SeLOl e""yxavov
OV'te" e[cr£-rl Kal vuv 8la'teAOilcrtv ~XOV'te" Ka\ Ka'ta 'tail'ta
e!l!lEVOV't'" Eq>' 01, CT'lteVS0!leVOl au't01, !;vvE~']crav Ka'ta
34 2
BOOK 4
tyrant of Corinth and Athens and he also ruled over Boiotia
as far as Thessaly.97 He came to rule in the following way.
When, at the instigation of the pontiff of the Romans, the
French and Venetians marched from the west against the
Greeks," men from the kingdom of Naples, from Tuscany,
and from Genoa also set out with great forces to conquer
the Peloponnese and the rest of Greece. They did in fact
conquer the Peloponnese, and among the conquerors was
a contingent of Genoese from the house of Zaccaria, who
took AchaYa, most of Elis, Pylos, and much of the terri-
tory of Mesene, and they advanced as far as Lakonia." The
Peloponnesian Greeks held on to the interior of the Pelo-
ponnese. But the entire coast of the Peloponnese was con-
quered and held by the westerners, the French, Celtiberi-
ans,!oo and other Genoese and Tuscans, including Nerio,
from the house of Acciaiuoli, who arrived from Florence
with this army and held Attica and Boiotia, as I said earlier,
and most of Phokis. lOl
Long before this the Lombards held Euboia, but the Ve- 50
netians took over the island when it was ceded to them by
the Lombards under an agreement. After that the Venetians
gradually advanced and took the whole ofEuboia when they
fell out with the Lombards. '02 Even to this day those who
sided with the Venetians remain in possession of their land
and revenues, and they are still there on the terms that they
worked out with the Venetians when the latter arrived on
343
 THE HISTORIES
'T~V v~crov ot OUEVE'TOl. '0 fleV'TOl 'PatVtplOe; Ka1 ot
KEA'TI~I]pEe;, Kat KEA'TWV acrOl En1 ~V ~e; 'EAAaSOe; Ka'Ta-
cr'Tpo<p~v EytVOV'TO, nOAA", UJ'TEpOV 'TOU'TWV <palvov'Tat
a<plKofiEVOl En1 'TOV xwpov 'TOU'TOV. 'PatvtplOe; Si: Ka1noAA",
hl vtl]AUe; WV, E1tlyafl[av 'TE npoe; 'TOVe; EV 'tjj Eu~ol\l
AlyUPWV nOl'lcrafiEvoe; Ka1 IIpoSufioU 'TlVOe; Suya'Ttpa
"yl][.lE, Ka1 TIJv 'TE xwpav Ka'Tacrxwv KOplVSOV 'TE EXElPW-
cra'To, Ka1 ~v IIEAonovvI]crov EnEVOEl a'Tl 'Tax,cr'Ta u<p'
au'T", nOl~cracrSat. "y cr'TEpOV [.ltV'TOl a<plKo[.ltvou 'TOU 'EAA~­
vwv ~aJlAtwe; aSEA<pou, Enlya[.llav npoe; 'TOU'TOV EnEnoll]'TO,
Ka1 Suya'TEpa ~p[.locra'To 'TOU'T'!' 'T", ~YE[.lOVl 8wSwp,!"
KaAAEl, we; £<pl]v, nacrwv 'TWV 'TO'TE S,a<pEpoucrav, Ka1 TIJV'TE
KOplVSOV En1 'tjj tau'Tou 'TEAEU'tjj Ka'TtAl1tEv' untcrxE'TO
yap, 6nO'TE au'T'" ~V Suya'Ttpa ~p[.locra'TO, Ee; <pEPV~V au'T'"
'TaU'TI]v, EnElSaV 'TEAEUTIJcrn. {I.I96}
5' 'Hpflocra'TO Si: Ka1 htpav au'TOu Suya'Ttpa KapOUA,!, 'T",
Axapvavlae; 'TE Ka1 AI'TwAlae; ~YE[.lOVl. OU'TOe; yap, we; ot
~e; xwpae; 'TaU'TI]e; iipxov'TEe; npO'TEpOV npO~KOV'Tte; 'TE
~crav 'TOU IIapSEvonl]e; ~e; NwnOAEwe; KaAoufltvI]e; ~a­
JlAtwe;, Ka1 we; UTIO 'TE 'TWV nEplO[KwV Ka1 'TWV 'Tau'T)j ESVWV
anEAaUVOV'TO EK 'T~e; xwpae; iipX0V'TEe; anaAAano[.lEvol En1
'haAlae;. KE<paAAI]vla St Ka1 ZaKuVSOe; Kat at 'Ex,vaSEe;
V~crOl, acrat 'Tau'T!] ciJK'l[.ltval E-rurxavov, Ee; 'Tou'Tov1 'TOV
~aJlAta 'TE'TpaflfleVat ap[.locrn'Jv 'TE EStXOV'TO Ka1 iipxov'Ta
'TOU ~acrlAtwe; IIapSEvonl]e;. A<pIKOV'TO [.ltv S~ Kat iiAAOl
npocrSEv ap[.locr'Ta1 de; 'Tae; v~croue; 'Tau'Tae;, tv St S~ Ka1
KapoUAOe; OU'Tocr[v, 6 'T* olKlae; TOKWV KaAou[.lEVOe;, "xwv
halpoue; flES' eau'Tou iivSpae; ayaSoue;, 'TOV 'TE 'Pwcrov Kat
344
BOOK 4
the island. As for Nerio, the Celtiberians, and those French
who came to conquer Greece, it appears that they arrived
much later in this region. Nerio had only just arrived when
he made a marriage alliance with the Lombards in Euboia,
by marrying the daughter of a certain ProthymoS.103 He took
over the land, fortified Corinth, and made plans to bring
the Peloponnese under his authority as quickly as possible.
Later, however, the brother of the king of the Greeks {The-
odoros l} approached him and made a marriage alliance:
Nerio's daughter, who was, as I said, the outstanding beauty
among the women of that time, was to marry the ruler The-
odoros. Nerio would then cede Corinth upon his own death,
for he promised, when she was married, that he would cede
it upon his death, as her dowry.104
Nerio also married another one of his daughters to Carlo, 5'
the ruler of Akarnania and Aitolia. 105 Regarding the latter,
then, the former lords of that land had belonged to the reti-
nue of the king of Parthenope, which is also called Naples,
and, when they were driven from those lands by their neigh-
bors and the peoples who lived there, these lords went back
to Italy. Now it happened that the islands of Kephallenia,
Zakynthos, and such of the Echinades as are inhabited,l06
were under this king's authority and used to have a gover-
nor and ruler appointed by the king of Naples. Other gov-
ernors had come to these islands earlier, among whom was
this Carlo, named after the house ofTocco. 107 He had good
men with him as his companions, including Rosso, Guido,
345
 THE HISTORIES
ruloov Kat MuAElaptOl]v. Kat Wo; £V 'tfi KE<paAA1']v[q ola-
'tp[~OV'tEo; 1tpOeTt<T)(ov 'tE 'tfi 'H1tElp'l', £1tayo[ltvwv 'twv
'H1tElPW'tWV, 'tfjv 'tE xwpav EK'tfjeT"",'tO eT<p[eTlV (J1t~KOOV Ka1
Ka'ta ~paxu 'tfjv 'tE AKapvav[av.
52 AA~avot oe wP[l1'][ltVOl emo 'Emoa[lvou Kat 'to 1tpOo; ~W
~aol1;OV'tEo; GEnaA[av 'tE u1t1']yayov'to eT<p[eTl Kat 'tfjo; [lEeTO-
yalou MaKEoovlao; 'ta 1tAtw, APYUp01tOAlxv1']v 't£ Kat
KaCT'toplav. A<plKO[lEVOl oe t1t1 GEnaAlav 'tfjv 'tE xwpav
eT<plow U1t0XelpLOV 1tOl1']eTa[lEVOl, Ka1 'tao; 1tOAElo; t1tlOlEAO[lE-
VOl, Ka'ta eT<p"O; EVt[lOV'tO 'tijv xwpav, VO[laOEO; 't£ Ilv't£o; Kat
ovoa[lfi E'tl ~t~aLOV eT<pWV av'twv 't~V O'iK1']eTlV 1tOLOV[lEVOI.
'E1t£1 oe Kat to; AKapvavlav a<plKO[lEVOl yvw[ln 'tov {r.I97}
~yE[lOVOo; AlCapvavlao;, a<plE[ltvou av'tolo; 'tfjo; xwpao;,
EVt[lOV'tO 'tE 'tfjVOE 'tijv xwpav. ME'ta oe 'tav'ta eTuvleT'tav'to
aAA~AOlo; Wo; 'tOlo; "EAA1']eTlV tme1']eTO[lEVOl, 01tWo; ltv av'tolo;
:rcpoxwpol1']. Kat o~ :rcO'tE 'tov ~yE[lOVOo; (IeTaaKLOO; 0' ~v
'toilvo[la) £:rct &ypav <pOl'tWV'tOo; "<plKVou[levou, t:rcteEV'tO 'tE
av't4i ot AA~avo[, ~you[ltvou av'tolo; L:rca'ta, avopoo; 0p[l~v
'tE Kat 'tOAf'av t:rclOetlCVUf'tVOU eT<p[eTlV tv 't4i 'to'tE :rcapOV'tl
~v[l<popOV to; 'ta :rcapov'ta av'tolo; Kat OVK "OOK1f'OV. Kat
'tOY f'ev ~yEf'0va athov 'tav-rn aVE1Aov, 'tijv oe xwpav
av'tlKa u:rcEAavvov'tEo; Ka'tt<T)(ov 'tE Kat t~wyp1']eTav 'tOUO; tv
'tolo; aypolo;, cruAAaf'~avov'tEO;, q, ltv :rcEPlWX01EV. ME'ta oe
'tav'ta :rcOALOPKOVV'tto; 'tE l\.p't1']v 'tfjo; AKapvavlao; :rcoAlV
:rcapECT't~eTaV'tO, Kat 'tijv xwpav 'tav't1']v u<p' au'tolo; :rcOI1']eTa-
[lEVOl 't~v 'twv E<T1tEplwv xwpav tonouv, ovoev hI to; ~eTU­
Xlav EVOlOOV't£<;.
53 ME'ta oe 'tav'ta ot 'tfj<; NW:rcOAEW<; &pxov't£<;, a:rco
BOOK 4
and Meliaresi.108 They lived on Kephallenia bnt turned their
attention to Epeiros and, with the assistance of the Epeirots,
they acquired the land and soon after also subjected Akarna-
nia to themselves. 109
The Albanians, however, set out from Durres and moved 52
slowly eastward, subjecting Thessaly to themselves as well
as most of inland Macedonia, Argyrokastron, and Kastoria.
When they arrived in Thessaly they brought it under their
control and divided up the cities, distributing the land
among themselves, for they were nomads and did not estab-
lish permanent dwellings for themselves.lloWhen they came
to Akarnania with the consent of its ruler, he abandoned his
land to them, and so they distributed this land among them-
selves too.lII After that they came to an agreement with each
other to attack the Greeks whenever they had the opportu-
nity. On one occasion, when the rnler-his name was Isaa-
kiosll2 -was returning from the hunt, the Albanians at-
tacked him. Their leader was Shpata, a man who displayed a
boldness and daring that was advantageous to them at that
time; he was quite formidable. They killed the ruler there,
seized the land by raiding it, and enslaved those who worked
the fields, capturing anyone they chanced upon. Mter that
they took Arta, a city of Akarnania, by siege and, having
brought that land under their control, they plundered the
land of the westerners, without ever pausing to rest.1l3
After that the lords of Naples set out from the island 53
347
 THE HISTORIES
KEpKupa<; T~<; v~crou "pf'£Of'EVOl (dxov 8£ TOTE TiJV v~crov
ot ITap9EV6re'l<; ~ao"lA£i<;) Ka!reapacrKEUacraf'EVOl cr-rpaTOV,
lEvTo Ere! TiJv i\.Kapvav[av £0<; TOU<; TE1\A~avou<; TiJv X£Opav
'«pmp'lcrof'EVOl Ka!Ap"1v ~<; AKapvav[a<; KaTacrTpE1jrOf'E-
VOL Aa~OVTE<;. A'l"KOf'EVO' 8£ E<; ApT'lV ~v TE reoAlv Ereo-
AlOPKOUV Ka! f''lXava<; repocrE'l'EpOV Tcjj TdXEl £0<; a[p~crov­
TE<;. LreaTa<; 8£ " TWV 1\A~avwv ~yEf'WV (06 yap Ei"1'JEl E<;
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reOVTO £TO [f'W<; [I.I98} d<; TOV K[v8uvov, Ii'l'VW EreElCT1C[reToucrl
Tcjj 'haAwv crTpaTOUf'aTl, 0 EreOA[(\pKEl TiJv reOAlV, Kat TpE-
1jraf'EVOl E<; 'l'UyfJV reOAAOU<; fl£V 8lE'l'9Elpav, TOU<; 8£ rcAdou<;
E~£Oyp'lcrav. LUV£1CEAa~ETO 8£ aUTol<; E<; Tov8E TOV reoAEf'ov
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T~<; AKapvav[a<;.
54 METa 8E TaUTa £OPf''l f'EVOU TOU KapouAou area TWV
v~O"wv O"Uv ToT<; £Ta[pol<; au-rov Ka[ TlVWV TWV ~<; X£Opa<;
liTE 8~ ax9of'EvWV Tij 1\A~avwv Tupavvt8" ~v TE X£Opav
KaTEcr-rpE1jrano ~<; AKapvav[a<;, repo<; 8£ Kat TiJv AlTwA[av,
a'l'EAOf'EVOl 'I~aouAov TOV TOTE ~YEf'0VEUOVTa AKapvavwv
TE ~<; reoAEw<; Kal X£Opa<; TE ~<; A,TwA[a<; ~8'l' 'H 8E apm
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TOlcjj8£. D<; cruvEreEAa~ETO " ITpEaAourea<; Tcjj TE LreaT", Kat
TOl<; 1\A~aVOl<; E<; TOV repo<; 'haAou<; reOAEf'OV, reOALOpKOUV-
Ta<; ApT'lV f''lTporeOAlV ~<; AKapvav[a<; X£Opa<;, titAwcrav
BOOK 4
of Kerkyra-for the kings of Parthenope then held that is-
landIl4 -prepared an army, and headed for Akarnania in or-
der to deprive the Albanians of that land and take Arta, the
city of Akarnania, by force. They arrived at Arta and be-
sieged the city, bringing engines against the walls in order to
capture it. But Shpata, the ruler of the Albanians, was not in
the city at that time, and was moving around in the land out-
side. He assembled the Albanians in one place and advised
them to follow him eagerly into danger. So they made a sud-
den attack on the Italian army that was besieging the city,
They turned them to flight and killed many, but captured
even more. IlS Preljubovic, the ruler ofAitolia who was a Serb
and had made a marriage alliance with Shpata, the ruler of
Arta, had joined them in this war116 Thus the followers of
Shpata held on to the land of Akarnania.
After that Carlo set out from his islands with his com- 54
panions and some of the locals who hated the tyranny of the
Albanians, and they conquered the land of Akarnania in ad-
dition to that of Aitolia, stripping Esau, who was then the
ruler, of the city of the Akarnanians and the land of Aito-
lia. ll7 The principality of Aitolia had belonged previously to
Thomas the Serb, of the Preljubovic family, but it came
to this Esau in the following way. When Preljubovic aided
Shpata and the Albanians in the battle against the ital-
ians who were besieging Arta, the capital of the land of
349
 THE HISTORIES
0" OV Tft ftaxn TaV-rt] UAAOl -re nOAAol TWV napil <r<pio"lV
EVOOKlft0VVTWV T@ YEVEl Kal 0" Kal 'I~CWVAO" d, TWV
api<r-rwv AEYOftEVO, YEVE<r9al TOV ITap9Evon'1, ~a<rlAew,
vEavia" TO [.lEV Eloo, OVK a'10~" omElK", oE TOV Tponov
Kal ,,<rVXLO,. TovTov aUv nOAAoI, {J.199} UAAOl, ayoftEVO,
" ITpEaAovna, d, Til otKEIa W, avopanooa TE nEplElnE Kal
dXEV OV <pVA<lKft. 'E, Til ~a<rfAEla OlaTp[~wv KaTElXEV W,
XP'1ftaTWV 0, Toi>, npO~Kov-ra, 0<rav9l, anOOl00ftEVO"
~V atToIno aVTOV,.
55 'H O£ yvv" TOVTOV W, ewpa TOV vEilviav, iJpa<r9'1 TE
mhov' iJv yap Kal E, UAAOV, np6TEpoV <pOlTw<ra uvopa,
Kal aKoAa<r-ro,. ~VrrlV0ftev'1 Toivvv T@ vEIlviq, Kal om-
[.lmvoftEv'1 mh@ E, TOV lpwTa, <rvv-rLeETm mh@ onl T@
avopl Enl~ovAiJV. Kal e;'1yovftEV'1, "tij, yvvmKo, e, -ri]v
KO[T'1V,w, aVEnavETo ITpEaAovna, 6 "YEftWV, aVElAE -re
aVTov ufta aUv -rft yvvmKL. Kal ufta O"UY"aT[<YXEl T"V "YE-
ft0v[av aUT@. 'EnElo" e-rvpavvEvEv, ouoEvlTwv EV -rft nOAEl
UAA<p ~ -rft yvvmKl apE<rK0ftEVO,. 'H ftEVTOl O[K'1 TOV ITpE-
aAov1r'1 OUK d, ftaKpaV KaTEAa~E TOV natoa aUTOV ano
TaVT'1, 0" T~, yuvmKO, YEVOftEVOV aUT@' TOUTOV yap TOl,
W, o<pO[Ta napil ~a(l"lAea Mw<rea atTovftEVO, O"Uftftax[av TE
Kal emKovpiav onl KapovAov TOV TOTE 0" AKapvavia,
..vpavvov, o"uAAa~wv W<r-rE -ri]v xwpav aUTOV KaTa<YXEIv,
e;eKotE TW 6<p9aAftw, T1)v ftEVTOl xwpav ouod, Ka-
TE<r-rPEtaTo "tij, 'Iwavvivwv nOAEw" 'EnayoftEv'1 TOVTOV
01) TOV KapovAov onl <r<p[<rlV upXOVTa, Kal EnlTETpaftftEVOv
aUT@ OlenElV Ta "tij, n6AEw, npayftaTa Kal aVTEX0[.l£VOv 0,
TOV n6AEftOV KpaTl<r-ra. H ftEVTOl apxiJ aUTIj Tpl~aAAwv
35 0
BOOK 4
Akarnania, many were captured in the battle who were re-
garded as nobles by them, among whom was Esau, a young
man who is said to have been one of the king of Parthe-
nope's {Naples'} very best men. He was very good looking
and had a pleasant, calm manner. Preljubovic led him back
to his own domain along with many others as slaves, and
kept them under guard. While he stayed in his palace, he
held them for ransom, hoping to return them to their rela-
tives, if they claimed them.
But PreljuboviC's wife 1l8 saw the young man and became 55
infatuated with him, for she had a history of taking up with
other men, and was insatiable, So she took the young man to
bed and, having fallen madly in love with him, formed a plot
with him against her husband. She brought Esau into the
bedroom where Preljubovic, the ruler, was sleeping, and he
killed him with her help, And she took over the principality
with him.u9 But the new tyrant pleased no one else in the
city other than this woman. Shortly afterward, PreljuboviC's
fate also overtook the son that had been born to him from
this woman. For when hellO visited Sultan Musa to request
an alliance and aid in attacking Carlo, who was then the ty_
rant of Akarnania, Musa arrested him so as to take over his
territories, and gouged out his eyes. l2l As for the land of the
city of Ioannina, no one conquered it, The city brought in
Carlo to be its lord and they entrusted him to manage the
city's affairs and give it his strongest support in times of
war.'" Thus this principality, which formerly used to belong
351
 THE HISTORIES
ourra '1'0 1taAatOv OUTW ~rrTE 'H;aouAov Ka! t1t! KapouAov
TOV ~YEft0Va 1tEplijA9EV.
56 OU'1'W of. Ilftq>W TW xwpa {I.200} KaTarrxWV OUTO<;, Kat
't'i]v 1tpO<; '1'<;i AXEAtl>l!' xwpav TO -re BaA'1'ov KaAouftEVOV Kat
AYYEA01tOA[XV'lV EmE t1t! NaU1taK'1'OV 't'i]v KaTaVTlKpu
AxaTa<;, t1tEKpa-rel Tij<; xwpa<; Kat t-rupaVV£UEV t1tt fttya
xwp~rra<; ouvaftEW<;, av~p Ta TE t<; ap~v Kat t<; TOV 1tOAE-
ftOV OOKWV yEvtrr9al OUOEVO<; TWV TOTE ~youfttvwv
AEl1tOftEVO<;. Ka! tv 1tOAtftOl<; 1tpO<; TOU<; 1tEPlO[KOU<; fttya
EUOOKlftWV ijyaYETO, W<; 1tpOTEpOV ftOl tAtyETO, TOV A9'lvwv
TE Kat Kop[v90u ijYEftOVO<; 9uyaTtpa t<; yaftov. TOUTl!' T<;i
~yEftoVl1tal<; tytVETO voSo<;' a1tO yap -rij<; Eu~oToo<; aUT<;i
yuvalKO<; IlpPEVO<; OUK hUXE yovou. N 09l!' of. '1'<;i 1talot ijv
ovofta AV'1'WVLO<;. TOUTl!' '1'<;i Anwv[l!' -rijv TE BOlWT[av
KaTtAl1tE Kat 't'i]v e'l~WV 1tOAlV' 't'i]v yap KOplV90V KaT-
tAl1tE T<;iK'lOEO"Tft aUTOV eEOOWpl!' T<;i ~arrlAtw<; aOEAq><;i.
T~v of. A9'lvwv 1tOAlV, aq>EAOftEvO<; Tau'1''lV TO 1tpOrr9EV
TOU<; KEA'1'[~'lpa<; a1to Na~ap'l<; (dxov yap O~ Ka!Tau'tI]v
ot "I~'lpE<; KaTarr'1'pE\f'aftEvOl) Ka'1'eAl1tE TOl<; OUEVET01<;.
57 '0 ft£VTOl 1tal<; aUTOV AVTWVLO<; OUTO<;, W<; 1tapa TOV
1taTpo<; 1tapEot~aTO 't'i]v -rij<; BOlW'1'[a<; apx~v ('t'i]v yap oij
<DwKaToa6 xwpav IlAA'lV Kat AE~aOElav tl1tl]yayETo I1al-
a~~T'1<; " AftoupaTEW, 1tpOrr9tftEVO<; -rfi tauTOU apxft, w<;
1tpo-repOV ftOl OEO~AWTat), OUTO<; O~ ouv t1tt TOU<; OUEVE-
TOU<; t~~VEyKE 1tOAEftOV, Kat Ta<; A9ijva<; t1tOAlOPKEl
1tporrexwv tVTE'1'afttvw<;. Ot fttVTOl OUEVETO! OElVOV 1tOl-
'1rraftEVOl 1tOALOpKElrr9at 't'i]v 1tOAlV au'1'wv, Kal aftUVElV
~OUAOftEVOl, Kat t1tt 't'i]v e'l~WV OlaVOOUftEVOl1tOAlV [tVat,
352
BOOK 4
to the Serbs, fell into the hands of Esau and then the ruler
Carlo.
In this way Carlo came into possession of both lands, 56
namely the land toward the Acheloos River which is called
the Baltosl2) and Angelokastron, as far as Naupaktos,t24
which is across from Achrua. He dominated this land, be-
came one of the most powerful tyrants, and seemed second
to no other ruler of that time in statecraft and war. He did
very well for himself in his wars against his neighbors and, as
I mentioned earlier, married the daughter of the ruler of
Athens and CorinthP' Now, the latter ruler {Nerio} had an
illegitimate son, for he had no male child from his Euboian
wife. The name of this illegitimate son was Antonio, and
to this Antonio he left Boiotia and the city of Thebes, for
Corinth he left to Theodoros {I}, his son-in-law and the king
{of the Greeks'} brotherP' The city ofAthens, which he had
previously taken from the Celtiberians of Navarre-for the
Iberians had held this city too after they conquered it-he
left to the Venetiansp7
When this son of his, Antonio, received the principality 57
of Boiotia from his father (for Bayezid, the son of Murad,
had subjected the rest of the land of Phokis and Lebadeia,
adding them to his own territories, as I stated earlier),t" he
went to war against the Venetians and invested and besieged
Athens vigorously.129 The Venetians considered it an outrage
that their city was being besieged and chose to fight back.
They decided to attack the city of Thebes, and so they
353
 THE HISTORIES
cnpa-rov -re -rov emo TIj<; Eu~o[a<;, ocrov ~ouvav-ro, {I.2or}
cruAAE;aV-re<; Kal 6nAlO"flov, emo TIj<; Eu~o[a<; EXWpOUV Enl
~v BOlw-r[av Kal Enl ~v nOAlV. AV-rWVlO<; 01: nuSoflevo<;
-rov<; Oueve-rov<; cr-rpa-reuoflevou<; En' au-rov, AOXOU<; nOl-
'1O"aflevo<; OlTIOV<; Ka-ra ~v 600v, ii En1iSe-ro flEAAov-ra<;
SlanopeueO"Sm -rou<; -re Eu~oea<; afla Kal Oueve-rou<;, -rov
fll:v EveSpeuO"a<; E<; -ro npocrw -r~<; 6Sov, -rov SI: E<; -ro O'1tl-
crSev, EnEflevev EfI~aAelv E<; -ro fleO"ov -rov<; noAefl[ou<;.
'Ev-ravSa oliv w<; Ot Oueve-rol Enopeuov-ro Enl ~v e'1~wv
nOAlv (S,Exe, S' ~ nOAl<; aih'1 ano Eu~o(a<; cnaS[ou<; wcrel
pv'), Kat *crav e;wnAlcrflEvol -re afla Kat nOAAol /lv-re<; ent
-ra<; e~ ~a<; (~crav SI: afl<pt -rov<; t;aK'D"X'A(OU<;), Enl'1tecrwv
-rOU-rOl<; a<pvw " AV-rWVLO<;, ~Xwv Ka-ra -rov<; AOXOU<; ou
nAelOu<; -rwv -rp,aKocr(wv, Kat En' afl<polv afla Enl<pavel<;
-r01<; Oveve-rol<; e<; <puY1)v -re e-rpe'ita-ro, Kat nOAAOV<; -re
au-rwv Sle<pSelpe, -rov<; SI: N;wYP'1cre, Kal -rov<; -ro-re ~yeflo­
va<; TIj<; xwpa<; au-rwv E~Wyp'1cre. Kal anlWv aliS,<; E<; -rou-
n[crw EnOAlOpK£! ~v AS'1vwv nOAlv, E<; il S~ npoSocr[av
cruvSeflevwv au-r';; -rwv AS'1va[wv -r~v -re nOAlv Ka-reD"Xe,
Kal ou nOAA';; vcnepov nOALOpKwV ~v aKponoAlv nap-
e~cra-ro, Kal e-rupavveue TIj<; -re ATIlK~<; afla Kal BOlW-
-r[a<;.
58 Kal a<plKOflevo<; E<; -ra<; IIala~~-rew flEv npw-ra Supa<;,
-rov na-rpo<; au-rov E-rl neplov-ro<;, fle-ra SI: -rav-ra E<; -ra<;
Mwcrew<; -re Kal MoucrouAflavew Kal S~ Kal MeXflE-rew
Supa<;, ESepaneuE -re XP~flacrl -ra<; ~acrlAeW<; Supa<;, Kal
Ka-ra ~v xwpav apxwv aSew<; -rov AOl'1tOV S,tl-rii-ro. Aeye-
-ral flEv S~ Kat oli-roc; Kat SOKel yevecrSal av~ p -ra -re aAAa
354
BOOK 4
assembled as large an army and as many armaments as they
could from Euboia and set out from Euboia for Boiotia and
the city. Antonio learned that the Venetians were marching
against him, so he set up two ambushes along the road by
which he learned that the Euboians were going to march
with the Venetians, the one lying in ambush further along
the road, the other further back, and he delayed his attack
until the enemy were in the middle. Then, as the Venetians
were marching toward the city of Thebes (this city is about
one hundred and fifty stades from Euboia), and they were
coming in full armor and in great numbers against Thebes
(there were about six thousand of them), Antonio suddenly
attacked them, although he had no more than three hun-
dred men in his ambushes. By appearing on both sides of the
Venetians, he put them to flight. He killed many of them,
captured others, and took the rulers of their land alive. He
returned immediately to the siege of the city of Athens, and
he took the city by arranging with the Athenians for its be-
trayal to him.130 Shortly afterward he took the acropolis too
after a siege,l3l and he held the tyranny of Attica as well as
Boiotia.
Antonio first came to the Porte of Bayezid while his 58
father was still alive, and afterward to the Porte of Musa,
Siileyman, and Mehmed; he curried favor with the sultan's
Porte with gifts of money, and so he governed his land
henceforth without fear. It is said that this Antonio ac-
quired a reputation for general prosperity and, when he
355
 THE HISTORIES
euSOKlf";;V, Kal btei 't£ 1tapiAa~e 't~v {lo202] 1\8l'FWV 1tOA1V,
t1t[ 'te 'ta<; ~a<Y1AiW<; 8upa<; ouStv 'tl 1tOAA41 a<plKOf'eVO<;,
t1tl't']SeiOtJ<; 't£ au~41 "XelV Kat <Y1JV~8el<; 'tou<; af'<pt 'tOV ~a­
<Y1Aea. 'E'ttJpavveve Sf. Y'lf'a<; ytJvalKa avSpo<; tS1W'tOtJ a1to
8']~wv. n<; yap av~yov O[ 8']~alOl Xopou<; t1tt yaf'''' 'tlV[,
Kat ~V [epew<; 8tJya't']p U1t' avSpl yeyev']f'iv,], OUK a']S~<;
f'iV'tOl, 'tOV Sf. 'tP01tOV t1tl£IK~<; 't£ af'a Kat <Yw<PPWV, ~pa<y8']
't£ au't* tv 't41 xop41 af'a, Kat epa<y8el<; a1tay£'tat'tau't']v.
'E1tlf'av£l<; Sf. 'til> epW'tl ou 1tOAA41 V<Y't£pov ey'] f'i 'te at)~v,
Kat £uSatf'OVW<; ~LO'teuwv twnav£v, t;OIKOVOf'WV 't£ 't~v
ap~v t1tt 'to w<; KaAA1<Y'ta eX£IV SOKOUV af'a 'tOl<; 't£ tv 'tfj
XWP'l' Kat 'tOl<; aAA01<;.
59 OU'tO<; f'f.V OUV Kat1tpo<; 'tov ev 'tfj Aty[vfl apxoV'ta ra-
A£w'tOtJ 1talSa, 'tOU e1tl pWf'fl <Ywf'a'to<; em~ f'OtJ ov'tO<;,
emyaf'[av 1tOl,]<Yaf'£Vo<; e1tl 8£'tfj au'tou 8tJya'tp[, Kat a1to
Eu~o[a<; veav[av 't~<; r£wpy[OtJ otK[a<; K']S£~V e1tt heN
au'tou 8£'tfj 1tOl,]<Yaf'£vo<;, 1tpo<; 't£ 'tou<; Ou£v£'tou<; <Y1tovSit<;
't£ 1tOl,]<Yaf'£vo<; ~<YtJx[av ~y£. Kat raA£w'totJ 'tov 1talSa,
Aty[v']<; Sf. apxov'ta, em~S£LOV "xwv, 1tap' au'tov <pol'twV'ta
e8£pa1tw£, Kat <Yw<PPOVWV e1tl1toAu S~ 'tou XPOVOtJ Sl£yi-
VETO £uSatf'Ovwv, a1tO 't£ ~<; Ka'ta ~v ap~v otKoVOf'[a<;
1tAou'tOV tatJ'til> 1t£PI1t010Uf'£VO<; Kal ~v 1tOA1V w<; oTov 't£
f'aAl<Y'ta KO<Yf'WV.
60 Tou'twv f'1:v 1tepl e<; 'to<You'tov e1tlf'v,]<Yaf'£vo<;, e1taV£If'1
S~ e1tt 8£oSwpov 'tov ~a<Y1Atw<; 1talSa, ~Y£f'0va L1tap't']<;
't£ Kat aAA']<; rr£A01tOVv~<YOtJ, 0<; U1tO 8eoSwpotJ 'tou
mhpwo<; e;£'tpt<p£'to af'a Kat e1tatS£u8,], f'£'ta S1: 'tau'ta
KanAei<p8,] e<; ~v apx~v au'tou ~yef'wv. 'E<; 'tou'tOv S1:
BOOK 4
took over the city of Athens, he rarely went to the sultan's
Porte, having friends and associates in the sultan's inner cir-
cle. While he was tyrant he married the daughter of a com-
moner from Thebes. For at one time the Thebans were cel-
ebrating a wedding with dances, and the daughter of a priest
was getting married; she was pretty, well mannered, and
chaste. He fell in love with her during the dance and carried
her off in his infatuation. He fell madly in love with her and
married her shortly after, and they lived happily.132 He ad-
ministered the principality in a way that best benefited
those who lived in it as well as others.
Antonio also made a marriage alliance with the ruler of 59
Aigina, the son of Alioto, 133 who was famous for his physical
strength, by giving him his adopted daughter. He gave an-
other adopted daughter to a young man from Euboia, of the
Giorgio family, and made him his son-in-law too. lJ4 He made
a treaty with the Venetians and was at peace with them. The
son of Alioto, the ruler of Aigina, was his friend and he
looked after him well when he visited. Antonio's wisdom
and moderation ensured a long era of prosperity for him,
and he acquired great wealth through his management of
the principality and he embellished the city as much as pos-
sible.
Having said so much about these matters, I return to 60
Theodoros {II], the king's son and the ruler of Mistra and
the rest of the Peloponnese. He had been raised and edu-
cated by his uncle Theodoros {I], and later succeeded him as
357
 THE HISTORIES
""plKOf'evo<; 0 :n:a-rf]p athov {I.203} 'Ef'f'avotJi'jAo<; 6 BtJ-
~av't[otJ ~ao"lAe,,<; 'tov 'te :n:mSa Ka8[O"'t1'] e<; 't~v 4p)(i]v ~e­
~m6'tepov, Kal e:n:l 't<ji 48eA'l'<ji ~S1'] 'te'tOAetJ't1']Ko'tl Myov
e1tlK~SeLOV e;e'tpaY<i>Sel Sle;lwv e:n:l't<ji 't4'l''!' athov, 4:n:o-
AO'l'tJpof'evo<; 'te lif'a 'tOY e1tl~SelOV 4SeA'l'ov. Kal f'e'ta
'tav'ta f'e'ta:n:ef':n:of'evo<; 'to,,<; IIeAo:n:ovv1']O"[otJ<; e<; 'I0"8f'0v
'tov 'to 'I0"8f'ov e'telXlO"e Kal 'l'tJAaK~v Ka'taO"'t1']O"af'evo<;
athov a:n:iJel CI1tO:n:A£WV E:n:l BtJ~av't[otJ, EXWV f'e8' tatJ'tov
Kal 'to,,<; IIeAa:n:ovv1']O"[wv lipxov'ta<; EV 'l'tJAaKij.
6. Tav'ta f'ev ailv Ka'ta 'ta,,<; 'twv 'EAA~VWV ~ao"lAel<; O"tJV-
1']vtX81'] e<; EKelVov 'tOY xpovav' E:n:l Se MeXf'£'tew lif'elvav
O"'l' [O"lV Exav'te<; EO"'te -rf]v 4p)(i]v Kal £<; 't~v liAA1']V ail'twv
~la't~v, e:n:el ~o'l'aA[~aV'ta -rf]v :n:po<; ~aO"lAta Mexf'£'t1']v
elp~v1']v 'te Kal O"1tovSa<; ef':n:eSavv'tO<;, W<; alov 'te f'aAlO"'ta
athal<;. ~l' Ii S~ Kal 6 ~aO"lAe,,<; MeXf'e't1']<; tv£pyel, w<; :n:epl
:n:AelO'tOtJ :n:OLO'V'tO -rf]v tatJ'tov elp~v1']v, Kal :n:liv c)'tlavv
f'iiAAOV :n:elO"of'£vOtJ<;, wO"'te -rf]v ;ev[1']vO"'l'[O"l f'~ SlaAt\e-
o8m, Exap[~e'to 'te av'to'<;, 0 'tl 4\e'to EV xapm :n:olel0"8m
av'to'<;, 'ta 'te liAAa Kal E:n:l 't<ji :n:alSl av'tov Af'0tJpa't!].
"HO"'t1']V yap av't<ji St\w :n:a.Se, Af'otJpa't1']<; f'ev 0 :n:peO"~t\'te­
pa<;, MatJO"'ta'l'ii<; Se 6 vew'tepa<; Kal E-rl :n:a'<; wv. Tat\'talv
'tOY f'ev Af'atJpa't1']v E<; -rf]v Evpw:n:1']v Slevaei'ta Ka'taAl1telV,
'tOY Se E-repav e<; -rf]v Ao[av ~aO"lAta. Kal E1tlSleAof'eva<;
'tat\'tal<; -rf]v 4p)(i]v eyt<a'teAl1teV, wO"'te :n:a.Sa<; Ef'f'evelv, 0'1<;
E:n:£'tpete, 't<ji BtJ~aV't[atJ ~ao"lAel Ka'ta 'tav'ta O"tJAAaf'~avelV,
~v 'tl<; aSlKij, f'~ E1tl'tp£:n:elv, aAAa't<ji aSlKatJf'ev,!, 'tlf'wpe.v
Ka'ta St\vaf'lV.
BOOK 4
ruler of the principality. For this reason his father Manuel,
the king of Byzantion, came and confirmed his son's posi-
tion. He also declaimed a funeral oration for his brother,
who had already died, while visiting his tomb, lamenting his
dear brother.135 It was after this that he summoned the Pelo-
ponnesians to the Isthmos, fortified the Isthmos, installed
a garrison there, and sailed away to Byzantion, taking with
him, under goard, the Peloponnesian lords.1J6
So that was how things stood with the kings of the 6.
Greeks at that time. Under Mehmed they fared better polit-
ically and with regard to their living conditions, as they had
secured peace with him and strengthened their treaties with
him as much as they could. For this reason, Sultan Mehmed
also made sure that they valued peace with him highly and
would endure anything rather than break their alliance with
him. He also granted them whatever he thought would
make them grateful to him, especially as it concerned his
son Murad. He had two sons, of whom Murad was the el-
d er 137 and Mustafa the younger, who was still a child.!J8
Mehmed was planning to leave Europe to Murad and to
make the other sultan in Asia. So he divided the kingdom
between them, leaving it to them. To ensure that his sons
would abide by these terms he entrusted them to the king of
Byzantion, to stop them if one were to break this arrange-
ment, and to avenge the victim with all his power. 1J9
359
 THE HISTORIES
62 T~v fltv'"COl ~aKlav <Y'"Cpa'"CEufla'"Ca btl1tEfivas TI'JV '"CE
xwpav {I,204J eAYft~E'"Co Kat IIaLOv08aKlav, BpEVE~EW '"Cou
Xo'"C~a9Epl~EW 9Epcmov'"Cos ~youflevou '"CE Kat "pya flEyaAa
a1t08ElKVUflEVou, 1tpbs 8£ Kat Mlxa~AEW '"Cou '"Cijs Eupw1tY]S
au'"CQ <Y'"Cpa'"C'1You <Y'"Cpa'"Clav '"CE liyov-coS e1tt '"COUS IIalovas
Kal IIaLOv08aKlav Kat 8~ Kat 'IAAUPLOUS. BpEVE~t] flEV'"COl
{pya e<Y'"Ctv cm08E8ElYfiEva Ii~la AOYOU Ka'"Ca ~V Eupw1t'1v,
IiUa '"CE Kat e1tl 'IAAUPLOUS Kal IIalovas Kat e1tt IIEAo1tovv'1-
<YOV <Y'"Cpa'"CEu<YaflEV'l', 1tAEl<Y'"Ca 8£ '"COU YEVOUS '"COU'"COU e1tt
<Y'"Cpa'"C'1y(as Ka9l<Y'"CafiEvou, <rUV '"ColS Eupw1t'1S 11t1t08po-
flOlS, OJ<Y'"CE au'"CQ au'"ClKa t1t0flEVOUS, 01tOl liv e~'1yoho,
cm0'l'EpE<Y9al KEp8'1 WS flEyl<Y'"Ca, Kat t1tt '"CWV 'EvE'"CWV
xwpav a'l'lKoflEVOV Kat av8pa1t08l<YaflEvov ~V xwpav,
av8pa1t08a a1tayayoflEVoV 1tAOU'"C(<Yal '"COUS e'l'E1t0fltvouS
ToupKWV Kat fltya OA~louS a1t08ElKvuval WS tv ~paxEl.
6) "E<Y'"Cl8£ Kat olK080fl~fla'"Ca ava ~V Eupw1t'1v a1tav-caXfj
OUK oAlya BpEVE~1l 1tE1tOl'1fltva, OJ<Y'"CE WS flV'1fl0<Yuva ts
'"COUS tmYlyvoflEVOUS Ka'"CaAl1tElv. "Y <Y'"CEpOV fltV'"CQl t1tl
MW<YEWS '"COU IIala~~'"CEw <YUVE~'1 '"CE au'"Cbv flE'"Ca<Y'"C'1<YaflE-
VOV t1tl MEXflE'"C'1V '"COV a8EA'l'OV '"ColS yE 1tal<Ylv au'"Cov
u'l'E<Y9al -cijs <Y'"Cpa'"C'1ylas, Kal '"Co eV'"CEV9EV ~youfltvouS
'"COUS BpEVE~EW 1tal8as, 'I'1<YOUV Kal Bapaflov Kal 8~ Kal
AAh1V, t1tl flEya 86~'1S a'l'lKov-co ava ~V Eupw1t'1v. lllKEl
8£ BpEVE~'1S '"Ca 'Iavl'"C~a 1tOAlV, ijv 8~ au'"Cos OiKij<Yal 1tapa
~a<YlA£ws t8wp~9'1, tau'"CQ '"CE Kal '"ColS 1tal<Ylv avJjKElV '"C~v
1tOAlV, aiel, o'"Couovv liv 8EQl'"Co, U1t'1pE'"Covv'"Cas '"CQ ~a<YlAEl.
Ta 8£ 'Iavl'"C~a 1tOAlS e<Y'"Cl1tapa '"CQ l\l;lQ 1to'"CaflQ, Kal {I,205J
KWflal 1tap' au~v ~v 1tOAlV BpEVE~EW OUK oAlyal. 'E1tl
BOOK 4
Mehmed sent armies to plunder Wallachia and Hungar- 62
ian Wallachia under the command of his minister Evrenos
Hajji Therizes,l40 who had performed great deeds. In addi-
tion, Michael, his general in Europe, led an army against the
Hungarians, Hungarian Wallachians, and Illyrians. l41 Evre-
nos's remarkable deeds in Europe are well known, including
his campaigns against the Illyrians, Hungarians, and against
the Peioponnese. 142 When he was appointed general, many
members of that race, including the cavalry raiders of Eu-
rope, would immediately join up to follow him wherever he
might lead them, and they carried off huge profits. He at-
tacked Venetian territory and enslaved their land, leading
away so many slaves that he enriched his Turkish followers
and made them very wealthy in a short time.
There are many buildings throughout Europe that were 6)
constructed by Evrenos, which he left as memorials to fu-
ture generations. When, under Musa, the son of Bayezid, he
transferred his allegiance to Mehmed, Musa's brother,'43
he also transferred his command to his sons, and after that
the sons of Evrenos led the wars: isa, Barak, and Ali, who
achieved great glory throughout Europe. Evrenos lived in
the city of Giannitsa,'44 a city that he was allowed to found
as a gift from the sultan and keep for himself and his sons
in perpetuity so long as they served the sultan in whatever
he should request. Giannitsa is by the Axios River and Evre-
nos owned numerous villages around it. Under Mehmed,
 THE HISTORIES
flEV'tOl MexflE't£w flETa S1: Bp£VE~'l ToupaX'lv'l<; napa
ToupKoL<; £USOKLflWV Ent <T'tpa't'ly[a<; 1"£ E~il£L EnL<rTC0flEVWV
au't<!i'twv innoSpoflwv, Kat-r6xn Xpwfl£vo<; aya9ij -rf]v no-
A£fl[wV EA'lt~£'tO xwpav. EIX£ S1: BuS[v'lv 'to't£ uno
M£XflE't£W ETCL't£'tpaflflEvo<; apX£LV, Kat E<; I1aLOv[av SLa-
~a[vwv, flEya £USOKLflWV EV -rij Eupwnn.
BOOK 4
Turahan was the most highly regarded general after Evrenos
among the Turks, and he went out on campaigns followed by
the cavalry raiders. He had good fortune in plundering
enemy territory. He was entrusted by Mehmed with the
governance of Vidin. He invaded Hungary and was highly
esteemed in Europe. 145
 E'
(2.1J 'EreeL Se fT£A£U'I''lO'£V " IIaux~~'I'£w M£Xf'E'I''l,
~aO'lA£UO'a, i"l''l SUOKa[S£Ka, SlESE;a'l'O 'l'i]V ~aO'lAelaV
.l\f'OUp<l'l''l' 0 M£Xf'E'I'£W, real, ali'!'ov rep£O'~u'I'£pO, y£v0f'£-
vo,. 'E'!'61"Xav£ Se wv tv IIpouO'!l Ka'l'a 'I'~V .l\O'[av, Kal
Kae[O''I''l 'I'a tv 'I'ij apm. "EAA'lV£, Se w, trc6eov'I'o 1'£-
A£u'I'~O'aV'l'a M£Xf'E'I''lV Kal .l\f'oupa'l''lv t, 'l'i]v ~aO'lAelaV
Ka'l'aO"l'fjVaL, f'£'I'£reEf'reov'I'o areo A~ f'vou MouO"l'a'l'iiv 'I'OV
IIaLa~~'I'£w A£y0f'£vov realSa Y£VEO'eaL. "E'I'uX£ Se S,a-
'I'p[~wv tv A~f'v'l', ureo 'EAA~VWV w, f'£'I'p,,;)'!'a'l'a 'l'u-
Aa'l"l'0f'£vo,. 'EreeL Se f'£'I'are£f're0f'£VOl 'I'OV'I'OV SlEKWAUOV'I'O
urea 1CV£Uf'a'l'WV tv 'I'Q 1'01'£ S~ reapOV'I'l ~la~0f'EVWV 'l'i]v Erei
'EAA~O'reov'I'ov area A~f'vou iivoSov, Kal OS£l tv 'I'ij Eupw1C!]
au'l'ou, Kae'O"l'aVaL ~aO'lAEa ('I'Pl~p£O'lyap SlEKwAuov 'l'i]v
Sla~aO'lv .l\f'oupa'l'£w trei 'I'~V Eupwre'lv, Kal 'I'~V 1"£ IIpo-
reoV'l'[Sa'l'£ Kai 'EAA~O'reOV'l'Ov dpyov'I'£, t, 'I'~V Sla~aO'lv),
Ka'l'EreA£uO'av trei KaAALOureoAlv 'l'i'j, X£ppov~O'ou, re6Alv
£uSa{f'ova, W, tV'I'avea 'I'Q 1'£ MouO''I'a'l'q to'reAeOV'I'l
O'UyyEVOlV'I'O, Kal areoS£lKvuf'£VOl au'l'ov ~aO'lAta Eupwre'l'
'l'i]v 1'£ KaAALOureoAlv O''l'[O'lV areoSovvaL reelO'aL£v Mou-
O"l'a'l'iiv. 'EV'l'avea f'ev ovv "EAA'lV£, emo a'l'poO"Uv'l, O''l'ii,
1'£ au'l'ou, Kal 'I'a repaYf'a'l'a l£V'I'O Sla'l'e£pOVV'l'£, W, 1'0
ere[reav, Kal reapa ~paxu Se 'I'~V re6Alv (2.2J au'l'wv imo
.l\f'oup,X'l'£W avSpareoSlO'e~VaL.
Book 5
Mehmed, the son ofBayezid, died after a reign of twelve
years, and was succeeded on the throne by Murad, his el-
der son.' The latter happened to be at Prousa in Asia and
was established in power. When the Greeks learned that
Mehmed had died and Murad had succeeded to the throne,
they summoned from Lemnos Mustafa, he who was said to
be the son ofBayezid.' He was then residing on Lemnos, be-
ing guarded by the Greeks as indulgently as possible. They
summoned him but were hindered by the winds that were
then blowing against the route from Lemnos to the Helles-
pont. They had to install him as sultan in Europe, for with
their triremes they were blocking Murad from crossing over
into Europe, and were hindering his crossing at both the
Propontis and the Hellespont. So they sailed to Gallipoli
on the Chersonese, a prosperous city, to meet with Mustafa
there when he sailed in, ackoowledge him as sultan of Eu-
rope, and persuade him to return Gallipoli to them. In this
matter, out of sheer folly, the Greeks moved closer to utterly
destroying their affairs and themselves, and they came very
close to seeing their city enslaved by Murad.
 THE HISTORIES
2 :0" yap s~ o[ 1:05 Af'ovpcn:ew Itpxov-re, Ka-raAwp8ev-
-re, tv -rfi Eupw:nl] u:no MeXf't-rew -r05 :na-rpo" wcne au-r<ji
:ne,8e0'8aL SLaSexof'tv,!, ~v ~aO'LAe(av, a<p'Kov-rO t:nt Bv-
~av-r'ov ~aO'LAea :npe<Y~ev0f'evoL t, -ra :napov-ra O'<p'O'L f'~
a;vf'<pwvov, yevt0'8aL -rou, "EAA'lva" Kat:nept O'<pa, vew-
-rep'O'aL :nap' /l Kat t1tf]yyeAf'evoL elev -r<ji ~a<YLAeT MeXf'E't!].
'Hv Se rraLa~~-r'l' -rwv ap,O'-rwv -r05 ~a<YLAtW" :npu-rav"
-re Kat cnpa-r'lYo, -rij, Eupw:n'l' yevof'evo,. Ov-ro, ovv
ayx05 EAMa, -r<ji Bv~av-r(ov ~a<YLAeT SLe:npeO'~eue-ro t:nt
-ra, O':novSa, :napaKaAwv, wcne O'<p'O'LV au-rov tm-rijSeLOv
elVaL, tS,Sov 6f'~pov<; -rwv ap,O'-rwv :naTSa, SvoKa,SeKa,
XpvO'05 Se f'vpLaSa<; e'(KoO'L Kat xwpav :nOAA~V KaAALOv:n6-
Aew" O<Yf]v ltv EAwv-raL :napa O'<p'O'L. Ta5-ra Se vmOXVeT-ro
-re Kat tS[Sov, wcne au-rov MovO'-ra<pav f'ev Eav xa'peLv,
f''lSe-repoL<; S' tm~0'l8eTv, aAIC eav au-rou<; f'axof'evov"
6:nO-repOL /lv :nepLyevwv-raL, ~v ~a<YLAe(av :nepLe:neLv.
3 Ta5-ra f'EV ovv SLeK'lpvKeue-ro :npo<; -rov -ro-re ~a<YLAea
'EAA~VWV 'Iwavv'lv, veov -re ~-rL ov-ra Kat ouStv f'LKpOV tm-
vo05v-ra au-r<ji t, ~v ap~v' tSoKeL -re yap au-r<ji ltf'eLvov
~xeLv t, O'<pa<; au-rou, :nepm,:n-rov-ra" Kat S,xa yevof'Ev'l,
au-roT,' -rij, apm<; -ra :npayf'a-ra au-r05 tv ~eA-r',!, -re ;;O'OL-rO
-r05 Ka8ecn'lK6-ro" Kat t:nt f'eT~ov a<p,;oL-rO euSaLf'ov[a"
SWf'EvWV af'<poTv, Kat -rij, ye apm, t:n' af'<po-repa yLVO-
f'ev'l, :nAeOV -rL :nepLyeve0'8aL a:n' af'<poTv, wO'-re [2·3} f''l-
Se-rep'!' S~ -raAav-reue0'8aL. T05-ro S' elVaL, t:neLSaV -r~v
apx~v 1tf''I'w t:nLSLeAof'evoL O'<p(O'L ~a<YLAeuwO'Lv. "y cnepov
f'ev-rOL ouSt. -r05-ro -rau't!] :npoSLe-r(8e-ro, aAIC t:nt -rov Mov-
cna<pav SfjAO, ~v -r<ji :nav-rt YLv0f'evo, 6 ~a<YLAeu<; ov-roO'i.
BOOK 5
Murad's lords who had been left in Europe by his father 2
Mehmed to obey him as the successor to the throne came
to the king of Byzantion [Manuel II or Ioannes VIII} as en-
voys to argue that the Greeks should neither break with the
present agreement nor seek to make revolutionary changes
in their status contrary to their promises to Sultan Mehmed.
There was also Bayezid, one of the sultan's leading men, the
vizier and general of Europe. He drew near and, through an
envoy, pleaded on behalf of the treaty to the king of Byzan-
tion, so that he would remain their friend. Bayezid gave as
hostages twelve sons ofleading men, two hundred thousand
gold pieces, and as much of the land around Gallipoli as they
might take for themselves. He promised these things and
gave them so that they might abandon Mustafa, help nei-
ther side, and allow them to fight it out so that the winner
could claim the throne.
These proposals were conveyed by envoy to Ioannes
[VIII}, who was then king of the Greeks,3 still a young man
with ambitious plans for his kingdom. He had decided that
it would be better for him if the Turks fell out with each
other and, with their kingdom split in half, his affairs would
improve compared with their current state and attain a
greater degree of prosperity. While both sides were seeking
his support and with the kingdom split between them, he
would obtain greater benefit from both, so that the balance
of power would fall to neither side. He thought this would
happen when they would divide the kingdom between them
and reign in this way. But he proved inconsistent in pursuit
of this policy: this king later declared himself openly and
wholeheartedly in support of Mustafa. His father, who was
 THE HISTORIES
Ba<YlAeuwv St a :reaTIJp aUToil, TavaVTia TOUTOV q>pOVWV,
~~iov f'~ :reapa~aiV£lV Ta., <Y:reovSa." w., ouSevt lIT'll :reapa-
~alvonl Ta, <YTCovSa, E<YOlT' itv VYlt, aTLOilv ~ Ef':reeSov,
W<YTe f'~ <Yq> aAAO f'tV'll t:relTpl~e<Y9al. Kat ToilT' Eq>a01<e 1.0-
Yl~e<Y9al SelV, a:reoTtp'll ye StOl :repo<YT1ge<Y9al, Ev9a Ta Te
xp~f'a'ra tij, ~a<YlAe(a, Kat ve~AvSe, :reapel<Yl. Kat'roil'ro
f'EV'rOl avaf'q>lAoyw, EXOV tf':reESoilv Eq>a<YKe T~V atpe<Ylv,
~v'rlva av EAOl'rO. 'EKelVa S' au tvSOla<Yf'ov :reapeX0f'eva,
a:reol n Kat !'i t:ret TIJv ~a<YlAelav aq>lKol'ro, KlVSVVOV <Yq>1<Yl
TOV f'tYl<Y'rOV :reaptxe<Y9al.
4 TailTa f'tnol 'roI., "EAAI]<Ylv t:re' af'q>o'repa YlVOf'tvol,
Tal., yvwf'al" it'rE Toil vtov ~a<YlAtw., 'r0 Kpa'rO, Exono,
'ro're TWV 'EAA~vwv, 'rau't!l 'rft yvWf't] E'r1gev'r0, Kat a[pouf'e-
VOL 'ra :repaYf'a'ra, !'i t~l]yeI'ro, t:ret TIJv Mov<YTaq>a E'rpa-
:reOV'rO 'rUXI]V, W<YTE Ka9'<Y'raVat au'rov ~a<YlAta Kat T~V
KaAALOu:reoAlV <Yq>l<YlV a:reoSiSo<Y9al. n, 're'rail'ra EStSOK'rO,
Kat t:reA~pOVV Ta, vail,. Aq>lKE'ro OUV a ~a<YlAev., t:ret 'r~v
KaAALOu:reoAlV, Kat w., ~USty :reapeytve'ro a:reo A~f'vov "
Mov<YTaq>a" :repoayof'evo, :repa<Y<Yelv 'rl t, TIJv apmv tij,
Eupw:rel], Kat :reOALOPKelV TIJV KaAALOu:reoAlV, Zovvahl]v
'rOY tij, Lf'UPVI], apxov'ra, :reapovTa S~ 'ron <Yq>l<YlV aTe
halpov ona 'roil Mov<YTaq>a, w., :reape<Yof'EVoV S~ aU'rtKa
KaKelVOV, t~e:relSelKvuv're, 'roI, ToupKol." t:reoAloPKovv
TIJv aKpav tij., KaAALOv:reoAew,. [z.4} Me'r' ou :reoAvv St
Xpovov :reapeytve'ro 're Kat au'ro., Mov<YTaq>a." Kat 'ra 're
aKpa tij., :reaAEw, :repO<YExwpl]<Yev aU'r<ji, Kat ~ XeppoVI]<YO.,
aU'rtKa ESt~aTO ~a<YlAta Kat et:ree'ro, a:reov t;l]yeho. T~v
BOOK 5
still reigning, held the opposite position, namely that they
should not violate the treaty, as nothing good or lasting hap-
pens to one who violates a treaty, so as to prevent him from
being destroyed by his own mistake. He also said that they
should make the rational decision to join the side that had
control over the monies of the realm and the janissaries. He
said that one's choice had to be unambiguously based on
that, whatever that choice was. Those things caused him
concern, regardless of how they brought one to the throne,.
and held out the greatest danger to them.
Thus were the opinions of the Greeks divided, but as the 4
young king was in charge of the state of the Greeks, they
sided with his opinion and adopted the policy that he ex-
pounded, namely to tie their fortunes to that of Mustafa,
establish him as sultan, and receive Gallipoli in return. This
was decided, and they manned their ships. 5 The king arrived
at Gallipoli and, as Mustafa had not arrived from Lemnos,
he led the way and took the first step in claiming power over
Europe by besieging Gallipoli. They displayed to the Turks
Junayd, the lord of Smyrna who was present there and was a
companion of Mustafa, 6 as proof that the latter would soon
be there too, and they besieged the acropolis of Gallipoli.
Shortly afterward Mustafa himself arrived and the citadel
of the city surrendered to him. Then the Chersonese ac-
cepted him as sultan and was ready to follow him, wherever
 THE HISTORIES
fleV'tOl KanlOU1rO/UV (\ 'En~vwv ~a<1lA£i)<; ~!;iov cmoSiSo-
creal. '0 SE hOlflO<; flev ElVat cmoSwcr£lV Kat fI~ aV'tl're[V£lV,
TOV<; fleV'tOl TOUPKOV<; xaA£m,,<; T£ olcr£lv, Kat mpicrl fI~ ev
KaA<ji, OU1rW hl KaTEpyacrflev!,]<; Tij<; ap)(ij<;, a1rO~aiV£lV Ta
1rpaYfiaTa. 'Y1recrxeTO fltVTOl, t1relSaV t<; ~V apmv 1rapa-
yeV!,]Tat, T~V Te 1r6AlV a1rOSlSOVal, Kat el Tl itAAO Em~SelOV
aUTOI<; ololTO ~crecreat, fI~Te TOU Aomou /tv cr-repfjcrat au-
'tov~ ']tOTE.
5 rreicra<; flev oov TOT£ TOV<; "EAA!']va<; fjAavvev t<; TO
1rpocrw Tij<; Eupw1t!']<;, Kat1rpocrexwpel Te aUT<ji crVfl1taVTa
w<; ~acrlAeI Te OVTl o"<pWV Kat rrata~~Tew 1ratSt yevoflev<!,.
'E1rel Se rrata~~T!']<; 1j00eeTo E1rlOVTa t1tt i\SplaVOU1rOALV
(t1reTp01reve SE Tij<; 1t6Aew<;, KaTaAel<peel<; V1tO MeXfleTew
~acrlAew<; t1rt Tft TeAev'rft aUTou), O"Vv~yelpe TE TO a1rO Tij<;
Eupw1rl'J<; O"TpaTevfla, Kal v~vTa T<ji Movcr-ra<pq ayxou
Tij<; i\SplaVOV1rOAew<;, w<; Sla flaX!']<; tAevcr6f1evo<; Kat fI~
t1rlTpe1tWV, fjv SUVatTO, t1rt Ta ~acriAela 1ropeuecreat. :0,<;
fleV'tOl crvV'ta!;aflevo<; t1t!'Jel, Ot TOUPKOl OOV aUTiKa Ijecrav
itfla 1ravTE<; btl TOV Movcr-ra<pav Kal 1rpocreKuvovv w<;
~aO'lAea, Kal aUTo<; Te rrata~~T!']<; 1rpoO'eKuv!']O'e Kat Ta
1rpaYfiaTa 1rapeSiSov T<ji MovO'Ta<pq, xpfjO'eal aUToI<;, 0 Tl
/tv ~OUAOlTO. TouTov flEV oov Aa~wv aUTiKa aUTou Sl-
exp~ O'aTO, Kat cmeAauvwv ~V Te 1rOAlV ecrxe Kat E1rl Ta
~aO'iAela 1rapeyeveTO.
6 MeTa SE TauTa O"Vcr-rpa<pel<; leTo t1rt ~v i\O'iav, c:;,<; Te
Kat ~V Tij<; i\cria<; ~aO'lAe[av tavT<ji 1rpOO'KT!,]cr6f1evo<;. Llla-
~a<; S' t<; ~V i\O'iav, i!xwv TO Te [2.5} EupW1r!']<; O'TpaTevfla
Kat a~amSa<; TOV<; TOUpKWV 1re~ov<; OilTW KaAovflevov<;,
37 0
BOOK 5
he might lead them. The king of the Greeks demanded that
Gallipoli be restored to him. Mustafa said that he was ready
to hand it over and would not resist, but that the Turks
would take it badly. Matters would not then go well for
them, especially when his authority had not yet been estab-
lished. But he promised, when he ascended the throne, to
hand over the city, and if there were anything else that he
thought would benefit them, he would never again deprive
them of it.
He persuaded the Greeks at that time and advanced far- 5
ther into Europe. Everyone went over to his side, accepting
him as their sultan in truth and as a genuine son of Bayezid.
But when the vizier Bayezid realized that he was moving
against Adrianople - he was governing the city, having been
left there by Sultan Mehmed upon his death - he called up
the army of Europe and met Mustafa near Adrianople with
the intention of joining battle and preventing him, if that
proved possible, from reaching the palace. He attacked him
in formation, but then all the Turks went together over
to Mustafa and bowed to him as their sultan. Bayezid him-
self also bowed and surrendered his authority to Mustafa for
him to use as he deemed fit. Mustafa had him seized and
killed on the spot, and then advanced, took the city, and in-
stalled himself in the palace.
After that Mustafa assembled his forces and went against 6
Asia, so as to acquire the kingship ofAsia as well. He crossed
over into Asia,' taking the army of Europe and the Turkish
infantry called the azaps. He ferried his army over into Asia,
37'
 THE HISTORIES
Kal t<; 't~v Aoiav SLmopefl£U<rev ~Xwv flee' £au'tou Kal'tov
Zouva:l'L"'lv ~flupv'l<; iipxov'ta, bd Afloupa't'lv ~Aauve 'tov
MeXfl£'tEw. Tov flenoL ~a(J"[Aea 'EAA~VWV neflnwv npe<r~eL<;
~;(ou fI'lSev t<; ~v ;ev(av alhou veW'tEp(~eLv, w<; 't~v KaA-
ALOunoALv av't(Ka CL1roSw<rono<;, tneLSaV ~v A<r(av ao't<;;
onaY'l'taL, Ka'taO"'tpe'itaflevo<; 'tov aSeA'l"Souv, IIap~<rav
S' Kal Afloupa'tEw napa ~a(J"[Aea Bu~av't(ou a<pLKoflevoL,
xp'lfla't(~one<; Kal OU'tOL tnt <r<p[<rL yevt<real ~a<rLAta, Kal
imLoxvouflEVOL SW<r£LV, il " ltv ~ouAoLno. Ot flev ouv
"EAA'lve<; ave~aAAov'to flEV tnt Xpovov "va 'ta<; npE<r~ela<;,
'teAo<; S, ~v flEV AfloUpa'tEW cL1rEnefl'itav'to npE<r~elaV,
'ta S' MouO"'ta<pii tA0flEvOL npaYfla'ta npo<r(ev't6 'tE Kal
tnerrxov, WO"'tE au't01<; <rntvSE<reaL Ka'ta niiv SeSoYflevov
au't01<;.
7 'H fli:v ouv Afloupa'tEw npe<r~e(a a<pLKoflev'l napa 'tbv
cr'tpa'tov 'tou Afloupa'tEw SLe<p~flL<rav, w<; 'tou<; "EAA'lVa<;
<r<p(crL npo<rK~<raLV'tO <ruflflaxou<;. 'Ewyxavov S' tv 1\0-
naS(,¥ 'fi A(flv!l to"'tpa'toneSeufltvOL, Kal ~v 'tE xwpav
SLeAu<rav 'tou MLxaALK(ou au'tou, ii t<; ~v eaAa<rcrav t;-
LOu<ra ~ A(flV'l SLa <r'tEVOU tnt nOAu npo'iou<ra tKSLS01,
ye<pupa Se to"'tL. MouO"'ta<pii<; S, Kat au'to<; tAMa<; ayxou
to"'tpa'toneSeuE'to napa 'to XelAO<; 'tou no'taflou ~<; A(flv'l<;'
'Ev'tauea w<; a<p(Kono ot npe<r~£L<; AflOUpa'tEW, wXt] "Vt
ayaefi XP'l<raflevoL SLe<P~flL~OV w<; <ruflflaxoflevou<; <r<p(crL
'tou<; "EAA'lva<; ~xone<; ~KOLeV, Kat tnl'to cr'tpa'toneSov 'tou
MouO"'ta<pii t<pwvouv (2.6} tnan£LAOUV'tE<; w<; an£LA'lflflev,¥
tv 'fi A<r(\l. 'Enauea <p~ fI'l<; napa 'to <r'tpa'toneSov 'tou
MouO"'ta<pii yevoflev'l<;, w<; <r<p(<rLV ou nap~<rav ot npt<r~£L<;,
372
BOOK 5
having also with him Junayd, the lord of Smyrna, and
marched against Murad, the son of Mehmed. He sent en-
voys to the king of the Greeks [loannes VIII] requesting
that he not do anything that would undermine his friend-
ship, as he was prepared to hand Gallipoli over to him as
soon as he had subjected Asia to himself and conquered his
nephew. Present also were men who had been sent to the
king of Byzantion by Murad, and they too were negotiating
over who their sultan would be and promising to give them
whatever they might want. The Greeks stalled the embas-
sies for some time, but in the end they dismissed that of
Murad, choosing to side with and support the interests of
Mustafa so that he would make a treaty with them that
would include all the terms on which they had decided.
Now, the embassy of Murad arrived back at the army of 7
Murad and reported that they had concluded an alliance
with the Greeks. They happened to be encamped by lake
Lopadion and ravaged the land there of Michalikion, 8 where
the lake flows into the sea through a long and narrow chan-
nel, and where there is a bridge. Mustafa advanced in per-
son and encamped near the bank of the lake's river. Then
Murad's envoys returned and, by a lucky chance, they spread
the word that they came bearing an alliance with the Greeks.
They cried this out to Mustafa's camp with the threat that
he would now be cut off in Asia. Thereupon the rumor
spread throughout Mustafa's camp, as his envoys had not
373
 THE HISTORIES
Kat SES,6'''';, f'~ of "EAAI]VE, TOV 'EAA~=OVTOV KaTa-
OX6VTE , TOU AOl1tOU f'~ E:JtlTPE1CWcrt Sla~alvElv Kat aUTOU
TaVTt] a1COAOlVTO. A6yov TE "'P10lV ES1Sooav, Kat VVKT",
E:JtlYEV0f'EVI], aUTO, 6 Zovvahl], " Tfj<; Lf'VPVI], ~YEf'WV
c",eSpa E1Ct ~v 1CaTp<i>av apx~v, Kat of AOl1tot TWV apx6v-
TWV a1CES1SpaOKov ouS' 01CWOOUV E1ClOXOVTE" TVXt] TOU
MOVOTa<pCi OVKE" aya9ij :JtlOTEVOVTE<;.
8 D, Sf. MOVOTa<pCi<; SllSWV Ta OTpaTEVf'aTa aUT4i a1CO-
SlSpaOKOVTa, 1CEpt atiT4i SES,W, a1CeSpa Ka) aUTO<; E1Ct
9aAaooav. "EAAI]VE<; f'eVTOl, w, eA6f'EVOl MOVOTa<pCiv
O<plOl oUf'f'axov dvat, E1CA~pwoav Ta<; vau<; Kat E1Ce1CAEOV
E1Ct 'EAA~=OVTOV. BaOlAEV, Sf. aUTO<; Bv~avTlOV EV IIpol-
KOV~O'1' YEVOf'EVO<; Eox6Aa~t TE 1CEpt YVVatKO<; epWTa, ~<;
EPWV ETVrxaVEV, ~V yap lEpew, 9vyaTI]p, Kat OUK ev StOVTl
1CapEytVETO, "OTE S,aKWAuoa, Af'ovpaTl]v e<; T~V EUPW1CI]V
a<plKe09al. Af'ovpaTI]<; f'f.V S~, wpax,oTa ~f'Epa eyEy6v£l,
Kat KaT£ISE TO OTpaT61CESov TWV 1COAEf'lWV KEV6v, Kat ti1CO
~V otxof'evI]v VVKTa a1CoSpCiv TE, Kat TOV, TE a~a1ClSa<;
XETpa 6peYOVTa<;, Ihl U1CO TWV O<pETtpWV 1CPOSESOf'EVOl
dEV l1C1CEwv, T6v TE pOUV Tfj, Alf'VI], e~EU;E, Kat Slt~I] w,
dXE TaXOV " Kat TOV<; TE a~a:JtlSa, SlExp~oaTO a1CaVTa,
aUTOV.
9 METa Sf. TaUTa eS1WKE KaTa 1C6A£l<; TOV MovOTa'l'Civ.
MovOTa<pCi<; f'f.V oov "<p91] Sla~lt<; e<; KaAAlov1CoAlV
Af'oVpaTI], Sf. EVTVXWV VI]l f'EY10Tt] TWV 'IavvTwv aUTO~
TavTt] 6pf'l~0f'evt], ovvTr9ETat T4i VEW, SE01C6Tt] Sla1Cop-
9f'Euoal aUT6v TE af'a Kat TOV<; VE~AvSa, {zd Kat TOV, TWV
9vpwv aUTOU Kat a1CaV TO OTpaTEUf'a e, T~V EUpW1CI]V, Kat
374
BOOK 5
yet retvrned and they feared that the Greeks would occupy
the Hellespont and no longer allow them to cross back, and
thus they would perish right there. They held talks among
themselves and at night Junayd himself, the lord of Smyrna,
fled to his ancestral realm.' The rest of the lords then es-
caped too without any hesitation or delay, no longer trusting
in Mustafa's good fortvne.
When Mustafa saw that his armies were deserting him, 8
he feared for himself and likewise escaped to the sea. The
Greeks, who had chosen to ally themselves to him, manned
their ships and sailed to the Hellespont. But the king ofByz-
antion [Joannes VIII}, who came in person to Prokonnesos,
was spending his time in an affair with a woman with whom
he was infatuated, the daughter of a priest, and did not take
the necessary steps to prevent Murad from arriving in Eu-
rope. As for Murad, as soon as day broke he saw that the en-
emy camp was empty and that they had escaped dnring the
previous night. He saw also that the azaps were stretching
out their hands in supplication, as they had been betrayed
by their own cavalry. He threw a bridge across the stream of
the lake, crossed over in haste, and had all the azaps killed on
the spot.
After that Murad pursued Mustafa from city to city. Mus- 9
tafa managed to cross over to Gallipoli, but Murad hap-
pened upon the largest ship of the Genoese that had moored
there, and he made an agreement with the ship's captainlO to
ferry him, the janissaries, the men of his Porte, and his en-
tire army over to Enrope. He paid him a large sum of silver,
375
 THE HISTORIES
£-r£AEerEV cdrr<ii aprUpLOV tKavOV, aerov O~ rrrtjeraTO. Kai
OlEnOpeflEVerEV aUT<ii TE lifla Kai T<ii cr-rpaT<ii IinaVTl. '0 fltv
OUV Moucr-ra<pii<;, w<; tnVeETO Ola~E~'lKOTa AfloupaT'lV t<;
~v Eupwnt]v, Kai ii, anol erWSOlTO, aVEWpa t1tler<paAt<; DV
~Ot] ananaXfj, liTE AfloupaTEW KaTaAa~OVTO<; aUTOV,
terwseTO tni TO OpO<; TOU r avou OVTW KaAOuflEVOV. '0 ot
w<; tOiWKE, Kal £nl<YXWV, naVTa St]TWV OUK aviEl, erayr)"
vEuera<; TE TOV Xwpov aUTOu, ii t80KEl Kai ~Ot] lmmjt[av
napeTxev £nauei KpUnTEereal, EUPEV aUTov uno eaflV4> TlVi
KEKpuflfl£vOV, Kal swyp~era<; arxovt] TE TOV Aalflov aUTou
£xp~eraTo. 'ETEAEuTt]O'e ot MouO'Ta<pii<; ~aO'lAEuera<; tv Tfj
Eupwnt] i'T'l Tpia.
IO
AfloupaTt]<; ot w<; i'<YXE ~V ap~v afl<polv Talv ~nelPOlV,
£<; ~V ~aO'lAeiav KaT£cr-rt]. Ou nOAA<ii ot Vcr-rEpOV tcr-rpa-
TEUETO tnl BusavTLOv Kai tni TOU<; "EAA'lva<;. I1poEnEfltE
ot MlxaAOyAt]v, npuTavEa TE lifla Kai O'TpaTt]yov T~<; Eu-
pwnt]<;. Kai Aa~wv OUTO<; TO ana ~<; Eupwnt]<; O'TpaTEVfla
linav, tnEopaflE TE T~V BusavTiou xwpav. METa ot TauTa
tcr-rpaTonEoEuETo, Kai aUTiKa a~AauvEV AfloupaT'l<; "
MEXflETEW, TOU<; TE vE~Auoa<; i'xwv Kai T~V 9Upav lifla ,
OO'Ol ~aO'lAeT EnOVTal, anol liv cr-rpaTEut]Tal. Kal Ta AO'ia<;
O'TpaTeuflaTa i'xwv napeyeveTo, Kal to'TpaTonEoEuETO ana
eaAtiO'O'1'J<; et<; eaAaO'O'av.
II At fltv ouv eUpal <iiOE nt] "xouO'al. I1EsolnapElO'l T<ii ~a-
O'lAEl afl<pi TOU<; e;aKl<YXlAiou<; Kai tViOTE afl<pi TOU<; flupi-
ou<;· ana {2.8} yap TOUTWV <ppoupav TE <paiVEl tv Tal<;
aKponOA£O'l, Kai aile,<; £-repay t<; ~V xwpav tKelVWV
KaeiO'Tt]O'l. I1ap£YEvono 0' aUT<ii Tfjo£. I1aloa<; Aa~wv
BOOK 5
as much as he asked for. So he and his entire army were fer-
ried across. When Mustafa learned that Murad had crossed
over into Europe, he realized that every place where he
sought refuge would be dangerous for him seeing that Mu-
rad had caught up with him, and he sought salvation upon
a mountain called Ganas. Murad pursued him relentlessly
and did not let up in his search for him: he swept that whole
area with a dragnet, having a prior suspicion that he might
have been hiding there, and found him hiding under a bush.
He took him alive and strangled him. Mustafa died after a
reign in Europe of three years. ll
Murad now held sway over both continents and his hold IO
on the throne was secured. Shortly afterward he marched
against Byzantion and the Greeks. He sent ahead Mihaloglu,
his vizier and general ofEurope,l2 The latter took the entire
army from Europe and raided the territory of Byzantion.
After that he made camp, and then Murad himself, the son
of Mehmed, set out too, having the janissaries and all the
men of the Porte who follow the sultan when he goes on
campaign. He arrived with the armies of Asia as well, and
their camp stretched from sea to sea.1J
The Porte is ordered in the following way. There are II
about six thousand infantry present with the sultan, and
sometimes as many as ten thousand. From among them gar-
risons are appointed to the citadels, but he appoints a differ-
ent one to their native lands. They are procured for him in
377
 THE HISTORIES
atXf'aAW't'Ov" O<YOV, ltv -ruxn .xvSpanoSl(Y(lf'evo" Ka'ra-
-ri9HaL e, -n)v A<Yiav napa -roT, TOUpKOl" w<r-re -r~v <pwv~v
eKf'a9eTv Eva £Ka<Y-rov, Kat enl Suo ~ Kat -rpia hI] Sla-
yevofLevol -r~v -re yAw<Y<Yav eKfLav9.xvov<Yl, Kat <Yuvltv-re,
-rfj, <pwvfj" o<Ya ltv Svvl]9w<Ylv, av9l, <YvAAtyel, .x<p' wv
Ka-rtge-ro, e, Sl"XlAiov, KatnAeiov, -rou-rwv. AyelS' all-rou,
;uf'nav-ra, e, -r~v KaAALOunoAlv, Kal Ka9i<Y-rl]<YlV all-rou,
e, -ra nAoTa, vav-ri~e<y9ai -re Kat Slanop9fLeuelv e, -n)v
A<Yiav .xno -rfj, Ellpw1!I], -rou, ~oVAofLtvov, Sla~aivelv.
'O~OAOV S' EXEl eKa<Y-ro, ev-raii9a, Kat Xl-rwva -roii eVlav-
-roii. Me-r' ollnoAuv Sf. Xpovov fLe-rantfLnov-raL e, -ra, 9upa,
au-roii, naptxwv -rE fLl<Y90v, o<Yo, ltv tKava, e'll] e, -ro CL1!O~fjv
au-rou" eviOl, IlAAol, Sf. nAeiw naptXHaL.
12 Kat e, SeKaS.xpxa, -rE Kal nEv-rl]Kov-r.xpxa, Kal tvw-
fLo-rla, Kal AOXOV, -re-raYfLtvol -re Kal SlaKeKplfLtvol <Y-rpa-
-reuov-ral, Ka-ra -ra <Yv<Y<YI-rl.x -re Kat-rjj Su<Yel ~Alov elVaL <rUv
-r<ii SeKaS.xpxn e, -r~v <YKI]v~v. LKI]voii<Yl S, OO-rOl .xfL<Pt-rov
~a<YlAta, e, -rov eav-roii xwpov eKa<r-ro, exofLevo, -roii
htpov. 'Ev-ra, fLtV-rOl -rou-rwv ollSevt e;e<Y-rl <YKI]voiiv, nA~v
-rwv -roii ~a<YlAtw, nalSwv Kat -rwv 91]<Yavpwv -roii ~a<Yl­
Atw, Kat -roii KOl-rWVO,. LKI]V~ S, epv9pa all-r<ii. 'O-r, fLf.V
Suo, 6-r, S£ Kat -rpeT, lSpvv-ral au-r<ii -r<ii ~a<YlAeT, ano nlAov
tpv9poii xpv<Yona<r-rol, Kat <YKI]vat hepal .xfL<Pt -ra, neV-rE-
KalSeKa, na<YaL ev-ro, -rwv vel]AuSwv. 'Eno, S, <YKI]VOii<YlV
ot AOl1!ot -rwv [Z.9} 9vpwv IlvSpe" ol-re afLoVpaXOplOl Kal
olvoxool ot AeyofLevolnap' all-rwv <Yapa=.xpLOl, Kal <YI]fLal-
0<P0pOl ol AeyofLevol efLovpaAafLLOl, Kal ot -rwv 9vpwv
npv-raveT" ~e~(plSe, oi\-rw KaAoufLevol, -roii ~a<YlAtw,
BOOK 5
the following way. He takes all the captive children whom he
has happened to enslave and assigns them to Turks in Asia
so that each can learn the langnage, They spend two or even
three years learning the langnage, and when they can speak
it, to whatever extent they are able, he then collects some
two thousand or more from the group that he had originally
assigned. He leads them all to Gallipoli and places them in
the ships to man them and ferry those who wish to cross
over from Europe into Asia, Each receives payment for this
and one cloak per year. Shortly afterward they are sum-
moned to his Porte and he gives some of them a living wage;
to others he gives more.
They are organized under the command of leaders of ten 12
men, fifty men, divisions, and companies, and they march
according to these distinctions. For common meals and at
sunset they have to be with their leader of ten, in the tent,
They pitch their tents around the sultan, each one in his
own designated place, one next to the other. No one is al-
lowed to pitch his tent among them, except for the sul-
tan's sons, the sultan's treasury, and hissleeping chamber.
His tent is red. Sometimes two and sometimes three tents
are pitched for the sultan himself, which are of red felt em-
bellished with gold, and about fifteen other tents as well,
all of them within the janissary encampment. The rest of
the Porte's men pitch their tents outside, including the amir
ahor!4 and the wine pourers, whom they call faraptars,- the
standard-bearers called amir al-a'lam,-!5 the presiding officers
of the Porte called the viziers; and the sultan's messengers.
379

THE HISTORIES
ayy£Ala<pOpOl. OUTOI flEV ovv fI£yaAol Te 6VT£~, Kal
w, nAelOV~ Enayofl£vol e£panovTa" nA'1eUV napExovTa~
iinA£TOV.
'3 M£Ta S£ O'VAlKTaplS£, EV£l<n TWV ~aD'IAtW, evpWV afl<pl
TWV TplaKo(J'[wv, 01 tnn£'[, OVTe, ana TWV V£'1AUSWV Enl
TauT'1v napay[voVTat TIJv xwpav. MeTa S£ TOuTov~Kap[nl­
S£, ot f.n~AVS£~ KaAoufI£vOl, ano T£ l\(J'[a, Kal AtyVnTOV
KaL S~ Kal Al~U'1' aim!> E, Ta, eupa, napay£vofl£VOl, Kal
ap£T~, aVTl1tOLOUfI£VOl £vavTl ~a(J'IAtw~, fI£fll(J'ewfievol
aUT(ji, 0 flEV nAeLOVO" " S£ EAaTTovo~. TouTwv S£ ExovTal
aAo<paT~[S£, oi fll(J'eWTOL KaAOUfI£vOI, afl<pl TOU~ "KTa-
KO(J'[OV,. TouTwv S£ aVel, ExovTal ot CJ'1tax[S£, KaAoufI£-
VOL, afl<pl TOU, SlaKO(J'[OV" OliTOl S' ei(J'LV ot TWV aPXOVTWV
naTS£" WV TOU~ fI£V ana TOV KOlTWVO, EK~aAwv E, TauT'1v
auTOu, Kae[(J'T'1(J'L TIJv xwpav, TOU, S£ E1tlA£~afl£vo,
EVTaVea £X£l w~ avSpwv naTSa~ ayaewv y£voflevov,. Kal
ai flEV eUpat,w, ~VV£AOVTl flOl <pavat, oihw TeTaxaTal.
'4 D,uo SE uno ~a(J'IAtw~ E~ ~uflna(J'av aUT(ji TIJV ap~v
Kae[O'TaVTal O'TpaTl]yot, 0 fI£V Tij~ Eupwn'1" " S£ Tij,
l\(J'[a,. Kal TOUTWV £KaTep'!' EnOVTal Ta T£ O'TpaT£UflaTa
Kal ot iiPXOVT£~, onOl /tv E~'1YWVTat, f.n£ISaV f.nayy£tA.n
aUToT, " ~a(J'IA£U~. "EnovTat SE aUToT~ Kal ot unapXOlnap'
aUTOT, (J''1flaLO<pOpOI KaAoufI£vOl' En£ISaV yap E, T~V
ap~v TaUT'1V uno ~aD'IAEW~ Kae[O'T'1Tat, I2.ro} (J''1f1a(q T£
Swp£TTal aUTOV " ~aD'IA£U~ W, O'TpaTl]y(ji Y£VOflf.v'!' Kal
nOAAWV iipXOVTlnoA£wv. TOUT,!, S' ao T(ji unapx'!' EnovTal
ot TWV nOA£wv iiPXOVT£" onol (J'TpaT£u'1Tal. XWPOV(J'1 S£
iinavT£~ KaTa TavTa £nofl£VOl ToT~ (J'<p£TEpOl~ aUTwv
, ,
BOOK 5 I:'
II1.1
These are all important men, and, as they are accompanied
by many servants, they make for a vast multitude.
TI
II
Then, at the sultan's Porte, there are about three hun- '3
dred silahdars,'6 who are cavalry drawn from the janissaries I
·1,
and have this rank. After them are the garips, 17 foreigners so-
,
1
I
called, who come to the Porte from Asia, Egypt, and North '1:1
rIii
Africa, and contend for virtue before the sultan; they are
salaried by him, and some receive more, some less. They are
I
followed by the ulufecis, the mercenaries so-called,!' about
eight hundred of them. Then come the so-called sipahis,
about two hundred in number. They are the sons of lords,
some of whom he has dismissed from the sleeping chamber
and assigned to this rank, while others he has selected to
maintain here as the sons of noble men. The Porte, then, is
so ordered, to put it briefly.
Two generals are appointed by the sultan over his entire '4
territory. one for Europe and one for Asia. Each of them,
wherever he may go on the sultan's orders, is followed by the
armies and the lords. They are also followed by the prefects,
which is what they call the standard-bearers. Whenever a
general is appointed by the sultan to this position, the sul-
tan gives him a standard to indicate that he is now a general
and the lord of many cities. The governors of the cities fol-
low this prefect during campaigns. They come to the sultan's
 THE HISTORIES
apxoU<rL 1'£ Kat <rTpaTI]yoT<;, EneLOaV E<; TO ~a<rLAtw<; napa-
ytVWVTaL mpaToneoov. Aihl] OXeoov ~ TWV <r-rpaTEUf'cawv
aUT~ SLcaa;L<;. Ot f'tVTOL lnnoopOf'OL TanOVTaL Kai OUTOL
E<; TOU<; <r<pWV aiJTwv unapxou<;. Ot 01: a/;altLSe<; u<p' tvi
apXOVTL tnOf'eVOL, E<; TaUTO YLyvof'eVOL <rTpaTeUOVTaL.
'5 Af'oupaTI]<; f'i:v OUV W<; tntAa<re, Kal EnOALopKeL Bu-
/;avTLOv anD 8aJ.anl]<; d<; 8aAanav, TI]Ae~oAoL<; Te hunTe
TO TeTX0<; Kat En£Lpi\To, ou f'tVTOL KaTt~aAt Y£. ElAKOV ot
ot Ai80L TWV TI]A£~OAWV ma8f'0v TpLa ~f'LTaAaVTa, W<rT£
andx£ TO T£lX0<; oxupOV 1'£ OV npo<; 1'£ TOUTOU<; TOU<; 1'1]-
A£~OAOU<;, Kat ouSaf'fi Un£TKOV. "'oKeT f'l:v ouv " TI]A£~OAO<;
ou nCtvv naAaLO~ dVaL, w()t'£ (J'UVLEVaL ~l1a~ tnl vouv
EAI]Au8tvaL ToT<; naAaLoT<; TO TO LOUTOV. "08£v f'EnOL apx~v
EytV£TO, Kat TLve<; av8pwnwv E<; ~V TOU TI]Ae~oAOu
a<pLKono neTpav, OUK EXW oLa<Yl]f'~VaL a<r<paAw<;' OlOVTaL
f'tVToL anD r£pf'avwv y£vt<r8aL 1'£ TOUTOU<;, Kat TOUTOL<; Ent
vouv a<pTx8aL TauTI]v ~v f'I]xav~v. ;<\AI( ot f'tv TI]A£-
~OAL(J"J(OL emo r£pf'avwv Kai E<; ~v aAAI]v KaTa ~paxU
a<pLKono OiKOUf'£VI]v' ot St TI]Ae~oAOL, OUK av dOeLI]V
<ra<pw<; loxupL/;£<r8aL, o8ev EYEvono ~v ap~v.
,6 T~v ot ioxVv 1'£ Kat <popav ~V af'~xavov, ii EnL<pepof'e-
VO<; 6 Al80<;, DnoL av Y£VOLTO, f'eyl<rTl]v ToT<; <rwf'a<rLv
EnL<ptpETaL ~Aa~I]v, ~ Te KOVL<; naptX£TaL T~ nanL, Kai anD
TauTI]<; Ev~VeKTaL. T* Si: KOV£W<; TO V[TpOV EX£L ~V Svva-
f'LV, av8paKl 1'£ Kat 8el,!, EltLf'LYVUf'£VI]. Oihw St w<; af'£L-
vov ExeL Ta -rij<; OlKOUf'tVI]<; E<; Ta onAa' OLD Kat ap£T~<;
nanov {2.rr} loxeL au-rfi T~V SaLf'ovlav EKeLVI]V <popav.
"'OKeT ot yevt<r8aL <rLSI] p~eL<; f'tv TO npWTOV, f'£Ta ot ~V
382
BOOK 5
camp and then, according to this arrangement, all of them
depart in the train of their own lords and generals. This,
then, is how the sultan's armies are ordered. As for the cav-
alry raiders, they too are assigoed to their own respective
prefects. The azaps follow one commander and campaign as
a unit.
Murad, then, set out and besieged Byzantion from sea to '5
sea, striking at the walls with cannons. Yet despite his ef-
forts, he did not bring them down. The rocks thrown by his
cannons weighed three half-talents each, but the walls were
fortified against such cannons and withstood them; no-
where did they give way. The cannon does not appear to be a
very ancient invention and it seems to us that the ancients
did not conceive of such a weapon. I cannot indicate with
any certainty where they were invented and which people
were the first to use them. However, it is believed that they
originated among the Germans and that they were the ones
who contrived this device. Firearms certainly spread gradu-
ally from the Germans to the rest of the world. But as for
cannons in general, I cannot say where they originated on
the basis of secure knowledge.
It is the powder that imparts all the force and irresistible ,6
momentum to the rock, wherever it may go in its trajectory,
and it inflicts maximum damage upon all bodies; this is all
conveyed by the powder. And, within the powder, it is the
niter that has all the power, which comes from a mixture of
carbon and sulfur. The world considers this substance as the
best for weapons. Valor is hardly able to resist their demonic
force. It seems that at first cannons were made of iron, but
I
 THE HISTORIES
,OU xUfla,o<; KaAOtJflEVOtJ e:1tl<ppC«raO"eaL re£1pav, ,OU XaA-
KOU oVV "ii KaO"O"I,Ep'!' flefiIYflEVWV, euSoKlfl£1v e<; ,0
a<pIEVal ,OV Aleov afielVOV 'tE Kai ~laLO'tEpOV. To flEnOl
crxfjfla Sle~ltVaL olov eO"'tl, reeplepyov flEV,' av e'{'l rei'iO"I
KaeOpWO"IV areav,axft. 'Erelfl'lKe<; S' av, aO"ov s' av et'1 em-
fI'lKEO"'tEpOV, ,00"0u,'!' erei fI~Klo"'OV a<ph10"l ,ov AWOV, w(J"'t'
n
av yevEO"eaL ''lAe~oAov, eretJeofleea, a<pIEna ,ov Aleov
erei £~SOfl~Kov,a O",aS[otJ<;, reEpl~ O"elOflEv'lv TI]v yijv Ka,'
lifl<pw ,w SlaO"TI]fla'tE. Ll.OK£1 S' ~ ,OU retJPo<; aihl] Suvafll<;
,OV 'tE to<pov areepya~eO"eaL Kal TI]v <popav, n 6 Aleo<;
<pEpE'taL' ~la~oflevov yap ,0 O",OIXelov 'tOU,o reaflfleya Kal
SaLflOVlOV 'tl SuvaO"eaL SOK£1, n S~ Kal ,OV O"Kl]re,ov
areepya~E'taL ,0 reveufla et<; ,0 reup flE'ta~aAAov. Ehe flEV
oily ,0 fI~ Kevov O"tJyxwp£1O"eaL, ,OV 'tE to<pOV ylveO"eaL Kai
TI]V <popav, ehe ,au'!] ,OU retJPo<; "eefiEvotJ 'ft StJvaflel,
ereelSaV repoo"~la~oflevov liAI]<; erelA4~I],al, avafKll ,au,a
areepya~oflevoV, '{rrxelV afl<pW ,au,a. Ll.OK£1 SE ,ou 1ttlpo<;
,~v SuvafllV elVaL ,au,'lv ~uflreaO"av, Kal TI]V KOVlV ali~Elv
ree<ptJKtJlav TI]v ,ou 1ttlpo<; SuvafllV Sla ,ou retJPo<; KlvelV 'tE
afl~xavov Kal ~aMelv flaKpo,a,a.
'7 To'tE flEV oily Afl0tJpa,'l<; 6 MeXflE'tEW ''lAe~oAol<; Kai
aAAaL<; fll]xaval<; reelpaO"aflevo<; ,ou ,e!X0tJ<; reepl ~flEpa<;
[KaVa<; {z.rz} repoo"E~aAe ,£ij ,e!XEl areanaxn Kai £AelV
ereelpi'i,o. 'E~eKpouO"av,o SE av,ov areo 'tE ,wv KAlflaKwv
Ka,a~aA6ne<; o[ "EAA'lve<; ,ov<; ~aO"lAtW<; ve~AtJSa<;, Kai
evlwv clTCo,aflofievol ,a<; Ke<paAa<; arel]vEfKav,o. Afl0tJpa-
,1]<; S', w<; OUSEV repoexwpel ~ ,ou ll<T'tEw<; alpeO"l<;, ~rrxaAAE
'tE Kai ~eUflEl, <llE'tO SE a[p~O"elv TI]v reOAlV. Ll.la'pt~onl St
BOOK 5
later they tried fashioning them from the so-called alloy,
wherein copper is mixed with tin,19 and they succeeded at
making the rock fly better and more powerfully. To describe
its shape in detail would be superfluous for it is available ev-
erywhere for all to see. It is long and the longer it is the far-
ther the rock will go, so that there was once a cannon, or so
we have learned, that shot a rock to a distance of seventy
stades, shaking the earth all around at both ends of its tra-
jectory. It seems that it is the force of fire that creates both
the blast and the impetus with which the rock flies, for un-
der pressure this element seems to be capable of extra-
ordinary and almost supernatural effects, as the gas, being
changed into fire, causes the thunder. The blast and impetus
are created either because a vacuum cannot be allowed or
because, when the fire brings its power to bear as it uses
force against the matter with which it comes into contact,
it produces these effects by necessity, and so both of them
come about. It seems, then, that all this is in the power of
fire and that it is in the nature of the powder to enhance the
power of th~ fire; it is thanks to the fire that it shoots irre-
sistibly and o;:'er such great distances.
Murad, then, the son of Mehmed, made trial of the walls '7
with his cannons and other engines, assaulting the walls for
many days and at many places in an attempt to capture
them. The Greeks repulsed him by throwing the sultan's
janissaries down from their ladders, and they cut off the
heads of some and took them away.20 As he was making no
progress toward capturing the city, Murad grew angry and
despondent, for he had thought that he would take the city.
 THE HISTORIES
ath<!J t1t£K'1pU1W\OnO 1:£ ot "EAA'1V£<;' Ct.AX ouS' &'J<; ~9£A£V
aU1:oT<; (Y1ttvS£cr9at. M£1:' ou 1tOAACt.<; Sf ~fltpa<; Ct.1t£XWp£'
t1t' O'(KOU, Kal 1:a O"1:pa1:£ufla1:a aU1:<!J S'fjK£V. Ot fli:v ouv
"EAA'1V£<; 1tpecr~£,<; 1:£ E1tEft1tOV 1tapa AfiouPCt.1:1']v Kal
eSeono' 0 Si: Ct.1t£1tEfl1t£1:0 Kal ou 1tpocrl£1:o ~v Ct.;lwcr,v.
I8 M£1:a Si: 1:aii1:a, w<; 1t£'pwflevo,<; 1:oT<; "EAA'1cr, 1:WV O"1tOV-
Swv ouSi:v 1tpO£XWp£', 1:pt1tonat e1tl1:ov MouO"1:a<p<lv 1:0V
M£Xfle1:£W 1taLSa. "E1:uX£ Si: S,a1:pl~wv 1tapa 1:<!J KapaflCt.v<!,
1:~V Slat1:av 1tO'OUfI£vo<;. rrpecr~£,<; Si: 1teflvan£<; fI£1:£1ttfl-
1tOV1:0 e1tt Bu~Ct.nLOv 1:0V 1taTSa, y£yovo1:a Ct.fI<pl1:a 1:P'cr-
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AOyoU<; 1tapa 1:ou<; ToupKou<;, fI£yCt.Aa 1:£ umD"XV0ufI£vo<;,
Kal fI£1:'WV EKa0"1:0V e1t'1yyeAAno Sl1tAacrlw 1tCt.V1:WV, WV
eTX£v U1tO AfiouPCt.1:£w. Kal '1U1:0floA'1crav flEV 1:'V£<; ToiipKo,
1tapa 1:0V 1taTSa, ou 1tOAAOI Se. '0 fleno, 1taT<; ~V Acrlav
S,a~Ct.<;, cruv£1t'Aa~oflEvoU Kal1:oii 'EAA~VWV ~acr'Aew<;, 1:0
1:£ 1£pov KaAoufI£vov t;£1tOA,OPK'1cr£. Kal1tpocr£Aauvov1:'
aU1:<!J S,a 1:fj<; Acrla<; 1tpocr£xwpouv 1:£ ol1:fj<; Acrla<; ToiipKo,
,h£ ~aO"LAtw<; 1tatSl OV1:L.
'9 'Enaii9a AA,Ct.~'1<; 0 otvoxoo<; e1tIKA'1v, 1:oii1:oV 1:0V
1taTSa e1t'1:£1:paflfltvo<; U1tO M£XflE-r£W, O"UV1:!9£1:at 1tpO-
Socrlav 1:<!J Afioupa1:fJ, 15cr1:£ Ka1:a1tpoSoiiva, aU1:<!J 1:0 1ta,-
Slov. Kat w<; O"Uve9no aU1:<!J, E1tpacrcr£v, 150"1:£ 1:0V 1taTSa
aU1:<!J 1tapaSol'1, S'£~flatVe 1:£ 1ttfl1tWV {z.I3} ayy£Aov,
01t0' S,a1:pl~wv 1:UYXCt.VOL <> 1taT<;. :0<; fli:v ouv t<; NIKatav
"<pIK£1:o 0 1taL<;, ~v 1:£ NIKatav U1t'1Y"Y£1:0, Kat tnaii9a
S,a1:pl~wv <> 1taT<; fI£1:tl£' 1:ou<; Ka1:a ~v Acrlav Ct.pIO"1:ou<;.
Kal w<; ~S'1 X£'flwV ~v, S'£KWAU£1:0 t<; 1:0 1tp6crw 1:fj<; Acrla<;
BOOK 5
The Greeks sent envoys to him while he was there, but he
did not want to make terms with them. A few days later
he departed for home and dismissed his army.21 The Greeks
sent envoys to Murad and pleaded with him, but he sent
them back and would not grant their request.
After that, as the Greeks had made no progress in their I8
attempts to secure a treaty. they turned to Mustafa, the son
of Mehmed. He happened to be with Karaman and was
maintained by him. 22 The Greeks sent envoys to summon
the boy to Byzantion; he \\TilS about thirteen years old. When
the boy arrived at Byzantion, he sent word to the Turks,
making grand promises, and he sent to each man and an-
nounced that he would get double what he was receiving
from Murad. Some Turks did defect to the boy's side, but
not many. Meanwhile, the boy crossed over into Asia ac-
companied by the king of the Greeks and took the place
called Hieron by siege. The Turks of Asia went over to him
as he advanced through Asia, as he was the son of a sultan.
At this point, llyas, who was called the Wine Pourer and '9
had been entrusted with this boy by Mehmed, made a
treacherous agreement to betray the boy to Murad. He did
what he promised to do, namely surrender the boy to him
by sending a messenger who would signal to him where the
boy happened to be at any time. When the boy reached
Nikaia, subjected it, and took up residence there, he made
advances to the leading men in Asia. As it was winter,'] he
was prevented from going deeper into Asia. Murad now
 THE HISTORIES
i€vat. 'Ev-railea 1tVeOflEVO<; Aflovpa'tl]<; 1tapa A)\la~EW 'toil
O'apa1t'tapl] TIjv 'tE bla'tpl~~V 'toil 1tatbO<; tv 'tft 1tOAEl,
Aa~wv afl'I'l 'tou<; e;aKl<r;(lA(OV<; 'tWV evpWV, W<; dXE'taxov<;,
aq>lKOflEVO<; E1tl 'tOY 'EAA~O'1tOV'tov Kal bla~a<; ~AavVEV
EUeU Blevv(a<;. 'E1tl1tEO'WV be Ilcpvw e<; TIjv 1tOAlV O'VA-
Aafl~avEl 'tE 'tOY 1talba au'toil 'tau't!], 1tapablbov'tO<; au'tcji
'toil AAla~Ew. '0 flEV yap 1tal<;, IhE 'toil'to 1tVeOflEVO<;, Ka't-
Eq>VyEV t1t' au'tov, w<; e1tl O'w'tl]p(av O'q>(O'l 'tpa1twV'tat' " bE
KEAEUWV fI~ bEbolKeVat 'tOY 1talba, e1tEflEVE 'tOY abEAq>ov
'toil 1tatbO<;, Kal EAeOV'tl e<; 'ta ~aO'L\.Ela 'tij<; 1tOAEW<; tv-
EXdplO'E 'tOY 1talba au'tcji. Toil'tov flEV'tOl " Aflovpa'tl]<;
Aa~wv ayxovn aVElAEV, iJ VOfl(~E'tal1tap' au'tol<;.
20 AeyE'tal bE Td;E't(VI]V aVbpa yevov<; 'too ~aO'lAdov 'toil
'Ep't~lyyaVI]<; ~aO'lAEw<;, aq>lKoflEVOV 'tcji 1talbl O'tlflflaxov,
w<; t7tt\eE'tO 'tou<; 1tOAEfI(ov<; t1tl TIjv 1tOAlV aq>lxeat, tM-
O'av'ta t<; flEO'OV<; 'tou<; 1tOAEfI(ov<; 'tOV 'tE MlXaA(I]V 'tOY 'tij<;
Eupw1tl]<; O"tpa'tl]yov Kal 1tpv'tavEa aVEAElV, 1tOAEfllOV
atJ'tcji ov'ta, Kal O'Vxvou<; aAAov<; aVEAov'ta Kal au'tov 'tE-
AEV'twV'ta a1t09avElv. T6'tE flEV b~ "EAAI]VE<; ou'tw e1tE-
1tpayElO'av, eAoflEvol a!pEO'lv evav't(av 'tcji Aflovpa't!].
2I T~v flEV'tOl ElEpfll]v 'tij<; MaKEbov(a<; a1tEbov'to 'EVE-
'tol<;, abuva'ta ElVat vOfl(~OV'tE<; O'q>(O'l 1tapabOOVat {2,I4]
TIjv 1tCAtV e<; 'tOY 1tEplov'ta 't'O'tE Aflovpa'tl]v. 2 Aflovpa'tl]<;
flEv b~ E1tl ElEPfll]v flE'ta 'tao'ta to"tpa'tEuE'to, Kal t1tO-
AlOpKEl TIjv 1tCAlV 1tpOO'EXWV ev'tE'taflEvw<;, Kal1tpoO'fjyE 'tcji
'tdXEl flI]xava<;. Kal OUbEV 1tpOUXWPEl au'tcji ~ 'tij<; 1tOAEW<;
a!pEO'l<;. 'Ev'ta09a, w<; AEYE'tal, O'VV't(9E'tat 'tol<; tv 'tft 1tOAEl
1tpOboO'[av' <ii, A€YE'tal, U1t0PUO'O'OV'tE<; a1to 'tWV O[KlWV
BOOK 5
learned from ilyas the Joroptoi24 that the boy was resident in
the city. He took about six thousand men of the Porte, came
to the Hellespont as fast as he could, crossed it, and marched
straight into Bithynia. He attacked the city suddenly and
captured the boy there, when ilyas surrendered Mustafa to
him. For the boy, when he learned what was happening, had
turned to him for protection so that they could both be
saved. He urged the boy not to fear, and awaited the arrival
of the boy's brother. When Murad entered the city's palace,
ilyas handed the boy over to him. Murad took him and had
him killed by strangulation, as is their custom. 2S
It is said that TiljettinogIu,26 a man of the royal family of 20
the king ofErzinjan, came to the boy as an ally, and when he
learned that the enemy had come to the city, he charged into
the midst of the enemy and killed Michalies, the general of
Europe and vizier, who was his enemy.27 He killed manyoth-
ers too before he himself was finally killed. That, then, was
how the Greeks fared when they chose to oppose Murad.
The Greeks sold Thessalonike, in Macedonia, to the Ve- 2I
netians,28 believing that it would be impossible for them to
surrender the city to Murad, who was then encircling them.
After that Murad marched against Thessalonike and vigor-
ously besieged it, bringing engines against the walls. But he
made no progress toward capturing the city. There, it is said,
he formed a plot with those inside the city to have it be-
trayed to him. According to what is said, they dug tunnels

THE HISTORIES
OpvYflCl'ra eK'tO<; cpepov'ta Kal EaAWeraV uno Oueve'twv, ii
Aeye'taL. Kal ot opvererov-re<; cmeopaerav e<; 'to 'tou Aflou-
pa'tew cr'tpa'toneoov, Ka'ta~av'te<; ano 'tou 'teLXOU<;. "Y cr'te-
pov flev'tOL ano 'tfj<; iiKpa<; W<; npoere~aAev, elAe 'te Ka'ta
Kpa'tO<; TI]v nOALv Kal ~vopanoo[era'to.
22 Toil<; fI£V'tOL ve~Auoa<; nuv8avofiaL ava~av'ta<; e<; 'to
'telX0<; EAelV 'te 't~v nOALv, Kal emernoflevwv 'twv iiAAWV
aAwva[ 'te 't~v nOALv Kat ent avopanooLerfl'" npo<; 'tou ~a­
erLAew<; yeveer8aL. AvopanooLerafievov flev'tOL TI]v nOALv
'tau'tYJv ouO£va H;eAeer8aL 'tou avopanooLerfiou tnu8ofle8a
AfLoupa'tYJv, wcr'te Aoy[~eer8aL ~fLi'i<; lxeLv, OLa 't~v npo-
Ooer[av e;eLAe'to au'tov<;. 'Eyeve'to flEV oilv ail1:YJ fLey[cr'tYJ o~
'tOt<; "EAAYJcrL Kat ouOefLLi'i<; 'twv npoer8ev yevofLevwv au'tot<;
CYUflcpopwV AemofLEvYJ. 0, -re iivope<; 't~<; nOAew<; ava 't~v
Aer[av 'te Kat EvpwnYJv, aiXfLaAw'tOL yevofievoL, nepL~yov'tO
avSpanoSLer8ev'te<;. 'H flEV'tOL Oueve'twv cpuAaK~ tv 'tfi
nOAeL oilera, w<; ijer8e'to ClAWVaL ~SYJ 't~v nOALv, wPflYJ'to cpu-
yelV enl 't~v 8aAanav Kal ent 'ta<; vau<;, Kal tfl~av'te<; et<;
'tavTa<;, aeraL ercp[erL napoueraL e-rVyxavov, c;JXOVTO anonAeov-
Te<;. 'H fLf.V S~ nOAL<; ailTYJ 'EAA']vl<; fleyaA,] Te oilera Kal
euSa[fLwv eaAw uno AfLoupaTew. T~v fLeV'tOL nOALv ene-
Tpene TOt<; aUTOu 'tau't'!] 'twv nepLO[Kwv tvoLK~eraL. [2.15}
2) AUTO<; Sf. o'lKaSe enavLwv i'nefLye TOV 'tfj<; Evpw1r']<;
cr'tpaT']yov KapaT~[a'V, tnl 'IwavvLva nOALv T~<; Ai'twA[a<;,
'to 'tfj<; Eupwn']<; cr'tpa-reufLa aUT", napaSov<;. '0 Sf. w<;
acp[K£'to enl T~V AiTwA[av, 'tfjv 't£ xwpav eneSpafLe, Kal
eA']teraTo, aera i'cp8'] Ka'taAa~elV iicpvw, fLeTa Sf. TauTa
eMera<; enOALOpKEL TI]v nOALV. KapouAo<; flevTOL 6 ~yefLwv
39 0
BOOK 5
leading outside from within their houses but were captured
by the Venetians; so it is said. The sappers escaped to Mu-
rad's camp, climbing down from the walls. But then he at-
tacked from the direction of the citadel, took the city by
force, and enslaved it. 29
I have learned that the janissaries took the city after they 22
scaled the walls, whereupon the others followed them and
the city fen and was enslaved by the sultan. We have learned
that when Murad was enslaving this city he spared no one
from that fate, so that we may conclude that he displaced
them on account of the betrayal. This was the biggest ca-
lamity suffered by the Greeks, second to none that had
happened before. The men of the city were led as captives
throughout Asia and Europe, and sold into slavery. As for
the garrison of Venetians in the city, when they realized that
the city was lost, they rushed to the sea to flee upon their
ships; embarking upon as many as they had available, they
sailed away. Thus this great and prosperous Greek city was
taken by Murad. He allowed his men who lived in its vicinity
to settle in the city.
Murad himself returned home and sent Karaja, the gen- 2)
eral of Europe, against Ioannina, a city ofAitolia, giving him
the army of Europe. JO When he arrived in Aitolia, he raided
the land and plundered as much of it as he was able to take
by surprise; after that, he advanced and besieged the city.
39 1
 THE HISTORIES
'rij, re6AEW, ~St] i:'tEAEirC'lO'E' Kal treElS~ real, au't<!' tK'rij,
YUVatKo, au'tou 'rij, 'PalvEploU euya'tpo, OUK tytVE'tO,
V6eOl St tytVOV'to reaISE" 6 'tE MtfLvwV Kat Tupvo, Kat
'EpKOUALO, ot repEO'~u'tEpOl, Sl£VElfLE 'tOU'tOl, fLtv ~V tno,
mv 1\XEA<iJou xwpav 1\Kapvavla, trelv£fLEO'eal, 'tOY Se
itSEA<plSOUV au'tov, 'tOY AwvapSou reaISa, Ka'tEAl1tE SlaSo-
Xov ;ufLreaO'!,], ~S'l 'rij, itpX~' au'tov, Kai TIJv 'tE 1\p'tt]v 'rij,
1\fLrepaKla, fLt]'tporeoAlV Kat Al'twA(av 'tE Kat ~V reoAlV
Ka'tEAl1tE KapouA'" 't<!' itSEA<plS<!'. Ot flEnol VOeOl reaISE,
au't<!' OUK £1, fLaKpitv SlEVEXeEnE, it<plKOV'tO tret 'tit, ~a­
O'lAEW, 9Upa,. MEfLVWV S' au it<plKOflEVO" w, tSOKEl 'tE 'tWV
IIAAWV O'UVEO'El 'tE Kai it;lWO'ElrepOEXElV, ou'tO, St it<plKOfLE-
YO, reapa 'tOY ~a<rlAEa repOUKaAEl'tO 'tE Kat ~;lOU tret ~V
xwpav O'<pa, ~V rea'tp<iJav Ka'taYElV, "'lO S~ EAaO'a, aUv 't<!'
'rij, Eupw1tt], O''tpa'tEufLa'tl d<TJlEl,
24 '0 Se 'rij, Eupwret], O''tpa'tlJyo, ~V 'tWV 'Iwavv(vwv
reoAlV treoAlopKEl, Kat XPOVOV EvSla'tpl~WV 'tfi reOALOpKl""
W, ouStv itV(El reOALOpKWV, OpWV'tE, 01 'rij, reOAEW, Kat 6
'rij, xwpa, ~YEfLwv, EV'tO, areElAt]flfLEvO, KatreOALOpKoufLE-
YO"~ repouKaAEho 'tOY <T'tpa't'lYov tret ;ufI~aO'lv, Kai al'tEl'to
au'tov 80e~vat au't<!' TIJv 'tE IIAAt]v xwpav [2.16} 'rij, 1\Kap-
vaVla, Kat 'rij, 'Hre£1pou reapit ~aO'lAEW" Kat <T1tovSit,
au't<!' Eret 'tou't", YEVEO'eat, Kat oil'tw reapaSlSoval 't~v
reoAlv. Toumu S~ YEvofLEvOU TIJv 'tE reoAlv reapEAa~E 'to 'tov
~aO'lAEw, <T'tpa'tEufLa, Kat au't<!' O'UVEXWPEl ~v 1\Kap-
vavlav Kal 't~v IlAAt]V "HreElpov ErelVEfLEO'eat, <popov
areayov'ta 't<!' ~aO'lAEl 'tov tVlau'tov, Kat au'tov <pol'tWV'ta
t, 'tit, ~aO'lAEW, eupa,.
39 2
BOOK 5
Carlo, the ruler of the city, had already died.JI As he had no
son by his wife, the daughter of Nerio, but had illegitimate
sons of whom the eldest were Memnon, Torno, and Ercole,
he had divided up the land of Akarnania that is within the
Acheloiis and distributed it to them. But he left his nephew,
the son of Leonardo, as heir to the principality as a whole.
Arta, then, the capital of Ambrakia, Aitolia, and the city of
Ioannina he had left to his nephew Carlo [II}.'2 But shortly
afterward his illegitimate sons fell out with his nephew and
went to the sultan's Porte. Memnon also went, who seemed
to surpass the others in intelligence and had the stronger
claim, and when he arrived before the sultan he appealed
to him and requested that he restore them to their native
land. That is why he marched and invaded with the army of
Europe.
The general of Europe besieged the city of Ioannina and 24
spent some time pressing the siege, without letting up at all
in his efforts, The people of the city and its ruler [Carlo II},
who were besieged inside and cut off, saw this and they ap-
pealed to the general for an agreement. The ruler asked to
be given the rest of Akarnania and Epeiros by the sultan,
and on that basis he would make a treaty with him and thus
surrender the city. This was granted and so the sultan's army
took possession of the city, while he [Carlo II} was granted
Akarnania and the rest of Epeiros to rule, paying an annual
tribute to the sultan and personally attending the sultan's
Porte. JJ
393
 THE HISTORIES
'5 "Y <ITEPOV SE a<pLKOflEVOL ot 'TOO KapoUAou ~YEflOVO~
rcaISE~, 0 'TE 'EpK01)ALO~ Kat MEflVWV, Kat OUK oAiya Ka'Ta-
"X0V1'£~ 'T~~ xwpa~ ercayofltvwv 'TWV ercotKwv au'Too~,
rcpaYfla'Ta 'TE rcapclxov 'T41 aVE'itL41 aiJ'Twv, Kat ~yOV Kat
"<pEpOV ~V xwpav Kat ercoAEflouv. '0 fltV'TOL KapouAo~ Kat
arco 'TWV 9upwv 'TOO ~a(nAeW~ <ITpa'TWfla ercay6f1EVo~ erct
'TOO'TOU~ Kat arco 'haAla~, w~ OOSEV ~VUEV, E(mtvSE'TO 'TE
aU'Toi~ Kat ka9u<plE'To ~~ xwpa~, ~~ ~PXOV, e<p' 4J flI]K£'TL
aU'T41 'TO;; Aomo;; rcaptXELV rcpaYfla'Ta. Al'TWAia flEV SYj
oihw EytVE'TO imo ~a(nAcl Afloupa'tfl.
,6 ME'Ta SI; 'Ta;;'Ta w~ "EAAI]VE~ lov1'£~ E~ 'Ta~ 90pa~ y);iouv
O'<piJ[ O'1tEVSE0'9m, ElpY)VI]V fI£V'TOL ErcoLy)O'aV'TO, E<p' 4J
1'£ TO'eflOV Ka9EAElV Kat flI]SEV hL VEW'TEpi~ELV 'TO;; Aomo;;.
Tov fI£V'TOL ToupaxavI]v Erct I1EAorcOVVI]O'ov rctfl'ita~ 'tfjv 1'£
OUEVE'TWV xwpav ESnOU, Kat 'TOV 'I0'9f1ov Ka9EiAE Kat
rcOAiO'fla'Ta ana i;AWV 'TWV OUEVE'TWV y)vSparcoSIO'a'To.
'Ena;;9a flEV oov E;LonL arco I1EAorcoVVy)O'ou O'UVEAe-
yono o[ ~~ I1EAOrcoVVy)O'ou hl~avotrcEpt ~v flEO'oyaLOv,
Ll.a~il]v KaAouflEVI]v xwpav, Kat O'<pIO'L <ITpa'TI]yov eO''Ty)-
O'ano, Kat arcOO''TaO'LV E~oUAEoono arco 'EAAYjVWV, w~ 'TO
ToupaxavEw O''Tpa'TWfla SLa<p9ElpwO'L. ToupaxaVI]~ fI£V'TOL
w~ erct\eE'TO 'TOU~ hl~avou~ Erc' au'TOV OflOcrE lov'Ta~ w~ SLC<
flaXl]~, w~ OUK ~SOva'To [2.17} SLa<puyclv, rcapE'Ta;a'TO 'TE El~
flaX'lv, Kat oi hl~avot O'uV'Ta;aflEVoL Kat aU'Tot ErciJEO'av,
Kat E~ XElpa~ EA96nE~ OUSE eS£;ano 'ToiJ~ TOOpKOU~, aAI(
E'TparcoV'To e~ <pu~V. 'Ev'Ta;;9a ErcE;EA9wv 0 ToupaxavI]~
EmSLwKWV rcoAAOO~ 'TE aVEiAEv EV -rfi SLW;EL, Kat oi\~
394
BOOK 5
Then Ercole and Memnon, the sons of the ruler Carlo [I}, '5
arrived and took over much of the land at the instigation of
the local inhabitants. They caused great difficulties to their
cousin, troubled the land far and wide, and made war. Carlo
[II} led an army against them from the sultan's Porte and
from Italy, but he accomplished nothing, so he made a treaty
with them and ceded the land that they already held on the
condition that they no longer cause him any trouble. Thus
did Aitolia come under the power of Sultan Murad.
After that the Greeks came to the Porte and requested ,6
that he make a treaty with them, and they did conclude a
peace on condition that they dismantle the Isthmos forti-
fication and never again rebel against him. He dispatched
'TOV
Turahan to the Peloponnese to plunder Venetian territory,
and he dismantled the Isthmos fortifications and captured
some towns of the Venetians, enslaving them. 34 Whereupon,
as he was departing from the Peloponnese, the Albanians
of the Peloponnese assembled in the interior, at a place
called Davia, appointed a general of their own, and decided
to break with the Greeks and destroy the army ofTurahan.
When Turahan learned that the Albanians were coming to-
gether against him to do battle, he also deployed for battle,
seeing as he was unable to escape. The Albanians also
deployed and attacked, and when they came to blows they
did not withstand the Turks, but turned to flee. Turahan
then advanced in pursuit, killing many in the pursuit. He
395
 THE HISTORIES
£~wypl1<Yev aflcpl TOVe; OKTaKO<YlOVe;, alhou ibranae; Slexp~­
<YaTO, Kal Tale; KecpaAale; allT<"v 1tVpYla £1tOlKoSofll1<Yafle-
voe; a1tnel e~eAauvwv. TOUT'!' flEV ovv TavSpl ~<YTl Kal !tAAa
a1tOSeSelw£va ~pya £e; acp~Yl1<YlV OOK axpela, Sl' it S~
eOSoKlflWV 1tapa ~a<YlAel £1tl ~v TOU Bpeve~ew xwpav
£xwpel. Kal e1t1 Ll.aK(av 001tOAA", v<YTepov 1teflcpeele; U1tO
AflovpaTew T~V Te xwpav £Snw<Ye, Kal <YTpaTov aOTou
<YvAAeXeEvTa 00 <YfllKpOV tTpetaTo, Kal vlKl1v aVeLAeTO
1teplcpavfj avSpa1toSa Te Kal AeLaV 1tOAA~V.
27 TOle; flEv OllV "'EAAl1<Yl eafla 10u<Ylv e1tl Tae; eupae; aUTOU,
Kal !tvSpae; TOVe; 1tapa <Ycpl<Yl 1tPWTEUOVTae; !tAAOVe; Te S~
Kal NOTapCiv TOV AOVKCiv OA~lOV £1tl1tEfltam, <Y1tovSae;
£1tOl~<YaTo. '0 flEV OllV 'EAA~VWV ~a<YlAeUe;, we; elP~Vl1
£YEveTo, E1tAel e1t1 IleAo1tOVVl1 <Yov, fleTa1tefl1toflevov TOU
aSeAcpou EleoSwpov TOU L1tapTl]e; ~yeflovoe;, De;, we; Kal
1tpOTepOv AE~eWe;, Sla TO 1tpOe; T~V yvvalKa aUTou ~v a1to
'haA(ae; "xeoe; aUT", yevoflevov wPfll1TO £1tl ~v Na~l1-
pa[wv "Val SlalTav. ne; fI£VTOl £e; IleAo1toVvl1<Yov acplKeTo
" Bv~avTlov ~a<YlAeUe;, TOV Te aSeAcpov aOTou Kwv-
<YTavnvov £1tayoflevoe; we; SlaSe~6f1evov ~v ap~v, fleT-
eflEAl1<YE Te [2.r8} aUT[Ka Kal OUK Ecpa<YKev IEval ETl, fI~
£1tlTpe1tOnWv TWV Tfje; xwpae; apl<YTwv. Ll.ll1AAaYl] flEVTOl
Kal 'tfi yvvalKl fleTa TauTa, Kal £~(ov ~SEWe; <Yvvwv ao'tfi
TOU AomoU.
28 '0 flenOl 'EAA~VWV ~a<YlAeVe; 1tp6e; Te TOV Tfje; 'H1telpOV
~yeflova TOV KapovAOV 1tOAeflOV £~~veYKe, Kal KAapev-
Tlav Tfje; "'ffilSOe; fll1TP01tOAlV £1tOAlOpKel. MET' 00 1tOAVV
SE Xpovov, we; ooStv aOT", 1tpOeXWpel 1tOAlOPKOUVTl,
BOOK 5
captured about eight hundred alive, all of whom he killed on
the spot. 35 He erected towers with their heads and then de-
parted. There are other deeds carried out by this man that
are worth relating, through which he came to be esteemed
by the sultan and advanced to the status of Evrenos. J6
Shortly afterward he was dispatched by Murad against Wal-
lachia and plundered the land. He routed a large army that
was assembled there and gained a glorious victory along
with many slaves and much loot."
So Murad made a treaty with the Greeks, who were com- 27
ing often to his Porte and sending their leading men, includ-
ing the wealthy Loukas Notaras. 3B As for the king of the
Greeks [Ioannes VIII}, when the peace had been estab-
lished, he sailed to the Peloponnese when he was summoned
by his brother Theodoros [II}, ruler of Mistra. As I men-
tioned earlier, he had decided to assume the monastic habit
out of hatred for his Italian wife. J9 When the king of Byz-
antion arrived in the Peloponnese, he brought his brother
Konstantinos to succeed as ruler there,40 but then Theodo-
ros suddenly changed his mind and said he would not do it,
as the leading men of the land would not permit it. After
that he was reconciled to his wife as well, and he lived with
her happily ever after.
The king of the Greeks then made war against Carlo [I}, 28
the ruler of Epeiros, and besieged Glarentsa, the capital
of Elis. Shortly afterward, as he was making no progress
in the siege, he married the ruler's niece, the daughter of
397
 THE HISTORIES
~PflocraTo ~v aSEA'l"SOUV ~yEflovoC;, AEOVapSOU Sf. 9u-
yaTepa, e:rri T@ aSEA'j>@ KWVcrTan[v'!', WcrTE Kat ~ :rrOAl<;
aUTI] ESo91] aUT@ eC; 'j>EPV~V. Kat ~acrlAEiJc; 'EAA~VWV E:rrO-
AlOpKEl I1aTpaC; Tijc; AxaTaC;, flETa Sf. TaUTa KaTaAmwv TOV
aSEA'j>ov aUTou KwvcrTanTvov (!lxETO a:rro:rrAewv E:rrt Bu-
~avT[ou. T@ flenol aSEA'j>@ aUTou KwvcrTavT[v'!' WC; Ta
:rrEpt T~V :rrOAlV :rrpOcrEXWPl]crE Kat :rrOALOpKWV OUK aV[Et ~V
:rrOAlV, cruvT[9Enal ot Tijc; :rrOAEWC; iiVSpEC; :rrpoSocr[av aUT@,
Kat E:rrayoflEVOl ~V :rrOAlV :rrapES[Socrav, a:rronoc; TOU apx'-
EPEWC; auTijc; EV '!-raA["" iScrov SlaTp[~onoc; XPOVOV, E:rrl-
Koup[aC; SEOflEVOV :rrapa TOU 'Pwfla[wv apX'Epewc;,
29 TauTI]v fltv ouv T~V :rrOAlV AxaTaC; ot a:rra '!-raA[ac; I1E-
AO:rrovv~crou ~yEfloVEC;, TOU ZaxaplWv O'{KOU, St'iOVTEC;, (,
fltv iipxwv TE Kat ~YEflwv KaTEAd'j>91] T* xwpac;, T@ Sf.
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fl enol :rro)UC; :rrapEA90ucra EC; TOV 'Pwfla[wv apX'Epea EAafl-
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e:rrE:rrofl'j>El ToTC; EV Tfi :rrOAEt apX'Epea. TaUTI]V flf.V oily ~V
:rrOAlV e:rrd TE :rraptAa~E KwvcrTavTTvoC;, ~v TE aKpo:rrOAlV
e:rrOAlopKEl e:rr' eVlaUTOV' flETa Sf. TaUTa :rrpOcrEXWPl]crEV
aUT@. T~v fltvTOl "IDlSOC; flI]TpO:rrOAlV ElAov at TOU apx'-
Epewc; TPl~PEtC;. 'E:rrd TE yap E:rri>9ETO ~V :rrOAlV Tijc; AxaTac;
aAWVal u:rro 'EAA~VWV, e:rrEfltE SeKa, d SUValVTO ~V :rrOAlV
aUT@ :rrapa~cracr9al. AilTal flf.V oily E:rrt AxaTav oUKe"
a'j>[Kono, e:rrl Sf. ~V KAapEVT[av a'j>lKOflEVal a:rrOVTOC;
aUTfi TOU iiPXOVTOC;, Kai 'j>pOupaC; OUK evou"!]C; ev Tfi :rrOAEl,
BOOK 5
Leonardo, to his brother Konstantinos, so that this city was
given to him as a dowry4! The king of the Greeks also be-
gan the siege of Patras, in Achala, and after that he left his
brother Konstantinos there and sailed away to Byzantion.
When the areas around the city joined his brother Konstan-
tinos and he would not let up in his siege of the city itself,
the men of the city entered into discussions with him to be-
tray the city to him and, inviting him in, they surrendered
it to him while their bishop was away in Italy, spending
time there while he sought help from the pontiff of the Ro-
mans. 42
The Italian rulers of the Peloponnese, from the house of 29
Zaccaria, had passed through this city of Achala, and one
stayed behind as lord and ruler of the land while the other
visited the pontiff of the Romans, who entrusted the city
to him to supervise as its bishop.43 So the city had passed to
the pontiff of the Romans and received from him its own
bishop, whomever he sent to them to supervise the city:44 At
that time he had sent as bishop to the citizens a member of
the Malatesta family.45 When Konstantinos took over this
city, he continued to besiege the acropolis for one year. Af-
ter that, it surrendered to him. But the triremes of the pon-
tiff took the capital of Elis. For when he learned that the
city of Achrua {Patras} had been taken by Greeks, he sent
ten of them in the hope that they would take the city back
for him. But they did not go to Achala, for when they
reached Glarentsa, the ruler was absent and there was no
399
 THE HISTORIES
eirrEAeOVTES AaeN T~V nOAlV KaTErrxov Kat ~vSpanoSl­
rraVTO. "YrrTEpov St anoS,SoflEVO, TauTtjv T<ll ~arrlAtws
aSEA'l'<ll nEvTaK'''X'AlWV xpvrrlVWV anEnAEvrrav Ent 'ITa-
Alas·
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YEvoflEVal. 'OAl~epLOS yap S~ ano 'ITaAlas <lPflwflEVOS,
EXOVTOS TaUTl]V TOU Tijs Axatas ~YEflOVOS, EnElrrEAeWV TE
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flEVTOl OUTOS anoSoflEVOS T<ll Tijs 'Hnetpov ~yEfloVl <iixeTO
ES 'ITaAlav. Kat TOTE fltv S~ aAourrav uno TWV apX'Epews
TpltjpWV auS,s E;wvtjrraflEvos aneAa~E. D.lE'l'EpOV fltv ouv
Katnpos TOV Tijs AxaTas ~YEflova 'ITaAlKov, KEVT'lplwva,
01 "EAAtjVES TOV nOAEflov Ent rrvxvov Tlva Xpovov' flETa St
TaUTa Emyafllav nOltjrraflEvol Ent T<ll ~arrlMws natSt T<ll
VEWTEP'l' Elwflij, apflorraflEvol T~V SvyaTEpa TOU ~yEflovos,
Kat Tijv TE xwpav ES 'l'EPV~V aUTou EnESwKav Tijs ME~VtjS
TE [2.2oJ Kal 'ISwfltjS, nA~v TijS napaAlov ApKaSlas,
rrnovSas TE enolijrraVTO. Kal TauTtjV fltv ouv, Enet TE hE-
AEuTl]rrE, napEAa~E ElwfliiS " TOU ~arrlAtws aSEA'l'OS, Kat
Tijv TE yvvaTKa TOU KEvTtjplwvos eIXEV EV 'l'vAaKft, ES ~v
S~ Kat hEAElhtjrrE. Oihw fltv ouv ~ ITEAonovvtjrros emo
'ITaAwv ES TOUS "EAAtjvas nEp'ijASEv. "EAAtjrrl flEV ouv oihw
nporrE'l'EpE Ta npaYflaTa, unayoflEvOlS rr<p(rrl T~V ITEAo-
novvtjrrov.
)I AflovpaTtjS St <I MEXflETEW ErrTpaTEuETo Ent Tijv Tpl-
~aAAwv xwpav. KatnpoTEpov flEV, Enet TE e;ijvEYKE noAE-
flov, rr-rpaTEuflaTa Enl1J:EflvaS EStjOV Tijv xwpav. Kat TOTE
400
BOOK 5
garrison in the city, so they entered that city by stealth, cap-
tured it, and enslaved it. Later they sold it to the brother of
the king [Thomas?J for five thousand gold coins, and sailed
back to Italy.46
The city [PatrasJ had previously experienced other vicis- )0
situdes of fortune as well. For Oliverio had set out from It-
aly when the city was being held by the ruler of Achala, and
he attacked it suddenly, took it, and enslaved it. He took the
ruler's daughter as his wife. He then sold it to the ruler of
Epeiros [Carlo I] and departed for Italy.47When it was taken
by the pontiff's triremes, he4' bought it and took it back
again. Thus the Greeks were at war with the Italian ruler of
Achala, Centurione, for a long time. Mter that they made a
marriage alliance: Thomas, the king's younger son, married
his daughter and received as dowry the territories of Mesene
and Ithome, except for coastal Kyparissia; and so they made
a treaty. And when he [CenturioneJ died, this land too was
received by Thomas, the king's brother, who kept Centuri-
one's wife in prison, where she died. 49 Thus the Peloponnese
passed from the hands of the Italians into those of the
Greeks. And this was the situation for the Greeks, who had
now subjected the Peloponnese to themselves.
Murad, the son of Mehmed, now marched against the )I
land of the Serbs. He. had brought war to them earlier, when
he sent armies to plunder their land. 50 At this time, then,
4 01
 THE HISTORIES
S~ ~UY, w<; t""eE'tO 0 'tWV TpL~aAAwv ~yEflwv E1tLEVaL tn'
aim'>v ~a(nAEa, npEO'~eL<; 'tE tnEnofl<pEL, Kal ~~lou CY1tovSa<;
nOLElO'eaL, t<p' £Ii ltv amiyELv <popov, ilv av 'ta~'1'taL aim;>
~aO'LAEu<;, KalnElO'EO'eaL, il 'tL av KEAEUOL au't<!'. 'Ev-rauea
Afloupa't'1<; ayE'taL 't~v euya'ttpa 'tou TpL~aAAwv ~yEflo­
VO<;. 'EltlnEfI'ita<; Sf. ~apa~I'1v 'tov 'twv eupwv ~yEfiova
~yC'YE'tO 'tE ~v yuvcUKa, 'tou XaALAEW avayov-ro<;, nap'
au't<!' flEya EUSOKLflouv-ro<;, Ka'ta 'ta ~aO'LAeLa au'tou.
3' Me'ta Sf. 'tau'ta ~Aauvev tnl Kapafliivov 'tOY AALO'OU P LOV,
~yeflova ~<; Kapla<;, 'ta'tE aAAa al'tLaO'aflEvo<;, Kal O'tL'tOV
aSEA<pOv au'tou 'tOY vew'tEpov EXWV nap' tau't<!' i'nefl'itEv
Enl 'tov<; "EAA'1va<;. 'EnLWv Sf. crVv O''tpa'tEufla'tL nOAA<ii 't~v
xwpav tSiJou, EKAEAOL1tO'tO<; au't~v 'tou Kapaflavou Kal'ta
aKpa [2.2I} Ka'tEXOv-ro<; 'twv optwv. 'ECY'tov Sf. au't<!' Suo
nOAEE, ~ flf.V AapavSa AEYOflEV'1, ~ Sf. 'to 'IKOVLOV, nOAL<;
fleyaA'1 'tE OliO'a'to naAaLov Kal euSalflwv, tv nKat ~aO'LAl<;
~v 'twv npo0'gev ~aO'LAEwv 'tou yEVOU<; 'tOU'tou' a'te yap
'twv 6ptwv 'tij<; xwpa<; lcrxupwv ov'twv Kal OUK eunE'twv
tnL~ijVaL, 6pflwflevoL ~v 'tau't]'] xwpav nEploLKov ~yov Kal
i'<pEpOV Kat Ka'ta ~paxU npo'iov'tE<; Ka'tEO''tpE<pOv-rO. "EO''tL
S' ~ nOAL<; au't'l euvofloufltv'1 ana 'tou navu naAaLOu.
AapavSa Sf. ~ nOAL<; 4\K'1'taL flf.V au't'1 uno 't~v unwpELav
'twv 'tau't]'] 6pEWV, Kal ou navu taAw 'tLvl 6xupwfla'tL. 'H Sf.
xwpa tltLov'to<; 'tou Afioupa'tEw unEflevt 'te Kal OliK t~EAL­
nev' ou yap S~ vOfll~naL ToupKou<; ye ilv'ta<; au'tov<;
avSpanoSI~eO'eaL, t<; 'ta aU'ta'te afla ~e'1 Kal t<; 't~v au~v
SlaL'tav KaeLO''tafltvou<;.
33 '0 flEv-rOL Kapafliivo<; 00't0<; ilflOPO<; tCY'tL 'tij ITLO'LSWV
402
BOOK 5
when the ruler of the Serbs learned that the sultan was at-
tacking him, he sent envoys asking to make a treaty and pro-
posing that he pay whatever tribute the sultan set for him,
and obey him in all matters. Thereupon Murad married the
daughter of the ruler of the Serbs. 51 After dispatching as en-
voy Saraja, the lord of the Porte, he married the woman once
Halil, who was held in high esteem by him,'2 escorted her to
his palace.
After that Murad set out against Karaman Alishur, the 3'
ruler of Karia,53 accusing him, among other things, of keep-
ing his own younger brother [Mustafa} by his side and then
sending him to the Greeks. 54 He went against him with a
large army and plundered his land, after Karaman aban-
doned it, withdrawing to the mountain heights. He had two
cities, one called Laranda and the other Ikonion, which for-
merly used to be a large and prosperous city, and the pal-
ace of the former kings of his family was there. Because the
mountains of this land are formidable and inaccessible, Mu-
rad's army invaded the surrounding territory, raided far and
wide, and, advancing by stages, conquered it. This city has
been well governed since the most ancient times. 55 As for
the city of Laranda, it is settled at the foot of the mountains
there and cannot be captured by any kind of counterfortifi-
cation. When Murad attacked them, the people of this land
stayed put and did not flee, for it would not have been ac-
cording to tradition to enslave them, given that they too
were Turks, with the same customs and way oflife.
Karaman shares borders with the land of the Pisidians 33
40 3
 THE HISTORIES
XWp<1 Kat 'tfi Tovpyo{ytEW. Ot oe I1LOloT-taL OV"tOl Kat Bap-
""KLOE<; KaAOL'f'EVOL VOf'aOE<; f'tv elo"L Ka1 YAWTIl] 'tfi Toup-
KWV oLaxpwf'EvOL, AnO""tpLKW"tEpOV oe ~LO"tEUOVo"L, -njv "tE
~vp[av A'l'i~0f'EVOL Kat TI]V IlAA'lV mp(O"LV xwpav, Kat O~
TI]V Kapaf'avov oLanoAEf'ouV"tE<; A'll~oV"taL. "APXOV"tE<; Oe
"'I' [O"LV Eq>EO""tW"tE<; Kat A'l "Lso f'EVO L"tfj <; "tE Aeta<; "to EltL~aAAOV
[2.22} f'epo<; au"to( "tE OLaAayxavovO"L, Kat "toT<; 01KOI Ent
"taT<; YVVaL;tv £ltLf'EVOVO"LV EnLOLEAOf'EVOL OLOoaO"L "to iiAKL-
f'ov f'EpO<;. Tovpyou"t'l<; oe"tfj<; <I>pvy[a<; xwpa<; EnapXEL "tE,
Ka1 En1 "Apf'Ev[av ~KEL Kat KannaOOKa<; ~ xwpa aLi"tou. To
of. Tovpyou"tEW yEVO<; OOKET VEW"tEpOV YEyovEvaL uno
"Af'OVpa-rn,3 Kat EnLKa"ta~av E<; TI]V "tau"tn "tfj<; <I>pvy[a<;
xwpav EltLKpa"t~O"a[ "tE "to anD "tOUOE "t~<; xwpa<;, Kat E<;
OEUPO o,aYEV0f'EVOV 1ipo<; "tE "toil<; naToa<; "tE Kat Kapa-
f'avov o,anoAEf'ETv. Ll.LEnoAEf''lO"E f'ev ovv "to naAaLOV Kat
npo<; "toil<; A£VKapva<; KapaYAouKEW naloa<;. To f'EV"tOL
KavovA6pov ~ nOAL<; "tfj<; Kap[a<; uno avopt "toiJvof'a [ ...}
34 Kat "t~v xwpav Ka"taO""tpEi'af'EVO<; "Af'ovpa"t'l<; 0 MEXf'E-
"tEW -njV"tE 9vya"tEpa av"tou E<YXEV E<; "t~v yVVaLKwvT"tLV, Kat
"tDV naToa av"tou Ka"tEALnEV iiPXELV"t* xwpa<;. Toil<; f'EV"tOL
~Y£f'0va<;, "tOV "tE KEpf'Lavov Ka1 i\Xo[v'lV, EAauvwv Ent
Kapaf'avov, Kat "t6v "tE ~apxav'lv "tfj<; "t£ xwpa<; E;~AaO"E,
Kat EltLWV "ta ~ao"(:\ELa av"twv ~vopanoo[O"a"to. '0 f'Ev-rOL
i\:iO[V'l<; E"tEA£U"t'lO"EV iinaL<; WV, ~apxav'l<; Oe Kat MEV-
OEO"[a<; Ent "ta<; of'6pov<; av"twv xwpa<; OLEO"WSOv-rO, cmo-
q>Vy6V"tE<; i\f'ovpa"t'lv EnLov"ta. MEvoEO"[a<; f'tV"tOL E<;
'Pooov aq>LKof'EVO<; OLt-rPL~E, f'£"ta Oe "tau"ta K'lpvK£vO"af'E-
vo<; aq>[KE"to napa ~ao"LAea, OEOf'EVO<; -ruXETv aya90u "tLVO<;
BOOK 5
and that ofTurgut. 56 The Pisidians, who are also called Bar-
sakids, are nomads and speak the language of the Turks; they
make their living through brigandage, plundering Syria and
the rest of the land there." They also attack the land of
Karaman with their raids. When the leaders placed over
them go raiding, it is they who divide up the portions from
the loot, giving the better shares to those who were assigned
to stay at home with the women. Turgut rules over the land
of Phrygia and his territory extends as far as Armenia and
the Kappadokians. The family of Turgut would appear to
be more recent than that of Murad. 58 They descended upon
this part of the land of Phrygia and have held sway over it
since that time. They have survived down to this day, fight-
ing against their children and Karaman. 59 In the past this
clan also fought against the White Sheep, the sons of Kara
Yiiliik. 60 Kandyloron, the city of Karia,61 [ ...} under a man
named [ ...}
After conquering the land, Murad, the son of Mehmed, J4
took the daughter [of Karaman} for his own harem and
placed his son in charge of the land. During his march
against Karaman, he drove the rulers out of that land, Ger-
miyan, Aydm, and Saruhan. He advanced against their royal
capitals and enslaved them.62 Now Aydm died without chil-
dren, but Saruhan and Mente§e sought refuge in neighbor-
ing lands, and so escaped from Murad's advance. Mente§e
went to Rhodes and spent some time there, but after that he
sent a herald and went to Sultan Murad, asking to receive
 THE HISTORIES
repos TOU ~a'nAEWS, Kai [2.23} ES SEUPO h, SlaTp[~WV T1)V
SareUV!]V EX£l ureo TWV SvpWV. '0 [.lEVTOl Kapa[.liivos, WS TO
TE 'lKOVLOV KaTElA~ <pEL Kai T1)v XW pav aUTOU KaTEXWV
SlETPl~EV, £reE[.lreE repEO'~ElS reap' A[.lovpuTI]V, urelO'xvou[.lE-
VoS T1)v TE SvyaTEpa Souval aUT<ji dS yvvaTKa Kai TOV
reaTSa aUTou Erel7CE[.lreElv O'VO'TpaTwo[.lEvOV Erei TaSA[.lovpu-
TEW Supas. '0 [.lEV S~ A[.lOVPUT!]S Ere£lSETo, Tas O'7CovSaS
Kai opKla reOl!]O'u[.lEVOS ureIJAavVEv Erei 'tfjs Eupwre!]s.
35 MeTa SE TaUTa xpovov Emylyvo[.lEVOV a[TlaO'u[.levoS
'IO'[.la~AI]v TOV ~lVWre!]s Kai KaO'Ta[.lwv[aS ~yE[.lova EO'Tpa-
'Teue-ro en' au-rov. OV'To<; ~EV Ol)V w<; err68e-ro en' au-rov
E7ClEVaL A[.lOVpUTI]V, repEO'~£lS i!reE[.lVE, Kai T1)v [.ltv TOU xaA-
KOU repoO'oSov ureED'XeTO areO<pEpElV TOU EVlavTou, 00'1] ltv
aUT<ji TVrxUVOl ouO'a, Kai TOV yE reaTSa umD'XvELTO E7Cl-
reE[.lreeLV Kai OUTOs ES Tas ~aO'lAEWS Supas. Tov [.lEVTOl
TOVPYOUTEW reaTSa Kai repoTEpoV i'Tl reapaYEvo[.lEVOV Erei
Tas ~aO'lAEwS Supas ErevSo[.lESa EreayayEO'SaL ~aO'lAEa, Kai
E7ClTpEreElv T1)v xwpav aUT<ji S,aS6va" fi ltv aUT<ji SOKOL!].
TauTa [.lEV aUT<ji ES T1)v AO'[av EreErepaKTo, Aa[.lrepa areoSE-
SEly[.lEva ES T1)v apmv aUT<ji. Kairepos TE TOUS Awdpvas
EreoAE[.lEl O'vxvov Tlva XPOVOV.
36 'EYEVETO SE EK TOU A[.lOVpUTEW £AWO'lS Erei Tpl~aAAWV
~yE[.lOVa Kat Erei TOV ~yE[.lOva rEWpyLOV TOV KI]SEO'-n'JV
auTOU S,' alT[av T1)vS£. ~TE<pavov yap TOV VEWTEPOV [2.24}
reaTSa i'xwv reap' eavT<ji SlaTp[~ovTa, WS [.lEVTOl Ere~AavVEv
Erelwv Erei ~reEvSEpo~OV, EV ii Ta ~aO'L\£la ~v aUTOTS. '0
[.lEVTOl ~YE[.lWV KaTaAl7Cwv TOV reaTSa aUTou roupyovpov
ErelTporeEuElv TE T~V reoAlv Kai <pvAaTIElV Ta T£lXI] , ~v
BOOK 5
some benefit from him, and to this day he is still in atten-
dance, being maintained by the Porte. 63 As for Karaman,
when Ikonion was captured and Murad was spending time
in his land, which he had occupied,64 he sent envoys to Mu-
rad, promising to give him his daughter in marriage and to
send him his son to campaign with Murad's Porte. Murad
agreed, concluded a treaty with sworn oaths, and then
marched back to Europe.
A year after that Murad leveled accusations against 35
Ismail, the ruler of Sinope and Kastamonu, and marched
against him. 65 When the latter learned that Murad was com-
ing against him, he sent envoys and promised to pay the an-
nual income from the copper, whatever it happened to be,
and he also promised to send his son to the sultan's Porte. I
have learned that the son ofTurgut66 had, even before this,
attended the sultan's Porte to win the sultan's favor, and en-
trusted him to govern that land, however he thought best.
These, then, were his deeds in Asia, and they brought glory
to his rule. He also fought against the White Sheep for a
longtime.
Murad then advanced against the ruler of the Serbs and 36
against the ruler Duran,67 his relation by marriage, for the
following reason. Stefan, the ruler's younger son, was at-
tending upon Murad as he marched against Smederevo,
where their royal court was. The ruler had left his son Grgur
to supervise the city and guard the walls, in case the enemy
 THE HISTORIES
f1riwcnv Ot 1tOAef'LOl, aUTO, E1tl ITaLO~(a<; <mn£l E1tlKOUpta<;
S£I]<Y0f'£VO<;'U1t~V yap aUTiji Kal EV Tft ITmov[q: xwpa 1'£ OU
<paul.I] Kai 1tOA£l<; 1tonai Kal aya9al, Ct<; ~AAa~aTO 'EA£asa-
po<; 1tpo<; TOV ITalovwv ~acnAea LlYl<Yf'OUVSov av-ri ~<;
M1t£AoypaSI]<; 1tOA£w<;, ~<; ES£SWK£l Tiji ~a(J"lAel ",m£ Tiji
1top9f'iji KaAw<; lxov-ro<; TOU xwp[ou. '0 f'EV ouv 1taT<; aUTou
KaTaAEA£l1tTO E1tlTP01t£UWV TI]v 1tOAlV, Kai 1tap£<rKWas£TO
w<; 1tOALOPKI]<Yof'£vo<;. n<; S£ E1tlWV o Af'oupaTI]<; E1ttSpaf't
1'£ TI]v xwpav Kai E1tOAlOPK£l T~V 1tOAlV, E1t£lpaTO f'I]Xava<;
1tav-ro[a<; 1tpo<Yaywv Tiji Te[X£l eA£Tv T~V 1tOAlV. n<; S' ouS£v
aUTiji ~VU£TO, ES£S[U£TO TI]v 1tOAlV T'lA£~OAOl<; f'£Y(<YTOl<;
S~ ToT<; el<; EKelVOV TOV Xpovov Y£VOf'tVOl<;, Kal Ta Y£ TelX']
W1tTWV OUK aV(£l. 'EvTau9a 6 TOU ~Y£f'0vo<; 1taT<; roupyou-
po<;, S£SlW<; f'~ aAiji ~ 1tOAl<; U1tO TWV T'lA£~OAWV, EStX£TO
AOyou<; 1tapa ~a(J"lAEw<; 1t£pl (J"UV9'lKWV, Kai t=tVS£TO, E<p'
4J 1tapaSl86val 1'£ TI]v 1tOAlV Tiji ~a(J"lAeT, Kai aUTov<; E<; Ta<;
aupa<; aUTiji <pOlTwvTa<; TUyxav£lv, ci>v CtV SlKaLOT aUTo<;
~arrlA£v<; a1t0'l'tp£<Y9m. OUTO<; f'EV ouv TI]v 1tOAlV 1tap-
tSWK£, Kal E<; TO mpaT01t£SOV E~£A9wv SltTPl~£ 1tapa
{Z.Z5} ~a<YlAea rrUv Tiji as£A<piji aUTOU LT£<pav",.
37 MeT' ou 1tOAVV S£ Xpovov, w<; Ew9£TO TOV 1taTtpa
aUTwv E1tay0f'£vov E1tl Af'oupaTI]v Kai TOU<; y£ 1taTSa<;
1tapa TOU 1taTpo<; Myou<; 1'£ S£X0f'EVOU<; Kai Kpu'l'a SlaK'l-
PUK£U0f'EvOU<; 1t£pi a1to<YTa<Y£w<;, Aa~wv Ctf'<pW TO, 1taTS£
E~WPU~£ TO, o<p9aAf'w EKaTtpwv. n<; f'EV ouv L1t£VSEpO~OV
Ta Tpl~aAAwv ~arro..£la 1tap£~<YaTO, Kai <ppOupav
EYKaT£Al1t£ Tft 1tOA£l [Kav~v, aUT[Ka Emwv ~Aauv£v E1tl
M1t£AoypaS'lV TI]V ITmovwv 1tOAlV. "Eml S' aUT!] ~ 1tOAl<;
BOOK 5
attacked them, while he went off to Hungary to seek aid.
For he had substantial territory in Hungary with many fine
cities, which Lazat had received from Sigismund, the king
of the Hungatians, in exchange for the city of Belgrade,
which he had given to the king because the place had a good
transit point." So his son was left there to supervise the
city and he prepared to be besieged. As Murad advanced he
raided the land and besieged the city, attempting to talce it
by bringing every kind of engine against the walls. As he was
accomplishing nothing, he terrorized the city with the larg-
est cannons that existed at that time, and he did not let up
in his battery of the walls. Thereupon the ruler's son Grgur,
feating that the city would be talcen as a result of the cannon
bombatdment, agreed to negotiate with the sultan regatd-
ing terms, and he made a treaty according to which he would
surrender the city to the sultan and they themselves would
attend upon the sultan at the Porte, and would obtain what-
ever maintenance the sultan himself deemed appropriate.
So after surrendering the city, he went out to the camp and
attended upon the sultan together with his brother Stefan. 69
Shortly afterwatd, when Murad leatned that their father 37
{Durad} was coming against him and that the sons were in
communication with their father and secretly putting out
word of a rebellion, he took both young men and gouged
their eyes out. 70 When he took over Smederevo, the royal
capital of the Serbs, he left a large gatrison in the city and
then set out to match against Belgrade, the city of the Hun-
gatians. This city is washed on both sides by two rivers, on
 THE HISTORIES
afl,!,oTv ToTv :reoTafloTv :reEplppUTO<; YLvoflev!], a,!,' evo<; flEV
flepou<; TOU "I<npou peOVTO<;, aq>' hepou SE TOU La~a, 0<;
e<; TOV "I<1Tpov aUTou :reapa Tfi :reOAEL Tau't!1 e.:SLSoT. 'H flEV
ouv L:reEvSepo~o<; Kat aUT!] {. ..} w<; SE e<; M:reEAoypaS!]v
e:reEAa<Ta<; e:reoALOpKEL T~V :reOALV AfioupaT!]<; 0 MEXfleTEw,
~TU:reTE ~£v TO TETxo<; T!]AE~OAOL<; Kal KaTe~aAE flepo<; OUK
6Alyov, e:reE:reov9EL Se Ta <TTpaTEUflaTa :repo<; T~<; :reOAEW<;
aV~KE<1Ta ti:reo TE T!]AE~OAWV Kat T!]AE~OAl<TKWV :reafl:reoAAwv
e<; TO ~a<TLAtw<; (rTpaTo:reESoV aq>LEfltvwv t:ret TOV<; iivSpa<;
Kat flupla o(m ~tA!] aq>LKvouflEvWV e:ret TO (rTpaTO:reESoV.
38 'Enau9a i\Al!]<; 0 TOU BpEvt~Ew ~KOU<TEV iip"rTa ev T<!,
<1TpaTo:retS'l', av~ p TE YEVOflEVO<; Ta e<; TELxoflaxlav <TVV
ToT<; eaUTOU :repWTO<;, Kat Taq>pov 6pu;a<; w<; eYYUTaTW T~<;
:reOAEW<; e<J'K~VOU <TVV T<!, <TTpaTEtifiaTL aUTOU. :0<; flEV OUV
TO TETxo<; KaTE~e~A!]TO, El<TExeOVTO SE El<; T~V :reOALV ol
VE~AUSE<;, Kal ~<; flEV :reOAEW<; :reoAv fltpo<; {2.26} KaT-
EKpaT!]<Tav. METa SE Tau-ra TWV ev Tft :reoAEL a9poL~ofltvwv,
e<; xETpa TE ToT<; VE~AU<J'LV aq>lKOVTO, Kat W<TafiEVOL e;EW-
<Tano KaTa~aAOVTE<; a:reo TOU Tdxou<;. Kat w<; e;EKpOu<T9!]
Ta <1TpaTEUflaTa Kat OU :repOEXWPEL aUT<!' ~ ~<; :reOAEW<;
alpED'L<;, a:re~yaYE TOV <1TpaTOV Kat a:re~AaUVEV e:re' OIKOU.
"Y:reapxov Se elCL~<Ta<; Tft LKO:relwv TE Kal 'IAAUPLWV XWP'l'
IivSpa TWV :reap' aUT<!' fleya TE SuvaflEvov Kal aUT<!' e:rel Tft
aSEAq>fi yafl~pov YEVOfiEVOV, Kat <TTpaTOV TE e:reLTpeta<;
:reE~OV TE iifla Kall:re:reLKOV, t:J<1TE e<; ~V 'IAAUPLWV e<T~aAETv
xwpav, SLfjKEV eVTau9a Ta <1TpaTEUflaTa.
39 '0 flEV OUV 'IAAUPLWV ~a<TLAEu<;-II6<T9v!] SE ~ xwpa
aUT!] KaAELTm, Kat E<1TLV ~ xwpa ailT!] TpaxETa TE Kat
BOOK 5
the one side by the Danube and on the other by the Sava,
which flows into the Danube right there by that city. Sme-
derevo too {...} When he marched to Belgrade, Murad, the
son of Mehmed, besieged the city, battered the walls with
cannons, and demolished a large part of them. But his army
suffered terrible losses from the hail of cannon shot and
small arms fire that came from the city and struck the men
in the sultan's camp, and by the thousands of arrows that
were also loosed upon the camp71
It was there that Ali, the son of Evrenos, achieved the 38
greatest reputation in the camp. He and his men were the
best at storming walls. He dug a trench as close to the walls
as he could and camped in it with his soldiers. When the
walls collapsed, the janissaries poured into the city and oc-
cupied most of it. But then the men of the city regrouped
and engaged with the janissaries, repelled them, and pushed
them down from the walls. As his army was repulsed and he
was making no progress toward taking the city, Murad led
his army away and returned home. He appointed one of his
most influential men {isa} as prefect of the land of Skopje
and the IIIyrians {Bosnians}, a man who was his brother-in-
law through marriage to his sister, and entrusted him with
an army of both infantry and cavalry so that he could invade
the land of the IIIyrians. 72 He then disbanded his armies.
Now the king of the IIIyrians 73 -this land is called Bos- 39
nia, and it is a rugged and very mountainous land that
 THE HISTORIES
6petv~ 1tavIJ, 8t~Ket 8£ E1ti 'IAAIJpwv<;, TOU<; 1tpo<; Tov'I6vwv
c;,KtOl'EVOIJ<; 1tapa ~v eaAaooav. "EOTt 8£ ath<ii ~aoL\eta
Kai1t6At<; rcitTta KaAolJl'evI'], Kai1tOTal'0<; 1tap' aUTfi pewv
<K8t80T E<; "Io-rpov-ovTo<; l'ev 8~ " TWV 'IAAIJptwV ~aot­
Aeu<;, w<; 8nOIJl'EVI']<; aUT<ii um) 'Ioal'olJ 'tij<; xwpa<;, w<;
o-rpaT6v Te ovvayaywv ~vIJev ou8ev, ou8£. E<; xcipa<; EAeciv
~veoxeTo T<ii ~aotMw<; o-rpaT<ii, 1tpeo~et<; Te £1tel''ite 1tapa
~aotAEa, Ka1 e-ra/;aTo <popov a1tayetv TOU <VtaIJTOU l'IJpt-
a8a<; 8vo XPIJOOU Kal1tevTaKtOXtA[OIJ<;. BaOtAeu<; 81: 1tpOO-
lETO leal CT1tovSCU; E1tOlELTO aUT~.
40 TouToIJ 81: 'tij<; xwpa<; EXeTat ~ LTe<paVOIJ TOU Lav8aAew
xwpa, 'IAAIJptWV TO yevo<;, Kae~KOIJOa E1t1 eaAaooav E<;
TOV {z.z7J 'Iovwv 1tapa {...J KaAoIJl'evI']. To l'1:v 8~ yevo<;
TOUTO 'IAAIJptKOV ilv ,mo 1taAawu 8teOXtOTat a1to TOU AOt-
1tOU TWV 'IAAIJptwV yevoIJ<;' ~eeot l'£.V yap Kal 8ta(-rn Tfi
auTfi 8taxpwv-rat, v0l'0t<; 8£ ou ToT<; aUToT<;. KOIJ80uyepot
8' 6v0l'a~ovTat oVl'1taVTe<; ot E<; ~v Lav8aAew xwpav Te-
AouvTe<;. Me-ra/;u l'<v-rOt 'tij<; 'H1teLpoIJ Ka1 aUTOU 'tij<;
xwpa<; 1toAet<; TE EvetOtV aUTWV Te TWV OueveTWV Ka1 ~ TOU
'I~avew xwpa TOU Kao-rptWTOIJ, l'eTa 81: TauTI']v ~ TOU Ko-
l'vI']vou xwpa, Ta 1toAAa 1tapaAw<; otloa' E1t1 l'eooyatov
l'ev-rot E<; ~pa)(1l Tt 1tapaTe[vet <1t1 T~V 1tep[otKOV 'tij<; ApYIJ-
P01tOA(XVl']<;, aUTOU TaUT!] c;,Ktol'evI']<;, EV fi " 'tij<; xwpa<;
i)1tapx0<; 8taTp[~wv ~v Te 'I~avew xwpav Kai K0l'vI']va(wv
tAI']'t~eTo. TOVTwv l'evTOt 1\ Te 'I~avl']<; E1tl Ta<; eupa<; (wv
TOU ~aotMw<; Eo-rpaTeveTo oilv T<ii ~aotAci, fi /tv u<pl']yoTTo
Ta ~aOtAew<; o-rpaTeul'aTa. Ka1 Aptav[TI']<; 81: " K0l'vI']vo<;,
BOOK 5
extends as far as the Illyrians who inhabit the regions by the
Adriatic Sea; he has a royal court and city namedJajce, and a
river flows by it and lets out into the Danube-this king of
the Illyrians, then, when his land was being plundered by
isa/4 could accomplish nothing even though he raised an
army, nor was he willing to come to grips with the sultan's
army. He sent envoys to the sultan and pledged to pay an
annual tax of twenty-five thousand gold coins. The sultan
accepted his offer and made a treaty with him.
The land that barders his own belongs to' Stjepan, the son 40
ofSandalj,75 an Illyrian by origin, and it extends to the Adri-
atic Sea by the {... J called {...] This people is Illyrian [i.e.,
Slav] and broke away from the rest of the Illyrian peaple a
long time ago. They have the same custams and way of life,
but not the same laws. All the inhabitants af the land afSan-
dalj are called Kaudougeroi. 76 Between this land and Epeiros
there are cities of the Venetians and the land of Gjon Kas-
triati," and after that the land of Komnen, which, for the
mast part, is caastal. 78 In the interior, a small part of it ex-
tends toward the vicinity ofArgyrokastron, which is located
in that region. It was here, then, that the prefect of that ter-
ritory made his base and plundered the land of Gjon and the
Kornnens. Gjan came to' the sultan's Parte and campaigned
along with him, wherever the sultan's armies might lead
him, while Kamnen Arianiti,79 whose ancestral principality
4'3
 THE HISTORIES
6pE'V~ 1t11VU, S'~KE' Se btl 'IAA1JP'OU<;, 'tou<; npo<; 'tOY 'IovLOv
<!JK'O'~":V01J<; napa ~v 9aAaO'O'av. "EO"t, Se aim!, ~aO'lAEla
KatnOA'<; ral'na KaA01JftEvI], Katno'taft0<; nap' au'tfi pEWV
eKS,SOl e<; "IO"tpov-ov'to<; ftev S~ " 'tWV 'IAA1JP'WV ~aO"­
AEU<;, w<; Sn01JftEV'l<; au't4i 6no 'IO'afto1J tij<; xwpa<;, w<;
O''tpa'tov 'tE O'1Jvayaywv ~V1JeV ouStv, ouSe e<; xt:lpa<; eAgelV
~VE"Xe'tO 't4i ~aO"AEW<; O"tpa't4i, nptO'~e'<; 'tE lneft'itE napa
~aO'lAEa, Kat e..a;a'to <popov imayElv 'toli ev,a1J'toli ft1JP'-
aSa<; Suo Xp1JO'oli KatnEv'taK,"X,A[01J<;. BaO"Aeu<; Se npoO'-
[E'tO Kal O'1tovSa<; enO'El'tO au't4i.
40 Tou't01J Se tij<; xwpa<; lXe'tat ~ ~'te<paV01J 'toli ~avsaAeW
xwpa, 'IAA1JP'WV 'to YEVO<;, Ka9~K01JO'a ent 9aAaO'O'av e<;
'tOY {Z.Z7J 'Iov,ov napa {...J KaA01JftEvI]. To ftev S~ yEVO<;
'toli'to 'IAA1JP'KOV ov ano naAatoli S'E"X'O"tat ano 'toli AO'-
noli 'tWV 'IAA1JP'WV YEV01J<;' ~geO" ftev yap Kat S,a["'n 'tfi
au'tfi S,axpwV'tat, vofto,<; Se ou 'tOl<; athol<;. K01JSouyepo,
S' 6v0fta~0V'tat CTUftnaV'tE<; ot e<; ~v ~avSaAeW xwpav 'te-
AOliv'te<;. Me'ta;u ftEv'to, 't~<; 'Hnelpo1J Kal au'toli tij<;
xwpa<; nOAe'<; 'te lVe'O"V au'twv 'te'tWV OUeVe'tWV Kal ~ 'toli
'I~avew xwpa 'toli KaO''tp,w't01J, fte'ta Se 'tav't'lv ~ 'toli Ko-
ftv'lvoli xwpa, 'ta nOAAa napaALO<; ooO'a' ent fteO'oya,ov
ftEV'to, e<; ~paxU 't'1tapanLVe' e1t1 ~v 1tep[O'KOV tij<; Apyv-
ponoA[XV'l<;, au'toli 'tav"'n <!JK,O'fttV'l<;, ev fi " tij<; xwpa<;
iJ1tapx0<; S,a'tp[~wv tijv 'te 'I~avew xwpav Kat Koftvl]va[wv
eA'lt~e'tO. Tou'twv ftEV'tOl 0 'te 'I~av'l<; t1t1 'ta<; 9upa<; LWV
'toli ~aO',Atw<; to"tpa'teUe'tO O'i>v 't4i ~aO"At:l, fi ltv 6<pl]yOl't0
'ta ~aO'lAEw<; O"tpa'teUfta'ta. Kat Ap,av['t'l<; Se " KbftV'lvo<;,
4'Z
BOOK 5
extends as far as the I1Iyrians who inhabit the regions by the
Adriatic Sea; he has a royal court and city namedJajce, and a
river flows by it and lets out into the Danube-this king of
:he I1Iyrians, then, when his land was being plundered by
Isa,74 could accomplish nothing even though he raised an
army, nor was he willing to come to grips with the sultan's
army. He sent envoys to the sultan and pledged to pay an
annual tax of twenty-five thousand gold coins. The sultan
accepted his offer and made a treaty with him.
The land that borders his own belongs to Stjepan, the son 40
of Sandalj,75 an I1Iyrian by origin, and it extends to the Adri-
atic Sea by the {... J called {... J This people is I1Iyrian {i.e.,
SlavJ and broke away from the rest of the I1Iyrian people a
long time ago. They have the same customs and way of life,
but not the same laws. AIl the inhabitants of the land of San-
dalj are called Koudougeroi. 76 Between this land and Epeiros
there are cities of the Venetians and the land of Gjon Kas-
trioti,77 and after that the land of Komnen, which, for the
most part, is coastal. 78 In the interior, a small part of it ex-
tends toward the vicinity ofArgyrokastron, which is located
in that region. It was here, then, that the prefect of that ter-
ritory made his base and plundered the land of Gjon and the
Komnens. Gjon came to the sultan's Porte and campaigned
along with him, wherever the sultan's armies might lead
him, while Komnen Arianiti," whose ancestral principality
 THE HISTORIES
w<; (mfjv Kat at'J't<j) fj 1taTp<i>a ap)(1) U1tO ~a(nAEW<;, a<plKOfle-
VO<; t<; Ta<; eupa<; Tfjv 8laLTav elXe 1tapa ~a(nAtw<;. "YO'Te-
pov 8t. TeAwTfjO'avTo<; 'I~avew TOU KaO'TplWTOU TOV Te
mu8a at'J'tou Aa~wv t<; Ta ~aO'lAela Kal Tfjv xwpav u<p'
aUT<j) 1tol1']O'aflevo<; elX£.
4' M£Ta 8t. TaUTa OU 1tOAUV XPOVOV, w<; 8laTpl~wv Apl-
avlT1']<; [KET1']<; eytveTO a1tO TWV eupWV TUXeiV ayaeou Tl-
VO<; 1tpO<; TOU ~aO'lAtw<;, AOyoU<; 1'£ 80u<; e1tl1tEflVaL t1tt TOU<;
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a<plK1']TaL e1t' aUTOU<;, a1t08l8paO'KeL Te a1tO TWV eupWV, Kat
KaTlWV e1tt T~V 1taTp<i>av ap)(1)v O'uvTleeTaL 1'01<; ~eATloO'l
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xwpav aUT<j) T~V AA~avwv KaTaO'TpEVaO'eaL, Kat av8pa-
1t08lO'aflevov ~Kelv aUT<j) ayovTa TOV KOflv1']vOU 1ta18a.
4' OUTO<; flt.v ouv Aa~wv TOV O'TpaTOV a1taVTa to't~aAev t<;
Tfjv xwpav, Kat1te~Ov <ifla eupaflevo<; OUK oAlyov. D<; 8f.
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Kal aypou<;, ou8evo<; <p£l80flevol. '0 flEVTOl AplavlT1']<; O'uv-
ayaywv TOU<; Tfj<; xwpa<; [1t1tEa<; Te Kat1te~ou<; Kal a<plKofle-
VO<; KaTaAafl~aveL Ta aKpa, ii EfleAAev ava~eu~a<; AAl1']<; 6
BOOK 5
had also been removed by the sultan, arrived at the Porte
and was maintained by the sultan. Later, when Gjon Kastri-
oti died, Murad brought his son to the royal court and sub-
jected his land to himsel£Bo
Shortly after that, while Arianiti was in residence at the 4'
Porte, a suppliant hoping for some benefit from the sultan,
he entered into negotiations with the people of his land and
they promised to rebel if he went to them. So he escaped
from the Porte, returned to his ancestral principality, and
banded together with the leading men of the land.'! They re-
ceived him gladly and rebelled against the sultan, killing the
Turkish lords of the land, and raiding the sultan's territory
far and wide. They occupied fortified locations in that thor-
oughly mountainous and rugged land. When this was re-
ported to the sultan, he sent Ali, the son of Evrenos, ap-
pointing him general. He also gave him the army that was
stationed by the Axios River and Argyrokastron and all the
cavalry raiders who lived in that land, and instructed him to
advance against the land of the Albanians, conquer it, and,
after enslaving the land, he was to return, bringing back to
him the son of Komnen.
Ali, then, took the entire army and invaded the land, hav- 42
ing found many infantry forces to take with him. When they
invaded, they plundered the land and set fire to homes and
fields, sparing nothing. Arianiti assembled the cavalry and
infantry of his land and took command of the heights which
Ali, the son of Evrenos, would have to climb and pass
:1'
"
"
THE HISTORIES
-rov BpEVt~EW tl;EAaUVElv. Kal W, bmpwv-ro fI£-ra-rav-ra o[
-rov AA[EW 8lEAge(v, OUK ~8uvav-ro, Evur-rafl£vWV -rwv -rau-rn
flE-ra Aplav[-rou Kal OUK t7tl-rpEreov-rwv 8lEl;l£val. 'Ev-rav9a
of TovpKol linOl fI.v W, cmEA~cp9'lO'av EV -rfi XWN, mOl
81: Ka-ra -rf)v xwpav t-rpareov-ro, oreol eKa<1-r'l' repouxwpEl
8laO'w~EO'eat. Tou-rwv o[ reAci<1-rOl 8lEcp9ap'lO'av ureo -rwv
AA~avwv, o[ 8. linOl EaAwO'av reaplov-rE,. a[ 8• .,.uv -r4J
AA[n areo-rpareoflEvOl -rau-r'lv -rf)v reopdav reE8lvw-r£pav
Ereol~O'av-ro Kal Erelfl~K'l, Kal El;EA9ov-rE, E, -rf)v "HreElpov
-rf)v Ka-ra KepKupav <!>K'lfl£v'lv EK reoAAwv areEvoO'-r'lO'av
8lacpuyov-r£, fI~ areoAAu0'9at. 'Ev-rav9a 8~ avdAE-ro 8ol;av
reEplcpavij AplaVl-r'l' " KOflv'lvov, are08Ell;aflEvo, {pya
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AA~avwv o[ Aomo[, W, £T80v Aplav[-r'lv VEw-rEp[O'av-ra
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yaO'aflEvov, E~OUAEUOV-rO Kal au-rol ImO<1-raO'lV 4rea ~aO'l­
Aew, Afloupa-r£w, Kal EreEKaAovv-ro flEV Lltreav -rav ~yE­
flova au-rwv. Tou-rou yap 8~ -rov rea-rtpa El;EAaO'a, EK -rij,
xwpa, rrata~~-r'l' "Afloupa-rEw, KalMupl;av -rwv Kav[vwv
~yEflova Kal O'uxvou, linou, lipxov-ra, -r* -rfi8E xwpa"
-r~v -r£ xwpav Ka-r£<1XE Kal eau-r4J Ka-rErepoO'-rf)O'a-ro. Tov 8~
ovv Ll£reav -rov-rov reEplov-ra Kal reEplVO<1-rOvv-ra linO-rE
liAAn -rij, 'I-raA[a" Kal EV KEpKUN -rfi 'Ev£-rwv v~O''l' -ra
reoAAa 8la-rp[~ov-ra, EreEKaAovv-ro o[ reEpl -r~v Apyupo-
reoA[XV'lv O[KOVV-rE, Kal O'CP[O'l ~aO'lA£a -rE EO'-rfJO'av-ro. Kal
BOOK 5
through. And when, after that, Ali's men attempted to pass,
they could not, as they were opposed there by the men with
Arianiti who would not let them pass. At that point, some
Turks were cut off in that land while others fled across the
land, each seeking safety wherever he could. Most of them
were killed by the Albanians, the rest captured as they fled.
Those who turned back with Ali journeyed along a long, flat
valley and emerged in Epeiros, in the parts of it that are set-
tled near Kerkyra. They were the few from that large army
who returned and escaped death. Arianiti, the son of Kom-
nen, was glorified for accomplishing such remarkable deeds
and was thereafter held in high esteem. And thus did the
army of Ali, the son of Evrenos, suffer most wretchedly
when it invaded the land by the Adriatic Sea.82
When the rest of the Albanians who lived at Argyrokas- 43
tron saw that Arianiti had rebelled against the authority of
the sultan and performed a glorious feat on their behalf,
they too deliberated on a rebellion against Sultan Murad
and called in Depas, their ruler. For Bayezid, the son of Mu-
rad, had expelled his father from his territory along with
Mrksa, the ruler of Kanina, and many other lords of this
land, and had occupied the land and annexed it for himseI£83
This Depas, then, went around looking for a home in vari-
ous places that belonged to Italy, and he spent much time
on Kerkyra, an island of the Venetians. The inhabitants of
Argyrokastron now called him in and made him their king.
 THE HISTORIES
rr'tpa-rov 1tol'lrraflevol Emf\auvov E1tt-r~V ApyuP01tOAtXV'lV,
~v ~arrlAeWe; -ro-re S~ 1tOAlV, aV~KOUrraV St 1tpougev-ro
-rou-r<¥l -rQ lle1tq, Kat E1tOAlOPKOUV ~V 1tOAlV fl'lxavale; n
-rQ -rdXel 1tporr<pepov-ree;. 'Hrrav SE av-rou EV -rfi 1tOAel
ve~AuSee; -re -rou ~arrlAeWe; <ppoup~ Kat -rlvee; aAAOl ov 1tOA-
Aot-rWV TovpKwv Sla<puyovne; te; ~v 1tOAlV, Kal ~fluvov-ro
-rOY rr-rpa-rov. 'ne; -re S~ -rau-ra 1tparrrrov-ree; oi AA~avot ~v
-re 1tOAlV t1tOAlOPKOUV, fl'lSEV aVlevne; te; ~v 1tOALOpKtaV,
Kat -r~v xwpav -r~v 1tep[OlKOV {2.30} -rou ~a<rlAeWe; t1ttSpa-
f'ov, ~arrlAeWe; txov-roe; Kal a1tov-roe; te; -r~v Arr[av Kat 1t0-
Aef'oUv-rOe; Kapaf'av<¥ -rije; KlAlK[ae; n Kal Kap[ae; ~yef'0vl.
44 'Ev-rau9a we; tmge-ro Toupaxav'le; 6 -rwv TplKKaAwv Kat
8eTIaAtae; u1tapXOe; -ro-re S~ wv, -roue; -reAA~avoue; a<perr'l"'l-
Ko-rae; a1to ~arrlAeWe; Kat ~v f''l-rP01tOAlV 1tOALOpKouv-rae;,
rruAAt;ae; rr-rpa-reuf'a we; ~Suva-ro f'eYl<r-rov, rruf'1tapa-
Aa~wv Kal-roue; -rije; 1tapa9aAa<rrr[ae; xwpae; -rwv ToupKwv,
orroue; ~Suva-ro, tAauvwv Sla -rfje; XlOVOe; (Xelf'wv -re yap fjv
f'tyae;), Seu-repaloe; a<plKvel-rm t1tt ~v xwpav, Kat Ka-ra-
Aaf'~avel t1tl<r-rpa-reuof'EvOUe; tv -rfi 1tOAel -roue; AA~avoue;.
Kat t1telrr1terrWV a<pvw -roue; 1tAd<r-roue; -re av-rwv Sle<p9£lpe,
Kat -rov -re lle1tav -rOY fjyef'ova ~wyp~rrae; aVeLAe, Kat ~v
1tOAlV -rije; 1tOALOpK[ae; fjAeugepwrre. Mye-ral SE tv -rau-rn -rfi
Toupaxavew t<poS<¥ 1tAdoue; -rwv XlA[WV Sla<p9apfjvaL Kat
ou-rw av9le; Ka-reSeSouAwv-rO oiAA~avot a<perr-r'lKo-ree; a1to
~arrlAeWe;. Oi f'EV -rije; xwpae; eu yeyovone;, orrol f'~ Sle<pu-
yov -ro-re Emov-rOe; Toupaxavew, aAAOe; aUn a1tWAe-ro,
oAt9p<¥ -rQ KaK[rr-r<¥ 1tapaS0gev-ree; U1tO -rwv ~a<rlAtwe;
u1tapxwv.
BOOK 5
They assembled an army and marched against Argyrokas-
tron, which was then a city of the sultan but they claimed
that it belonged to this Depas. They besieged the city and
brought engines against its walls, Present in the city were
the sultan's garrison of janissaries and a small number of
Turks who had fled to the city and were resisting this army.
This was how the Albanians besieged the city. and they did
not let up in their efforts; they raided the sultan's surround-
ing territory, as the sultan himself was away in Asia, fighting
against Karaman, the ruler of Kilikia and Karia. 84
When Turahan, who was then the prefect ofTrikala and 44
Thessaly, learned that the Albanians had revolted against
the sultan and were besieging the capital, he assembled as
large an army as he could and took with him as well the
Turks who lived by the sea, as many as he could. After
marching through the snow (for there was a bitter winter
storm), he arrived in that land on the second day and found
the Albanians encamped beside the city.85 He attacked them
suddenly and killed most of them, capturing Depas, their
ruler, putting him to death, and freeing the city from the
siege. It is said that in this attack by Turahan more than a
thousand men were killed, Thus the Albanians who rebelled
against the sultan were again enslaved. Those in this land
who were well off and did not escape from Turahan's attack
were killed, one here and another there, delivered over to a
most awful death by the sultan's prefects.
 THE HISTORIES
45 i\[.lOVpaTl')<; St W<; tytVETO t1taVlWV a1tO Kapa[,avov t<;
Ta ~a<Y!AEla, ME~tTt]v TOV Tij<; EupW1tt]<; aUT<\> <1TpaTt]yov
txeAwe, Aa~OVTa <1TpaTOV, OO'OV &V ~OUA']Tat, xat 1tE~OV
a['a xat t1t1tlXOV, ayayeO'eat TE xat tAauVElV t1tt IIaLOvo-
SaxLav W<; xaTa<YTpeto[,evov aUT<\> TIjv xwpav. '0 Sf. Aa~wv
TO TE EupW1t']<; <1TpaTw['a xat a~a1tlSa<; Tij<; EupW1t']<; xal
t1t1toSpo['ov<; TOU ~aO'lAew<;, OO'Ol ev Tfi Eupw1t!] tytVOVTO,
a<pLxETO t1tt TOV ''IO'TpOV, Sla~a<; Sf. TOV {Z.3r} ''IO'TpOV t1tt
IIaLOvoSaxLav TIjv i\pSeAlov xwpav xaAov['tv']v. To Sf.
i\pSeALOv TOUTO a1tO IIpaO'o~ou TOU Ilpov<; t1tt IIaLOvLav
Sl~XEl, tVTO<; Spv['wvo<; YEvo['evt] a1taO'a ~ xwpa, xat
1«)AEl<; EvElO'lV tv TauTl1 Tfi XWN oux oALyat, ['']Tp01tOAl<;
Sf. aUTWV TO Ll~LVLOV xaAOU['EVOV. rAwTTl1 Sf. XPWVTat
OOTOl Ta ['tv Tfi IIatovwv Ta Sf. xat ~axwv, S,a[Tl1 Te xal
~eEO'l ToT<; IIatovwv. Kat U1tO T<\> IIatovwv ~aO'lAe1 ooO'a ~
xwpa aUT'] &PXOVTa TE SeXETal, /Iv &V aUToT<; t<pl<1T<!>'] "
~a(TlAEi><; IIaLova. AUTovo[,Ol Sf. at 1tOAEl<; ooO'al, xat U1tO
TIjv [,,]TP01tOAlV TO Ll~[VLOV eUeVVO['EVat, 1tapa Sf. T<\>
apXOVTl O'<pii<;, 01tOl &V XEAEUOl t1t1 tX<1TpaTElaV, xat Ta<;
1tpOO'oSov<; CI1tOS,SOVTE<;, a;LOUO'l 1tOAlTEUEO'eal O'<pLO'lV
aUTOU t<; TO t1tlXWpLOV 1taTpLOV £eo<;.
46 'E1t1 TauTI')V OOV S~ TIjv 1tOAlV TOV "I<1TpoV Sla~a<; "
Me~tTt]<; ~AavVEV w<; 1tOAlOpX~O'WV, xat ayxou t1tt Tfi 1tOAel
YEVO['EVO<; t<1TpaT01tESEUETO. 'EvTaUea Sf. w<; t1tOAlOPXEl
TIjv 1tOAlV, T']AE~OA'l' ~A']eEi<; I> TOU O'TpaTOU iJye['wv tTe-
AEUT']O'E. METa Sf. TauTa, w<; a1tEXWpel tVTeUeEV I> <1TpaT"<;
t1tElyO['EVO<; E1t1 TIjv Sla~aO'lV TOU ''I<1TPOV, O'VAAExeeVTE<;
ot TOU i\pSe>.[ov avSpe<;, w<; ~SuvaVTO <peijval TOV <1TpaTOV
4 20
BOOK 5
When Murad returned to the palace from his expedition 45
against Karaman, he ordered Mezid, his general for Europe,
to take as large an army as he wished, including both infan-
try and cavalry, and lead it on campaign against Hungarian
Wallachia, to conquer that land for him. So he took the
army of Europe, the azaps of Europe, and all the sultan's cav-
alry raiders who were in Europe, and came to the Danube.
He crossed the Danube and went into Hungarian Wallachia,
in the land called Ardeal. This Ardeal extends from Mount
Brasso to Hungary. All the land of the interior is forested
and has many cities in it; their capital is called Sibiu. These
people speak the language of the Hungarians in part and in
part also that of the Wallachians, and they have the same
customs and way of life as the Hungarians. This land is sub-
ject to the king of the Hungarians and receives as its lord
whatever Hungarian the king appoints over them. The cit-
ies have their own laws and are governed from the capital
Sibiu. They follow their lord wherever he orders them to
campaign and pay their revenues, but they demand to be
ruled according to their local, ancestral ways.
Mezid, then, crossed the Danube and marched to besiege 46
this city, and he made camp when he drew near the city. But
while he was besieging the city, he, the leader of his army,
was struck by cannon shot and died. After that, when the
army departed from there in haste to cross the Danube, the
men of Ardeal assembled and tried their best to catch up
421
 THE HISTORIES
ETl EV Tfi XWP'l' SlaTpl~OVTa, nOAAOU<; TE KaT£~aAAOV TOV
<1TpaTeuflaTO<;, Kal Tpetaflevol ESIWKOV <peUYOVTa<; enl TOV
"lmpov. Md;e-r'1<; flEV ouv a<plKoflevO<; Enl ApS£ALOV OVTW<;
e-reAeUT'1<1e, Kal aney£veTo OUK OAlYOV Tl TOV crTpaTeufla-
TO<;.
47 BacrlAeu<; Se w<; Ew8eTO TOV MeS£TOU 8avaTOV, crufl-
<popav Te EnOl6TO, KalnapeO"KeuaseTO Te aUTO<; En1 I1aLO-
voSadav crTpaTeucr0[levo<;, Ka1 [2.32} K~pUKa<; n£flnwv
nep,aYY£AAOVTa<; TfJv E~EAeucrlV aUTOV I\[la ~ pl ESOK£l E~­
eAauv£lv. MeTa SE crufl~ouAeucraVTo<; La~aTlvew euvouxou,
avSpo<; Ta e<; nOAeflov alJTov nOAAaxfi yevoflEvoU, ene-rpetE
Te TOV crTpaTov aUT';;, Kal eKEAeucre Aa~OVTa E;'1ncracr8m
Enl ITmovoSaKlav, Kal [l~ aVlEvm nplv ~ KaTampeta[le-
vov aneAaUVElv. OliTo<; [lEV S~ napaAa~wv TOV ~acrlAtw<;
crTpaTov Ka1 ve~AuSa<; TWV 8upwv afl<pl TOU<; TeTpaK'D"X'-
AIOU<;, TOV TE "lmpov SlE~mve Kal TOV mpaTov aUTou
crUflnaVTa Sl£nopeueTo E<; T~V ApSeAlou xwpav. "HAauve
SE S,a ~<; ITmovwv xwpa<; ~flEpa<; Tlva<;.
48 'layyo<; SE 0 XWVlaT'1<;, av~p TOTe S~ euSoKlflwv napa
TOl<; ITalocrl Kal TO Te ApSEALOV E1ClTETpaflfl£VO<; uno ~<;
ITmovwv ~OUA~<;, cruv~yaYE Te crTpaTov W<; flEy,crTOV, W<;
~SuvaTo, anD ApSeAlou, Kal ITmovwv cruflnapaAa~wv
En!]El, Enoflevo<; T';; La~aTlv!1 KaTa TO &po<;. La~aTlv'1<;
flEV S~, w<; EVTO<; ~<; xwpa<; ~S'1I\AAO<;4 yevoflevo<;, Evofllse
KaAw<; eX£lv aUT';; T~V xwpav EnlSpaflelv. 'Ena<pd<; TOlVUV
TOU<; lnnoSpofloU<; Kal TOU crTpaTou nOAU Tl flEpO<; Enl S,-
apnanv T~<; xwpa<;, w<; "<papnacrmVTo TE TfJv xwpav au-
TOU cruflnacrav Kal KepSavol [lEy,crTa, KaTEAel<p8'1 OAlYOl<;
422
BOOK 5
with the army while it was still in their land. They killed
many of the army's men, routed them, and pursued those
who fled as far as the Danube. Thus did Mezid die when
he came to Ardeal, and a large part of his army perished as
well."
When the sultan learned of Mezid's death, he considered 47
it a great misfortune and prepared to campaign in person
against Hungarian Wallachia. He sent around heralds an-
nouncing his expedition, namely that he had decided to set
out at the beginning of spring. But then he consulted the eu-
nuch ~ihabeddin, a man with much experience of warfare in
that area, and entrusted his army to him. He ordered him to
take the army, lead it on campaign against Hungarian Wal-
lachia, and not to let up or return before he had conquered
it. He, then, took the sultan's army and about four thou-
sand of the janissaries of the Porte, crossed the Danube,
and advanced with his entire army to the land of Ardeal.
And for some days he advanced through the land of the
Hungarians."
But Janko Hunyadi, a man held in high esteem by the 48
Hungarians who had been entrusted with Ardeal by the
council of the Hungarians, assembled as large an army as he
could from Ardeal and the Hungarians and, having brought
them together, set out, following ~ihabeddin along the
mountain. ~ihabeddin, when he entered the land, believed
that he was in a good position to raid it. So he released the
cavalry raiders and a large part of the army to go and plunder
the land, hoping to profit greatly by stripping bare the entire
423
 THE HISTORIES
ToT<; af'<p' aVTOV EV T<ii crTpaT01tES'll. 'EvTav9a w<; ijcr9ETO
'lC'YY0<; TO TE cr't"paT01tESOV EP'lf'OV avSpwv KaTaAEI<p9~Vat,
Kal O[ KaAW<; EXEIV ~yOUf'EVO<; E1tEIC11tEcrETv E<; TO crTpaT01tE-
SOY TWV 1tOAEf'lWV, £1tlKaTa~a<; a1tO TOV /lpOU<; Ef'~aAAEI TE
£<; TO cr't"paT01tESOV TOV La~aT(VEW. Kal 6 f'ev La~aTlv'l<;
£1tE~EA9ETv f'Ev-rOI OUK eTXEV, Ihl Kcd li~lOV A6you f'axecra-
cr9at, <puAa~at Sf TO crTpaT01tESOV [2.33} 1tElpWf'EVO<; Kat
OUK ~SuvaTO, ~lacraflEvwv TWV f'ETa TOV 'lclYYOU I1alovwv,
E<; <Puny TE hpa1t'l Kat £1tt TOV "lcrTpov £1telYETO <p9~vat
W<; Sla~'lcr0f'EVO<;. 'layyo<; Se TO cr't"paT01tESOV 1tapaAa~wv,
Kal AOXOU<; V1telcra<; aUTOU Tau't"f], WcrTE TOU<; £1taVIOVTa<;
crUv ToT<; avSpa1tOSOl<; crufl1tapEAaf'~aVE Sla<p9elpwv li1tav-
Ta<;. Kat OUTW S~ Ta 1tAelW TOU cr't"paTEuf'aTo<; aUTOU TaUT!]
KaKlcr't"a SIE<p9ap'l, Kal VlK'lV VIK~ ap(crT'lv £<; TWV 1tpO<;
aUTou' 'layyo<; 6 XwvlaT'l<;'
49 OUTO<; yevou<; WV ov 1taVU TI <paVAOU, a1tO XWVlaT'l<;
1tOAEW<; ApSEAlou WPfl'lf'EvO<; £1tt TOV TpI~aAAwv a<plKETO
~YEf'ova, f'Ef'lcr9wf'EVO<; Se aVTOU SIETPI~E cruXVov Tiva
XPOVOV, TOAflav TE e1tlSeIKVUf'evo<; a~[av AOYOU Kal C11tOU-
S~v, W<; i5 TI av E1tl1tEfl<P9el'l V1tO TOU ~yEflOVO<;. Kal S~
AEyeTat Kat TOSe. D<; E~~Aauvev E1tt liypav 6 TWV Tpl-
~aAAwv ~yef'wv, Kat AUKOU E1tl<paveVTO<; T<ii ~yef'0vI
E1teKaAel TOV 'layyov, W<; E1tt T<ii AUK'll yEVOITO. '0 S' w<;
1tapeA'lAu9EI, TOV 9~pa ~Aauvev ava KpaTo<;. I1ecrov-ro<; Se
TOU 9'lpo<; E<; TOV 1toTaflov Kat v'lxof'evou, E1tElcr1tecreTv Te
lifla E<; TOV 1tOTaf'0V Kat aVTOV Kat Slav'lxofl£vou TOU i1t1tOU
Sla~~Vat, Sla~avTa Se E1tISIWKElV ovSaflii aVIEvTa, TE-
AWTwvTa Se KaTaAa~eTv TE TOV AVKOV Kal aVEAEiv, f'eTa Se
BOOK 5
land. He was left with only a few of his men in the camp.
When Janko realized that the camp had been left empty of
men and believed that he was in a good position to attack
the enemy camp, he came down from the mountain and
attacked ~ihabeddin's camp. It was now not possible for
~ihabeddin to come out and meet him or put up any kind of
a fight. Still, he tried to defend the camp, but failed, as the
Hungarians with Janko forced their way through, and so he
turned to flight and hastened to reach the Danube in order
to get across. 88 Janko took the camp and placed an ambush
in it, so that he captured the men who were returning with
slaves and killed them all. Thus the majority of ~ihabeddin's
army was wretchedly destroyed there, and Janko Hunyadi
won a most excellent victory over his enemies. 89
Janko came from a not undistinguished family. Setting 49
out from Hunyad, a city of Ardeal,90 he came to the ruler of
the Serbs," who hired him for a while as a mercenary. He
displayed a remarkable daring and zeal on whatever mission
he was sent by this ruler. And the following is reported too.
While the ruler of the Serbs was out hunting, a wolf ap-
peared before him, and he challenged Janko to go after the
wolf Janko gave chase and pursued his prey with all his
might. When his prey fell into a river and began to swim, he
too jumped into the river and swam across on his horse. Af-
ter he crossed the river, he did not let up at all in his pursuit
until he finally caught up with the wolf and killed it; then
 THE HISTORIES
cupeAOflevov '"CO Sepfla '"COV 91] po<; EAauv£lV ore[<Yw Erei '"Cov
~yeflova, SLa~av'"Ca St a09L<; '"Cov reo'"Cafiov Kai repoexofle-
vov '"COV AUKOIJ '"Co Sepfla eireelv, "w St<YTCo'"Ca, Eyeve'"Co,
Eree-ra~a<;, Kal '"Cov '"Ce AUKOV aveTAov, Kal '"Co Sepfla wSt <YOL
reapt<Y'"CI], ureolJpYelv 0 '"CL &:v StOL Xpfj<Y9at." To'"Ce fltv S~ '"Co
[2.34} 9avfla aya<Ygev-ra '"Cov TpL~aAAwv ~yeflova dreelv
Atye'"Cat, w<; OUK ~<Y'"CLV, orew<; 0 av~ p oO'"Co<; Erei fltya
SIJvaflew<; OUK a<p[~e'"Cat. T o'"Ce fltv S~ o(\'"Cw<; drewv '"Co
Ev-revgev xp~fla<Y[ '"Ce Egeparewe, Kai SLa'"Cphva<; au'"Cov
Xpovov <YIJX"ov a<p[Ke'"Co trei '"Cou<; I1a[ova<;.
50 Atye'"Cat flEV S~ Kal reply Erei '"Cov TpL~aAAwv ~yefl6va
tAgeTv, 1\A[ew '"Cov Bpevt~ew yevt<Y9at gepareov'"Ca, Kal 91]-
'"Cev<Yat reap' au'"C<;i iTCTCOKOfioV yevoflevov. OUK exw St, il7tf1
'"CoV'"CO aAI]91:<; elVat <YIJfI~aAAWflat· ~v '"Ce yap &:v <pwv~v
E~tflage ~v ToupKwv. n<; flEV oov e-rparee'"Co Erei '"Cou<;
I1a[ova<;, Kai <YIJflreapaAa~wv '"CLva<; fle9' taIJ'"Cov reapiJ" Erei
'"Ca ~a<YlA"a, flL<Y90v <pa<YKwv ~K£lV au'"CoT<; <Yi>v '"CoT<; afl<p'
au'"Cov AI]'itoflevo<;, EAafl~avt '"Ce '"Cov flL<Y90v, Kal E<; SLa-
<popav Ka9L<Y'"Cafltvwv '"Cwv I1atovwv repo<; '"Cou<; repflavou<;
fleyaAa areeSelKVIJ'"CO 'pya, oreo'"Ce eS" aU'"C[Ka reapov'"Ca, EV
'"Cax" '"Ce reapayevoflevo<; Kal flaxoflevo<; a~[w<; AOYOIJ.
Me'"Ca St '"Cav'"Ca EreL<YTCofltvwv au'"C<;i Kal reoAAwv &:AAWV
euSOKLflWv E<pa[ve'"Co reav-raxft, SL' &: S~ Kal Eree'"Ce-rpare'"Co
'"C~v '"Cfj<; ApSeA[oIJ xwpa<; apmv ureo '"Cfj<; I1atovwv ~OIJAfj<;.
Kal apxwv '"Cau'"CI]<; '"Cfj<; xwpa<; '"Cov '"Ce La~a'"C[vl]v euvovxov
'"Cov ~a<YLAtw<; <Y'"Cpa'"CI]yov Ka9elAt '"Ce Kal e-rpt'ita'"Co, V[KI]V
aveAoflevo<; euSo~o'"Ca'"CI]v, a<p' ~<; S~ '"Ca I1atovwv repaYfla'"Ca
EreavfjKev Erel ~v repo'"Cepov <Y<pwv Ka'"Ca<Y'"Ca<YLv yev6f1eva,
BOOK 5
he removed its skin and turned back toward the ruler. He
crossed the river again, presented the wolf's skin to the
n ruler, and said, "Lord, what you ordered has been done. I
have killed the wolf, and here is its skin for you to use in
whatever way you require." It is reported that the ruler of
the Serbs was amazed at this feat, and said that there was
no way this man would not rise to great power. Thus he
spoke, and henceforth he courted him with gifts of money.
Hunyadi spent a long time there and then went to the Hun-
garians.
It is also said that before he went to the ruler of the Serbs, 50
he had attended upon Ali, the son of Evrenos, and had
served him as a groom. But I cannot ascertain whether this
is true, for he would in that case have learned the language of
the Turks.92 He turned to the Hungarians and, taking some
men with him, went to their royal court and asked that he,
and the group he assembled around himself, be given a sal-
ary. And he received the salary. When the Hungarians fell
out with the Germans, he performed great deeds whenever
his presence was required: he appeared quickly and fought
admirably.93 After that he was joi~ed by many others and
seemed to be held in high esteem everywhere, which is why
he was entrusted with command over Ardeal by the council
of the Hungarians. 94 It was when he was ruling this land that
he destroyed and routed ~ihabeddin, the eunuch-general
of the sultan, winning a most glorious victory, after which
the affairs of the Hungarians returned to their previous
427
 THE HISTORIES
acp' ov Ka..a Xp6vov I1ata~~"EW ..OV ~a(JlAta I1aLovwv [E<;J
LLYLerfLOiivSov "pE'i'afiEVOU, "~V "E xwpav E1tEAaUVOV..E<;
ESnouv 8afla [2.35J Al'fi~OflEVOL ot ToiipKOL, Kat avSpa1toSa
w<; 1tAElcr-ra aYOfiEVOL EVe1tA1']erav ~V "EAerlav Kat EupW1t'1v
avSpa1toSWV I1aLovLKWV.
51 'E1td ..E 'layyo<; acpLK6f1EVO<; E1tt ~V ApSEAlou xwpav
..6v ..E Euvoiixov E"pt'i'a..o Kat ..OU<; 1tEpt au..ov E"pe'i'a..o
TovpKou<;, ..OAfin ..E Exp~erav..o O[ I1alovE<; a1tO ..OiiSE, Kat
"pya a1tESdKVUV-ro E<; ..OU<; ToupKou<; Il~La AOyOU. Tov "E
yitp "ler..pov SLa~av"E<; 1tOAAaKL<; S"'cp8ELPOV, Kat 01tOL
1tEpL-rVXOLEV 6A1YOL 1tOAAOI<; overL ..ol<; ToupKOL<;, EU1tE..W<;
..E 1tEPLEYEVOV'tO Kat ovS£ El<; XElpa<; acpLKofiEVOU<; ercplerLv
e..pU1toV'to. TO"E flEV S~ 1tEPLYEvoflEVO<; E1tt fleya tXWPEL
SUVUflEW<;. Kat cr-rpa..'1Y0<; S£ flE..it ..aii..a a1tOSELx8El<; U1tO
"tij<; I1aLovwv ~OUAij<; 1tpo<; ..OU<; ToupKou<; ..E Kat rEpfla-
VOU<; ..ov 1tOAEflOV SLtCPEPE, YEVVato ..a..a SLaywvL~oflEVO<;.
52 Ot flev"oL I1alovE<;1tpo<;"E ..ou<; rEpfiavou<; SLEvEx8ev..E<;
n E1tOAEflouv, a1to at..la<; "tijerSE E<; SLacpopitv aAA~AoL<;
acpLK6f1EVOL. ME..it SE ..aii..a Kat1tpo<; ..OU<; T~txou<;, ..OU<;
BOEfllou<; KaAoufievou<;, E1tt cruxvov "Lva Xp6vov ..ov 1tOAE-
floV SLacpEpov..E<; flEyuAa KaKit E1tOlOUV aAA~Aou<;. Tpe1tov-
..at S~ ovv SLit ..au..1']v au..wv ..~v SLacpopitv E1tt ..OU<; I10-
Aavlou<;, Kat E1tay6f1EVOL ..Ov ~aerLAtw<; aSEAcpLSoiiv 1talSa
~aerLAea ..EercplerLV tcr-r~eraV'to, Kat ..ol<; I1oAavloL<; XP1']eruflE-
VOL erufifluxoL<; ..ol<; ..E rEpfiavoI<; Kat BOEfllOL<; E1teKELV'to
xaAE1tW<;, Kat ESnOUV"tijv xwpav, Kat 1tOAH<; au ..wv E1tLOV..E<;
tVE1tlfl1tPWV OUK oAlya<;. Kat S~ Kat E<; fluX'1V Ka..aer..uvn<;
tfluxov"o· Kat 6..E flEV 1tEpLEytVOV"O ot I1alovE<;, 6..E SE Kat
BOOK 5
condition, that is, since the time when Bayezid routed Sigis-
mund, the king of the Hungarians," and the Turks advanced
into the land and plundered it often, leading away as many
slaves as they could and filling Asia and Europe with Hun-
garian slaves.
When Janko arrived in the land of Ardeal, routed the eu- 51
nuch, and routed also the Turks with him, the Hungarians
henceforth became more daring and performed remarkable
deeds against the Turks. They crossed the Danube often and
killed them, and wherever a few of them encountered a large
body of Turks they would easily overcome them and rout
them without even having to come to blows with them. At
any rate, after that victory he became very powerful, was ap-
pointed general by the council of the Hungarians against
the Turks and the Germans, and he waged war, fighting most
bravely.
The Hungarians fell out with the Germans and went to 52
war with them, and they quarreled with each other for the
following reason." After that they also waged a war for a
long time against the Czechs, the so-called Bohemians, and
inflicted great harm upon each other. On account of this
dispute they turned to the Poles and brought in the king's
young nephew, making him their king." With the Poles as
their allies they put terrible pressure on the Germans and
the Bohemians, plundered their land, and attacked and
burned many of their cities. They even fought pitched bat-
tles. Sometimes the Hungarians would win and sometimes
 THE HISTORIES
~nwvTO, Kal bel ~paxU aiiS,,; [2.36} avaAafl~avoV'tE<; O'q>a<;
£flaxoV'to.
53 T~v 'tE yap flaXI]v 1toLDuV'tal 'taSE 'ta yevI] Ka'ta'to Kap-
'tEpOV, D1JSEVO<; q>ELSofiEVoL, aAAa SopaO'L 'tE £1tlOV'tE<; Kal
'tl]AE~OADL<; Kal O'LSI] pe[DL<; Ka'ta1teA'taL<; l1t1tlKoI<; Kal he-
pol<; ~eAEO'L SLafiaxofiEvoL Ka'taKaLvouO'l 'tE aAA~Aou<;.
'E1t£LSaV Se £<; q>u~v ytvwV'taL, OUKhl aV~KEmov O'ufI-
~aLvEL O'q>LO'lV £<; ~v q>u~v, aA/o: ~v 1tapaSLSQ 'tL<; eau'tov
Kal ofloAoylq XpQ'to w<; ~nl]flevo<;, aq>LI]O'Lv au'tov a1tlevaL,
£q>' q, 'tou AoL1toU fI~ SlaflaXEO'SaL au'tQ, £1t£LSaV O'UVlWO'L
'ta O''tpa'tEufla'ta aAA~ADL<; KaSLO''taflEva £<; ~v flaXI]v.
Tau'tlj fl£v S~ £<; aAA~Aou<; Ka'ta 'ta<; flaxa<; Xpwv'taL Ka'ta-
maO'£L, wmE £1t£LSaV 'tpe1toL'to £<; q>u~v 'ta mpa'tEufla'ta,
OU 1toAU 'tL fltpo<; au'twv 'to £V'tEUSEV a1tOY{YVEO'SaL.
54 T~v fl£V'toL Ll.aKlav au'tol ol I1a{ovE<; £1tEAeOV'tE<;,
~youfl£voU 'tou XwvLa'tou, KaeLO''taO'av Ll.avov ~yEfiova
au'tol<; Kalne[SEO'eaL au'tov £KeAEUOv. Ou'to<; fl£v ouv £!;-
EAauvofl£vou'tou L'l.paKouAEW ~yEflOVO<; au'twv, Kal £nl'ta<;
~aO'LAtw<; Supa<; iov'to<;, ~v 'tE xwpav Ka't£D'XEv " L'l.aVO<;,
Kal 'tou<; £1tl'tl]Se[ou<; Ll.paKouAEW 'tou ~yEflOVO<; SL£LP-
yaSE'to, onDL nuvSaVOL'to au'twv 'tLva nEpLElvaL. OU'tol fI£v
S~ AeyoV'taL nalSE<; YEveO'SaL 'tou Mup!;EW VOSoL, Kal 'toU"
'twv £VLoU<; nAanofl£vou<; uno 'twv 'tij<; xwpa<; yev£L 'tE Kal
nAOU't'!' EUSoKLflOUV'tWV KaSLmaO'eaL £<; ~v 'tij<; L'l.aKLa<;
~yEflovLav, w<; !;uflq>opa 'tE afla Kal AUO'L'tEAij i'O'oL'to O'q>LO'LV
£<; ~v [2.37} apx~v KaSLO''tafl£vwv. nv S~ i'va 'tE Kal Suo
avanuvSavoflEvo<; EUpoV, Kal t!;tflaSov 'to 't£ ytvo<; au'twv
43 0
BOOK 5
they would lose, but they would quickly regroup and fight
again.
These peoples fight ferocious battles, sparing no one. 53
They attack with spears, cannons, iron catapults drawn by
horses, and other projectiles, and they fight with these and
cut each other down. But when they flee, no harm is done to
them in flight, for if someone surrenders and concedes de-
feat they let him go, on the condition that they never again
have to fight him whenever the armies engage in battle with
each other. This is how they treat each other in battles, so
that whenever an army is routed and flees, only a small part
of it is thereby lost.
The Hungarians came to Wallachia under the leadership 54
of Hunyadi, appointed Dan as its ruler and ~urged the Wal-
lachians to obey him.98 When their ruler [Vlad II} Dracul
marched out and went to Sultan Murad's Porte, Dan occu-
pied the land and killed off the associates of the ruler
Dracul, wherever he learned that one of them could be
found. They are said to have been the illegitimate sons of
Mircea,99 and some of them pretended to be his sons and
were appointed to rule over Wallachia by the noble and rich
men of the land, thinking that it would be good and profit-
able for them to be established in power. One or two of
them I found by making careful inquiries and I learned who
43 1
 THE HISTORIES
Ka1 'rou<; 1ta'rEpa<;' aAIl OUK t;oiO"w t<; 'rou<; 1tOnou<;
'roilvofla Sla<rrJfI~va<;.
55 Ll.avo<; fl1:v ouv 'ron U1tO TIaLOVWV Ka'r~x9'1 t<; n'jv
{TIaLOVWV} apmv, Kal ~<YXE n'jv X£Opav, 9Epa1tEUWV 'rE a1to
'rOUSE S'E'rEAE''rOU<; TIaiova<;. Kal £0<; t1tEKElV1'O n'jv X£Opav
Sla~aivovn<; Kpu<pa o{ 'roli ~aOlAEw<; aU'roli 1tapC! 'rov
''IO"'rpov Ka9EO"'rw'rE<; il1tapXOl, 1tp£o"~El<; 1'£ £1tEfl1tEV £0<;
~aOlAEa, Kal etp~V'1v aL'rouflEVO<; £1tpao"o"Ev, 81tw<; aU'r<ji
yEVOl'rO, a1tal'r'19el<; a1taYElv t<; 'rpl<YXlAla 'ro;a Kal 9upeau<;
'rE'rpaK'<YX'Aiou<; 'roli tVlau'roli, O"1tovSa<; 'rE t1tOl~O"a'ro. Kal
oil'rw S~ E1t1 Ka'raO"'raO"lV EO ~xouO"av EaU'r<ji a<plKOflEVO<;
~YEflOVEU£ 'rE TI'j<; Ll.aKia<;, Kal1tpo<; 'rov M1toySavia<; TI'j<;
flEAaiv'1<; ~yEflova &YYEAOV 1tEflVa<; etp~v'1V 'rE t1tOl~O"a'rO,
Ka1 Emyafliav aU'r<ji 1tOl'1O"aflEVO<; O"UVE~anE'rO aU'r<ji E<;
'rov 1tpo<; 'rov Ll.paKoUA'1V flE'rC! 'rau'ra 1tOAEflOV. Tali'ra fl1:v
S~ t<; n'jv apX"!v oil'rw<; ~<YXEV aU'r<ji 'rC! 1tpawa'ra.
56 Afloupa'r1']<; S1: flE'rC! 'rau'ra E1t1 KOAXiSa yfjv 'rPl~PEl<;
£1tEflVE, 'r~V 1'£ X£Opav SnWO"aL Kal avSpa1toSiO"a0"9aL n'jv
1tOAlV, ~V SUVWV1'aL, Ka1 E1t1 rO'r9iav E1tl1tAEliO"a( 'rE, Kat 01t11
1tapeiKol, 'r~V X£Opav A'110"a0"9aL a1to~av'ra<;. Kal t1tl1tAEOU-
O"aL flev a[ 'rPl~PEl<; 1tpoO"£<yxov t<; yfjv 'rE n'jv KOAx(Sa, Kat
t1tl 'rOU<; rO'r90u<; a<plKoflEVOl tAE1']Aa'rOUV n'jv X£Opav;
avSpa1toSlO"aflEvol OUK oAiY']v. 'E1taVlOV1'l Se 'r<ji O"'roA41
XElflwV tyEVE'rO L<YXUpO<;, Kat &vEflO<; {2.38} a1tapK'ria<; t1tl-
~aAwv E;~VEYKEV t<; 'r~V AO"(av Ka'rC! n'jv TIOV'rO'1 paKAElav,
Kal <PEpoflEVaL aU'roli £VlaL 'rwv 'rPl'1PWV SlE<p9eipov'r0 Kat
tv ;ufI<poP~ ~<YX0V1'O 'rOlau"'ll'
57 TIpo<; 'Iavulou<; flEV1'Ol aU'r<ji <plAla ~V S'C! 'rEAOU<; Ka1
43 2
BOOK 5
their families and fathers were. But I will not divulge their
names publicly.
So Dan was installed by the Hungarians as ruler and held 55
the land. Henceforth he served the interests of the Hungar-
ians. But as the prefects who were appointed there to the
Danube region by the sultan were crossing over and secretly
infiltrating the land, Dan sent envoys to the sultan and ne-
gotiated, asking that he be at peace with him, and he was
requested to deliver three thousand bows and four thou-
sand shields annually. He made the treaty. Thus on these
terms, that were good for him, he came to rule over Wal-
lachia. 1oo He sent a messenger to the ruler of Moldavia to
make peace, and he also concluded a marriage alliance with
him which brought him assistance for the war that he fought
later against DracuJ.IOl And that was how matters stood in
his principality.
After that Murad dispatched triremes against Kolchis 56
to plunder the land and enslave the city, if they could; they
were also to sail against Gotthia and, wherever they could
obtain a foothold, to disembark and plunder the land. 102 The
triremes sailed to Kolchis and put in there, and they went
against the Goths and plundered their land, enslaving a large
part of it. As the fleet was returning, a violent storm blew up
and a wind from the north forced them toward Asia, by Her-
altleia on the Black Sea coast. Tossed in that direction some
of the triremes were destroyed, and suffered such a fate.
Murad preserved his friendship and peace with the 57
433
 THE HISTORIES
elpl]vaia. 'Iavu'lOl fI£v 01) 'to't£ npo<; 't£ cnpit<; au'tou<; n£pl-
n£erov't£<; fI£yaAw<; 't£ EcnpaAAOV'tO n£pl -r!)V nOAlV au'twv,
Kat 01) Kat 'tWV cr-raerlW'tWV Enayofltvwv ¢lA.l1tnOV 'tOV
AlyUPWV ~Y£flova 't~V 't£ nOAlV EnE'tp£'/tav, Kat oT iiv E;I]-
yOl'tO, eLnov'to 'to ~Y£flOVl. IIuveavofiat y£v£ereat 01)
'toii'to au'tol<; Kat 'tov OfjfloV eAofl£VOV Enayaytereal 'toii'tov
er<p[erl 'tupavvov Ka'tacr-r1']erafiEVou<; Ola 'to npo<; 'tou<; ou-
£V£'tou<; £Xeo<; Kat-r!)v npo<; EKelVOU<; au'twv Ola<popav, Kat
<hl Kat 'tOV M£oloAavou 'toii'tov ~Y£flova Ijereov-ro nOA£-
floiiv'ta'tol<; Ou£v£'tOl<; Ka'ta'to Kap-repov Kat Ola<ptpov-ra
'tov nOA£flov EK't£'tafltvw<;.
58 "Eer'tl 0' ~ nOAl<; aih1']npo<; 'to iiKpOV -rfj<; 'haA[a<; Ka'ta
-r!)v faAa't[av' Tupp1']vwv O£ 'tfj<; xwpa<; £X£'tat'to npo<; EW
iOV'tl, Kat Tupp1']vlKoii n£Aayou<; iin't£'tal, 'tau't!1 't£'tpafl-
fI£v1'] 'to npo<; av[crxov'to<; ~A[OU ~ nOAl<;' npo<; O£ Eern£pav
anaAAanoflev1']<; -rfj<; xwpa<; 'Iavutwv Enl~a[v£lv £er'tl -rfj<;
IIpo~£v't[a<;, ~'tl<; faAa't[a Eer'tl Kat uno 'twv K£A'tWV ~aerl­
Ael 't£'taYfievol Ola't£Aoiierlv. 'Ovofla~£'tal O£ Ola 'tau't1']<;
ntlA1'] 'haA[a<;, w<; ainlKa emo 'tou'twv efl~aAA£l e<; faAa-.
't[av. IIoAl't£u£'tal O£ ou't£ e<; 01'] floKpa't[av 'to napanav
't£'tpaflflev1'] ~ nOAl<;, ou't£ e<; aplcr-roKpa'tlav' enlfl£fllYflev1']
Oe afl<polv 'tal<; Ka'tacr-raer£erl, 'toii'to fI£v [2.39J e<; 01']flo-
Kpa't[av OOKel anoKA[v£lV, 'toii'to 0' ao uno ap[er'twv 'tlVWV
Ol(euv£ereat, 'ta e<; -r!)v ap~v au-r!) Ola'tle£fI£V1']. "Ecr-rl yap
ouo yev1'] ev -rfi nOA£l 'tau't!] ano naAatoii npo£er'tw't£<; -rfj<;
nOA£w<;, Kal npw't£uov't£<; ou'tw<;, wer't£ ;uflnav'ta 'tov
OfjfloV ent 'tou'tou<; 't£'tpa<peal, 'to nav'tt ea't£pa 'taAav-
't£uofl£vov. To fI£v 01) 'tOlV yevolv KaAel'tat N'topla, 'to o£
434
BOOK 5
Genoese to the end. At that time the Genoese had turned
against each other and their city was experiencing great in-
stability as one faction had brought in Filippo, the ruler of
the Lombards, entrusted the city to him, and were ready
to follow him upon whatever course he led them. 103 I have
learned that this happened, and that the people chose to
bring him in and made him their tyrant, on account of their
hatred of the Venetians and their strnggIe against them.
They realized that this ruler of Milan was fighting the Vene-
tians fiercely and prosecuting the war on a broad front.
This city of Genoa is located at the edge of Italy in the 58
direction of France. To the east it borders on Tuscany, and it
touches the Tyrrhenian Sea. The city is turned toward the
rising sun. If one goes west from the land of the Genoese
one enters Provence, which is in France and its inhabitants
are subject to the king of the French. Because of this it is
named "the Gates of Italy," because at this point it borders
directly on France. 104 The city government is not entirely
democratic but nor again is it an aristocracy: it is a mixture
of both regimes, but seems to incline in part to the demo-
cratic side, but on the other hand it is governed by its nobil-
ity, and thus orders its public affairs. From of old there have
been fwO leading families in this city and their prominence
is such that the entire populace supports them, but they are
evenly balanced on either side. One of these fwO families is
435
 THE HISTORIES
ETEpOV Ln'VOVpa. 'Ent T01hov<; 0 S~flO<; Slnp1]flevo<; TO fltv
aUTOU a[pELTaL Tf)V Ln'VOVpa alpw'lV, TO St au TOU NTOpla.
AYOVTE<; St OUTOI TOV S~flOV, Ka81O'TaVal fltv ano O'<pWV
aUTWV ~yEflova<; Tii noAEl OUK E~EO'TlV, ouSt E1tlTptnEl 0
S~fl0<;' aAX EO'TOV Suo hepw ytv££, S1]flOTaL OVTE<;, Kat TO
fltv TWV yEVWV TOUTWV npo<; TO yevo<; TWV ap[O'TWV TE-
Tpaflflevov £0''1'\ Kat E1tlT~S£lOV, TO St au npo<; TO ETOpOV.
KaAElTal Sf: TOUTWV TO flev ASOPVOl, TO St <I>PEyOUO'LOI.
Ano St TOUTWV TWV OtKlWV VOfl'~£TaL athoL<;, (mo,a S~ TWV
aptO'TWV floLpa E1tlKpaTO'1], Eyt<a810'TaVaL Tn noAEl /'tp-
XOVTa. Kat TWV flev ASopvwv 0 OTKO<; <!>KElWTaL T£ij Ln,-
vovpa yevEl, TO Sf. <I>PEYOVO"WV T£ij NTopla EnlT~SElOV Te
£0''1'1 Kat EYKa810'TaflEVOV un' aUTOU e<; Tf)v ap~v.
59 T£ij St ~yEfloVl TOUT"" EnElSav e<; Tf)v ~yEflov[av KaTa-
O'Ta'1], enlTlhpanTal KaTa TOU<; VOflOV<;, enlAa~ofltv", Kat
TWV ap'O'TWV TlVWV, TpenElV W<; ~Vfl<pEpWTaTa. ITEpt fltv
ouv TWV npoO'oSwv T~<; nOAEW<; TOUTOV<; VOfl[~ETaL e1tlTpO-
nEUELV, Sla8dvaL, [2.40} fi /'tv aUTOL<; SOKO[1]' nEptnoAeflov
st Kat £lp~V1]<; VOfl[~ETaL TOV S~floV napEA80VTa e<; fleO'ov
a'pEL0'8al, 0 Tl/'tV aUT£ij SOKO'1], eAOflEvov St E1tlTpen£lV T£ij
. ~YEfloVl npaO'O'Elv W, AVO'ITEAeO'TaTa. 'E, Sf: Ta<; S'Ka, -rfj,
nOAEw<; Eyt<a8[O'TaVTaL SIKaO'Tal uno TOU e1tlKpaTouvTo<;
yevov<;, Kat SIK<l:~OVO'I KaTa Til O'<pWV aUTWV. T~<; Se S'K1]<;
£<pEO"<; eO'TIV ent TOV S~ flOV, £n£lSav '1'1<; aUTWV fl~ KaTiI
TOU<; VOflov, SIKaO'l]TaL.
60 L11EVEx8eVTE St TW ytv££ TOUTW, NTopla TE Kat Ln,-
vovpa, Kal e<; Sla<popilv O'<p'O'I Ka81O'TafleVW, flEyaAa TE Tf)v
BOOK 5
named Doria and the other Spinola. The people are divided
between them, with one part choosing the faction of Spi-
nola and the other the faction of Doria. They may lead the
people but are not permitted to be appointed as rulers over
the city, nor would the populace allow it. Yet there are two
additional families and these come from the people. One of
these two supports the noble families and sides with them,
while the other favors the other side; the first of them is
called Adami, while the second are the Fregosi. It is their
custom to appoint a lord for the city from these two fami-
lies, depending on which faction of the nobility prevails. For
the house of Adami is affiliated with the family of Spinola,
while the Fregosi are the friends of Doria and are installed
by them in power. lOS
When a ruler is appointed and takes on some of the lead- 59
ing men, he is entrusted by the laws to act in the best inter-
ests of the city. Typically, it is the rulers who supervise the
city's income and dispose of it as they see fit. Still, in mat-
ters of war and peace it is the populace that has the right
to choose openly whatever it wants to decide, but it may
choose to entrust matters to the ruler to handle in the most
advantageous way. The dominant family appoints the judges
for the trials that take place in the city, and they judge in ac-
cordance with their ways. It is possible to appeal a verdict
to the people, whenever one of them is not judged in accor-
dance with the laws.
When these two families, the Doria and Spinola, are at 60
odds with each other and fallout between themselves, they
437
 THE HISTORIES
nOA'V KaKa dpyaO"aVTO, TVpaVVOv, TE t, TI]V nOA'V tYKae-
'crt"aVTE" Kat tnayOf'EVo, aeef"'ra tnt 'r~V nOA'V npaYf'a'ra.
Twv Se yEVWV 'rOU'rWV 'ro f'ev npo, 'rOV, A[yvpa, 'rE Kat
'haAlav 'rE'rpaflflEVov alpEhat tav'r", 'rOV, 'haAov, Kat
O'vflflaxov, tnaYETat, 'ro Se 'rWV KEA'rWV ~aO'lAta tnt T~V
nOA,v. 8vfl<popaI, flev ovv nOAAaxft nEp,enECYEV ~ nOA',
ailT1'], e, aV~KEO''ra KaKa npoayoflEVWV 'rWV 'r~, nOAEW,
yEVWV tn' aAA~Aov" Kat 'rOV, O'<pWV aUTWV nOAEfI'W'rchov,
enaY0f'EVWV en' aAA~Aov,· tnE,Sav flEV'rO' avaYKn nEp'-
nln'roVTE, aV1']KEO''r'" napa 'ra O'<pWV i'e'f'a avayKa~o,VTo
nOA''rEUWea, uno 'rWV 'rvpavvwv, SatflOvlw, 6f10<ppo-
VOiiV'rE, aAA~Ao" Ka'ra 'ro iO"Xvpov t;EAauvovO'l 'rE aU'rlKa,
0, &Vwxn tv -rft nOAE' S,a''r1']TI], OUK ayaeo,. 'EnayofiEvol
TE yap nOAAaK', 'rwv KEA'rWV ~aO"AEa, tm'rpttav'r£, TI]V
nOA'V, ave" t;~AaO'av 6f10<ppovoiiVTE, aAA~Ao", a,crt"E fI~
navv tvS,a'rpl~E'V twV'rE, napa O'<plO'l TI]V [2.4I} TvpavvlSa
6 S~ f'o, tnt 'r~v EAWeEplav tnavlaO'l, 'ra napov'ra O'<plO"
Ka,vo'r0floiiv'rE, Kat t;EAauvoV'rE" ave" Kae,crt"iicn 'rWV
acrt"wv ~Y£flova, Kat Ka'ra 'rlt na'rp,a nOALTEUoV'ral.
6, ~,a<popOL SE dO', flaA'crt"a'roI, ana TapaKWVo, Kat'roI,
TapaKoV1']O'lo" 'ro naAa,ov, Kat nOAEflov, S'E'PEPOV tnt
nOAAaI, YEVEaI, t, 'r01hov, 'rE Kat 'r~V xwpav au'rwv, Kat
is[,, 'rE Kat S1']floO'l", ilno, aAA~Ao" nEp'wxwO',v, t, flaX1']V
au'rov, KaelO''rav'ra" a,O''rE aVEAElV aAA~Aov" ~v Suvwv-
'ral. TapaKov1']O'[OL, f'ev ovv t, S,a<popav KaeEO''rW'rE, aid
'rE nOAEfltol EiO',v, t; OTOV tYEVOV'rO' npo, Se 'rOV, OUEVE-
'rOV, s'1']vexe1']O'av flev Kat naAa, S,a 'ra, tv 'r", Aiyal",
nEAaYE' V~O'OU, Xlov 'rE Kat AEO'~OV, DUX ~K'crt"a Se Kat S,a
BOOK 5
do great harm to the city, installing tyrants over it and intra'
ducing radical innovations. One of these families inclines to
the Lombards and to Italy and brings in the Italians as its
allies, while the other brings the king of the French into the
city.106 This city has often been struck by misfortune as the
city's families inflict unspeakable evils upon each other and
they unleash their own worst enemies against each other.
But whenever they reach a poi11t of dire necessity, contrary
to their own customs they are forced to be goverued by ty-
rants, but then they reach an extraordinary degree of agree-
ment among each other and drive them out forcefully, if
there happens to be an evil arbiter in the city. They have of-
ten brought in the king of the French and entrusted their
city to him, but then they expelled him when they came to
an agreement with each other. Thus, the populace does not
allow tyrannies to last long among them and regains its lib-
erty, introducing radical solutions to their problems and
driving those tyrants out again. Then they appoint rulers
from among the citizens and govern themselves according
to their ancestral traditions.
The Genoese have long been at odds with Aragon and 61
the Aragonese, and have fought wars against them and their
territories for many generations. Wherever they chance
upon each other, whether in private or in public, they join
battle with them with the intention of killing each other, if
possible. For as long as they have existed, they have always
been at odds with and enemies of the Aragonese. 107 They
also fell out with the Venetians a long time ago on account
of the Aegean islands Chios and Lesbos, and not least on
439
 THE HISTORIES
TOV Al'yvpwv ~yq,ova, OV <1<plOlV enayo~Evol wpavvov
eYKaTE<1TI]<1aV Kal ev <1Ta<1El yEVO~EVOl T~V nOAlV enETpE-
yav e1tlTpOnEVElV TE, Kal OUEvEToI<; enOAe~OUV Kal T<Ii Ta-
paKOVI]<1lWV ~a<1lAEI. Kal vau<; ~ev enA~pOUV e<; TOV npo<;
OUEVETOV<; nOAE~OV, Kal enl1tAeOnE<; Ta<; TE e<; TOV 'IovLOv
nOAEl<; tKaKOUV Kal Ta<; enl T<Ii Atyalq>. TauTa 8£ £npaTIov
TOV<; OVEVETOV<; Tl~WpOUVTE<; TE T<Ii AlyVPWV Tupavvq> T<Ii
<PlAlnnq>. Kal T~V TE KipKupav 1tiip eVlevTE<; e<; Ta npo-
a<1TEla KaTeKaU<1aV, Kal £~AanTov, d Tlnpoxwpol'l aUTOI<;.
62 "Y <1TEpOV ~tnol, W<; npo<; TOV TapaKovwv ~a<1lAea
ovo~a AA<poV<10V 8lEVEX9tVTE<;, t~aXOVTO npo<; raeTI]V
nOAlV ~<; 'I'mA[a<;' tnau9a TE yap Ka90p~l~0~tvwv TWV
TOU [2.42} ~a<1lAtw<; AA<pov<1oU VEWV ~EYl<1TWV, Kal w<;
ent\90vTo oi 'Iavv'iol TOV TE <1TOAOV aUTou EvTau9a w<; en'
aVTOV<; napa<1K£tJa~O~EVOV TOV ~a<1lAta, nA'lpW<1aVTE<;
vau<; ~Eyl<1Ta<; 8~ WV ~~£I<; '(<1~EV, TWV enl T~V e~noplav
a<plKVOU~EVWV, Kal t;onAl<1a~EVOl anD ~<; nOAEw<; av~­
yono ent TOV<; TapaKov'l<1l0U<;, KaTaAa~ovTE<; 8£ aUTOV
ev T<Ii ratTYJ<; Al~tVl 8lEvau~axouv TaI<; TOU ~a<1lAew<;
vaU<1tv enlnoAvv Xpovov. "ETUXE 8£ aUTou TOTE napwv ev
-rfi nOAEl 0 ~a<1lAEV<;, Kat ~V ~aX"]V 9EW~EVO<; ~<1XaAAt TE
Kal ~9V~El, OTl nAElOVWV ev Tal<; eaUTOU vau<1lv OVTWV
av8pwv oux oTal T' av dEV unEp~aAAE<19al Ta<; TWV nOAE-
~lWV vau<;. Kal 8~ Kal e~~a<; aUTO<; t<; Ta<; vau<;, OI<1TE
enOTpUVaL aVTOV<; enl TOV nOAE~OV, ~aX'1<; OOV KapTEpii<;
yEvo~ev'l<; ~ TE vau<; taAw, Kal <1VV aV-rfi TE a~a MAW Kal
" TapaKovwv ~a<1lAEv<;. ETAE 8£ Kal T~V vauv ypa~~a­
Tl~<; TOU NTopla, vauapxouno<; TOTE To1<; 'Iavu'fol<;.
44 0
BOOK 5
account of the ruler of the Lombards [Filippo Maria Vis-
conti}, whom they brought in and installed as their tyrant.
They were in a state of civil strife and entrusted the supervi-
sion of their city to him, and fought against the Venetians
and the king of the Aragonese [Alfonso V} .108 They manned
their ships in the war against the Venetians and set sail, ha-
rassing the cities both of the Adriatic and Aegean Sea. They
did this to the Venetians on behalf of Filippo, the tyrant of
the Lombards. They set fire to the suburbs on Kerkyra and
burned them down, and generally caused harm wherever
4> they had the opportunity.l09
Later the Genoese fell out with the king of the Ara- 62
gonese, whose name was Alfonso,llo and fought against
Gaeta, a city ofItaly, where the largest ships of King Alfonso
were harbored. When the Genoese learned that the king
was preparing his fleet against them there, they manned the
largest ships of which we have knowledge, ships that were
designed for trade. Thus equipped, they set sail from their
city and attacked the Aragonese, attacking the enemy in the
harbor of Gaeta and fighting a protracted naval battle with
the king's ships. The king happened to be present at that
time in the city and, as he watched the battle, he was dis-
tressed and was becoming despondent because his ships
were unable to overcome the enemy ships even though they
had more men. So he embarked in person upon a ship to en-
courage them in the battle. The battle became fierce and his
ship was captured and along with it the king of the Ara-
gonese was captured too.m The ship was captured by the
secretary of Doria, who was the Genoese admiral at the
time. ll2
441
 THE HISTORIES
63 01 tnel -rE nEplEytvOV-ro Kal au-rov ElAOV -rOy ~a(nAta,
antnAEOv en' OfKOV. De; Sf. ayxou -rije; nOAEWe; tytvov-ro,
nptv ~ te; -rYJv nOAlv au-rov KaeOp[l[O'aO'em, anoO'-rpttae;
~nAEl ent -rYJv -rou AlyUPWV ~yE[lOVOe; xwpav, we; au-rov -rE
eKdv4J a~wv a!X[laAw-rov -rOy ~aO'IAta iU<povO'ov, Kat
O!O[lEVOe; [ltya -rl ano[O'EO'eal au-r<ji KtpSoe; ano -rou
~YE[lOVOe;. 'Enl~ae; SE -rije; xwpae; au-rou ~KEV aywv -rOY ~a­
O'IAta a!X[laAw-rov napa -rOY Alyvp[ae; -r1lpavvov. 'Ev-rauea
oMESLOAaVOV ~yE[lWV olJ-roe; -rov -rE ~aO'IAta 6nESt~a-ro tv
-rl[lft, Kal [lEyaAwe; -rl[l~O'ae; au-rov antnE[ltEV tnt -rYJv
ap~v au-rou. Kat -ro ano -rOUSE 01 -rE 'IavvTwv avSpEe;
yvwfLll SIEVExetV-rEe; [2.43} npoe; -rou-rov ou nOAA<ji vO'-rEpOV
cmtO'-r'1O'av Kat-rov apxov-ra t~~AaO'av, Kal-roDe; te; -rYJv-rije;
n6AEWe; aKponoAlv Ka-ra<pvyov-rae; O[lOAoy[q napaO'-r'1O'a-
[lEVOl' Kat au-rol te; -ra na-rp<jia 0''1'[0'1 -rou Aomou -rYJv nOAlv
St<i>KOVV, eYKaelO'-rav-rEe; Sf. ~YE[lovae; -rwv aO'-rwv enl -rfi
~YE[lOV[q, ii Kalnpo-rEpov au-role; evo[l[/;E-ro.
64 '0 [ltV-rOl iU<povO'oe; anoAveEle; 6no -rou MESLOAavov
~yE[lOVOe; Eilvwe; -rE au-r<ji dXE, Kat enl'"'1SelWe; {movpywv,
an' av au-r<ji npoe; xaplv ~nO'm-ro, ~SEO'eal OUK enavO'a-ro
Sla nav-roe;, ee; il S~ 0 -rou MESLOAaVOV ~yE[lWV e-rEAEv'"'1-
O'EV. Ou-roe; Sf. (, TapaKov'1O'[wv ~aO'IAEDe; -rije; -rE BaAEv-r[ae;
~aO'lAEVWV Kat TapaKwvoe; Kat-rije; -rE :EapSovoe; v~O'ov Kat
Kvpvov, Kat enapxwv -r~e; BapKEVWV'1e; n6AEWe; EuSa[[l0-
voe; Ka-ra -rYJv 'I~'1p[av, a<p[KE-ro te; :ElKEA[av [lev -ro npw-rov,
[lE-ra Sf. -rau-ra te; 'haA[av Kat tnl IIapeEvon'1v, Kat -rYJV
I: ~aO'IAelaV Ka-rtO"XE -rp6n4J -rOl<jiSE' -rYJv yap NEanoAlv
I
-rav-r'1v -rije; 'haA[ae; npoO'EAeOuO'av -ro naAalov te; -rOY
il
BOOK 5
The Genoese prevailed in that battle, capturing the king 63
himself, and sailed back home. When they came near the
city, before harboring there the admiral turned away and
sailed to the territory of the ruler of the Lombards [Vis-
conti}, in order to bring King Alfonso to him as a captive,
and hoping to receive some great reward from the ruler. So
he entered his territory and went there, bringing the captive
king to the tyrant of Lombardy. Thereupon the ruler of Mi-
lan received the king with honors and, after greatly honor-
ing him, sent him back to his realm. From this point on the
men of Genoa turned against the ruler of Milan and not
much later they rebelled and drove that lord outY' They
subjected those who sought refuge in the city's citadel
through a negotiated surrender. Henceforth they governed
the city according to their own customs and installed rulers
from among the citizens in the highest position, as they had
done in the past.
Released by the ruler of Milan, Alfonso was well disposed 64
toward him and assisted him as a friend in whatever manner
he could bestow favors upon him, and he never ceased to
gratifY him, until the ruler of Milan died."4 This king of the
Aragonese reigned over Valencia, Aragon, and the islands
of Sardinia and Corsica. He was also the governor of Barce-
lona, a prosperous city in Iberia.1I5 He first went to Sicily
and then to Italy and Parthenope, and occupied its kingdom
in the following way.l!6 Italian Naples used to belong of old
443
 THE HISTORIES
KEA-rWV ~aO"LAEa, anES£lKVU-rO Imo O'{KOU -rOU ~aO"LAEW, E,
't1jVSE -ri]V xwpav 'tfj, 'haAla, ~aO"LAEa Ka! apxov-ra. 'H Sf.
~a(nA£la apXE-rCll flf.V ano 'Ia=Yla, aKpa, Kal MEO'anla"
Ka! Eni nOAu npo'iouO'a Ka-ra -rOY 'I6VLOV K6Anov en' ap'-
O'-rEpa Ei=A€oV-rl afl£l~El -rE -ri]v xwpav -rij, Bap'1, ou-rw
KaAouflev'1" Kal yE -r~v ~aO'lAlKw-ra'"'1v EnEXEt lOyou I#av
ou-rw xwpav. ME-ra Sf -ri]v r~novov ou-rw KaAOUflev'1v
Sl~KEl tnl rae-r'1v Kal Enl KlE-rl'1V, n6Alv 0flopouO'av -ro
npo, t=epav {2-44} 'tfi 'Pwflalwv xwpq:, -ro Sf. npo, f.W -r<i>
'IOVl'!'. "EXEt Sf Ka!-ri]v npo, LlKEAlav -rnpaflflev'1v xwpav,
'EAMSa -ro naACIlov KaAouflev'1v, -ra vuv Sf KaAa~plav.
65 D, S~ ouv Eni -rwv KEA-rWV ~aO'lAea nEplEA~AU8EV ~ 'tfj,
N£CInoAEw, ~aO'lA£la, eneO'-r'1O'Ev athii ~aO'lAea -rwv npoO'-
'1KOv-rwv au-rou, f.va O'{KOU -rou ~aO'lAew,. "0, Sf aq)lKoflE-
YO, e, -ri]v NEanoAlv (Aav-rlO'Aao, S' ~v ovofla au-r<i»
E~aO'o..£ue -rE -rij, xwpa" Ka! En! fleya SuvaflEw, -rwv Ka-ra
-ri]v 'haAlav' Enl -rE -ri]v TupP'1vwv apmv eO'-rpa-rEuE-ro Kai
en!-r~v AOl~V 'haAlav, flEyala ImoSElKvuflEVO, !'pya. Kai
S~ Kai tn! -r~v -rwv TupP'1vwv fI'1-rponoAlv ¢AwpEv-rlav
mpa-rov tnayofiEvo, Ka! npOO'Ka8EsofiEVO, EnoAlopKEl.
D, Sf. Xpovlw-repa eyevE-ro ~ nOAlopKla, A€ynCll, w, e, -ro
Errxa-rOV KaKOU a<plKOfiEVOl ot 'tfj, nOAEw, AOYOU, npoO'e<pE-
pov nEp! £lp~v'1', <paO'Kov-rE, n£l0'£(J'8al au-rou" iJ -rl av
KEAEUOl, Ka! En! -rOU-rOl, S,aAuE0'8C1l. Tov Sf. ;ufI~alvov-ra
ai-r£l0'8C1l -rwv amwv -rlVO, 8uya-repa, EunpETCfj -rE ouO'av
Ka! naO'wv -rwv EV -rii nOAEl AEyoflev'1v' ELval KaAAlw,
-rau-r'1v w, tTCtl8E'tO KaAAEl S,EVEYKElV -rwv ev 'tfi nOAEt.
444
BOOK 5
to the king of the French, and the lord and king of this terri-
tory in Italy was appointed from his royal house.1l7The king-
dom begins from the ends ofApulia and Salento and extends
a long distance along the Adriatic Sea, along the left coast as
one sails into it, where it meets the territory of Bari, as that
place is called. It contains the most royal and noteworthy
lands. Beyond the Terra di Lavoro, as it is called,!l8 it extends
to Gaeta and Chieti, a city that borders on the land of the
Romans to the west, while to the east it borders the Adriatic
Sea. It also has the land that is turned toward Sicily, which
was formerly called Greece!l9 but is now Calabria.
When the kingdom of Naples came under the king of the 65
French, he appointed over it as king one of his relatives from
his own house. His name was Ladislao and he went to Naples
and reigned over that territory.l20 When he attained great
power among the Italians, he campaigned against the prin-
cipality of the Tuscans and the rest of Italy and performed
great deeds.l2! He also led an army against the capital of the
Tuscans, Florence, and invested the city to besiege it. As the
siege was dragging on, it is said that the people of the city
reached the limit of their endurance and made peace over-
tures, saying that they would obey him no matter what he
asked so long as they could be reconciled. He agreed and
asked for the daughter of one of the citizens, who was deco-
rous and said to be more beautiful than all the women in the
city; for he had learned that she surpassed in beauty all of
the city's women.
445
 THE HISTORIES
66 <PtpEI Sf. ailT!] ~ nOAI<; flaAI<na S~ YVVa11<a<; KaAAEl Sla-
cpEpO()(ra<; TWV tv'!-raALq, flET' aUTWv yE napetVOV<;. TatJTI]v
Sf. avanvVeaVOflEVO<; OilTW £XElV t<; KaAAO<; (~V Sf. ItAAW<;
6 ~aO'IAEiJC; OOTO<; Kat t<; yvvalKa<; tmflav~<; Kal aKOAa-
<n0C;), [2.45} alToufiEVOC; TatJ-r!]V aUT(ji Soe~Vat ~V yv-
valKa, tnt 'tfi l;vfl~aO'EI aV-rov O'VVatvtO'at TOU<; Tvpp!]vou<;,
Kat KEAEiiO'at TOV naTtpa tVO'KEvaO'afiEVOV T~V evyaTtpa
au-roii T(ji KaAAL<nC;J S~ KOO'flC;J, tKSoiival T(ji ~aO'IAd. Tv-
XEIV Sf. laTpov TOV ~<; natSo<; Tal"'!]<; naTtpa, ~Kov-ra TE
t<; Tit npWTa ~<; TtXV!]<; Kat tnt nclpav nOAAWV acplKOflE-
VOV. n<; s' OUK ~SuvaTO Slacpvyclv, WO'TE fI~ tKSoiiVat ~V
evyaTtpa, tYKEpaO'afiEVOV KOVEIOV W<; ~SuvaTO lO'XvpOTa-
TOV (tv Sf. Tau'tt] Tn nOAEI flaAl<na S~ TWV tv 'haAlq
nOAEWV tYKlpVWVTal TO KOVEIOV ItfiEIVOV TWV tv Tal<;
ItAAal<; nOAEO'I) Kal tfl~a""aVTa TO AEVTIOV t<; TO KOVEIOV,
cptpovTa Soiival 'tfi evyaTpL, w<; tnEISltv au'tfi tmflLrryolTO
o ~aO'lAEu<;, flETIt ~V O'VvovO'Lav tKflaO'O'EIV TO alSolov T(ji
AEVTLC;J w<; eimpEnt<naTa' TaUT!]V Sf. Aa~oiiO'av TO Aev-rIOV,
eta<; TE 1tl;IOV Kal xpvO'(ji KEKOO'fI!]fltvov, cpvAanEIV, W<nE
unovpyclv T(ji ~aO'IAEI flETa yE ~V O'VvovO'(av, iJ tVETtAAETO
au'tfi 6 na~ p. 'End Sf. ltyOVTE<; ~v yvvalKa tVExEtplO'av
T(ji ~aO'IAEI, eEaO'aflEvo<; tKnAa~Vat T(ji dAAEI au~<; Kal
tpaO'etv-ra O'VYYEvtO'eal, nEleofltV!]V ~v nalSa T(ji naTpt
KaTIt Tit tVTETaAfltva, T(ji TE AEVT(C;J aUTLKa CPIAOCPPO-
vovfltV!]V tKflaO'O'ElV TO alSolov. Kal w<; ~""aTO tv UypOT!]TI
YEvofltvov, aUT(Ka nvptl;at TOV ~aO'IAta Kal flET" ou nOAU
cmoeavdv. TEAE1J~O'at Sf. Kat T~V yvvalKa aUToii, w<; tn'
au~v tnEA~AVeE [2.46} TO KOVEIOV (SlaVEfI!]ef.V tytVETO Sl'
BOOK 5
This city has the most surpassingly beautiful women in 66
Italy, and among them are virgins too. So, learning abont her
beauty-this king was, in any case, an insatiable womanizer
- he demanded that she be given over to him. The Tuscans
consented, based on their agreement, and urged her father
to adorn his daughter with the most splendid ornaments,
and give her to the king. Now, it happened that this girl's fa-
ther was a doctor and he was a master practitioner of his art
and had extensive experience. He was unable to evade this
request, but so as not to hand over his daughter, he mixed
the most powerful hemlock that he could - in this city, more
than in any other of Italy, they make a stronger potion of
hemlock than in the other cities-and soaked a towel in it.
He gave it to his daughter so that, after the king had had
intercourse with her, she was to wipe his genitals with the
towel, as was only seemly. She took the towel, which was im-
pressive to behold and adorned with gold thread, and kept it
close so that she could use it on the king after intercourse,
as her father had instructed her. When they brought the
woman and delivered her to the king, he was struck by her
beauty and, becoming aroused, had sex with her. The girl
then followed her father's instructions and, with a kindly
gesture, wiped the king's genitals with the towel.' Upon con-
tact it became moist, and the king immediately grew fe-
verish and died soon afterward. 122 The woman also died, as
the hemlock came into contact with her too (for through
447
 THE HISTORIES
uypou 'to KOV£LOV "tafl£vov<;' 'tou A£v't(ov). T£AevTI]O"av-
'to<; fli:v ovv OV'tW 'tou ~ao"lA£w<; 'tOV 't£ O"'tpa'tov SlaAveijVaL,
"noxwp~O"aV'ta En' OIKOV, Kal 't~v nOAlv EAwe£pav y£v£-
O"eaL 'tij<; noALOpK(a<;. A£YOVO"l Si: 'haAwv 'tlV£<;, w<; OUX 0
na~ p e'i'] 6 'to A£V'tlov S£SWKW<; -rfi yvvalKl Kal EYJ<£pa-
o""fI£vo<;, aAA: ~ ~OtlA~ -rij<; nOA£w<; au~v O"VO"KevaO"aO"a 'tiii
KaAA(O"'t'" KOO'fI"', w<; £unp£n£O"'t£pav cpavijval 'tiii ~aO'lAel,
Kal 'to A£v'tlov EmSouval, 'tou't", S~ CPlAocppOVelO'eaL ~a­
O'lA£a E<; 't~v O'vvovO"(av. AAAa 'tau'ta fli:v E<; 'toO'ou'tov
A£yofl£va nap(£fI£v, OUK £unp£nij Dv'ta.
67 M£'ta Si: ~V 't£A£V~v 'tou ~aO"lA£W<; Aav'tlO"AaOtl ~v
yvvalKa au'tou EVOXAOVfI£V']v et<; ~v ~aO'lAelav uno 't£
'twv 'haAwv Kal uno 'twv -rij<; xwpa<; apxov'twv, npaYfla'ta
nap£x0V'twv au-rfi Y,]flaflevn 'PaLV£p(", 'tiii IIpo~£v't(a<; ~a­
O'lAel, av£tliii. S' DV'tl 'tou K£A'twv ~aO'lA£W<;, napaSouva(
't£ ~V ~aO'lAelav -rij<; IIape£von']<;. Tau't']v S' elVaL ev-
ya't£pa Enveofl£ea 'tou Tapav'totl 't£ Kal -rij<; 'Ianvy(a<;
ijY£floVO<;, 'tou OupO"(vwv OIKOV ij'tOl ApK(WV, W<; ItV'tau-rn
'EAA']vlO"'tl A£YOl'tO, avSpo<; 'ta fI£YlO"'ta Svvafl£VOtl tv 'tft
XWP'> 'tau-rn -rij<; NwnoA£w<;. Tov fli:v ovv 'Palv£pLOv napa-
Aa~ov'ta ~v ~aO'lAelav SlaY£VEO'eaL ~aO'lA£uoV'ta £'t'] SVO-
Ka(S£Ka' tv 'tou't", Si: AAcpovO'ov 'tov TapaKovwv ~ao"lAta
Kal LapSovo<; Kal BaA£v't(a<;, OIKOV Dv'ta 'twv M£S(vwv,
O''toAov {2.47} vaV'TC']Y'1O"afl£vov fI£YlO"'tOV, tnayofl£vwv
au'tov 'twv EV LlK£A( .. IIavopflEwv, acplK£O'eaL 't£ E<; Ll-
K£A(av Kal ucp' au'tiii O"UflnaO'av nOl']O'afl£vov £X£lV, fI£'ta S£
'tau'ta ano 'tau't']<; -rij<; vijO'OV 6pflWfI£VOV Ka'tarrxeTv ~v EV
-rfi IIape£vonn aKponoAlv 't~v fI£O"oyaLOv' etO"l yap -rfi
BOOK 5
the liquid, the hemlock spread to whomever touched the
towel).123 When the king died, the army was disbanded and
returned home, and the city was freed from the siege. Some
Italians say that it was not the father who gave the towel
to the woman and mixed the potion but, rather, the city
council outfitted her with the most beautiful adornments,
so that she might appear as decorous as possible to the king,
and gave her the towel to use, as an act of kindness, on the
king during intercourse. But let us leave the matter there,
for it is not decorous to speak more of it.
After the death of King Ladislao, his wife was harassed in 67
the management of royal affairs by the Italians and the lords
of the land, who caused her trouble after she married Rene,
the king of Provence, who was a nephew of the king of the
French, and she handed over to him the kingdom of Parthe-
nope. l24 We have ascertained that she was the daughter of
the ruler ofTaranto and Apulia, from the house of Orsini, or
"the Bears," as it would be called in Greek. 125 He was a very
powerful man in the kingdom of Naples. Rene took over the
kingship and survived as king for twelve years. It was during
his reign that Alfonso, the king of the Aragonese, Sardinia,
and Valencia, from the house of Medina, 126 built a huge fleet
at the instigation of the people of Palermo, in Sicily, and he
went to Sicily and subjected it all to his authority,127 After
that, he set out from this island and took over the citadel of
Parthenope {Naples}, the inland one. For this city has two
449
 THE HISTORIES
nOAel ....au'tI] SUO napaAlO1 aKponOAW; Kat flla flecroyalO<;.
L ....pa....oV S' Enayoflevo<; EnoAIOpKet ....e TIJV nOAIV, Kat
flllXava<; npocrcptpwv Enelpa....O EAdv' ~v9a Kat" aSeACPO<;
au....ou ~A119el<; ....l1AE~OA"" heAEu....llcre. ME'!"' ou nOAu S£
napacr't"l1craflevo<; ElM ....e Kat Ka....Ecrxe TIJV nOAIV. Me....a
....au....a TIjv ....e aKponoAIV EnoAlopKEI, TIjv ....E napaAlov Kat
TIJV flecroyalOV. T~v flEV ....OI flecroyalOv napacr....llcraflevo<;
Alfl4' t!;enoAlopKllcre, TIJV S£ napaAIOV napa8ov....wv au....4'
....WV cpUAaKWV Ka....ecrxE Kat CPPOupav tyKa9[cr't"l1 crIV.
68 'H 8£ ....oU ~acrIAEw<; yuv~ EnoAlOpKd....o flev tv -rfi npo<;
....4' 'tfj<; nOAEw<; Alflevl aKPOnOAel' Kat (\ ....e av~p au'tfj<;
une!;ijAgev anEAauvoflevo<;, Kat anEnAEI Ent I1po~EV""la<;
w<; cr't"pa....ov ....e tna!;wv <hI ....aXlcr't"a Kat .... lflwP~crwv -rfi YU-
ValKl. "Ev9a ~ ~acrLAEla <!>op.... lav ....ov 'tfj<; MapKll<; ~yEflova
flE....anEflvafltvll, Kat ....O....e 8~ tv 'I....aAlq flEya SuvafleVOV ....a
t<; cr't"pa....llylav, ....ov ....E AAcpovcrov E!;~AacrE 'tfj<; nOAew<;.
'EK~aAoucra EKdvov lcrxEI ....~V nOAIV, cruve1tlAa~oflEVoU ....ou
<!>op.... la au-rfi. D<; 8£ En' au-rfi ....a npayfla....a EyEVE....O, ....~v
....e aKponoAlv EnoAlopKEI TIJv npo<; ....4' OpEl flEcroyalOv Kat
w<; OUK ~8uva....o EAETv npoKa9E~oflEVll, Alfl4' EnoAIOpKe!.
Me....a 8£ ....au....a Xpovou ou nOAAou 8IEA90v....o<;, ....oU {2·48J
<!>op.... [ou 8Ia....pl~ov....0<; EV 'I....aAlq Kat EXOV....O<; aflCPt ....OU<;
OlKelOU<; nOAEflou<;, wPflllfl£vO<; ano LIKEAla<; (, TapaKWVO<;
~acrIAeu<; AAcpovcro<; TIjv 't"E KaAa~p[av v1ttjyayE....O fl£v
npw....a, flE....a 8£ ....au....a cr't"pa....wfla cruAAt!;a<; t~AacrE ....e
8EinEpov Kat Ka....Ecrxe TIJV nOAIV.
69 Kat ij ....e ~acrLAEla 'Palvep[ou vne!;tcrxEv EK 'tfj<; aKpo-
nOAEw<; Enl ....ov naT8a au'tfj<;, ~Y£flova Tapav....ou Kat
45 0
BOOK 5
citadels on the coast and one inland. 128 He brought up an
army, besieged the city, and attempted to take it by bringing
up engines. His brother was wounded there by a cannon and
died. 12 ' But shortly after he invested the city, he captured it
and took it over. After that he besieged the citadel, both the
inland one and the coastal one. He captured the inland cita-
del after starving it out in a siege, and the coastal one when
its garrison surrendered it to him. He installed his own gar-
rison there .
Meanwhile, the wife of the king {LadislaoJ was being be- 68
sieged in the citadel that is by the harbor of the cityYo Her
husband had secretly withdrawn and departed, sailing for
Provence in order to lead back an army as quickly as he
could and avenge his wife.13l Thereupon the queen sum-
moned Sforza, the lord of the Marche, who then had great
military power in Italy, and drove Alfonso away from the
city.132 Having thrown him out, she strengthened her hold
over the city, with Sforza's assistance. Control of affairs re-
turned to her hands and she besieged the citadel, the inland
one by the mountain, but as she was unable to take it by
siege, she tried to starve it out. A short time later, when
Sforza was away in Italy as he had his own wars to fight, King
Alfonso ofAragon set out from Sicily and first subjected Ca-
labria; after that he assembled an army, embarked on a sec-
ond campaign, and occupied the city.1J3
Rene's queen escaped from the citadel and went to her 69
son, the ruler of Taranto and Apulia. For after the death of
451
 THE HISTORIES
'Ia1tuy[a<;' -rov yitp s~ ~yeflova -.:ii<; 'Ia1tuy[a<; £Y"lfla-ro
fle-rit -r~v -reAeu~v Aav-rlO"Aaou, a'll' ~<; ~O")(e 1taTSa -roo-rov
-rOY 'Ia1tuy[a<; ~yefl6va. D<; fI£nol AA'll6vO"o<; Ka-r£O")(e -r~v
1tOAlV Kal xwpav ~v r~1tOVOV KaAoufl£v'1v, £1toAEflel1tpo<;
-rOY 'Ia1tuy[a<; ~yefl6va 1taTSa -re -.:ii<; Map[a<; ~acrlA[SO<;,
Kal £1tlWV Ka-recr-rpt'lle-ro ~v xwpav. Xpovou So £1tlYl-
vOfl£vOU 1tp£O"~el<; -re 1t£fl1tWV 1tap' au-rov 6 -r~<; 'Ia1tuy[a<;
~yeflwv ~;[ou -re au-rt/i O"1ttvSeO"eal, £'ll' <!J Kal £1tlya fl[av
1tol'1O"aflevo<;' ~Pfl0O"a-ro yitp S~ 6 ~acrlAeu<; £1tl -rt/i 1tatSl
au-roo V6e'l' 'Iv'llepavS'l' -r~v aSeA'lllSooV -roo 'Ia1tuy[a<;
~yeflovo<;, euya-rtpa Sf -roo Bev6~'1<; Ilpxono<;. Kal O"1tOV-
Sa<; 1tol'1O"aflevol, e'll' <!J ;evou<; -re Kal u1t'1K60u<; elVal -rt/i
~a(nAeT AA<povO"'l', fle-re1ttfl1te-ro e1tl ~v Nea1toAlv, E'vea S~
a'lllKoflevo<; £<; S£O<; Kae[cr-ra-ro, fI~ aAt/i lmo -roo ~acrlAEW<;.
Kal Slit -roSe -ro Seo<; E'SO;E 1taeeTv -rit £<; 'llpeva<;. Oihw flEv
e<; 'I-raA[av £1tl ~v ~acrlAdav -.:ii<; -re LlKEA[a<; Kal IIap-
eevo1t'1<; a'll[Ke-rO AA'llovO"o<; a1to TapaKwvo<;' eAeWV So e<;
'haA[av Sl£-rPl~EV au-roo -rit flev 1tpo<; -rou<; Tupp'1vou<; -rit
Se {2.49} 1tpo<; -rou<; Ouevnou<; 1toAeflWv, -rit So Kal
O"1teVSOflEvO<; SlE-reAEl. 'IavuTou<; floV £~yE cr-rOA'l' flEyaA'l'
'PatVepLO<; ~ao"lAEu<; e1tl ~v 1tOALV, Kal £1tElpwv-ro a1to~~vat·
Kal W<; oux olO[ -rE £y£vov-ro, a1tE1tAEOV £1t' O'{KOU.
II
II 70 AA'llovO"o<; flEv onv ~v AlyUWV xwpav Kal TapaKwvo<;
I e1t£-rpEte -rt/i aSeA'llt/i, ~aO"lAeT YEVOflev'l' Na~ap'1<;' -roo-rov
';
yitp a1to TapaKwvo<; £1tayoflEvol ot -r~<; Na~ap'1<; xwpav
'! evolKoov-re<;, (hl yuvaTKa eyEyafl~Kel -roo ~ao"lAtw<; eu-
ya-repa, Kal O"'ll[O"lV e~O"av-ro ~ao"lA£a Ka-rit -rit O"'llwv
au-rwv E'elfla. Ot yitp 1tpo<; £O"1tEpaV ot 1tAdou<; O")(ESOV -rl
452
BOOK 5
Ladislao she had married the ruler of Apulia, and he had a
son with her, namely this current ruler of Apulia. When Al-
fonso occupied the city and the so-called Terra di Lavoro, he
fought a war against the ruler of Apulia, the son of queen
Marie, and conquered his land in the attack. I]4 Some time
later the ruler ofApulia sent envoys to him asking to make a
treaty with him, on condition that they make a marriage al-
liance. The king {Alfonso} married his illegitimate son Don
Ferrante to the niece of the ruler of Apulia, the daughter
of the lord ofVenosa.1J5 They made a treaty by which they
would be allies and subjects of King Alfonso, and he {pre-
sumably Don Ferrante} was sent to Naples, where he lived
in terror that he might be captured by the king. Because of
this fear, his mind seems to have become unhinged. Thus
did Alfonso come to Italy from Aragon and claim the king-
dom of Sicily and Parthenope. When he came to Italy, he
spent his time fighting against the Tuscans on the one hand
and the Venetians on the other, and he also made some trea-
ties. King Rene led a large Genoese fleet against the city and
attempted to make a landing. But they were not able to do
this and so they sailed back home. B6
Alfonso, meanwhile, entrusted the land of the Ligyans 137 70
and Aragon to his brother, who had become king of Na-
varre. He had been brought in from Aragon by the inhab-
itants of the land of Navarre because he had married the
daughter of their king, and so they appointed him king ac-
cording to their custom. B8 Now, most of the rulers in the
453
 THE HISTORIES
,'mo<ptpOV1'al flev Ka\1'a<; 1'WV 1tOAEWV 1tP0<10S0U<;, apxa<;
Sf: ou 1taVU 1'l aU1'ol<; e;E<TrlV EYKael<TraVal E<; 1'a<; 1t6AEl<;
~ <pUAaKa<;, aAX aU1'o[ 1'E ol t1tlXWpLOl1'a<; 1'E apxa<; flE1'(aO"l
Ka\ <pUAaKa<; Ka1'a<11''l<1aflEVOl 'ti]V xwpav E1tl1'P01tEUOU<1l,
Kal1'a 1t'''''pla <1<p(<1l ~la~E<1ea, OUK e;E<Trl1'OV<; E1tlXWp(OU<;
1'aV ~a<1lAta 1tapa 1'a <1<PWV au1'WV eelfla. T 61'E flf:V OUV, w<;
E1tayofltvwv <1<p[<1l ~a<1lAEa -rWV Na~ap'l<; a<Trwv E1t\ 'ti]v
xwpav 1'aV l\A<pOV<10U aSEA<paV tyEVE1'O au-r<ii a1ta -rij<; yv-
VaLKa<; au-rou 1tal<; Kal t-rpa<p'l afl<p\ -ra SwSEKa h'l YE-
yovw<;, -rOV flf:V 1talSa Ka1'E<1XOV au-rou, -rOV Sf: ~a<1lAta
a1tE1tEfltav-ro, <paflEvol w<; E1tEL1'E EytVE1'O 1tal<;, ou flE-rEIVaL
aU1'<ii -rij<; ~a<1lAda<; e1'l -rou AOl1tOU, aAX Ei<; -rOV 1talSa
aV~KElV. Tau-ra flf:V U<1-rEPOV OU 1toU<ii EyEVE1'O. ''01'E Sf: E1t\
'I-raA(av a<p[KE1'O l\A<pOV<10<;, -r6v -rE aSEA<paV Ka-rtAl1tEV
E1tl-rP01tEUElV 'ti]v xwpav au-rou.
7' :A.PXE'CaL Sf: au1''l a1ta BaAEv-r(a<; -rij<; xwpa<;. Ka\ ~ Ba-
AEv-r[a [2.50} 1tOAl<; t<11'\ flEyaA'l 1'E Ka\ EuSa[flwv, Kal
~aO"LAEla E<TrlV EV aU-rfi ~aO"lAtW<; BaAEv-r[a<;. ".O.lK'l-raL Se
au1''l ~ 1tOAl<; a1ta -rou 1tOpefiOU -rWV 'HpaKAELWV <Tr'lAWV
SltXOU<1a <TraS[ou<; afl<pl -rOV<; t=aKO<1[OU<;, av-rlKpv
~apSovo<; -r~<; V~<10U. ME-ra Sf: ~ TapaKwv KaAOUflEV'l
xwpa Sl~KEl <<TrE E1t\ BapKEVwv'lV, Tau"tI] SlaStXE-ral -rij<;
TapaKwvo<; xwpa E1t\ I1po~Ev-r(av 'ti]v raAa-r[av. ".O.<11'E SEt
AEyElV -rOV<; opOU<; -r~<1SE -rij<; ~a<1lAEW<; xwpa<;' -ra flf:V 1tpo<;
EW 6p(~0l-r0 iiv -rfi raAa-r[q -r~<; I1po~Ev-r(a<;, -ra Sf: 1tpO<;
E<11tEpaV -rfi 'I~'lp[q, -ro Sf: 1tpa<; IlpK"l"OV -rfi Na~apn. Bap-
KEVWV St E<Trl 1tOAl<; -rWV 1tpa<; E<11ttpav 1tAOU-r", -rE Ka\
SuvaflEl U1tEp<pEpOU<1a, SLOlKEt-ral Sf: E<; apl<TrOKpa-r[av
454
BOOK 5
west are barely able to take for themselves something from
the cities' revenues, but they are not really allowed to install
magistrates in the cities or garrisons; rather the locals them-
selves appoint their magistrates and supervise their lands by
placing their own garrisons. Nor is it allowed for the king to
violate tradition and make the locals do something contrary
to ancestral custom. So at that time, when the citizens of
Navarre brought into their land the brother ofAlfonso to be
their king, his wife bore him a son. When he was raised to
about the age of twelve, they took his son but expelled the
king, saying that now that he had a son he himself could no
longer be king, as the throne belonged to the sonY' These
things happened shortly afterward. When Alfonso went to
Italy, he left his brother to supervise his territory.
This realm begins in the land of Valencia. The city of Va- 7'
lencia is large and prosperous, and holds the royal court of
the king of Valencia. This city is located at a distance of
about seven hundred stades from the straits by the Pillars
of Herakles, and faces the island of Sardinia. After it is the
land called Aragon, and it extends to Barcelona. The land
of Aragon follows upon this and extends to Provence, in
France. I should specifY the borders of the king's land: to the
east it is bounded by France, that is Provence; to the west by
Castile; and to the north by Navarre. Among all the cities in
the west, Barcelona is exceptional in wealth and power. It is
governed for the most part by an aristocracy, and it has a
455
 THE HISTORIES
-re-rpaf'f'ev1] -ro nAtov, Kat lmo ~aCnAel TapaKwvo, a;LOI
nOAL-reVEereaL t, -rlt na-rpLa. l\V-rLKPV So -rav"'1, Kvpvo,
tcr-rl vfjero, EuSalf'wv -rE Kat nOAuaVepwno" Kat fj nEpl-
oSo, -rfj, vfjerou AtyE-rm af'cpt -rOV, SUJ'XLAlou, er-raSlou,.
"Eer-rL So nap' au-rij Kat vfjero, e-repa, fj f'dwv KaAouf'ev1].
Aih1] Kat tv -rij uno -r<iJ TapaKwvwv ~a"'Ael -raTI0f'ev1]
apxov-ra Aaf'~av£L. LapSw f'ev-roL fj vfjero" f'Eylcr-r1] -re
overa Kat af'cpt -rov, nEv-raKc"XLAlou, er-raSlou, ~xouera -rfjv
nEploSov, uno -r<iJ ~aerLAel -rOU-r41 SLa-reAel. ~uo So nOAEL,
dertv tv au-rij EuSalf'ovE" 'Oper-raYLa -rE Kat Kayep1]. 'H
f'ov npo, ~w -rfj, vfjerou, fj S£ npa, f'E"1]f'~plav "xouera
<!\K1]-raL. KoupeALOv S' tv -rau'rt] -rij vfjer41 ol aALel, Sptnov-
-raL ana eaAacr"1], -rfj, vfjerou, Kal tv-reVeEV d, [2.5r} -rfjv
aAA1]v acpLKVel-rm otKouf'ev1]v.
'I~1]pla So W, ~XEL, ap;af'ev1] Imo raAa-rla" acp' fj,
xwpa, KEA-rl~1]PE, SLaStxov-rm Kat racrKwv1] xwpa, uno
-r<iJ KeA-rwv ~acrLAel SLa-rEAovera. ME-rlt So -ra npa, ew
IIEcrKcitwv xwpa SLaSeXE-rm, tnt 'I~1]plav SLa-rdvouera.
'I~1]pla S£ f'Ey(er"'1 overa -rwv npo, eernepav xwpa, f'E-ra yE
-rfjv KEA-rLKfjV, SLfjKEL tn' wKEavov -ro npo, eernepav, -ra So
npo, ew Na~apn -rE Kat raAa-rlc;t, Kat-ro npa, f'Eer1]f'~p(av
-rij IIop-rouyaAA(c;t, ~-rL, napaALo, overa xwpa tnt-rov WKE-
avov tntnOAv SLfjKEL, Kat -rij -rwv AL~UWV -rfj, rpava-r'l,
XWpc;t· tv-ro, S' tcr-rl-ra -rov 'IaKw~ou iEp6v.' IIop-rouyaAAla
S' txof'ev'l-rfj, 'I~'lpla, SLfjKEL tnt-rfjv tv-ro, eaAaererav -rov
nopef'ov, tnt -rfjv -rfj, rpava-r'l, xwpav. Tfj<; So 'I~'lpla,
xwpa" f'eylcr-r'l, -rE OU"1], Kal EuSalf'ovo" nOA£L, derlv, tv
aT, -rlt ~aerlAELa, ~ -rE LL~lA'lva KaAouf'ev'l, f'EyaA'1 -rE Kat
BOOK 5
claim on the king of Aragon to be governed in accordance
with its own traditions. Facing it is Corsica, a prosperous
and populous island, and the circumference of the island is
said to be about two thousand stades. There is another is-
land next to it, called the "Lesser."!40 It too is subject to the
king of the Aragonese and receives its lord from him. The
island of Sardinia is very large and has a circumference of
about five thousand stades; it too is subject to this king.
There are two prosperous cities on it, Oristano and Cagliari.
The former is in the eastern part of the island, the latter is
located in the south. The fishermen on this island harvest
coral from the sea around it, and from there it comes to the
rest of the world.
As for Castile, it begins at France, which land is next to 72
the Celtiberians and the land of Gascony, which is subject to
the king of the French. Next toward the east is the land of
the Biscayans, which extends to Castile. Castile is the larg-
est of the western lands, after France. In the west it extends
to the Ocean, to the east to Navarre and France, and to the
south to Portugal, which is a coastal land that extends for
quite a distance along the Ocean, and to Granada, the land
of the North Africans. It holds the shrine of Santiago. Por-
tugal is adjacent to Castile; it extends to the sea that is in-
side!4! the straits, to the land of Granada. The land of Castile
is very large and prosperous and has cities with palaces, such
as the one called Seville, which is very large and populous;
457
 THE HISTORIES
nOAVllv9pwno<;, Kat KopSv~'1, MOpcr[K'1 Ka1 TO A£YOfl£VOV
TOAtSov Ka1 :EaAaflaYK'1' Ka1 I£POV S£ TOU 'IaKw~ou ev
Tav'rll 'tfi xwpq eO"T1 napa TOV WKeavov Ka1 Tf]v eKTO<;
9aAacrcrav. ~'~K£' S£ Ka1npo<; Tf]v eVTO<; 9aAaO"crav ~ TOU
'I~~pwv ~acr'Atw<; xwpa. I1opTouyaAA[a S£ 4\K'1Tal npo<;
T<!i nop9f1<j), ano rpavaT'l<; ap;afltv'1, en[ T£ TOV nop9f1ov
Ka1 T~V eKTO<; 9aAacrcrav itXP'<; ·I~'1p[a<;. rpavaT'1 S£ ~
Xwpa, fI£croyalO<; oucra, en1 T~V 'I~'1p[av Ka1 raAaT[av S,a-
TelVoucra, ou {2.52} navu T' olJ-re 'tfi evTO<; 9aAacr"11 OUT£ T<j)
WKeav<j) npocrxpfjTal.
73 '0 fltVTO' 'I~'1p[a<; ~acr'A£iJ<; fley'O"TOV SvvaTa, TWV d<;
TOVS£ TOV XwpOV, Ka1 OlKou WV TOU ~acr'Ae[ou Tfj<; ra-
AaT[a<;, TWV A'~vwv Tf]v Tfj<; rpaVaT'1<; xwpav itywv Ka1
cpepWV, OU nav£Ta, S,anoA£flwv. Ka1 cpopOV fI£V cmay£' 6
Tfj<; rpavaT'1<; A'~vwv ~aO"lA£iJ<; T<j) 'I~~pwv ~acrlA£l, (mOT£
crntVSOlTO' nOAAaKl<; S£ en£Aavvwv nOAlOpKel T£ Tf]v nOAlv
Ka1 T~V xwpav aUTou A'1't~£Tal. 'Op£lV~ S£ eO"TlV en' opou<;,
il ana Tfj<; eno<; 9aACtcr"'1<; ap;afl£vov KaTaTelV£l en1 TOV
wK£avov, en1 Tf]v I1opTouyaAA[av xwpav. OUTOl fI£v OUV
o[ ~acr'A£l<; npo<; T£ aAA~AOU<; S,£V£X9tVT£<; T£ enoAEfI'1crav
nOAAa)(ii, Kat KOlvft npo<; TOV ~ap~apov.
74 Ta T£ itAAa Ka1 npo<; TOV 'I~'1p[a<; TOUTOV ~aO"lAea
AAcpovcro<; 6 TapaKwvo<; ~acrlA£v<;, np1v ~ e<; 'ITaA[av
acp'Kecr9a" Sl£1tOA£fI'1cr£v ano a[T[a<; TOlacrS£, Ka1 aUTo<; T£
eaAw vno crTpaT'lYou TOU 'I~~pwv ~acrlAtw<;, AA~apou
Tol\vofla, eX£lv S£ Ka1 TpavflaTa ;UV£~'1 aflcpolv. n<; S~
cruAAE;a<; O"TpaTwfla, Ka1 TOV as£Acpov aUTou Na~ap'1<;
~acrlAta napaAa~wv, eO"Tpa-reV£TO en1 TOV 'I~'1p(a<;
BOOK 5
Cordoba; Murcia; the one called Toledo; and Salamanca.
And the shrine of Santiago is in this land, beside the Ocean
and the outer sea. The land of the king of Castile extends
also to the inner sea. Portugal is located by the straits, begin-
ning from Granada and extending toward the straits and the
outer sea as far as Castile. The land of Granada is inland and
extends toward Castile and France; it is adjacent to neither
the inner sea nor the Ocean. 142
The king of Castile is the most powerful of all in this 73
region, and is of the royal house of France. 143 He does not
cease to wage war against the North Africans, harassing the
land of Granada. The king of the North Africans in Granada
pays tribute to the king of Castile, whenever he makes a
treaty. The latter king has often marched out, besieged that
city, and plundered its land. It is mountainous because of a
mountain that begins at the inner sea and extends to the
Ocean, to the land of Portugal. These kings have fallen out
with each other and gone to war many times, but they have
also fought in common against the barbarian.
Before he went to Italy, Alfonso, the king of Aragon, 74
fought against the king of Castile for many reasons, includ-
ing the following. l44 He himself was captured by the gen-
eral of the king of the Castilians, a man by the name of Al-
varo,!4S and both men were wounded. When he assembled
his army and took with him his brother, the king of Navarre,
he marched against the king of Castile and invaded Castile,
459
 THE HISTORIES
~acrtAta, EcrE~aAEv E<; TI]V 'I~1JP(av, EnayoflEVWV mlTov Ent
TI]V xwpav 'tWV EV 'tfi xwp<;! EUOOKlflOUV'tWV EV(WV Ola 'to
npo<; 'tOV 1\A~apov fllcrt'><; 'tE Kat "X90<; au'twv' 'toii'tov yap
(OlW't1]V ov'ta emo TapaKWvo<; Kat emo fllKpoii navu
wPfl1JflEVOV Kat Ent apE'Ii En(cr1Jflov YEvofiEVOV, w<; na-
paxp~fla EnEO(Sou fleya, uno {z.53} nav'twv Se Sl' apE't~v
'tlflWflEVOV cr'tpa't1JYov 'tE anEOEl;E Ka'ta TI]v xwpav au'toii,
Kat Ent cr'tpa't1Jy(a<; Ka9lO"'taflEvo<; f'Eya anav-caxoii
EUSOK(fLEI. T6'tE S~, w<; napa 'tQ 'I~~pwv ~acrlAeI Ent
1\Acpovcrov nEflcp9d<; crVv 'tQ O"'tpa'tEufla'tl, u~v-ca au'tQ
Ka'ta TI]V xwpav w<; Evav'tlwcroflEVO<;. 'End Se Enlwv 6
1\Acpovcro<;, crufinapaAa~wv Kal 'tov aOEAcpov, EV 'Ii 'I~1JP(<;!
EyEVE'tO Kat E~AauVEV, Ev'taii9a au'tQ unav'tlacra<; 6
1\A~apo<; EO"'tpa'tonESEuE'tO, Kat K~ pUKa Enl1tEflnwv npo-
1JYOPEUEV anaAAaTIEcr9m, ~V crwcppovfi, W<; "XEl 'taXlO"'ta EK
~<; xwpa<;' Kat 4noKplvaflEvou, W<; OUK Ent 'toil<; ovou<; 'toii
na'tpo<; au'toii IlnElcrtv E<; vOfl~v au'toil<; Il;wv, 4AAa O"'tpa-
't1]ncrwv au'tQ napEO"'tlv, E<; fl4X1Jv e.acrcrE'to, Kat <rUfI-
~aAwv EflaXE'tO 4f1cpolv 'tolv 4SEAcpolv. MaXl]<; Se Kap'tEpil<;
YEvoflEV1J<;, W<; ot nEpt 1\A~apov e.pE'/tav'to 'toil<; Ta-
paKwva<;, EnEStwKoV 4va Kpa'to<;, Kat IlflCPW 'tw 4SEACPW
<rUUaf'~4voucrl, Kat nOAAoil<; 'tWV TapaKwvwv Ka'te~aA­
AOV EV 'Ii SlW;EI. n<; Se 4n1Jx9~'t1JV napa 'tOV 'I~~pwv ~a­
crtAea Ilflcpw 'tw ~acrtAEE, KaKOV flev ouSev Eipyacra'to
au'tou<;, 5pKOl<; Se Kal n(cr'tEcrl Ka'taAa~wv 'toii Aol1toii
fl1Joev nAEov VEW'tEp(~ElV nEpt 't~v eau'toii xwpav, 4CP~KEV
CU1lVELt; CUnEVctl.
75 ME'ta Se 'taii'ta 1\Acpovcro<; 4cp[KE'tO 'tE E<; haA(av, w<;
BOOK 5
instigated to come against it by some of its leading men who
hated and detested Alvaro. For the latter had been an ordi-
nary man from Aragon who had risen from humble origins
and had attained distinction through his merit. He ad-
vanced quickly and was honored by everyone for his valor,
so the king appointed him general over his land and, estab-
lished in that position, he was esteemed greatly everywhere.
At that time, when he was sent by the king of the Castilians
with an army against Alfonso, he marched through the land
to oppose him. When Alfonso set out, taking his brother
with him, entered Castile, and advanced, Alvaro went out to
meet him and made camp. He sent a herald to proclaim that
Alfonso should depart as quickly as he could from the land,
if he had any sense left in him. Alfonso replied that he had
not come at the head of his father's donkeys, to lead them
to pasture, but to be a general, and so he deployed for bat-
tle. So Alvaro attacked too and fought against both broth-
ers. The battle was fierce until Alvaro's men routed the Ara-
gonese and pursued them with all their might. They
captured both brothers and cut down many of the Ara-
gonese in the pursuit. When the two kings were brought be-
fore the king of the Castilians, he did no harm to them, but
bound them with oaths and pledges not to ever again at-
tempt anything against his land, and then released them to
return, unharmed,146
After that Alfonso went to Italy, as I recounted earlier, 75
 THE HISTORIES
npOTEpoV ftDl SES~AWTat, Ka1 En1 T~V LlKEA(aV, Kal
KaTaoxWV ~V NeanoAEwe; ~ao"IAe[aV npOe; Te TOUe; 'Iavut-
oue; EnOAeflEl, ev9a S~ Kal MAW uno T01hwv, We; £V T<ii
Eflnpo0"9Ev £nE~ijA90v AOY'll, Ka1 aXede; napa TOV MES,-
oAavou ~yEflova aVe'e; anEAUe'1' T~v flEVTOl yuvaTKa au-
'rOU KaTaAl1tWV tv TapaKwvl OUKETI miAlv a<piKETo ,nvoflE-
VOe; TCOAAWV £TWV, aVTOU [2.54J S1: £e; epwTae; Ta nOAAa
SlaTp(~wv S,EYEVETO, xp'1f1aT(~wv TE epwTl Ka1 ToTe; onAOle;.
'HI fltv aVT<ii Ta KaTa ~v 'haA(av anE~alvEv, Vo"TEpOV fl01
S'1AOUTat npo';ovTl T<ii My'll £e; a<p~y'1O"lv.
76 T<ii st ~ao"lAET 'I~'1piae; nEpl OU fl01 tAEYETO, O"uvijnTat
TCOAEfloe; TCpOe; TOV ~aO"lAEa i\.l~UWV TWV £V rpava't1], 01 S~
ano i\.l~U'1e; TO TCaAatOV Sla~aVTEe; Kal .i\AflEpiav TCOAIV
TCapaALOv Tije; Eupw1t1je; KaTaoxov-rEe;, S,ExouO"av ano
i\.l~U'1e; wO"d O"TaSioue; nEv~Kov-ra Kal S,aKoO"(OUe;, Ka1
£v-rEUeEV <'>PflwflEVOl ~v Te 'I~'1p(av O"<p(O"IV uTC'1yayov-ro,
Ka1 Epya Aaflnpa aTCoSElKVuflEVOl £nl KEATlK~V, ~v xwpav
aVTwv £nl fleya av~Ov-rEe;, np0'1yayov-ro Ka1 tnl TapaKwva
Ka1 BaAEv-r(av. TIpoe; TOUTOle; S~ ano TWV KEATwv KaT-
IOVTEe; ot TWV 'I~~pwv ~aO"IAETe; SIESE~avTo TOV npoe; TOUe;
i\.(~uae; TOUTOUe; nOAEflov, £e; nOAlv £xupav O"UvEAaO"avTEe;,
flETa S1: TauTa £noAlopKOUV, Kal £e; SEUPO hI TEAOUO"I 'tfi
nOAH TE EnEAauvoVTEe; atel TE Ka1 O"'rpaTov £TCayoVTEe;.
77 Ka1 S~ <'> TWV 'I~~pwv ~aO"IAEUe; SOflvoe; 'Iwavv'1e;, Ile;
np6TEpov flO1 £AEYETO, £TCEAauvwv, npoayov-roe; TE TOU
.i\A~apou Kal £TCOTPUVOVTOe; ~aO"lAea £~EAETv TOUe; i\.(~uae;,
we; S~ KaTaO"'rpEtoflEVOe; £nijYE TOV O"'rpaTov ETCl ~v nOAlv.
'EvTauea we; ot i\.(~UEe; £TCOALOPKOUv-rO SHVWe; Kal Ee; TO
BOOK 5
and against Sicily. Conquering the kingdom of Naples, he
fought against the Genoese and was captnred by them, as
was narrated in the previous account; conveyed to the ruler
of Milan, he was again released. "7 He left his wife in Ara-
gon and would not see her again for manyyears,l48 but while
there he spent much time in love affairs, dealing in love and
arms. How things turned out for him in Italy, I will explain
later, as my narrative advances. 149
The king of Castile, whom I just mentioned, was involved 76
in a war with the king of the North Africans in Granada.lSo
The latter long ago crossed over from North Africa and oc-
cupied the city of Almeria on the coast of Europe, which is
at a distance of about two hundred and fifty stades from
North Africa. Setting out from there they subjected Castile
to themselves, performed glorious deeds against France, in-
creasing their territory greatly, and then advanced against
Aragon and Valencia. The kings of the Castilians, descended
from the French, inherited the war against these North Af-
ricans and drove them together into a fortified city. where
they then qesieged them. And to this day they continue
to press hard against that city and always lead armies
against it.I51
The king of the Castilians, Don Juan, whom I mentioned 77
above, marched also, induced and stirred up by Alvaro to get
rid of the North Africans, and he led the army to the city
with the intention of conquering ~ it. The North Africans
were then fiercely besieged and were starved to the very
 THE HISTORIES
Ecrxa-rOV AlflOV a<plKOfleVOl, e<; anop(av ClTCeAa9tV-re<; fl'l-
XavwV't"al -rOlOVOe. 'HfllOVOl<; OUOKa(OeKa tcrxaowv <pop-r(a
crucrKeuacraflevOl ~AaUVOV enl -ro cr-rpa-roneOOV' -ret<; Sf
tcrxaSa<; w<; Ka-ret [2.55} fl(av eKacr-r'lv Slacrx(~one<; evt~a­
AOV eno<; XPUcrlVOV eva, Kal cruve-rt9Elv-r0 av9l<;. To Sf
vOfllcrfla ~<; 'I~'1p(a<; xpucrovv Suva-rat xpucrtvou<; OUeVe-
-rWV Suo eKacr-rov. Tau-ra<; Sf -ret<; tcrxaSa<; w<; eCYKeuacrano
oihw Kal enl -rov<; ~ fllOVOU<; aVe-r(gecrav, wcr-re ouvacr9at
<ptpelV eva eKacr-rov, ~Aauvov ent-r~v -rov1U~apou CYK'lv~v.
Tov St, w<; entyvw -ro tv -ral<; tcrxacrl xpucr(ov, eptcr9at-rov
<ptpona, 0 -rl ~OUAOl-rO au-rol<; -ro xpucr(ov ev -ral<; tcrxacrlv.
'0 Sf -rov<; ~fllOVOU<; eAauvwv aneKp(va-ro, w<; -ro xpucr(ov
~<; nOAeW<; cruvayaywv 0 ~a<YlAeV<; enlTCtflnel, Atywv, w<;
"~v -re c'An<; ~v nOAlv, ~v -re fl~ £An<;, nAEwv -rou-rou xpucro<;
OUK av no-re yevOl-rO crOl ano ~<; nOAeW<;. Kat ~v e;EAn<;
~v nOAlv, anO~aAel<; tcrav9l<; ano Al~U'l<; nOAAanAacrlOv
ecroflevov cro( -re Kat ~fllV' ~v Sf fl~ t;tAn<; ~v nOAlv, e;el<;
Kal-rov AOlTCOV, ocra av ano Al~U'l<; t<; ~fla<; KOfl(~e-rat,
-raflleUecr9at." Tav-ra nu90flevoV Atye-ral Kat 1\A~apov,
<ptpona -ret<; tcrxaoa<;, a<plKEcr9at t<; IhjrlV -r£ij ~a<YlAel, Kat
Slaxucrav-ra -ret<; tcrxaoa<; £inelv, "w ~acrlAeV, -ro StvSpov
tKelVO, il <ptpel -rOlOV-rOV ~ fllv Kapnov, OU KaAw<; EXel ~ fllv
tKKo~Val' -rOlOU-r4l yap -rOl Kapn£ij OUK EXOlfleV av £-rl-rOV
AOlTCOV xpijcr9at, Kat ~flel<; OUKE-r' av tv SEOV-rl XP'lcra(fle9a
"tfi eUoalflov(", Ka-raKopw<; au"tfi tfl<pOpOUfleVOl tv -r£ij nap-
ov-rl. 'Opq<;, w<; -ret<; aflnEAou<; a<patpovnat, acrov [Kavw<;
EXel av9l<; anoSlSovat Kapnov. "Hv Sf~lacr'1-ra( -rl<; au-r~v,
BOOK 5
limit of their endurance. Not knowing what else to do, they
contrived the following. They placed twelve loads of dried
figs on mules and sent them to the camp. They had slit each
fig open individually, placed a gold coin inside, and then
sealed it up again. Each Castilian gold coin is worth two Ve-
netian gold pieces. When they prepared the figs in this way
and placed them upon the mules, so that each could bear
one load, they drove them to Alvaro's tent. When he real-
ized that the figs were full of gold, he asked the bearer about
the meaning of the gold in the figs. The mule driver replied
that the king had gathered all the gold in the city and had
sent it along, saying that "whether you take the city or don't
take it, you will never get more gold from it than this. And
if you take the city, you will immediately lose all that will
come in the future to you and to us from North Africa, many
times what you see here. But if you do not take the city, you
will have more to store up in the future, as much as comes to
us from North Africa." It is said that when Alvaro learned
this, he took the figs, went into his own king's presence, and
poured out the figs, saying, "0 king, it would not be a good
idea for us to cut down that tree which bears such fruit for
us; for we would then never again be able to make use of said
fruit, and we would no longer be able to tap this abundance
when we need to, that is if we glut ourselves on it right now.
You see how the vine is pruned just enough so that it again
yields fruit. If you force it too much, it is of no use to you
 THE HISTORIES
OUK fXel xpfj<r8m aU-rfi [2.56} E, -rO 8eov." Tail-ra aKOU-
<rav-ra -rOY ~a<rlAta, W, E80~tv ot npo<r<pufj Aeyelv, anaya-
yelV -rOY <r-rpa-rov.
78 Tou-r'!' f'Ev OllV ayayoV-rl -rf]V ~a<rlAtw, I1op-rouyaAAla,
8uya-repa EyeVe-rO nai, "EpplKo, -roi\vof'a, av~p -ra noAtf'la
aya8o" 0, Enet -re fjyaye-ro -roil Na~ap'1' ~amAew, 8u-
ya-repa KaL OUK Eyeve-ro au-r<li <ruyyevt<r8m, anentf''ita-ro,
Kal 8eu-repav E<r1jyaye-ro yuvaiKa ave'itlav au-roil, 8u-
ya-rtpa -roil I1op-rouyaAAWV ~a<rlAew" eI8o, Aeyof'ev'1v
na<rwv -rwv £I, EKelVa -ra xwpla eIvm KaAAl<r-r'1v, lmo-
-rl8ef'evwv au-r<li -rwv apl<r-rwv, w, ~v aAA'1v E<rayaYOl-ro
yuvaiKa, oto, -re f<rOl-rO <rUyyeve<r8m. T~v f'ev-rol 8u-
ya-repa -roil Na~ap'1' ~a<rlAtW, fjvaYKa<re E, -ro -rwv Na-
~'1 palwv 0"Xii f'a ltvm, Kal ant8wKev aU-rfi xpfj f'a-ra.
79 '0 8£ I1op-rouyaAAla, ~a<rlAei>, otKla, e<r-rL -rwv ra-
Aa-rla, ~a<rlAtWV. LUf'~aAA0f'm 8£ -rf]v8e -rf]v xwpav ano
naAalOil npo, -roi>, Al~ua, 8levex8ev-ra, -roi>, KeA-rwv
~a<rlAei, Ka-ra<r-rpe'itaf'Evou, u<p' au-roi, nOlfj<ra<r8al Kal
napa80ilvm -roi, E~ au-rwv Ylv0f'evol,. :0" 8£ Kal -r~v
Na~ap'1' ~a<rlAetav avfjKelv E, -rf]v olKlav -rwv raAa-rla,
~amAewv v0f'l~e-ral, Kal f''18evl hep'!' E;eivm napeA8elv E,
-rfjv8e -rf]v ~a<rlAetav' Kal yap KaL -rfjv8e KapouAo, 0
au-roKpa-rwp KaL ot f'e-r' EKelVOV ~a<rlAei, <palvov-ral -rfjv8e
au-roi, Ka-ra<r-rpe'itaf'evol -rf]v xwpav anoAl1telv -roi, ano
-r* otKla<; au-rwv E<rof'evol,. Tov f'ev-rol a8eA<pov AA<pov<rou
E1t1jyayov-ro EnL -r<li8e -r<li My'!', w<; Ene! fY'1f'e yuvaiKa -roil
O'(KOU -rfj, raAa-rla" ~v ftEv yev'1-ral au-r<li nat" -rov8e
f''1Kt-rl -roil Aol1toil 8la-rpl~elv EV -rfi XWp<1, aAAa -rOY nat8a
BOOK 5
when you need it." When the king heard this, it seemed rea-
sonable to him and he led the army away.1S2
This man [Juan II} married the danghter of the king of 78
Portugal and had a son named Enrique [IV}, who became
good at warfare and later married the daughter of the king
of Navarre. l53 But he was not able to consummate his mar-
riage and so he sent her away and married a second time, his
cousin this time, a daughter of the king of Portugal, who was
said to be the most beautiful of all women in that region. 1S4
His leading men had suggested to him that, if he were to
marry another woman, he would be able to have intercourse
with her. So he forced the daughter of the king of Navarre to
assume the monastic habit and gave her money.
The king of Portugal is of the house of the kings of 79
France. lss I conclude that long ago the kings of the French
conquered this land in their struggle against the NorthAfri-
cans, subjected it to themselves, and then passed it on to
their descendants. ls6 Even the kingdom of Navarre is be-
lieved to belong to the house of the kings of France/57 and
no one else is allowed to ascend its throne. For it seems that
the emperor Charlemagne and the kings after him con-
quered this land and left it to the future members of their
house. They brought in the brother of Alfonso on those
terms, namely that when he married a woman of the house
of France and had a son by her, he would no longer reside in
the country, but would leave the son behind as their king
 THE HISTORIES
Ka-raAl1tOYra O"<p[O"l ~ao"lAta atm"V otxeO"eat coraUanof'e-
vov, ~V oE f'~ yev'1-ral au-r';; 7Cal" f'Ha ~V -reAeu-r~V au-rou
C!7Cooouvat [2.57] -r~v ap~v E7Ct -rov raAa-rLa, ~ao"lAta. Kat
-rovoe oe!;af'evov -rou, Myou, E7Ct -rou-r'!' 7CapeAeelV E, ~v
Na~ap'1' ~ao"lAdav. Kat yevv'1eeYro, au-r';; 7CatOO, au-rov
-re a7Ce7Cef''itaYro, Kal -rev 7Caloa O"<pLO"lV a7Ceoel;av ~ao"lAea,
-ra 7CPO, f''1-rpogev ilv-ra OtKOU -rwv raAa-r[a, ~ao"lAewv.
Tau-ra f'Ev ovv E, -roO"ou-rov EX0f'ev'!' 'tfj, -rou Myou
O"Uf'7Cacr'1' tJ7C0geO"ew, avayeypa7C'ral e, a7Cooel;lv' E7Cavelf'l
oe, ogev ~v EK~OA~V -rou AOYOU E7COl'1craf''1v, IlXPl -roO"-
ou-rov olevex9el,.
BOOK 5
and would take himself elsewhere; but if he did not have
a son, after his death his throne would revert to the king
of France. Having agreed to these terms, he received the
throne of Navarre, and when his son was born they sent him
away and appointed his son as their king, for, through his
mother, the latter belonged to the house of the kings of
France. lss These things, then, have been here recorded at
such a length as a presentation of research that contributes
to the overall theme of the work. I now return to the point
where I began this digression, having been led so far away.
 Note on the Text

It is now certain that Laonikos stopped working on the

Histories between I464 and I468, and probably closer to the
beginning of that period.! The earliest extant manuscript of
the work is the fifteenth-century Par. gr. I780, copied by De-
metriosAngelos, an intellectual in Constantinople with wide-
ranging interests, including medical, historical, and philo-
sophical.> Angelos is not (yet) attested after the late I470s,
and a watermark in that manuscript dates it closer to the
middle of the century.3 Therefore, that copy was made soon
after Laonikos finished the work and almost certainly in Con-
stantinople, and it was made by an able scholar who is prob-
ably not responsible for the many errors in grammar that
the text contains.4 It is likely that the errors were already in
the original that Laonikos produced and left unrevised.
That earliest manuscript also contains a number of inter-
polated passages on the history of the empire ofTrebizond,
the fate of its imperial family, and the geography and reli-
gious history of its neighbor Georgia; these passages were
not written by Laonikos and were introduced into Book 9
and possibly Book IO as well. They must have been added
soon after Laonikos finished working on the text. I have
proposed that the interpolator, and possibly the author, of
those passages was none other than Georgios Amiroutzes,

47 I
 NOTE ON THE TEXT
an intellectual from Trebizond who had been close to the
royal family, implicated in some of the events recounted in
the interpolations, and connected to Demetrios Angelos
and Kritoboulos, the historian of Mehmed, at the Ottoman
court in Constantinople.' These were the circles among
which the work first circulated. The work would eventually
be exported to the West and recopied many times. 6 The
Greek view of the rise of the Ottoman Turks and the fall of
Byzantium would therefore be represented by Laonikos's
Histories and not by the histories of Doukas and Kritobou-
los, which survived in one manuscript apiece and long re-
mained unknown in the West.
The Greek text produced here is that ofJenii (Eugenius)
Dark6, published in 1922-1923 in Budapest (see Bibliogra-
phy). That edition is rare and its surviving copies tend to
crumble at the touch. An unexpected stroke of luck from
a different direction facilitated the making of this transla-
tion. In 2006 the Department of Cultural Technology and
Communication of the University of the Aegean completed
a project to digitize and upload texts in the public domain
relating to the Orthodox tradition, including Laonikos's
Histories; 25 percent of the funding for this came from the
Greek government, and the remainder from the European
Regional Development Fund. This digitization project, part
of the ongoing effort to develop Optical Character Recog-
nition software for Greek polytonic texts, produced, as far
as I can tell, a perfect scan of the Dark6 edition (only some
spaces were lost, which I restored). As for the text itself, its
poor state has long invited aggressive emendation by edi-
tors. I have mostly refrained from adding my conjectures to
the existing heap that future editors will have to sort
472
NOTE ON THE TEXT
through. In a few places, however, I have restored the read-
ing of the manuscripts when it seems to me that it makes
better sense than the emendations Dark6 proposed or ac-
cepted (or any sense at all). These are listed in the Notes to
the Text. The page numbers of the Dark6 edition are indi-
cated by square brackets.
A new edition by Herbert Wurm and Michael Griinbart
is set to appear in the series Corpus Fontium Historiae Byzan-
tinae, but it is unlikely to appear soon. The editors will face
serious challenges. They are unlikely to want to print the
text with the many grammatical errors it contains, but how
far should their corrections go? As for the punctuation in
particular, knowing well that this has recently become a
controversial subject, I would support a highly structured,
interventionist system that would guide the reader through
each sentence as if it were modern German, like Jakob Hau-
ry's Teubner edition of Prokopios. The text is hard enough
on its own, and the punctuation can be of assistance.
SIGLA
< > = addition by editor
{ ] = seclusion by editor
[[ II ~ interpolated passage
[...J ~ lacuna
NOTES
I Kaldellis, "The Date." It was previously believed, on the basis of a mis-
taken understanding of his coverage of Bohemian history, that he was
writing as late as the 1490S.
473
 NOTE ON THE TEXT

2 Mondrain, 'jeanArgyropoulos" and "DemetriosAngelos."

3 Wurm and Gamillscheg, "Bemerkungen."
4 See the Note on the Translation in the Introduction, above.
5 Kaldellis, "The Interpolations."
6 Wurm, "Die handschriftliche Uberlieferung."
Notes to the Text

BOOK I

I prefer Bekker's O'v~<pepo~tvov~ over the MSS (and Darko})

cro~'Pepo~tvol~.
2 ~OV add. Tafel.
3 I have restored the MSS reading here over the correction IIo"dScuav.
4 I prefer the alternate MSS reading here overrevo[.ttvov~.
5 I have corrected Ka9tO"ra~tvwv.
6 I have restored the MSS lacuna here, which Darko filled with fv -re
Kal -rplaKov-ra.
7 t;
.While this might be what LC wrote, he probably meant t<T1t'epa~.
8 I have restored the MSS reading over Darko's correction T~ep­
VO[.tlavOV.
9 I have restored the MSS reading lXel and accepted Hamaker's emenda-
tion of r£vo~evo~ t<p' v[.ttv. No solution is satisfoct,ory; Darko} text
makes little sense.
10 I have restored the MSS reading over Darko's correction N~O'lov.

BOOK 2

I have restored the MSS reading over Darko} correction Ba~lAdtl~.

2 Darko does not mark this lacuna.
3 I have restored the MSS reading over Darko's correction BWKeplvl1v.
4 This phrase, which breaks up the syntax and sense, and is repeatedfrom
ahove, ispossihlyan intrusion.
5 There may he a lacuna here.
6 In place ofexElv 't'Ijv, the MSS all have lxonl.
7 DorkO and the MSS have /<1"IElI.

474 475
 NOTES TO THE TEXT BOOK 5
BOOK 3 8 John Duffy would support Fabrot's emendation to cnVa~Evou. See the
I have throughout restored the MSS reading over Darkd's correction note to the translation for the sense that wouldyield.
Xecr[l1v. 9 I have throughout restored the MSS reading over Dark';'s correction
I have restored the MSS reading over Dark';'s correction Xap1Co~lOv
'Iepov.
2
(which was founded in the seventeenth century).
3 I have corrected the MSS Te~t)pt1.

BOOK 4

I have corrected the MSS Xacravl1.

2 I have restored the MSS reading over Tafel's correction EvyavEwv.
3 I have restored the MSS reading over Tafel's correction Bap~a­
p6cr"'ll.
4 I have throughout restored the MSS reading over Darkd's correction
KI6~~v.
5 I prefer this variant MSS reading over TOlrrov (which creates genea-
logicalproblems).
6 I have throughout restored the MSS reading over Darktf's correction
<l>w1(fSa.

BOOK 5

I have accepted Bekker's emendation ofaVT~.

2 I have corrected the MSS l\.~OVP(hEW.
3 This is an emendation ofl\.~vaaovl.
4 John Duffy proposes changing this to liAAW<; (when he entered the land
from a dijforentroute), but nothing is said about routes, either before or
after.
5 John Duffy proposes changing this to t<; 'tou'to 'tWV npb aVTOU (the
most excellent victory of those before him up to that point). Compare
I.S8 above: 1tAetcr-ra Sf: e<; TOU'tO 'tWV 1tpb aVTOU ~acrlAEwv
So;av'to~ av'tou eVEVSo1Cl~etV.
6 I would supply a yevo~evo~ at this point.
7 I have acceptedJohnDuffy's emendation OfAEyO~EVWV, which he sup-
ports by the parallel expressions at 4.49,5-78, IO.I3·

477
 Notes to the Translation

Books 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, referenced below; appear in volume 2

(D OML 34)·

BOOK I

That is, the Hindu Kush; compare Arrian, Anahasis 5.3-5.

2 That is, Alexander the Great; see 1.4 below.
3 The name is normallywrittenArsakes, but Laonikos is here fol-
lowing the tradition of Ktesias, who links Arbakes to Sardana-
palos: in Diodoros of Sicily, Bibliotheke 2.24-25.
4 Sardanapalos is generally thought to be based on the Assyrian
kingAssur-bani-apli (668-627 BeE), but is possibly a composite
character reflecting legends about multiple kings.
5 That is, Constantine the Great. Laonikos is reflecting traditions
here similar to those in the Donation ofConstantine.
6 Laonikos designates an "emperor" (as opposed to just a "king")
by using the late Byzantine title basileus kai autokrator, which
does not mean "king and emperor."
7 This was the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204); see also 4.49 below
and 4.24 for the Venetian role.
8 qnJuly 25,1261, under Michael VIn Palaiologos.
9 This refers to Ioannes VIn Palaiologos (1425-1448) and the
Council of Ferrara-Florence (1438-1439), not to his grandfather
Ioannes V Palaiologos (1341-1391), who traveled to Hungary
(1366) and Rome (1369) seeking aid from the West at the cost
of Union. The Council of Ferrara-Florence is discussed also at
6.7-16.

479
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION BOOK I

10 Presumably the Greeks. Laonikos). In later passages, Laonikos mistakenly ascribes the
II That is, the Bulgarians and the Serbs. eponym of Germiyan, Alishur, to Karaman. He calls Germiyan
12 That is, the Ottoman Turks. K£p~lavoc; (see 5.34 below).

13 This describes the territory of the empire around 1430. The emir Saruhan (ca. 1313-ca. 1350) was the first Turkish ruler
'4 That is, the Mongols. and eponym of western Anatolia (Manisa). His territories were
15 This clause is unclear. It could conceivably refer to the seventh mostly in Lydia.
climatic zone. 30 The emir Karasl (ca. 1313-ca. 1335), son of Kalamshah, was the
16 Here probably the Seljuk Turks. first Turkish ruler and eponym of northwestern Anatolia
It is otherwise unknown. (BaWcesir and Bergama), in northern Lydia.
'7
18 That is, after Muhammad. 'Vmar I (634-644) was in fact the 3' Teke was the name of the Turkish emirate in southwestern Ana-
second caliph ofIslam, following Abu Baln (632- 634)' totia, around Attaleia, founded ca. 1321 by Yunus b. ilyas b. Ha-
19 That is, the Golden Horde. Laonikos translates "Horde" as ag- mid (1321-1324). Laonikos is quite inexact about its location.
ora, not entirely inaccurately. 32 This is how Laonikos refers to theJandarid rulers ofKastamonu,
20 In the fifteenth century, the Ottoman dynasty began to claim who acquired Sinope in 1322, but the identity of "Vmur" is un-
descent from the Oguz, a Turkic confederation that had ruled known.
parts of Central Asia. 33 Germiyan was the dominant Turkish emirate in western Anato-
21 The story of Giindiiz-Alp has been modeled on that of Deiokes lia, centered on Kiitahya. Its first known emir was Yakub (d.
in Herodotos,Histon'es 1.96-100. 1320), a descendant of Alishur" Ikonion is not in Karia, but in
22 Ertogrul is attested as Osman's father on the latter's coins. Karaman.
23 Laonikos has projected onto ErtogruI the feats attributed to 34 On April 6, 1326. Actually, it may have surrendered to his son,
Vmur Beg, emir of the coastal beylik ofAydm (1334-1348), which Orhan.
we know from Enveri's exactly contemporary Diisturname. He 35 In 1326.
raided the islands, the Peloponnese, and Euboia, and sailed his 36 Laonikos is here describing the origin of a mobile administra-
ships up the same river. tive center that formed around the early sultans' military reti-
'Ala' ai-Din Kay-Qubad III, one of the last Seljuk sultans of Rum nues (for a detailed description of it at a later stage, see 5.11-14
(1284,1293-1294, and 1301-1303)· below). He calls it literally "the gates" (thyrai), probably because
25 That is, WillowTree. this was how ancient writers referred to royal courts, especially
26 Osman, eponymous emir of the Ottoman (Osmanh) Turks (ca. the Persian court (e.g., in Herodotos andXenophon). The Otto-
1281-132 6). man court was later called the Porte (French for "gate," used to
27 In 1303. refer to the government as a whole), so that is an appropriate
28 Karaman was the eponymous ancestor of the Turkish rulers of translation for Laonikos's thyrat: though possibly only a coinci-
southern and central Anatolia. Philadelpheia was not within his dence.
dominion, being in western Asia Minor. Laonikos seems to have 37 That is, Ottomans.
confused Gregoras's definition of the territories of Germiyan 38 It is difficult to identify these events, and we cannot rely on
a(ctp~a.VOC; in Gregoras, Rnman History, 1:214), which touched their placement in Laonikos's narrative to determine relative
upon Philadelpheia, with those of Karaman (Kapa~a.voc; in chronology. According to Gregoras, Rnman History, 1:535, Mon-
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
gols crossed the Danube and defeated some Turkish bandits in
1337. The raid against Thrace by the eight thousand Turks, how-
ever, who returned to Asia unharmed and with much loot, is
placed by Gregoras in 1340 (fl.oman History, 1:548).
Andronikos II Palaiologos (1282-1328) and his grandson An-
39
dronikos III 6328-1341), son of Michael IX (who had died on
October 12, 1320), fought a civil war, on and off, between 13 21
and 1328.
Actually the Bulgarians; see 1.25 below. The Serbs joined An-
dronikos III just before the end of the civil war.
See I.I5 above.
In 1310, Andronikos II and Halil agreed that the latter would re-
turn to Asia, but Halil ended up bringing more Turks from there
and ravaging Thrace for two years. For Halil's origins, see the
notes to 1.19 below.
In 1312, Stefan Milutin of Serbia (1282-1321) lent infantry, and
43
the Genoese blockaded the peninsula from the sea.
In fact, HaIil and most of his men were massacred.
44
'Izz al-Din Kaykawus II, Seljuk sultan of Konya (1246-1261),
45
fled to Michael VIII Palaiologos in 1261 when he could not cope
with Mongol pressure. He converted but was detained to be
used as a pawn. In 1264 he fled to the Mongols of the Crimea.
Those of his followers who remained behind converted (Grego-
ras, Roman History, 1:101) and became known as the Tourkopou-
loi, but in 1305, when Michael IX used them in battle near
Raidestos against the Catalans (see below), they went over to
the enemy (Gregoras, Roman History, 1:229-32).
The Catalan Grand Company, previously active in Sicily and in-
cluding many Calabrians and Sicilians, arrived in the east in Sep-
tember 1303.
Laonikos's chronology is confused: the Catalans were sent
47
against Osman (d. 1326), not his son and successor Orhan (1326-
ca. 1360), and against the other Turks inAsia Minor.
The Catalans relieved Philadelpheia from a siege in April 1304,
but the Turks were Germiyan, not Ottoman.
BOOK I
49 In 1308, but this is a highly selective and simplified presentation
of complicated events.
50 The ancient name of Kassandra was Potidaia; Laonikos's mis-
take was corrected by previous editors, but I have restored it.
51 The Turks split from the Catalans in early 1309 (or 13II) after
their victory over Gautier de Brienne; see 1.20 below. The
Tourkopouloi, who were Christians, went over to the Serbian
king MUutin, because they were conscious of having betrayed
the Byzantines. They were eventually destroyed by him. The
other group was under Halil, and their story is told in 1.18 above;
see Gregoras, Roman History, 1:254-55, for their split from the
Catalans.
This actually refers back to the beginning of I.I8, although La-
onikos is probably not aware of it.
53 On March 15, 13II, the Catalan Grand Company defeated
Gautier de Brienne, duke ofAthens, at the battle of the Kephis-
sos near Thebes, and took his duchy. Some historians believe
that the battle should be relocated to Halmyros in Thessaly.
54 By "later," Laonikos must mean many decades later; they ruled
his native city ofAthens, and he should not be accused of igno-
rance here, only imprecision.
55 Osman did not attack Philadelpheia, but Laonikos may be
thinking of the Turkish siege of the city he referred to at 1.18
above. Philadelpheia seems to have been attacked in 1324 by
Germiyan and Aydm. Nikaia fell to Osman's son Orhan in 1331;
see 1.24-26 below.
This is Laonikos's way of referring to the Jandarid rulers of
Kastamonu, who acquired Sinope in 1322; see 1.14 above.
57 Osman died in 1326. This picks up from I.I5 above.
58 Iliad 22.60; Odyssey 15.348.
59 This sentence is obscure.
60 Laonikos is the only source to mention strife among the sons
of Osman. Orhan had a number of brothers, but the succession
seems to have gone smoothly. Orhan ruled from 1326 to ca. 1360.
61 It is unclear whom Laonikos means here by "the rulers of the
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
Oguz." Ifhe means the Ottomans, then he is correctly disputing
that there was dynastic conflict in 1326.
The emirate of Karas1 was absorbed in 1346.
In 1328.
This clause is obscure. Laonikos is returning to the circum-
stances of the rise ofAndronikos III against his grandfather An-
dronikos II, previously discussed at LI7 above.
Mihail Asen III, somewhat inaccurately called Mihail Sisman,
was Bulgarian emperor (1323-133°). He married Andronikos
Ill's sister Theodora upon divorcing his first wife, Anna, sister
of Stefan Uros III of Serbia, in 1324, and aided Andronikos III
against his grandfather.
66 These events happened after the fight for Nikaia, recounted be-
low, and so did not set the stage for them. After MihailAsen III
was killed in battle against the Serbs (at Velbaid, in 1330), Stefan
Uros III secured the Bulgarian throne for his sister's son, that is,
Mihail Asen Ill's son Ivan Stefan (1330-1331), Ivan Aleksandar,
Bulgarian emperor (1331-1371), a sister's son of MihailAsen III,
seized the throne by expelling his cousin, the Serbian protege
Ivan Stefan, in 1331. He defeated Andronikos III and recovered
Bulgarian losses in Thrace in 1332, concluding a treaty whereby
his eldest son (Mihail Asen IV) and Andronikos Ill's daughter
(Eirene) were to wed.
In 1329.
OnJune IO-II, 1329,
On March 2, 1331.
Orhan never reached as far as Philadelpheia,
Ioannes VI Kantakouzenos (1347-1354, proclaimed in 1341: see
below) married his daughter Theodora to Orhan in 1346, in
Selymbria.
Orhan captured Ankara in 1354, although it had to be retaken by
Murad I in 1362.
73 Andronikos Ill's son by Anna of Savoy was Ioannes V Palaiolo-
gos, emperor from 1341 to 1391 (though often sidelined bymem-
bers of his family); he was nine at the time, not twelve. Androni-
kos III died onJune 14, 1341.
BOOK I
74 Andronikos III had not in fact left Kantakouzenos as regent.
75 Kantakouzenos, excluded from the regency by the empress
Anna, the megas dow: Alexios Apokaukos, and the patriarch,
declared himself emperor in late 1341 and obtained entry into
Constantinople as coruler of the underage Ioannes V in 1347, He
married his daughter Helene to Ioannes V in 1347, Kantakouze-
nos reigned until 1354, ~hen he was forced to abdicate; see 1.41
below.
Orhan died in ca, 1360.
In fact, it was Murad who succeeded Orhan in ca. 1360. Siiley-
man, who had fought in Thrace extensively (see below), had
died already, in ca, 1357, in a hunting accident,
See LI8 above: Halil and most of his followers had been killed
over fifty years before.
79 See LI8 above, This was possibly Tzympe (location uncertain),
in 1352.
80 This sentence is obscure.
8, Siileyman was sent by his father, Orhan, to assist Ioannes VI
Kantakouzenos against the Serbs and Thessalonike in 1348, but
Orhan recalled him at the last minute, in 1350; in 1352 Siileyman
defeated the Serbian allies of Kantakouz~nos's rival Ioannes V
In 1354, he captured Gallipoli after an earthquake (see 1.37 be-
low) and raided Thrace,
82 Stefan Uros IV Dusan, king of Serbia (1331-1345), then emperor
of Serbs and Greeks (1345-1355).
Skopje had been in Serbian hands since 1282,
That is, the Balkans.
This must be a mistake on Laonikos's part for "east."
Stefan Dusan acquired Kastoria in 1342-43.
There is no evidence that Serbian armies operated close to Con-
stantinople,
88 Laonikos means Andronikos II Palaiologos (1282-1328), al-
though Stefan Dusan did not come to the throne until 1331, and
his attacks on Byzantium followed in the 1340s.
In ca, 1348.
Laonikos throughout confuses Zarko (d. before 1371), who ruled
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
the coasts of Zeta, with his father-in-law; Dejan Dragas, who
governed eastern Macedonia and the Struma valley around Ku-
manovo, Stip, and Ve1bazd (see also 1.42, 1.52, and 2.25-26 below
for Dejan's sons). 99
Kantakouzenos (JIistory, 2:260) claims that Bogdan was a
9r
brother of the despot Jovan Oliver (d. 1356), whose lands in
western Macedonia were eventually taken by the sons of Dejan lOO
Dragas.
"Kral" is the Serbian word for king (kralj), here designating ror
92
Vukasin Mrnjavcevic, who in 1365 was promoted to king as co- lO2
ruler of Dusan's son and successor Stefan Uros V. Jovan Ugljesa
was Vukagin's brother and lord of Serres and western Thrace af-
ter Dusan's death. Both were killed at Cernomen (in 1371) fight- r03
ing against the Turks (see 1.34 below).
Vuk Brankovic (d. 1397) was the son of the sebastokrator Branko
93
Mladenovic and governed regions in northern Macedonia
(Skopje) and Kosovo after Dugan's death. He married Mara,
daughter of the Serbian prince Lazar I Hrebljanovic, whom he
supposedly betrayed on the battlefield of Kosovo in 1389 (the
tradition is not unanimous; see below 1.56). Lazar ruled north-
ern Serbia by the Danube, but Vuk's son Durad did succeed lO6
Lazar's son Stefan as ruler of northern Serbia in 1427. There is
some confusion between Vuk and Lazar in this passage. Vuk's
genealogy is given correctly at 1.56 below. lO7
The zupan Nikola Ntomanovic (d. 1373) governed Hum and lO8
94
western Serbia, not Kastoria. Kastoria was ruled -by Nikola lO9
Bagag Baldovin, whom Laonikos probably means here.
Stefan Dusan's kaisar Grgur Preljub (d. 1356) governed in Thes- no
95
saly; while Dugan's brother Simeon Uros (d. 1370) was given
Epeiros and then took Thessaly (in 1359).
The territory of Prilep was given by DuSan to Vukagin Mrn-
javcevic (see note above). It passed from him to his son Marko
Mrnjavcevic (d. 1395). Ohrid was held by the kaisar Mladen and III
then by his son, the sebastokrator Branko Mladenovic. It later
came to VukaSin's vassal, the Nbanian Andrea Gropa, and then ll2
passed to Marko. n3
BOOK I
Stefan Dugan died on December 20, 1355.
Stefan Dugan's men actually fought against each other after his
death.
Mihail Asen III, somewhat inaccurately called Mihail SiSman,
was Bulgarian emperor (1323-133°). It is unclear why he is being
mentioned here.
This was in 1371, although Silleyman was long dead at that point.
See 1.28 for the context.
See 1.28 above.
While it is not elsewhere attested, a victory by the Serbs over
some Turkish forces before the battle of Cernomen (see below)
cannot be ruled out.
The battle of Cernomen (or Marica) took place on September
26, 1371. The commander of the Turkish forces was not Siiley-
man, who had aheady died, but probably Lala Shahin.
The precise date of the capture of Adrianople (in the late 1360s)
is unknown. It was not, as Laonikos states above, after the bat-
tle of Cernomen.
It fell to the Turks either in 1363 or 1371 (after the battle of
Cernomen).
Laonikos has condensed his information too much, so the refer-
ence is unclear. He may be referring to Evrenos, Lala Shahin Pa-
sha, or Hajji ilbegi.
At Bolayrr, on the Gallipoli peninsula.
We know at least two sons ofSiileyman: Ishak and ismail.
In fact, Murad I (ca. 1360-1389) assumed power directly upon
the death of his father Orhan.
The final clause is obscure. The earthquake occurred on March
2, 1354, and enabled the Turks, under Siileyman, to seize Gallip-
oli. It was Kantakouzenos in peacetime who had offered to pay
the Turks to vacate the peninsula; Siileyman was not faced with
Serb and Bulgarian aggression.
This might be a reference to "White Croatia," vaguely located
south of Poland.
See below for a list of the peoples to which he is referring.
This phrase is obscure.
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
114 The logic is confusing.
115 This clause is obscure.
116 For these events, see 1.25 above. The narrative is about to pick
up from the start of I.38.
117 Ivan Sisman, Bulgarian emperor (1371-1395).
118 On September 19, 1383. but the city was actually under Byzan-
tine control: see I.49 below (referring back to 1371, when the
Byzantines took Serres). Laonikos has here bypassed roost of
Murad 1'5 reign.
119 Lala Shahin Pasha was a Turkish raider active in Thrace under
Murad I and the first beylerbeyi ofRumelia. It is possible that he
commanded at the battle of Cernomen in 1371; see I. 34 above.
120 Referring probably to the events of 1388, when Ivan Sisman was
forced to accept vassal status.
121 Ivan Aleksandar's daughter Tamara (Thamar), previously mar-
ried to the despotes Konstantin, was given in marriage to Murad I
by her brother Ivan SiSman in or after 1371; it is not clear, how-
ever, that Tamara was a daughter of Ivan Aleksandar's second
marriage. He had divorced his first wife, Teodora of Wallachia,
and married aJewish convert to Orthodoxy, who also assumed
the name Teodora, in the late 1340s. At any rate, this marriage
occurred well before the fall of Serres in 1383.
122 Ivan Aleksandar's daughter Maria (Kyratza) married Androni-
kos IV; the son of Ioannes V, in 1355, one year after the removal
of Ioannes VI Kantakouzenos; their son was Ioannes VII. See
the following section. But Andronikos IV was not ruling at this
time.
123 In October 1349.
12 4 Matthaios Kantakouzenos was made coemperor in 1353.
125 In 1354.
126 Actually he made his move from the island ofTenedos.
127 Ioannes VI Kantakouzenos abdicated and, on December 10,
1354, became a monk with the name Ioasaph. Laonikos seems to
have confused his monastic name with that of his son (see
below).
BOOK I
128 This refers to the Grand Master of the Hospitallers, the Knights
of Rhodes, at this time Roger de Pins (1355-1365).
129 Matthaios was forced by Ioannes V to abdicate his title in 1357.
He and his father, the former Ioannes VI, joined Manuel in the
Peloponnese in 1361, although Manuel retained power until his
death in 1380. It appears that Matthaios gave up his imperial
pretensions when he abdicated; he did not seek to regain the
throne. Before his abdication, however, he was held in various
islands, including Lesbos and Tenedos. A visit to Rhodes is oth-
erwise unattested.
13 0 Maria (Kyratza) was the daughter of Ivan Aleksandar. The mar-
riage was arranged in 1355, when both were children, and the
wedding occurred before 1366; see also 1.40 above. Laonikos
is the only source to mention a treaty between Ioannes V and
Murad at this point, and its historicity has been questioned.
131 This is confused: Andronikos IV; Manuel II, Michael (not De-
metrios), andTheodoros I (ruler of the Peloponnese, 1382-1407)
were the sons of Ioannes V and Helene Kantakouzene, not of
Andronikos IV and lVlaria (Kyratza) of Bulgaria.
IJ2 Jovan Dragas was the son of Dejan Dragas, not Zarko (a confu-
sion throughout Laonikos's narrative); Zarko was married to Jo-
van's sister. See 1.31 above and the notes there.
IJ3 Jovan Dragas and his brother Konstantin effectively became
vassals of Murad following the battle of Cernomen in 1371; see
1.34 above.
134 For Bogdan, see 1.31 above.
IJ5 This episode seems to reflect the second of three phases of con-
flict between Murad and the emirs ofAnatolia, dating to 1376177.
The others were in 1362 and 1387.
IJ6 The so-called Rebellion of the Princes is supposed to have taken
place in 1373- But Ottoman sources place the rebellion of SavcI
against his father, Murad, in Asia Minor, in 1385, and do not
mention Andronikos (who died in that year). It is possible that
two events have been conflated and moved to Europe. In 1373
Andronikos IV and Ioannes V clashed (the former may have had
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
Turkish help, but not from a son of Murad). Andronikos and
his son Ioannes VII were arrested and blinded by Ioannes V;
enabling the latter to make Manuel rus heir, and this was per-
haps a purely internal Byzantine matter. See now P. Katsoni,
Mia £1ITaerla Kplcrlfuvv YEYOVOTWV: To Bv~avTlo r:na eTrJ 1366-
1373 (Thessalonike, 2002).
'37 Across the Golden Horn, opposite from Blachernai.
'3 8 This phrase is obscure.
'39 The sense is obscure.
'40 This sentence is likely corrupt. The "supervisor" (or administra-
tor) may have been "captured" rather than "taken on." Manuel
Palaiologos, son of Ioannes V; had been governing Thessalonike
since 1369, and he took Serres in November 1371, in the after-
math of the Serb defeat at the battle of Cernomen (see 1.34
above). But the events described below (Hayreddin's siege of
Thessalonike and Manuel's visit to Murad) belong to a later pe-
riod: in 1382 lvlanuel had proclaimed himself independent em-
peror in Thessalonike (1382-1387), which led to a long siege of
the city by the Turks. Laonikos has telescoped events between
1371 and 1382; for the intervening years, see 2.4-6 below.
'4' <;andarh Kara Halil Hayreddin Pasha was later recognized as
the first powerful Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (1364-
1387) and credited with the institution of the janissaries. His
two sons Ali and ibrarum succeeded him (they appear in later
books below).
The Turks had attacked Serres and Thessalonike briefly in 1372
but accomplished nothing. This passage refers to the events of
'3 83.
'43 The siege actually lasted for four years.
'44 Manuel attended upon Murad at Prousa, in the summer of 1387,
after spending some time on Lesbos (see 1.55 below).
Murad's speech is obscure throughout.
Manuel was exiled to Lemoos by his father for two years, from
'387 to '389.
'47 This was in 1387, after a four-year siege. The city was treated le-
niently.
49 0
BOOK I
Dragas was the son of Dejan Dragas, not Zarko (a confusion
throughout Laonikos's narrative); Zarko was married to Dejan's
daughter. See 1.31 above and the notes there.
'49 For Bogdan, see 1.31 above.
'50 Ioannes VI Kantakouzenos took the monastic name Ioasaph;
see 1.41 above.
Laonikos seems to have embellished Ioannes V's trip to Italy
with details from the later trip of his son Manuel II to western
Europe (from 1399 to 1402, on which see 2.29 below). In 1369
Ioannes traveled to Rome to submit personally to the pope (on
October 18) and in the spring of 1370 to Venice, to resolve out-
standing disputes, where he was detained until 1371. He did not
go first to Venice or at all to France.
Andronikos IV governed during his father's absence, from 1369
to 1371.
'53 This refers back to the first period during which Manuel was in
charge ofThessalonike, starting in 1369; see 1.49 above.
'54 In 1371.
'55 There is a ten-year gap between this sentence and the previous
one. Laonikos is now discussing the settlement of territories
that took place in 1381 and 1382.
Theodoros I Palaiologos, son of Ioannes V, ruled the Pelopon-
nese from 1382 to 1407.
'57 Manuel Kantakouzenos had died in 1380; his brother Matthaios
retired and then died in 1383. See 1.41 above.
This is now referring to the same rebellion mentioned at 1.49
above.
'59 The Rebellion of the Princes allegedly occurred in 1373; see
1.44-48 above. Laonikos has dated the settlement of 1382 over
ten years too early.
,60 In April 1387; see 1.51 above.
,6, Francesco II Gattilusio, ruler ofLesbos (1384-14°4).
,62 In the summer of 1387; this supplements the narrative in 1.49-
50 above.
Lazar I Hrebljanovic, prince of Serbia (1371-1389). This was the
campaign of 1389, resulting in the battle ofKosovo.
49'
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
Lazar gave one daughter to Ivan Sisman, Bulgarian emperor
6371-1395), in 1386, and another, named Mara, to Vuk Brankovic
in ca. 1371. For Vuk, see also 1.31 above. His genealogy is given
correctly here.
165 The territories of the zupan NikolaAltomanovic in western Ser-
bia were taken by a coalition of his enemies, including Lazar, in
1373. By 1372, in the aftermath of the battle of Cernomen, Lazar
had also taken Pristina, from Marko Mrnjavcevic, the son of the
fallen VukaSin, but seems to have soon ceded it to his ally Vuk
Brankovic. As for Nestea, a proposed emendation is Nesion. If
this refers to Nis, that city had been part of Lazar's realm. It was
taken by the Turks in 1386. For Laonikos's confusions over this
Nikola, see 1.31 above.
166 The battle ofKosovo was fought onJune 15, 1389.
167 In fact, Turkish traditions stressed the role of Milos.
168 For Stileyman's burial near Gallipoli, see 1.36 above.
16 9 Actually, Murad I reigned from ca. 1360 to 1389.
170 This discussion refers forward to the battle of Ankara, in 1402;
see 3.55-57 below.
17 1 Bayezid I, Ottoman sultan (IJ89-1402).
BOOK 2
Actually, Lazar was executed after the battle.
2 For the conflicting versions of the battle of Kosovo, see also
1.56-57 above.
J Bayezid attacked the kingdom of Bosnia (Illyria) and the Alba-
nian lands in 1392. By this time all Serbian lands except Hum
had become Ottoman vassals.
4 See 148 above; that is, on the eyes ofAndronikos IV and his son
Ioannes VII.
5 They escaped from confinement in 1376, although it is not clear
from where. Laonikos now picks up the story from 1.48 above,
when it began during the reign of Murad 1.
6 Actually, Murad I, for we are now back in 1376.
7 Ioannes V and his sons Manuel II and Theodoros I (later the
49 2
BOOK 2
ruler of the Peloponnese, 1382-14°7) surrendered on August 12,
1376, and were imprisoned in the tower of Anemas. Andronikos
IV immediately rewarded his allies, givingTenedos to the Geno-
ese and Gallipoli back to the Turks.
8 His reign lasted from 1376 to 1379.
9 They escaped inJune 1379, possibly with Venetian help.
10 Again, this was still Murad 1.
II In reality, in 1381 Ioannes V was forced to recognize Andronikos
IV and Ioannes VII as heirs to the throne. Manuel went off
and declared himself independent emperor in Thessalonike (see
1.49-51 and 1.55 above). Andronikos died onJune 28, 1385 (so be-
fore Bayezid came to the throne), and Ioannes took the throne
briefly in 1390 but was expelled by Manuel, who then became
sole emperor after the death of his father, Ioannes V; in 1391.
12 In 1390.
IJ Kara Iskender, son of Kara Yusuf, was the ruler of the Kara
Koyunlu (Black Sheep), a Turkic confederacy in eastern Arme-
nia. He ruled from 1420 to 1438, long after Bayezid's death. The
latter's contemporary was his father, Kara Yusuf (1391-1400 and
1406-1420); see also 3.71-72 below and 7.69. But no hostilities
between Bayezid and the Black Sheep are recorded; to the con-
trary, in 1400 Kara Yusuf sought refuge with Bayezid, which was
one of Timur's pretexts for attacking Bayezid. For Shemakha
and Erzinjan, see below.
It is not c1earwho these '~ssyrians" are.
Besieged by his rival brother Jihanshah in 1438, Iskender was
murdered by his concubine, Khan Sultan (Layla), and her lover,
his son Shah Kubad (Khwandamir, Habibui-siyar, p. 345); see
J.71-72 below.
16 Bayezid took Erzinjan in 1400, but from Mutahhartan, the
city's governor, who had rebelled against the eastern Anatolian
principality ofEretna in 1379. Bayezid sent his family captive to
Prousa. Erzinjan was not, however, in the territory of the Black
Sheep; they were to its east. The Ak Koyunlu (White Sheep), a
rival confederacy, under Kara Yiiliik captured Erzinjan in 1410.
17 In 1398 Bayezid annexed the lands ofJanik in Niksar, Samsun,
493
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
and <;ar!lamba (on the northern coast of Asia Minor), as part of
the same campaign that brought him Sivas (Sebasteia); see the
following note. Amastris, however, is not near Kolchis. Perhaps
it is an error for Amisos.
18 Kara Yiiliik Osman, often translated as "Black Eel" Osman, was
the ruler of the Ak Koyunlu (White Sheep) Turkic federation,
from 1403 to 1435 (de facto in charge since 1396); see also 3.71-72
and 5.33 below. Shemakha was not in the territory of the White
Sheep, and Bayezid never went near it. Perhaps Laonikos has
confused it with Sivas (Sebasteia), which Bayezid, sending his
son Suleyman, relieved from a White Sheep attack (in fact, un-
der the command ofKara Yiiliik) in 1398, and then took it over
himself Doukas, History 15.5, links Bayezid's campaigns against
Sebasteia and Erzinjan.
19 Bayezid annexed these emirates, including Germiyan, in 1390-
91, so before the campaigns mentioned above. By "Metin" La-
onikos probably means the emirate of Hamid.
20 See 2.50 below.
21 In fact, Bayezid campaigned against Karaman twice, in 1391 and
1397-98. Its ruler then, :Ala' al-Din (1361-1398), was Bayezid's
brother-in-law and was executed by him in 1398. As for the name
Alishur, it belonged to the founder of the emirate of Germiyan,
Yakub b. Alishur (d. after 1320), but Laonikos refers to the ruler
of Karaman as "Karaman Alisourios" (see note on I.14 above).
Turgut was the name of a clan in central Anatolia associated
with Karaman, whom it supported against the Ottomans; see
5.33 below.
22 See I.J4 above for corrections. Laonikos does not mention
Mente!le there and has Karasl as the son ofKalamshah.
23 This is how Laonikos refers to the Jandarid rulers ofKastamonu
and Sinope (see I.I4 above), whose territory Bayezid annexed in
1393·
For these events, see the notes on 2.8 above.
This probably refers to raids in 1398 after the battle ofNikopolis
(which took place in 1396; see 2.20 below). Illyria here is again
the kingdom of Bosnia.
26 In 1394. Bayezid's attempt to move into the Peloponnese fol-
494
BOOK 2
lowed a series of complaints that had been put to him by his vas-
sals during the winter of 1393-94; those meetings are described
at 2.25-27 below. Laonikos has broken the narrative into two
parts and reversed their order.
According to other versions of this tale, the bishop's name was
Serapheim.
28 Epikernaioi is transparently related to the term epikernesl
pinkernes, designating a high court official (the wine bearer), at-
tested several times among the leading magnates in Byzantine
and Serbian Thessaly. It is possible that it became a family name
and that on the eve of the Ottoman conquest Domokos was
governed by a member of that family on behalf ofThessaly's kai-
sar Manuel Angelos Philanthropenos, or even that the Philan-
thropenoi had carried that title at some earlier point.
29 Salona (Amphissa; or La Sola; De Sula; Laonikos's "Delphi'? was
ruled by the widow of Luis Fadrique ofAragon, count of Salona,
Zetounion, and Siderokastron (Arachova), who died in 1382. His
widow was Helene, the daughter of Matthaios Kantakouzenos,
briefly coemperor with his father (on him, see I.41 above). Her
story is told more fully below.
30 Her daughter was named Maria, one of the most sought-after
heiresses in Latin Greece.
31 Possibly a certain Murad Beg.
32 In 1382.
33 That is, Neopatras (Hypate), by Lamia. Laonikos is here refer-
ring generally to the Catalans in Greece. Luis Fadrique was the
vicar-general of the duchies of Athens and Neopatras (1375-
1382). He was the grandson of Don Alfonso Fadrique, the ille-
gitimate son of Federico II of Sicily.
34 Sigismund of Luxembourg was king of Hungary (1387-1437) and
was later to become German king (1410-1437), king of Bohemia
(1419-1437), and Holy Roman emperor (1433-1437), among other
titles.
35 Vienna was actually the capital of the Habsburg dukes of Aus-
tria. But Sigismund's daughter and heiress did marry a Habs-
burg (Duke Albrecht V of AustrialKing Albrecht II of Ger-
many), and later in the fifteenth century the unrelated king of
495
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
Hungary (Matyas I, 1458-149°) did control Vienna, making it
his residence during the period from 1485 to 1490.
At the time of these events (1394-1396), Sigismund had not yet
acquired all these titles.
37 The mistake that Germany begins at the Pyrenees seems to be
unprecedented, but the notion that the Tartesos River origi-
nated in the Pyrenees had precedent, especially in pseudo-Aris-
totle, Meteorology 1.13 <350b), who seems to be quoted directly
here,.and in the philosophical tradition thereafter (Olympiodo-
ros, Psellos, etc.). Laonikos is probably referring to the Gua-
dalquivir. In general, see Herodotos, H£stories 2.33-
Laonikos calls it Argentia, from ancient Roman Argentoratum.
38
That is, for someone looking south. The manuscripts spell what
39
we call Denmark in many ways (Dak£a, Datia, Dastia, Dasteia;
Plethon, Corrections to Some ofthe Mistakes in Strabo, has Dateia),
and the term may refer to all of Scandinavia.
It has been proposed that Laonikos has confused Vienna with
Bremen here.
This has implausibly been conjectured to be Basileia, that is, Ba-
sel; or else Cilli or Aquileia.
42 Breme here is an emendation of Blene, but this is uncertain.
From 1308 to 1395 the Hungarian monarchs were Capetian An-
43
gevins from Naples (Karoly I, Lajos I, Maria, and Karoly II),
from 1387 to 1437 Luxembourgs from Bohemia (Sigismund),
from 1438 to 1440 Habsburgs from Austria (Albert and LaszlO
V), from 1440 to 1444 Jagiellonians from Poland-Lithuania
(UIasz16 I), from 1444 to 1457 Habsburgs from Austria again
G.-aszl6 V), and from 1458 to 1490 a "national" Hungarian king,
Matyas I "Corvinus."
Laonikos is here referring to the position of Regent-Governor
44
held by Hunyadi; see 7-14.
It is odd that Laonikos pretends not to know the ethnonym
45
Oungroi, because it was well established in Byzantine and inter-
national usage. It is also not clear which name he means by "this
name" (presumably what he calls them, Paionians, but they did
not call themselves that).
BOOK 2
Sigismund never ruled Vienna.
In 1387, through marriage.
Laonikos misdates Sigismund's appointment as German king
(1410) and coronation as emperor of the Romans by the pope
(1433) by placing them before the Nikopolis campaign (1396).
He was crowned by Eugenius IV, but we cannot be sure this is
whom Laonikos means here. The pope at the time of the cru-
sade was Boniface IX, but the expedition was also supported by
Benedict XIII in Avignon.
49 See 1.6 above for appointing the Holy Roman emperors. For
the French (Charlemagne) in Iberia, see also 2.32-34 and 5.79 be-
low.
50 Sigismund and Venice were at war on and off during the 141OS.
51 That is, Milan under Filippo Maria Visconti. Sigismund received
the Iron Crown there on November 25,1431.
Philippe II of Burgundy sent his sonJean the Fearless (count of
Nevers and laterJean II of Burgundy) in nominal command.
53 The battle ofNikopolis was fought on September 25, 1396.
54 The Burgundian general was Jean the Fearless (see 2.19 above).
Another captive was the French commander Jean Ie Meingre,
called Boucicaut, marshal of France, son of his like-named fa-
ther, both of them involved in the Hundred Years' War. The
high-ranking captives were later ransomed, but many of the
rank-and-filewere executed.
55 Mircea I the Old, prince of Wallacrua (1386-1394 and 1397-
1418). Ottoman armies raided Wallachia frequently after Nikop-
olis, but the campaign that Laonikos is introducing here oc-
curred the previous year, in 1395.
Moldavia was called this after the rule of Bogdan I (ca. 1363-ca.
1367).
57 "Prasovos" is obviously a reference to the Carpathians, but
whether it reflects the city of Brass6 (Hungarian; now Roma-
nHm Bra~ov) or the Prahova River is unclear. There is no moun-
tain with that name.
Kazimierz IV of Poland (1446-1492) and Lithuania (1440-1492).
For rus Mongols, see 3.25 below.
497
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
59 Dan I, prince of Wallachia (1383-1386); elsewhere he is said to
have been killed by the Bulgarian emperor Ivan SiSman.
60 Actually, the campaign about to be recounted took place one
year before Nikopolis, in 1395 (though later the Ottomans did
accuse Mircea of aiding Sigismund).
6, The origins of Evrenos, son of isa Beg, are uncertain. He was
the most important raider of the fourteenth century and died in
1417. He was powerful already during the reign of Murad 1.
62 This is a whitewashed account of the campaign, which led to
the battle ofRovine (May 17, 1395), an Ottoman defeat.
This was in the winter of 1393-94. The meeting is described in
detail by Manuel II in his Funeral Oration for his brotherTheod-
oros (pp. 134-43). Laonikos seems not to realize that he is here
recounting the preliminaries of the invasion ofThessaly and the
Peloponnese that he already described at 2.10-13 above.
The Dragas brothers, Konstantin (ruler of Kumanovo until
1395) and Jovan, were the sons of Dejan Dragas, not Zarko (a
confusion throughout Laonikos's narrative). Their mother was
Stefan Dusan's sister; Zarko was married to Dejan's daughter.
Konstantin's daughter was the mother of Konstantinos XI, the
last emperor of Byzantium.
Stefan I, prince of Serbia (1389-1427), son of Lazar I, prince of
Serbia ('37'-'389).
Theodoros took over Monemvasia in 1391/92.
Ioannes VII Palaiologos had held the throne briefly in 1390 and
was Manuel's rival and "alternate" at this time.
68 For Hayreddin, see 1.49 and 1.51-52 above. <;andarh Ali Pasha
succeeded his father as grand vizier (1387-14°6).
Around '378.
Manuel II Palaiologos had married Konstantin Dragas's daugh-
ter Helene on February 10, 1392, but the conspiracy to rebel, re-
counted here, took place in the winter of 1393-94.
7' Actually, Eudokia of Trebizond, daughter of the emperor
Alexios III and widow ofTa; al-Din, emir of Janik (ca. 1348-
1387), had married Konstantin Dragas, Manuel's future father-
BOOK 2
in-law, in 1387. "Kolchis" is how Laonikos normally designates
the empire ofTrebizond.
Konstantin Dragas seems not to have joined the other rulers in
this rebellion and died in 1395 fighting on the Ottoman side at
the battle ofRovine (for which see 2.24 above).
73 Actually, Theodoros remained with Bayezid until it became
clear that the sultan intended to invade the Peioponnese, at
which point Theodoros escaped to defend his dominions; see
2.10-13 above (Laonikos does not realize that the events he is
describing here took place earlier in the same year as those in
2.10-13 above).
74 The siege, or blockade, of Constantinople lasted from 1394 to
1402. Many of the other wars described above (Rovine, Nikopo-
lis) took place while it was going on.
Actually eight years.
This sentence is obscure.
While Ioannes VII seems to have traveled to Italy (in 1389 or
1390, and 1392), this episode is not reported in other sources and
is unlikely, because the Genoese were his allies in his struggle
against Manuel.
On December 4, 1399. Bayezid was actually in Asia Minor at the
time, and Ioannes VII at his base in Selymbria.
79 Manuel departed on December 10, 1399.
80 Manuel reached Venice in early 1400 and traveled from there to
Milan, where he was received by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, duke
of Milan (d. '402).
8, Charles VI the Mad, king of France (1380-1422), suffered from a
recurring mental illness. Manuel reached Paris inJune 1400 and
stayed there until December, when he went to England (Laoni-
kos does not mention the journey to England, although he does
below offer a description of Britain). Manuel resided in Paris
again, from February 1401 to November 1402, after his return
from England.
82 Laonikos has shifted all of France's neighbors counterclockwise.
83 On Denmark see note to 2.14 above.
499
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
For the Hundred Years' War, see 2.35-37 below. The dukes of
Burgundy supported different sides in different phases of the
war. But the sense of this sentence is obscure.
Laonikos uses Genoa's Latin name Ianua (door). He knows that
it was sometimes under French control: see 5.58 below.
86 Rene the Good was duke of Anjou and Provence (1417-1480)
and king of Naples ('435-'442).
The Pont Saint-Benezet, built in the late twelfth century.
In what follows, Laonikos relies on Charlemagne romances like
the SongofRoland. For the appointment of the French as emper-
ors of the Romans, see 1.6 and 2.18 above.
During the Hundred Years' War, the English and their allies
took Paris in 1420.
The English under King Edward III ('327-'377) took Calais af-
ter a siege in 1347.
9' Actually, Philippe VI (1328-135°) tried to bring a relief force dur-
ing the English siege but withdrew.
92 The following is probably the battle of Poitiers, September 19,
'35 6 .
93 That is, Agincourt, October 25, 1415 (from the false derivation
"Chagrincourt'').
94 This phrase, which breaks up the syntax and sense, and is re-
peated from above, is possibly an intrusion.
95 The preceding narrative can refer to any number of engage-
ments in whichJoan of Arc was involved. She died in 1431.
This refers mainly to the 1440s.
The English held Calais until '558.
Laonikos is either thinking of the islands of Frisia or following
Diodoros of Sicily, Bibliotheke 5.22.2-3, on promontories of Brit-
ain that become islands with the tides.
99 The syntax of this sentence is unclear.
roo This passage is probably corrupt and seems also to have a la-
cuna. The Soul of the Universe (or World Soul) was a Neopla-
tonic notion accepted by Laonikos's neopagan teacher Plethon
and rejected by most Orthodox theologians.
10' The narrative picks up from 2.29 above.
500
BOOK 2
ro2 Actually, Manuel returned via Genoa and Venice.
ro3 This double invasion of the Peloponnese took place in 1397, be-
fore Manuel had even left for the West.
ro4 This sentence is obscure.
ro5 Persuaded by his ally and father-in-law, Nerio, the ruler of Ath-
ens, Theodoros I Palaiologos had given Argos to the Venetians
in 1394 to secure their help against the Turks.
ro6 Theodoros negotiated with the Hospitallers to sell the Despo-
tate to them in 1399-1400. The deal was being implemented
when it was botched by the inhabitants of Mistra. He had al-
ready sold Corinth to them in 1397, when the Venetians turned
down his initial offer (the alternative was to lose it to the Turks).
Theodoros had bought Corinth from Carlo I Tocco the previ-
ous year, after besieging it for a number of years.
The bishop of Lakedaimon may have been Neophytos, who is
attested earlier, ca. 1394.
r08 According to his brother Manuel II, Theodoros had planned all
this in advance (Funeral Oration, pp. 204-5)' but this is unlikely.
These events at Mistra took place in the autumn of 1400, but
the retrocession of the Peloponnese took years to arrange, as
the Hospitallers had paid an advance and occupied cities.
'09 Yakub took Argos onJune 3, 1397·
no This is what Laonikos calls the aktne! raiders, Ottoman irregu-
lars, whom some scholars, following some Turkish sources, have
dignified with the termgazi, holy warriors.
II! These were Mongols moving westward after Timur's defeat of
the Golden Horde (recounted in Book 3); see also 3.25 below for
this group. They arrived probably in 1398.
II2 See 2.8 above and the notes there.
n3 Bayezid took Melitene (Malatya) from the Mamluks in the sum-
mer of 1399, by sending his son Silleyman.
"4 Possibly this is a switch of reference to Timur.
"5 This picks up their story from 2.9 above.
n6 Bayezid's nickname Ytidmm translates to ((Thunderbolt," but
Laonikos calls him a "Hurricane."
"7 ForTimur's attack on the Mamluks of Egypt, see 3.38-43 below.
50!
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
lI8 This sentence is obscure.
lI9 "Hero" is how Laonikos and many Muslim speakers in the work
refer to Muhammad.
120 This story is picked up again at 3.48 below.
121 This passage is unclear, but it seems to correspond to Muslim
divorce. ~ran 2.230: "So ifhe divorces her she shall not be law-
ful to him afterward until she marries another husband; then
if he [i.e" the second husband] divorces her there is no blame
on them both [the original couple} if they return to each other
(by marriage)" (trans. M. H. Shakir). It is not clear where the
spleens come from, but they almost certainly refer to the rule of
triple ta/aq (the divorce is final if the husband says "I divorce
you" three times to his wife). These rules and passages were,
of course, subject to interpretation and variation. The interpre-
tation of the second marriage as "adultery" may be Laonikos's
own, although it may have been understood that way by Mus-
lims, given how the practice was used as an insult here. See also
3-16 below.
122 Timur's chief wife is often identified as Saray Mulk-khanum,
previously married to one of his allies and rivals, Husayn of
Balkh.
123 This sentence is obscure.
124 Timur did not approach Sebasteia from Malatya (the south) but
from Erzerum and Erzinjan (the east).
125 Timur generally did not displace established dynasties but re-
quired them to accept him as their overlord, including by men-
tioning him in the khutbah (Islamic public sermons). For this list
of his demands, see also 3.48 below.
126 The first campaign, against Sebasteia, took place in 1400; see 3.1
below.
BOOK 3
In 1400; for the campaign against Sivas (Sebasteia), see 3.44-47
below.
2 Nothing definite is known about Timur's parents or ancestors.
502
BOOK 3
His father is normally called Taraghai, of the Barlas clan. Timur
was born on April 8, 1336.
3 Timur's wound was probably received in one of the battles that
accompanied his rise to power, in ca. 1364. The Persian appella-
tion Timur-i Lang (Lame Timur) gives us our "Tamerlane."
4 The passage is unclear.
5 Mirza is a title attached to the name of many sons of emirs, and
Haydar was a common name, so it is impossible to link them to
specific individuals known from other ,sources.
6 It is possible that by this classical ethnonym Laonikos means
the Chaghadai; see 3024 below, and the end of this chapter <3·3).
7 Probably Kesh (Shahr-i Sabz in modern Uzbekistan), some sev-
enty kilometers south of Samark and, although Laonikos's narra-
tive is unspecific.
8 One should probably not try to identify this vague and confused
account with events known from sources closer to the events.
In 1360 Tughluq Timur, khan of the eastern division of the Ulus
Chaghadai, or Moghulistan (see 3.24 below and note there), in-
vaded Transoxiana and invested Timur with leadership of rus
tribe, the Barlas, as a rival to its previous cruef, Hajji Beg. But
Timur had to step down. In 1361 Tughluq Timur invaded again,
gave Timur command again, but soon had to go into exile.
When the emirs of the Ulus Chaghadai, under Husayn, drove
out the Moghuls, Timur had regained control of his tribe (cer-
tainly by 1364). Timur spent from 1366 to 1368 in exile again,
outside the Ulus Chaghadai, seeking support against Husayn,
now his rival. By 1370 he had eliminated Husayn and maneu-
vered himself to lead the Ulus Chaghadai.
It is not clear what "master and king" Laonikos means. The
9
emirs ruling the Ulus Chaghadai tended to appoint puppet
khans from the Mongol dynastic line to give them legitimacy,
and Timur had done the same. Moreover, in 1370 he married Sa-
ray Malik Kharum, daughter of Qazan (khan of the Ulus Cha-
ghadai, 1343-1346), and thus married into Chaghadai's line. La-
onikos may have heard howTimur displaced Husayn in 1369-70
and took his wives for himself and his men. The narrative of
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
conquests is also confused here. Timur gained control of Samar-
kand in 1370 without a siege (when he took over the Vlus Cha-
ghadai), while Baghdad surrendered to him in 1393 and was cap-
tured by him in 1401.
IO This passage is unclear. It is possible that it refers to Timur's
self-doubts.
II It is difficult to know what contemporary states or people ,lie
behind the labels "Hyrkanians" and "Kadousioi" (on the latter,
see below and 3.12). Classical Hyrkania was to the south and
southeast of the Caspian Sea; Kadousia was to its southwest
(Media Atropatene). In the 1370S and early 1380s, Timur cam-
paigned extensively against Moghulistan (to the northeast of
the Ulus Chaghadai), Khorezm (south of the Aral Sea), Kho-
rasan (the kingdom of Herat), and Sistan (to the south). It was
in 1384-85 that he began to move against Mazandaran and Gi-
Ian (as far as Tabriz), which would correspond to Hyrkania and
Kadousia. The latter would then appear to have been ruled by
theJalayirids of Iraq and northwestern Iran (with centers at Sul-
taniyyah and Tabriz), whose ruler Sultan Ahmad (1385-1410) was
repeatedly driven out byTimur between 1385 and 1405.
I2 By .Massagetai here Laonikos probably means the Mongols gen-
erally (in this region the Chaghadai, on whom see 3.24 below
and the note there).
') It is risky to identify these rivers given the fluidity of these
names in and after antiquity.
'4 Timur never campaigned against Arabia, certainly not Arabia
Felix (described below).
'5 There was no Arabian state in ca. 1400.
,6 Timur's wars never reached Arabia; it is not clear what events
Laonikos is referring to here.
'7 'Umar I (634-644) was in fact the second caliph of Islam, follow-
ingAbu Bakr (6)2-6)4).
,8 Actually, his father's name was 1\.bd-Allah. Ali was Muhammad's
first cousin, son-in-law; and later successor as the fourth caliph
(656-66,).
'9 Actually, five times a day.
BOOK 3
20 This may be channeling the slander that Muslims worshipped
Aphrodite, but more likely Laonikos is simply using the classical
Roman names for the days of the week, as there was not a con-
venient Greek one.
2' For these divorce laws, see 2.54 above and the note there.
22 It is not clear what this refers to; possiblyjinn.
2) For a description of these ceremonies, see 8.69-70.
24 Many Muslim states enslaved Armenians. This may be a garbled
reference to the tradition that Muhammad was led astray by a
heretic (usually an Arian) named Bahira; this story shows up in
early Armenian sources too.
That is, 622-632.
Muhammad actually died and is buried at Medina.
'Vmar I (634-644) was in fact the second caliph ofIslam, follow-
ingAbu Bakr (6)2-6)4).
This is garbled, as Muhammad had no surviving son.
This is a reference to the hajj, but Muhammad was buried in
Medina, not Mecca, and visiting his tomb was not part of the
hajj
)0 The (polemical) notion of Muhammad's floating tomb was pro-
moted by many Western medieval sources.
)' Or "displayed."
)2 These Skythians were the Mongols of the Golden Horde, ruled
by khan Toqtamish (1379-1395), who had actually been one of
Timur's proteges. In the winter of 1385-86, Toqtamish attacked
Tabriz, now under Timur's authority. Timur responded with a
three-year invasion of the Caucasus and northern Iraq and Iran.
In 1387 Toqtamish invaded Transoxiana. This brought Timur
back to his base, and for the next four years he fought in the
north against the Sufi dynasty in Khorezm and the Moghuls,
who had aided Toqtamish (for Timur's clashes with the Horde,
see 3.34-37 below and the notes there). In 1394 Toqtamish again
raided the Caucasus, which resulted in Timur's devastating in-
cursion of 1394/95. Laonikos is probably referring to the second
ofToqtamish's attacks (of 1387), and so his "Khataians" must be
one ofTimur's northern neighbors (being, as he says below, to
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION BOOK 3

the east ofHyrkania), probably the Moghuls. It is possible that 44 A Polish term for Livonia.
Laonikos's term is related to Cathay, which had gained currency 45 That is, the Teutonic Order,
for (northern) China (Mongol-controlled at this time). Tirour 46 The Knights of Santiago in Spain, although there were actually
did not campaign there at this time, although he did set out to multiple Spanish orders; and the Hospitallers, the Knights of
do so at the very end of his life. Still, Laonikos's usage is im- SaintJohn on Rhodes,
precise. 47 A people in Lithuania: see the following section.
33 One of the methods by which Timur diluted the power of the 48 The Samogitians did not convert to Christianity until 1413,
tribes was to bring in many foreign soldiers loyal only to himself 49 Bohemia was Christian since the ninth century. This may be
and his structures of government. When Laonikos says that the a confused or polemical reference to the Hussite movement.
Persians had experience of war with the Skythians, he means For the alleged conversion of the Bohemians, see also 8,49 and
campaigns of Darius recounted in Herodotos (see below), 8.58.
34 Neither do we, 50 See 3,67 below.
35 See 3,38 below. 5' Belgorod (Akkerman) was the capital of Moldavia between 1448
36 The Ulus Chaghadai was a Turko-Mongol khanate, one of the and '455.
four main divisions of the Mongol Empire, and included a sig- 52 That is, between Wallachia and Moldavia.
nificant portion of Central Asia, including Transoxiana and 53 That is, Vtlna,
parts of modern Mghanistan. The eponym of the khanate was 54 For the debate over the origin of the Slavs, see also 1,29 and I.38-
Chinggis Khan's son Chaghadai, ByTimur's time, the Ulus Cha- 39 above and 10,16-17.
ghadai had shifted to the west and south and had lost its eastern 55 These are the Mongols of Hajji Giray, north of the Black Sea;
portion, or Moghulistan, This western Ulus was the base for his see 3,25 above.
rise and conquests, When the sources refer to the Chaghadai, Both are people of the Caucasus; for the Mingrelians, see also
they mean the ruling nomadic element of this tribal federation, 9·35·
For Timur and India, see 3,64-69 below. He ransacked much of 57 This passage is unclear.
northwestern India in 1398, sacking Delhi, 58 The next few sections recount Timur's attacks on Toqtamish's
37 That is, the family of Chinggis Khan; as far as the Golden Golden Horde, but Laonikos's account has only a vague relation
Horde was concerned, the house of Chinggis Khan's eldest son, to reality. In 1391 Timur defeated Toqtamish and pursued his
Jochi. army as far as the Volga. In 1395 Timur advanced deep into the
38 Hajji Giraywas the first khan of the Crimea (1427-1466). Horde's territory, reaching Moscow and sacking the Horde's
39 See 2.48 above. capital, Saray.
40 Kazimierz IV of Poland (1446-1492) and Lithuania (1440-1492), 59 This is a factual aspect of the 1395 campaign (see previous note),
For his Skythians, see also 2,22 above, but it also replays aspects of King Darius's expedition against
4' The Mongol raids started in the 1220S. the Skythians in Herodotos (Laonikos makes the comparison
42 Belgorod Dnestrovskij, also known as Akkerman. himself at ].22 above),
43 Tafel emended this to Kharkov; which, however, was not 60 Shahrukh was one ofTimur's sons and his successor as padishah
founded until 1654. Ditten proposed changing it to Rostov or of the Timurids (14°5-1447); see ],70 below. As he was born in
Pskov. 1377, he would have been fourteen and seventeen at the time of
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
his father's two expeditions against the Horde. His involvement
in them is not otherwise attested.
That is, Georgia.
Timur had first campaigned in the Caucasus (taking Tiflis in
Georgia) in 1386 and in Armenia in 1387. But he did so again in
1399-1400, after his great campaign against the Golden Horde,
so Laonikos is probably referring to this instance here. But the
Mongols had ceased to be any threat after 1395.
Actually; Toqtamish had done this in 1385-86 and again in 1394,
before Timur's punishing expedition of 1394-95, after which the
Mongols could not bother him; see 3.21 above and the note
there.
This was the Syrian campaign of 1400-1401. Damascus fell in
March 1401; Timur had captured Aleppo and Emesa (Horns) the
previous fall.
The Mamluk sultan at this time was ai-Nasir Faraj (1399-1412),
whose reign was disastrous.
66 See 3.43 below.
67 The figure is, of course, unrealistic. Cairo (and Egypt) had suf-
fered population decline since a high point in 1340, due to
plague, famine, and political instability. The population in ca.
1400 was perhaps 150,000.
Pseudo-Aristotle, Meteorology 1.13 (350bI2).
The latter is probably a reference to dualists generally. There
were no actual Manicheans in Mamluk Egypt.
70 Laonikos is confused here. Mter the sack of Baghdad by the
Mongols of Hiilegii in 1258, the Abbasid caliphs came to reside
at Cairo as proteges of the Mamluk sultans. The arrangement
continued until the Ottoman conquest of the Mamluk sultanate
in 1517.
71 The manuscripts say "from Tyre (Tyros) of Alexandria," but this
has been emended to Pharos.
The Ituraeans were an Arab people who lived in Lebanon in an-
tiquity.
73 Laonikos is probably referring to the city walls, which had been
pulled down many times in recent centuries.
BOOK 3
For Laonikos's confused notions about the hajj, see 3.20 above.
74
"Samos" cannot refer to the Greek island here; possibly it is
75
Sham, the Semitic name for Syria-Palestine, or else the text is
corrupted.
76 The Mamluk sultan ai-Ashraf Embay (1422-1438) raided Cy-
prus annually between 1424 and 1426, capturing its king, Janus
of Lusignan (1398-1432), onJuly 7,1426, and ransacking its cities.
The king was restored as a Mamluk vassal in 1427.
Cyprus was conquered by King Richard I of England (1189-
77
1199) from its Byzantine ruler Isaakios Komnenos in 1191, dur-
ing the course of the Third Crusade. Richard sold the island to
the Templars, but they decided against holding it, and it was
given to Guy of Lusignan, former king ofJerusalem (1186-1192),
in part as compensation for abdicating that throne.
78 Aleppo fell to Timur in October 1400, Damascus in March
14°1.
This king is a bundle of confusions. For the problematic term
79
Khatai, see 3.21 above and the note there. The "Nine" seems to
be a reference to the Toquz Oguz (the Nine Oghuz), an ancient
Turkic confederacy that is first found around the Altai and later
as far west as Transoxiana. As for India, it was Timur who in-
vaded it (1398-1399), not the reverse. The eastern opponents
who gave Timur difficulty were the eastern Chaghadai, but they
did not rule India (and Timur was the ruler of the Ulus Chagha-
dai). See also 3.64 and 3.66 below: in the latter passage, Laonikos
identifies this king of the nine/ofIndia with the Chaghadai.
80 See 2-49-50 above.
81 Sebasteia (Turkish Sivas) had been a part-time capital of the
Seljuk sultans of Rum, then the capital of the Mongol emirate of
Eretna (fourteenth century).
Bayezid's son Ertogrul, formerly a governor ofwesternAnatolia,
had died in 1396, in a different war; see 3.47 below.
The siege of Sebasteia lasted for two weeks in August 1400.
For Ertogrul, see 3.44 above. A relief operation for Sebasteia
seems to have been organized by another son, Siileyman.
For this list of demands, see also 2.57 above. When Timur de-
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION BOOK 3

feated Bayezid, he did issue coins in his own name in Asia Mi- The MSS Syene has been emended to Sine here. Syene was a city
nor: C. Foss, Survey of Medieval Castles ofAnatolia, v. I: Kiitahya in Egypt.
(BAR v. 261, 1985), 15. But Laonikos is jumping ahead two years 106 India did (almost) come under the control of the sultanate of
in this section, from Sebasteia (1400) to the Asia Minor cam- Delhi in the early 13oos, but by 1400 it was in disarray, not least
paign (1402); in the middle was the Syrian campaign, on which because ofTimur's invasion in 1398. Otherwise, the political ge-
see 3.43 above. ography of this section is garbled beyond redemption.
See 2.54 above. It is not clear whether this refers to India or to China; possibly
This clause is obscure. the latter, as only China is named at 3.66 above.
For Ali, see 2.25 above. 108 A medimnos was a unit of dry volwne roughly equal to fifty liters
<::andarh ibrahim Pasha was more likely Ali's brother, another (thirteen gallons).
son of Hayreddin. He would be grand vizier from 1421 to 1429 For the war of Semiramis against the Indians, see Diodoros of
under Murad II. Sicily, Bibliotheke 2.16-19; for Cyrus's war against the Massagetai,
Herodotos, Histories 8.97-107. see Herodotos, Histories 1.201-14.
90
This sentence is obscure. 110 At 3.64 above, Laonikos had said that he escaped.
91
The battle ofAnkara was fought onJuly 28,1402. III Actually, Timur had invaded India in 1398. It was China that he
92
The European army, commanded by Bayezid's son Smeyman, set out to attack in 1405, and he died on the way.
93
may have been on the left. II2 Shahrukh was Timur's successor until his death in 1447. Baysun-
Musa was one of Bayezid's sons, a protagonist in the Turkish qur was Shahrukh's son and coruler until his death in 1433 (so
94
civil wars, recounted in Book 4. Timur's grandson). ~bd-al-Latif (a great-grandson of Timur)
Olivera, daughter of Prince Lazar I of Serbia, married Bayezid was a son ofVlug-Beg (the son and successor ofShahrukh); he
95
in 1390. Bayezid had other wives, but it is unclear which other died in 1450.
wife Laonikos refers to here (if not, confusingly, the same one "3 Timur's arrangements for the succession were more compli-
twice). cated, but Shahrukh did eventually establish himself as the su-
Compare Homer, Iliad 7.127. preme ruler, padishah (14°5-1447).
The point of the question is unclear. "4 Timur died on February 17 or 18, 1405, at Otrar, having begun a
See 2.58 above. campaign to conquer China.
The siege began on December 2, 1402, and lasted for two weeks. 115 Shahrukh actually outlived his father by four decades, until
That is, by a coalition of Western powers, including the Hospi- 1447. Baysunqurwas a son ofShahrukh, on whose behalfhe gov-
taller Knights of Rhodes. erned parts of Khurasan until predeceasing him in 1433. But in
101 For the confusing identity of this king, see 3.43 above and the the immediate aftermath ofTimur's death, there was fighting
note there. The narrative picks up from 3.61. among his sons and grandsons. Timur's designated successor, Pir
102 At 3.69 below, Laonikos says that Musa was let go, which is more Muhammad, did in fact die soon (in 1407).
likely. 116 Ulug-Beg was the son and successor of Shahrukh, under whom
Actually, Bayezid reigned from 1389 to 1402. he had already served as governor of Samarkand; he reigned as
103
Bayezid died on March 9, 1403, at Philomelion/A.k§ehir, which padishah 'of the Timurids for only two years (1447-1449). ~bd­
104
is not in Ionia (see the end of the previous section). al-Latifwas the eldest son ofDIug-Beg, who rebelled against his

51 0 5II
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
father and killed him, ruling briefly as padishah of the Timurids
(1449-'45 0 ).
U7 Muhammad Juki was son of Shahrukh; he governed Balkh
(1443-1444).
u8 Babur'was the son ofBaysunqur. He had been Ulug-Beg's gover-
nor of Samarkand since 1447 and later became padishah (1452-
1457)·
u9 Neither Baysunqur nor Juki held Samarkand, and both prede-
ceased their father, Shahrukh. Moreover, in just two sentences
Laonikos has called Baysunqur bothJuki's father and brother. It
is possible that he has projected onto Juki aspects of the career
ofAbu Sa'id (a great-grandson ofTimur from another line), who
captured Samarkand in 1451 with the assistance of Uzbek tribes
(Skythians), taking it from 'Abdullah, another great-grandson of
Timur, and fought against Babur.
120 The Ak Koyunlu (White Sheep) Turkic confederacy controlled
northern Mesopotamia, western Armenia, and Kurdistan. Kara
Ytiliik (often translated as the "Black Eel"), or 'Uthman (Tk. Os-
man), ruled them from Amida (Diyarbakir), between 1403 and
1435. But the Timurids did not attack the White Sheep, who
were their allies against the Black Sheep, the Kara Koyunlu, a
rival confederacy in eastern Armenia. Juki's father, Shahrukh,
made three incursions against them (1420-1421, 1429, and 1434-
1436); Tabriz changed hands each time. In 1435 Shahrukh arrived
in Tabriz and sent his sonJuki against Iskender, the ruler of the
Black Sheep (1420-1436; see 3.8 above), replacing him with his
brotherJahanshah, who was expected to be more subservient to
the Timurids (see 3.72 below). Laonikos seems to have confused
the two federations at this point. It is also not clear where La-
onikos thinks Shemakha is.
121 'Ajam is the Arabic word for Persian or Iranian.
122 Jahanshah was indeed the son ofKara Yusuf and his second suc-
cessor as ruler of the Black Sheep (1438-1467), after his brother
Iskender (on whom see below); he began as a Tlmurid protege
(placed in power byJuki, Shahrukh's son) but later turned on the
Timurids and took over much of Iraq and western Iran. He was
512
BOOK 3
born in 1397, so he cannot have been the grandson ofJuki (who
was born in 1402).
123 Kara Yusuf was the ruler of the Black Sheep confederacY(1389-
1400 and 14°5-1420), an enemy of the Timurids, who fled to
Mamluk Egypt under Timur and recovered control of Azerbai-
jan after his death in 1405. He certainly did not marry a daughter
ofJuki (see following note). Juki married Khanum, the daughter
ofKara Ytiliik of the White Sheep (see note above), which may
have caused the confusion here.
124 Jahanshah was installed in power in Tabriz by Shahrukh, via his
son Juki, in 1435. He later broke from the Timurids and took
Iraq, much of western Iran, Hyrkania, and western Khurasan
with Herat. Jahanshah took Baghdad in 1446 and Erzinjan in
1450. Babur's son Shah Mahmud was eleven when he succeeded
to the throne, in 1457, and was quickly expelled by other
Timurids, so this cannot be who is meant.
125 See 7.69 for the same information (that later passage also clari-
fies the convoluted syntax of this one). Juki's sons Muhammad
Qasim and Abu Bakr governed briefly in the area of Balkh, on
the opposite end of the Timurid Empire, between 1444 and
1447. They cannot be meant here.
Uzun Hasan was the grandson ofKara Ytiliik, ruler of the White
Sheep (Ak Koyunlu), and he ruled between 1453 and 1478. He
was not descended from Iskender, ruler of the Black Sheep, who
was his main enemy (before Jahanshah). In fact, Kara Yiiliik was
killed in battle with Iskender in 1435, when Shahrukh inter-
vened against the Black Sheep and set up Jahanshah against Isk-
ender. Uzun Hasan fought a war against Jahanshah and would
destroy him in 1467, although Laonikos seems unaware of this
development. Hasan was also the main Eastern rival of Mehmed
II; see 9.40 and 9.70-73.
127 Laonikos again cannot mean by this name the place we know as
Shemakha.
128 In 1450151 Babur fought against and killed his rival Sultan Mu-
hammad (a grandson of Shahrukh) precisely in Media, but he
was then forced back east by Jahanshah and the Black Sheep,
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
who took most of Iran from the Timurids at this point. Laoni-
1
I
kos has presented those events from the standpoint of the war
between the Black and the White Sheep, as if Babur was called
in by the former to help them against the latter. At 7.69 he pre-
sents the same events, only it seems there that Juki takes the
place of Babur.
12 9 This sentence refers to events fifty years before those of the sur-
rounding narrative.
'3° Janik was on the northern Anatolian coast, to the west of the
empire ofTrebizond CKo1chis). Hasan is not known to have at-
tacked it. He did marry Theodora Komnene, the daughter of
the emperor Ioannes IV ofTrebizond (1429-1460), in 1458.
BOOK 4 I)
Actually, Silleyman seems to have been the eldest; only Laonikos
makes this claim.
2 This isa the Younger was in reality called Yusuf; see 4.12 below.
3 isa established himself as ruler at Bursa (prousa) between Au-
gust and November 1402.
4 The clause is likely corrupt. In fleeing from Timur, isa had ac-
companied his brother Siileyman across the straits, by August
1402. He sought refuge in Constantinople late in spring 1403,
after being defeated by Mehmed at the battle of Ulubad. By
May 18, 1403, he had returned to Bursa with Silleyman's support
to resume the war against Mehmed.
5 Actually, isa was defeated, captured, and executed by Mehmed
in Asia Minor (by September 1403). In this war, isa was allied
to isfendiyar, the Jandarid emir (1385-1393 and 1402-1440) of
Kastamonu (Laonikos's Sinope), but also possibly to Silleyman.
Between late 1403 and early 1404. Siileyman moved against
Mehmed and took Bursa, pushing him back to east-central Asia
Minor. Laonikos has fused the two wars. isa did not hold power
for four years.
6 Musa, a minor, had been placed under the custody of Mehmed.
He was probably used by Mehmed now to distract Siileyman.
For his release byTimur, see 3.59 and 3.69 above.
7
BOOK 4
The Jandarid ruler of Kastamonu at that time was isfendiyar
(1385-1)9) and 14°2-144°).
8 Probably in 1409. This is Mircea I the Old (1386-1394 and 1397-
1418).
9 For Mircea's many sons, see 2.23 above.
IO Mircea had a nephew, Dan II, who would later rule Wallachia on
five occasions between 1420 and 1431, but he was not yet prince
ofWallachia, so perhaps his status here is an anachronism.
II In late 1409 or early 1410.
12 Some sources identify her as the daughter of Theodoros I
PaIaiologos, Manuel's deceased brother. Ilario Doria seems to
have married an illegitimate daughter of Manuel named Zampia
(Isabella). A daughter of that Doria was later married to Mustafa
in 1422, which might explain the confusion here.
Siileyman and his army were ferried over by the Byzantines on
June 14, 1410, and fought the battle ofKosmidion with Musa on
the next day.
'4 Stefan I, son of Lazar I, and prince of Serbia (1389-1427).
15 Dan II was Mircea's nephew, not son; see 4.4 above and the
note there.
16 Referring here back to the treaties he had made in 1403, in the
immediate aftermath of his father's defeat by Timur. The Byz-
antines gained Thessalonike and much territory around it, as
well as coastal lands by the Sea of Marmara and Black Sea.
17 In February 1411.
18 Vuk and Stefan were not the same person, but rival brothers,
sons of Lazar I (killed after the battle ofKosovo, in 1389). Their
sister Olivera had indeed married Bayezid I in 1390 (see 3.59
above). VUk had betrayed Musa at the battle of Kosmidion (see
+5 above) and was executed by him in 1410, before the fall and
death of Siileyman. Stefan was loosely allied with Siileyman at
that time, after Kosmidion, and Laonikos seems to be referring
to Musa's hostility against him (rather than Vuk), as Smederevo
was in his territories and was besieged in 1411.
19 In August 1411.
20 This Manuel is unknown apart from his involvement in this
event. He was presumably the son ofIoannes V.
21
NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
This is a questionable narrative.
I
I BOOK
22 This Bogdan is mentioned by Konstantin the Philosopher, Life
of Stefan Lazarevic, p. 53, in the final battle between Musa and
Mehmed.
23 Orhan's bid for power took place in the winter of I4II-12.
24 This refers to Bayezid's son Yusuf who moved to Constantino-
ple and converted to Christianity, taking the name Demetrios.
25 Mehmed had been ensconced in central Anatolia ever since his
father's death, when he was fifteen. He was Suleyman's main
rival and it was he who had released Musa against him. During
his Anatolian years, Mehmed was indeed allied with the emirate
of Karam an. Between 1402 and 1419, the emir of Karaman was
MehmedII.
26 This is clearly an abbreviated legendary tale; Doukas, History
22.10, tells a similar tale about the young Mehmed and his later
Grand Vizier Bayezid. The hapax XOpS01[OU)~ might also mean
"sausage maker."
The name Alishur actually belonged to the founder of the emir-
ate of Germiyan, Yakub b. Alishur (d. after 1320), but Laonikos
often refers to the ruler of Karaman as "Karaman Alisourios"
(see note on 1.14 above).
28 A number of battles were fought between the supporters of
Musa and Mehmed before the issue was settled. Their locations
and sequence in the different sources are difficult to reconcile.
The first battle, at any rate, in early 14I2, was a defeat for
Mehmed.
29 This may be a reference to a son of Bayezid Pasha, grand vizier
between I413 and I421.
30 Propontis often means Bosporos.
3' Possibly an error for (or manuscript corruption of) Paristrion.
32 Actually, Mehmed returned to Anatolia, although he was allied
to Stefan. He returned to Serbia in 1413, before defeating Musa
at <::amurlu (see 4.16-17 below).
33 I have been unable to identifY this Murad.
34 What follows is an account of the battle of <::amurlu, south of
Sofia, onJuly 5, '4'3.
51 6
4
35 Nis and Znepolje, so Stefan's territory now reached almost to
Sofia.
By 1417 Mehmed had recovered most of the Dobrudja, taken by
the Wallachians after the battle of Ankara.
37 Manuel arrived in March 1415, and the wall was built in twenty-
five days, in April and May.
38 Herodotos, Histories 8.71.
39 Compare Prokopios, Buildings 4.2.27. AJustinianic inscription
was actually found when the 1415 wall was built (Sphrantzes,
Chronicle 4.2). It may have been seen there by Laonikos later.
40 Actually; Manuel's brother and ruler of the Peloponnese, The-
odoros I, had died in 1407; at that time (and not in 1415), Manuel
established his own son, Theodoros II, as despot; see +48 and
4.60 below.
4' There was a minor rebellion in the,Peloponnese after the com-
pletion of the wall, which Manuel suppressed.
42 It is not clear which one is meant here.
43 Actually; the Jandarid ruler of Sinope at this time was isfendiyar
(1385-1393 and 14°2-1440); his grandson ismail was emir when
Mehmed II took over the principality (see 9.63-69). In 1417
isfendiyar had to cede some towns to Mehmed I and later the
copper mines to Murad II (see 5.35 below).
The war between the Ottomans and Venice was waged pri-
44
marily in the Aegean, especially around Euboia (Negroponte), in
1416 and 1417, and was occasioned by Venetian support for Mus-
tafa, whose first bid for power is recounted in 4.44-46 below
(with no connection to the Venetian war).
This clause is obscure,
It is not clear what place Laonikos has in mind here; certainly
not the ancient cityofKyrene (in eastern modern Libya).
The Venetians deposed Ostasio III da Polenta and annexed
47
Ravenna in 1440; he died in 1447.
For Laonikos's view of the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204), see also
1.6 above.
49 Pope Alexander III (1159-1181) was expelled from Rome by the
emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa (1152-1190) from 1162 to 1165
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
T BOOK
and II67 to II78. Pope and emperor met in II77 in Venice and
negotiated the Peace of Venice, which put an end to the con-
I Francesco Bussone, called Count of Carmagno la, was a condot-
flict. The battle ofLegnano (May 29, II76), in which Barbarossa
was defeated, was not, however, a naval engagement.
The War of Chioggia (1378-1381) was fought between Venice and
50
Genoa over possession of the Aegean island ofTenedos.
In a surprise attack, on August 16, 1379.
51
The Genoese were enclosed on Decemb~r 22, 1379.
52
The ruler of Padua was Francesco I da Carrara, called "the Old"
53
(135°-1388), an ally of the Genoese.
The meaning of this clause is obscure, possibly a blockade of
54
Genoese waters.
Presumably Genoa.
55
Venice conquered Padua from Francesco II da Carrara, called
56
"Novello" (I388 and 139°-1405) in 1405.
The city gave itself to Venice in 1339, although it was subse-
57
quently lost for brief periods.
Venice conquered Verona in 1405 from Francesco II da Carrara
58
ofFadua (who had taken it from the Scaligeri in 1404).
Vicenza was ceded to Venice by the Visconti of Milan in 1404;
59
Brescia surrendered itself to Venice in 1426, deserting the Vis-
conti.
In some Italian versions, the founder of the house of Visconti
60
was called Angelo. Perhaps Laonikos calls them Mariangeli be-
cause of the names of the Visconti dukes, Gian Maria (1402-
1412) and Filippo Maria (1412-1447). It was under them. and
their father, Gian Galeazzo (1378-14°2, lord, then duke after
1395), that Milan became the dominant city in northern Italy.
The wars between Milan and Venice lasted from 1425 until 1454·
See 4.25 above.
61
This is perhaps a confusion of his name, Angelo, with the Greek
62
word for the English people (Anglos).
The Visconti crest depicts a serpent that has swallowed a man
up to the waist. Many fabulous origin tales were told about the
family.
Filippo Maria Visconti (1412-1447).
4
tiere in the service of Milan who offered rus services to the Ve-
netians in 1425 and was appointed captain general in 1426. Al-
though he won the battle of Maclodio (1427), he dragged out
military operations to secure more pay for his soldiers and him-
self; he was arrested in Venice and tried and executed in 1432.
66 Francesco Sforza, marquis of Tricarico in the kingdom of Na-
ples, was successively in the service of Naples, the papacy, and
the Visconti of Milan.
See 6.20-24.
Actually, it was Francesco Sforza, not Francesco Bussone di Car-
magnola, who was related by marriage to the Visconti dukes of
Milan. Laonikos gets it right at 6.21.
That is, the doge.
This was the Minor Council, instituted in the late twelfth cen-
tury.
71 This was the Avogadoria de Comiln (Municipal Attorneys).
charged with investigating allegations and violations and de-
fending the interests of the commonwealth.
The Council ofTen. instituted in 1310, focused on activities that
threatened the state.
73 The Council of Forty (f<Earantia), instituted in the later twelfth
century, functioned as the highest court in Venice.
74 The Signoria consisted of the doge, the Minor Council, and the
three leaders of the Quarantia.
75 Bajamonte Tiepolo, son of Giacomo Tiepolo, son of the doge
Lorenzo Tiepolo (1268-1275). organized a conspiracy with other
Venetian nobles against doge Pietro Gradenigo (I289-13II) in
13IO. It was Bajamonte's standard-bearer who was struck and
killed by the rock; he himself was sent into exile to !stria and
died in or after 1329. His attempted coup led to the creation of
the Council ofTen, for which see 4.35 above.
This passage is corrupt, and has been restored even as it is.
Jacopo Foscari, son of the doge Francesco Foscari (1423-1457),
was tried for bribery and corruption in 1445 and exiled. After he
returned, on November 5.1450, he mortally wounded the coun-
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
cil member Ermolao Dona, who had been among those who had
condemned him. Arrested in January 1451,Jacopo was tortured
and exiled to Candia. Accused of a further conspiracy in 1456
and tried again at Venice, he was condemned to life imprison-
ment in Chania, where he died shortly afterward.
This war was fought from 1416 to 1417. Pietro Loredan would
later defeat the Genoese at Rapallo in 1431.
79 The battle was fought on May 29,1416.
80 Actually, Loredan was greeted triumphantly upon his return. I
have been unable to find any evidence for a trial in the Venetian
records.
8J The treaty was not finalized until November 6, 1419.
82 Mustafa had been lost on the battlefield at Ankara in 1402 but
was not found among the dead. TheJandarid emir of Sinope and
Kastamonu was still isfendiyar (1385-1393 and 1402-1440).
Still Mircea I the Old, prince ofWallachi a (1386-1394 and 1397-
J4J8).
Mehmed's version ultimately prevailed, and Mustafa was known
as "false Mustafa."
This was in May 1416. Mustafa had actually raised a rebellion
but fled from Mehmed's armies to Thessalonike. Its governor
was Demetrios Laskaris Leontaris, acting for the prince An-
dronikos (on whom see 4.47 below).
86 Junayd (Ciineyd), former emir of AydIn, had been dispossessed
by Mehmed I in 1414.
Mehmed I died on May 21 or 26, 1421. For Mustafa's release, see
5.1 below.
88 Ioannes was born in 1392, Andronikos in '1400, Theodoros be-
tween 1394 and 1399, Konstantinos in 1405, Demetrios in
140718, and Thomas in 1409110, so Laonikos almost gets the or-
der right. Two other sons died young.
Ioannes VIII Palaiologos was associated as emperor between
1403 and 1407 and was formally crowned as fully fledged coruler
in 1421. Sophia of Montferrat, daughter of Marquis Teodoro II
Paleologo of Montferrat (a descendant of Andronikos II
Palaiologos), married Ioannes inJanuary 1421 as his second wife,
52 0
BOOK 4
but they were divo~ced in 1426. It is entirelyunc1earwhat Laoni-
kos means when he says that Manuel made Ioannes "archpriest"
(bishop) of the Greeks.
90 Anna of Moscow, daughter of the grand prince Vasilij I of Mos-
cow, had actually married Ioannes earlier, ca. 14II, and died in
August 1417. His third wife, married in 1427, was Maria Kom-
nene, daughter of Emperor Alexios IV ofTrebizond; she died in
1439. Apparently Laonikos has confused her with his first, Rus-
sian, wife.
9J For the period 1408 to 1423-
92 In 1423.
93 In 1428 or 1429. Actually, he died as a monk in the Pantokrator
monastery in Constantinople.
94 Theodoros II, son of Manuel II, succeeded Theodoros I, Manu-
el's brother, when he died in 1407 (for Manuel's brother see 1.55,
2.27, and 2·45 above). Theodoros II ruled there until 1443, when
he resigned and became governor of Selymbria.
95 Theodoros II Palaiologos married Cleope Malatesta in 1421,
who died in 1433. She was the daughter of Malatesta II, lord of
Pesaro ~1385-1429).
See 5.27 below.
Nerio I Acciaiuoli had become lord of Corinth by 1366167, con-
quered Athens in 1386 and its acropolis on May 2, 1388, and be-
came ruler of Athens.=fhebes and Neopatras; he was formally
promoted to duke of Athens by King Ladislao of Naples inJanu-
ary 1394 but died in November of that year. Theodoros I mar-
ried Nerio's eldest daughter, Bartolomea, in the spring of 1384.
That is, the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204); see also 1.6 above.
The Genoese Zaccaria were actually latecomers to Achai'a. Mar-
tino Zaccaria of Chios became baron of Chalandritsa, Veligosti,
and Damala in 1324 by marriage; his grandson Andronico Zac-
caria became baron of Arkadia (in Messenia) in '1386 by mar-
riage to its heiress; his son Centurione Zaccaria dispossessed his
aunt's sons and became the last prince of Achai'a, in 1404. By
1430 he was reduced to being a dependent ofms new son-in-law,
Thomas Palaiologos, and died in 1432.
52 1
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
100 A reference to the Catalan and/or Navarrese companies: the for-
mer held Athens, Thebes, and Neopatras from 1311 to 1386/88
(and Salona until 1394), while the latter heldAcha'ia froffiI386/96
to 1404.
IOI Nerio came to Greece probably in 1366/67 as lord of the Caste1-
lany of Corinth, taking over from his brother Donato in serving
Angevin interests.
I02 Euboia (Negroponte) was subdivided among triarchs (terzerii)
from the Veronese family dalle Careen (who are the "Lombards"
here), After a long period of Venetian influence, it became fully
dependent on Venice in 1390.
103 Around 1370 Nerio married Annesa Saraceni, the daughter of
Saraceno de Saraceni, one of the lords ofEuboia, with whom he
had two daughters, Bartolomea (whom he married to Theodo-
ros I Palaiologos in I384) and Francesca (whom he married to
Carlo I Tocco, for whom see 4.51 below). As for "Prothymos,"
Nerio 1's illegitimate son, Antonio I (for whom see 4.56-57
below), had two adopted daughters, Benvenuta Protimo and
Anonyma Protimo.
Nerio I died on September- 25, 1394. In fact, he left Corinth to
his daughter Francesca, the wife of Carlo I Tocco, who sold it to
Theodoros I Palaiologos in 1396, after the latter besieged it for a
number of years.
Nerio's daughter Francesca was married to Carlo I Tocco, count
I05
of Kephallenia, duke of Leukas (1375/77-1429), despot in Ioan-
nina (1411-1429) and Arta (1416-1429).
I06 A group of small islands in the Ionian Sea, off the coast of Akar-
nania.
I07 In fact, Carlo I Tocco succeeded to his father, Leonardo I Tocco,
who had ruled Kephallenia and Zakynthos/Zante (1357-1375177)
and Leukas (from 1362). Leonardo I was the son of Giovanni
Tocco by .:M:argherita, daughter of Giovanni I Orsini, who had
been count of the islands between 1304 and 1317. The Orsini had
been dispossessed by the kings of Naples in 1325, but in 1357 the
islands were granted to Leonardo Tocco, as an heir of the Orsini.
IOS Possibly to be identified withJacopo de' Rossi,Andrea de' Guidi
BOOK 4
de Strione, and Marino or Mano Meliaresi, governors of the
Tocco realm in 1449, after the death of Carlo II.
The last Orsini counts ofKephallenia and Zakynthos had taken
Epeiros in 1317 as maternal descendants of the Angelos despots
ofEpeiros; theirTocchi successors renewed this claim and took
advantage of the chaotic state of affairs in Epeiros after the Serb
and Albanian takeover; see below.
IIO The Albanian settlement of parts of northern Greece seems to
have commenced in the 1320S. They never acquired mastery
over Thessaly. Argyrokastron was held by Gjon Zenebishi, ruler
of the Principality of Gjirokaster (in southern Albania) on and
off between 1386 and 1418, whereupon it passed to the Turks.
Kastoria was taken by Andrea Muzaka (Musachi), the lord of
Berat, from Marko, the son ofVukasin, soon after the latter's
death at Cernomen in 1371 (see 1.34 above), and he held it until
the mid-1380s, when it was taken by the Turks.
III The Albanian infiltration into Epeiros seems to have begun in
the 1340S but intensified in the 1350S.
II2 He is otherwise unknown.
"l In fact, the first Albanian rulers in Arta came from the Losha
clan and held the city from 1359 to 1375, after the death ofNike-
phoros II of Epeiros. The Shpata clan took Arta in 1375, but its
leader had already ruled at Angelokastron since 1359.
II4 The Angevins of Naples had held Kerkyra (Corfu) since 1267.
II5 This may refer to the expedition ofJuan Fernandez de Heredia,
grand master of the Hospitallers (1377-1396) and ruler of Achala
(1377-1381) by concession from the queen of Naples, Giovanna I
(1343-1381). He attempted to take Arta in 1378 but was defeated
by Gjin Bua Shpata (d. 1399, lord of Arta since 1375), captured,
and sold to the Ottomans (though soon ransomed).
II6 Torno Preljubovic (or Thomas Komnenos Palaiologos) was the
Serbian despot at Ioannina (1366-1384). His daughter Eirene
was betrothed (and later married) to Gjin Losha, the son of the
despot Pjeter Losha of Arta in 1370. In 1375. after he took Arta,
Gjin Bua Shpata was promised PreljuboviC's half-sister Helene,
but the two men were enemies and she died before she couId be
 r
NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
married to Shpata. Preljubovic did not participate in the defeat
of Heredia.
"7 Carlo I Tocco was the son of Maddalena Buondelmonti, the sis-
ter of Esau Buonde1monti, who was despot at Ioannina (1385-
1399 and I400-14U). Since 1399 Carlo had been expanding at
the expense of the Shpatas of Arta, who made an alliance with
Esau against his nephew Carlo in I4IO. But Carlo never came
into conflict with his uncle, who died in I4II. By':Aitolia" Laoni-
kos often means Epeiros.
lIS Maria Angelina Doukaina Palaiologina.
"9 Preljubovic was murdered on December 23, 1384, by his body-
guard. Esau Buondelmonti became despot at Ioannina by mar-
rying PreljuboviC's widow (she died in 1394, and he married
twice again). Esau's participation in Heredia's expedition and
his eventual marriage to PreljuboviC's widow are confirmed by
other sources.
120 The referent is unclear here.
121 This action is otherwise unattested. CarIo I Tocco visited Musa
and gave an illegitimate daughter to him, probably in 1412. For
Esau's son, see the following note.
122 Esau died on February 6, 14II. Within a month, a revolution in
Ioannina expelled his Serbian widow, Jevdokija Balsic, and their
young son, Giorgio (Giourges), and the citizens invited CarIo to
be their new ruler. The grammar of this passage overall is con-
fusing.
123 That is, Swamp. The manuscripts actually have Aietos, which has
been emended.
124 Angelokastron was held by Carlo I Tocco since at least 1408.
As a last resort, Pal Shpata had given it to the Turks in 1406
(and it was held by Evrenos's son Barak, on whom see 4.16
above and 4.63 below). Pal gave Naupaktos to the Venetians;
Carlo claimed it and held territory around it, but he never con-
trolled it.
125 That is, of Nerio I Acciaiuoli, duke of Athens; see 4.51 above.
126 Nerio I of Athens died in September 139+ In fact, he left
Corinth to his daughter Francesca, the wife of Carlo I Tocco,
524
BOOK 4
who sold it to Theodoros I Palaiologos in 1396, after the latter
attacked it (1394-1396), arguing that his own wife, Bartolomea,
Nerio's eldest daughter, had been effectively disinherited. See
also 4.50 above. Nerio's mistress (and mother of Antonio) was
Maria Rendi.
12 7 Actually, Nerio I Acciaiuoli took Athens (1385-1388) from the
Catalans, not the Navarrese. The former had conquered Athens,
Thebes, and Neopatras in 13II (see 1.20 above). Laonikos seems
to confuse or fuse the two companies. Moreover, the Venetians
were designated by Nerio as the executors of his will, not its
beneficiaries, and they took the opportunity to seize Athens
(1394-1402) in order to protect it from a Turkish attack. In his
will, Nerio left the city ofAthens to the Latin Church of Athens
and its metropolis, the Parthenon.
I2S See 2.10-13 above.
12 9 Antonio I Acciaiuoli ruled Thebes (1394-1435), adding Athens
(1402) and its acropolis (1403), which he took from the Vene-
tians.
13 0 In the summer of 1402.
'3 ' In early 1403.
'3 2 This is our only source for this marriage. When Antonio died in
1435, his wife was Maria, possibly surnamed Melissene, who was
not the daughter of a priest. For Maria, see 6.50.
'lJ Antonio married one of his adopted daughters to Antonello II
Caopena, the son of Alioto Caopena, ruler ofAigina. Antonello
ruled Aigina from 1440 to 1451, whereupon he died without
heirs and left the island to Venice.
'34 This daughter was given in 1402 to Niccolo II Giorgio (Zorzi),
the last marquis of Bodonitsa (14II-1414) and (first) lord of
Karystos (1406-1436).
135 It is possible that :M:anuel II pronounced a funeral oration over
his brother's tomb when he was at Mistra in 140718, but the long
text of the FuneralOration that we have, and that was written for
delivery two years later, was not delivered in person by the em-
peror, but by Isidoros (possibly the later metropolitan of Kiev
and All Rus') and Theodoros Gazes.
525
 r

NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION BOOK 5

'3 6 See 4.19 above. This was in 1415.

5 This was in the autumn of 1421.
'37 Murad II, Ottoman sultan (1421-1444 and 1446-1451), was born 6 ForJunayd, see 4.45 above.
in 1404. Mehmed I had at least three sons: see below. OnJanuary 20,1422.
7
'3 8 This Mustafa is known as Ktipik Mustafa (Little Mustafa) and 8 Mihalig, now Karajabey, just west ofLopadion.
was born in I4II. Junayd was lured away from his alliance with Mustafa by the
9
'39 This sentence is somewhat obscure. That Mehmed considered machinations of Murad II, who sent his brother Hamza to offer
dividing his kingdom is unlikely. Doukas, History 22.ro, reports him back his patrimony, Aydm (which Laonikos calls Smyrna).
that Mehmed planned to entrust his other two sons to Manuel, IO Giovanni Adorno of New Phokaia.
to protect them from Murad, but they were not turned over by II Actually, closer to three months.
the new regime (23-4). That is, Mehmed Beg.
'2
Or, "the son of Hajji Therizes." Evrenos's father was isa Beg ByJune 1422 Murad besieged Constantinople and built earthen
'3
"Prangi" (a name variously interpreted), "Therizes" is how La- ramparts along the entire length of the walls; simultaneously his
onikos elsewhere renders Firuz (also 6.54. 7-10, 7.15, and 8.46). A forces besieged Thessalonike.
Hajji was one who had gone on pilgrimage to Mecca, which is "Grand master of the horse."
'4
prominently recorded in Evrenos's epitaph (Haci Awranuz bin "Lords of the standard."
'5
jsa). This may lie behind Laonikos's composite name-form. ,6 That is, "weapon masters," "arms bearers," elite cavalry.
This is probably Mehmed Beg Mihaloglu (d. '423), descendant That is, "poor ones."
'7
of a Byzantine deserter to the Ottomans, who played a key role ,8 That is, "salaried ones."
in Mehmed's victory over Musa. That is, bronze.
'9
For some ofEvrenos's many campaigns, see 2.24, 2.44, and 2.47 20 The assault was made on August 24, 1422.
above. On September 6, 1422.
2'
'43 See 4.8 and 4.15 above. 22 Karamanhere is Mehmed II (14°2-1419 and 1421-1423), married
'44 Evrenos's tomb in Giannitsa was discovered in 1974. to the sister of Murad II and Mustafa, named ineu. This Mus-
'45 Turahan, son of Yigit Beg, is actually first mentioned after tafa was called Kih;tik Mustafa G..ittle Mustafa), to distinguish
Mehmed 1's death, in 14221z3. He appears often below, during him from his (supposed) uncle. He was the twelve-year-old son
the reign of Murad II, as the governor ofThessaly. of Mehmed I, born in 14U.
23 That is, the winter of 1422-2l
BOOK5 24 That is, wine pourer; see j.I2 above.
25 In late February 1423.
Mehmed I died on May 21 or 26, 1421, at Edirne (Adrianople); 26 A member of the ruling house ofJanik in Neokaisareia (Niksar),
his death was concealed for many days. In theory he was sultan and kingmaker of Mustafa.
since 1413. That is, Mihaloglu, Mehmed Beg.
27
2 For Mustafa, see 4.44-45 above. 28 See 4.47 above.
3 Ioannes VIII Palaiologos was still coruler with his father, the Thessalonike fell on March 29,1430.
29
aging Manuel II (until '425). That is, Sinan Beg, the general of Europe. This was in 1430.
30
4 This phrase is unclear. OnJuly 4,1429. For Carlo I, see +51 and 4.56 above.
3'

52 6 527
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
32 Carlo 1's heir inArta and Ioannina was Carlo II (1429-1448), son
of his brother Leonardo II, who had died in 14I8h9. Ercole had
been givenAngelokastron and the Acheloos as far south as Nau-
paktos; Memnon was lord of Aetas in Akarnania.
33 Ioannina surrendered on October 9, 1430.
34 The narrative goes back now, to Turahan's 1423 campaign in the
Peloponnese (he crossed the Isthmos on May 21-22). A later
campaign took place in the spring of 1431: see 6.1.
OnJune 5, 1423.
Both Evrenos (d. 1417) and Turahan (d. 1456) served as ufhey
(marcher lord) in Thessaly.
37 This campaign cannot be securely identified.
38 Loukas Notaras had concluded the treaty in February 1424.
39 See 4.48 above.
40 Ioannes VIII and Konstantinos arrived in the Pe1oponnese in
December 1427.
4' In March 1428 Konstantinos married Maddalena (renamed The-
odora), daughter of Leonardo and niece of Carlo I Tocco; she
died two years later.
42 Patras surrendered onJune 5, 1429. For its bishop, see below.
43 Centurione II Zaccaria was the last prince of Achata (1404-
1432); his brother Stefano Zaccaria was the archbishop ofPatras
('404-'424; d. '442).
44 Patras had been bought by the pope in 1270, and he appointed
its archbishop.
45 Pandolfo Malatesta, brother ofTheodoros II Palaiologos's wife
(Cleope), was archbishop ofPatras from 1424; he died in 1441.
Glarentsa was captured by a Catalan force on July 17, 1430, and
sold back to the Byzantines a few days later.
47 Centurione Zaccaria's mercenary captain Franco Oliverio
seized Glarentsa in 1418; to save appearances he was married to
a daughter of Centurione and "received" it as her dowry. Olive-
rio sold it to Carlo I Tocco in 1421.
Presumably Thomas Palaiologos; see above for its capture by
the Catalans.
52 8
BOOK 5
49 Centurione Zaccaria was besieged by Thomas Palaiologos in
Chalandritsa in the summer of 1429. Peace was arranged by
Thomas's brothers in September 1429, and in January 1430
Thomas married Caterina, Ce~~rione's daughter and heiress.
This left Centurione with the title of prince of Achaia and his
own barony ofArkadia (Kyparissia in Messenia), until his death
in 1432, when that too passed to Thomas.
50 This attack took place in 1433- Serbia had previously been in-
vaded immediately after the succession of its new prince Durad
Brankovic (1427-1456), in 1427 128.
5' Mara, daughter ofDuradBrankoviC, married Murad II in 1435.
52 Saruja (or Saruca) Pasha was beylerbeyi of Rum eli until 1436; Halil
Pasha, son of ibrahim Pasha ~andarh (grand vizier until 1429),
became grand vizier in 1443.
53 The name Alishur belonged to the founder of the emirate of
Germiyan, Yakub b. Alishur (d. after 1320), but Laonikos of-
ten refers to the ruler of Karam an as "KaramanAhsourios" (see
note on I.14 above). The ruler of Karaman at this time was
ibrahim II (1424-1464). The war described here is probably that
of 1426 to 1427.
54 For the episode of Mustafa, see 5-18-19 above.
55 This sentence seems out of place.
56 The Turgut were a clan in centralAnatolia associated with Kara-
man, which they supported against the Ottomans.
57 Pisidia does not border on Syria, so it is hard to identify this
group, whose name may be based on that of the Arsakids.
58 Murad (Amourates) is here an emendation of Amythaon. It may
mean something else entirely.
59 This sentence is unclear. The Turgut were actually allies ofKara-
man against the Ottomans.
60 For the White Sheep and Kara Yilliik, see 3-72 above and the
notes there.
6, Kandyloron is attested only in Laonikos and cannot be identi-
fied.
Yakub II of Germiyan bequeathed his lands to Murad II in
529
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
1429; the emirate of Aydm was abolished upon the death of
Junayd in 1426. Saruhan had long since been annexed, in 1410.
ilyas Beg of Mente~e, who had been restored by Tirour, had
been forced to accept Ottoman sovereignty in 1414. His sons
Layth and Ahmed succeeded him in 1421, but Mente~e was de-
finitively annexed in 1424. A§Ikpa§azade, History of the House of
Osman, pp. 153-154, reports that Ahmed was confined for two
years, then fled to Kara Yilliik (of the White Sheep), Egypt, his
home (Mente~e?), and finally Persia,
The grammar actually has Karaman take Ikonion and occupy
the land (etc.), but this is probably a poorly written sentence by
Laonikos, with a subject switch in the middle.
Actually, the Jandarid ruler of Sinope at this time was isfendiyar
(1385-1393 and 14°2-144°); his grandson ismail was emir when
Mehmed II took over the principality (see 9.63-69), but Laoni-
kos confuses isfendiyar with ismail (see also 4.20 above). Murad
II took over his copper mines before 1440.
66 "Son of Turgut" reflects the term Turgutoglu, here probably
Hasan Beg.
Duraa Brankovic (1427-1456), prince of Serbia and father of
Murad II's wife, Mara (see 5.31 above).
68 Actually; prince Stefan I of Serbia (1389-1427), Lazar's son, had
been granted Belgrade and the banate of Maeva by King Sigis-
mund of Hungary in 1403 as a Hungarian vassal and settled
there with his court; to this were added further fiefs in Hungary
in qII. When Duran Brankovic became prince of Serbia in 1427,
he had to surrender Belgrade to Sigismund in exchange for be-
ing granted his predecessor's other fiefs in Hungary.
Smederevo surrendered to Murad II in August 1439.
Grgur and Stefan were blinded in May 1441; Laonikos has in-
serted the event between the sieges of Smederevo (1439) and
Belgrade (1440), on which see below.
7' Murad II marched on Belgrade in 1440 but failed to take it after
a six-month siege (April to October).
72 This was isa Beg; he invaded Bosnia in 1439.
53 0
BOOK 5
The Bosnian king was Tvrtko II (14°4-14°9 and 1421-1443).
73
This was in 1439.
74
Stjepan Vukeic of Hercegovina (1435-1466) was the nephew of
75
Sandalj Hranjic (1392-1435); see 10.29-30:
KotromaniCi was the name of the Bosnian royal house, but not
of Hercegovina. Otherwise, it is not clear what Laonikos is re-
ferring to here.
Gjon Kastrioti of Mat, Tirane, and Kruje in northern Albania,
77
became an Ottoman vassal and converted to Islam in 1431.
78 That is, the land of the Arianiti family; see below.
This is Gjergj Arianiti.
79
80 Gjon Kastrioti died in 1437; his son was Gjergj Kastrioti, better
known as Skanderbeg (Skenderbeu); see 7.29.
GjergArianiti's revolt began in 143J.
The Albanian victory took place at Berzeshte, north of Berat in
central Albania, in 1433.
Depas was also known as Bua Thopia, a son of Gjon Zenebishi,
who had ruled Argyrokastron until its conquest by the Otto-
mans in 1416 (by Mehmed I, not Bayezid I) and died in exile on
Kerkyra in 1418. Bua Thopia returned to reclaim Argyrokastron
in 1434. Mrksa Zarkovic, son of Zarko by the Dragas brothers'
sister, had ruled Valona and Kanina until his death in 1414; his
widow; Rudina Balsk, held Valona until the Ottoman conquest
in 1417.
For Murad's campaign against Karaman in 1434, see 6.1; at 5.32-
34 above, Laonikos is probably referring to the earlier campaign
(14 26 - 14 27).
This was in the winter of 1434-35.
The battle took place on March 22, 1442.
This was still in 1442.
This was the battle of the Ialomita River, a series of clashes cul-
minating on September 6, 1442.
See the notes to the Greek text for a proposed emendation at
this point.
Modern Hunedoara.
53!
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
9' Stefan Lazarevic (1389-1427). Hunyadi was born in ca. 14°°.
92 This story is certainly untrue.
93 For the conflict that Laonikos seems to have in mind, see 5.52
below.
94 Hunyadi was appointed Ban of Severin in 1438 by the Hungarian
king Albert (Albrecht II of GermanyN ofAustria); Transylvania
was not entrusted to him until 1445.
95 Referring to the battle ofNikopolis in 1396; see 2.20 above.
96 No reason is given.
97 This seems to be a confused reference to the succession struggle
and civil war of 1439 to 1440. Hunyadi successfully supported
the candidacy of the young Polish king Wladyslaw III (1434-
1444) = King Uhiszl6 I of Hungary (1440-1444), against claims
by Sigismund's daughter Erzsebet, widow of the Hungarian and
Bohemian king Albert (Albrecht II of GermanyN of Austria);
she defended the rights of her newborn son· Ladislaus V to the
Hungarian and Bohemian throne; see 8.59.
This Dan was possibly the son of Dan II (prince ofWallachia on
and offbetween 1420 and 1431). He was put forth as a Hungarian
protege (1435-1436) but achieved limited success against Alex-
andru I Aldea (1431-1436) and his brother Vlad II Dracul (1436-
'442 and '443-'447)' the father ofVlad III TepO! ("Dracula'~. It
is likely that Laonikos has confused Dan here with his brother
Basarab II (1442-1443), because it was he who interrupted VIad
II's reign (with Hunyadi's armed support),
99 Alexandru I Aldea and Vlad II Dracul were indeed the bastard
sons of Mircea I (1386-1394 and 1397-1418); Dan's father, Dan
II, was their first cousin.
100 In fact, it was VIad II Dracul who recovered his throne with Ot-
toman support and agreed to an annual tribute in 1443.
10. Considering the confusion of Dan with his brother Basarab II,
the contemporary ruler of Moldavia was probably Stefan II
('442-'447).
102 Gotthia is the principality of Theodoro (Mangup) in the
Crimea, loosely dependent on the empire of uebizond (Kol-
chis). S. Karpov; Istorija trapezundskoj imperii (St. Petersburg,
53 2
BOOK 5
2007), p. 398, dates this raid to 1427128 rather than the 1440S im-
plied by its placement in Laonikos's narrative.
10) Filippo Maria Visconti, duke of Milan (1412-1447), ruled Genoa
from 1421 to 1435.
Laonikos uses Genoa's Latin name Ianua C'door'')j see also 2.31
above.
Genoa was a republic governed by a merchant oligarchy. From
1339 to 1528 it was ruled intermittently by lifetime doges but
suffered from instability. The Doria and Spinola dominated
the dual captainship of the people before the institution of the
doges. Unlike them, the Adorno and Campofregoso families fre-
quently filled the office of doge.
106 Genoa was under the rulers of Milan from 1353 to 1356 and 1421
to 1435 and under the king of France from 1396 to 1409 and 1458
to 1461.
Genoa and Aragon began to clash over Sardinia in the mid-
fourteenth century.
108 Genoa and Milan fought together against Alfonso V the Mag-
nanimous of Aragon in Italy starting in 1421, when Filippo took
over Genoa. Venice went to war against Milan in 1425; Genoa
and Venice had fought many wars in the past.
Kerkyra had been under Venetian rule since 1386 and was for-
mally annexed in 1401. This is a reference to the attack of 1432,
which was repelled by the local Greeks. The Genoese had at-
tacked Kerkyra also in 1403.
IIO Alfonso V the Magnanimous, king of Aragon (1416-1458) and
Naples ('442-'458).
III The Genoese took Gaeta in 1424; the battle of Panza, in which
Alfonso V was captured by the Genoese, took place on August 5,
1435 (he had been trying to take Gaeta back). Panza is an island a
few kilometers from Gaeta, not its harbor; Alfonso was with his
fleet during the whole battle.
II2 The Genoese admiral was Biagio Assereto.
II) Alfonso Vleft Milan on December I, and Filippo Maria Visconti
lost control of Genoa on December 27, 1435.
II4 Filippo Maria Visconti died in 1447.
533
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
II5 The Crown of Aragon included the kingdoms of Aragon, Va-
lencia, Majorca, "Sardinia and Corsica" (consisting of Sardinia
alone), Sicily (since 1409), and the principality of Catalonia.
II6 The kingdom of Naples/Parthenope was conquered by Alfonso
V in 1442; see below.
II7 The house of Anjou, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, had gov-
erned Naples since 1266.
II8 That is, southern Latium and northern Campania.
II9 That is, Magna Graecia.
120 Ladislao (1386-1414) was the last king of Naples in the male line
of the house ofAnjou.
121 Ladislao began his conquests in central Italy in 1407, took Rome
in 1408 (and again in 1413), and invaded Tuscany in 1409, but was
driven out. He made peace with Florence in I410 and again in
1414, shortly before his death.
122 Ladislao died on August 6, 1414.
123 If the emendation is accepted (see the corresponding notes to
the text), the sense would be "the hemlock spread through the
liquid when the towel came into contact with it [the liquid],"
that is, the bodily fluids of sex.
124 Actually; Ladislao's widow was Marie d'Enghien, countess of
Lecce, but she had no part in the succession. It was his sister
Giovanna II who succeeded as queen regnant (1414-1435). She
adopted Alfonso V of Aragon, then Duke Louis III of Anjou as
her heirs. Louis died in 1434 and was succeeded as duke ofAnjou
and as Giovanna's heir by his younger brother Rene the Good
(on whom see 2.31 above). Rene succeeded Giovanna as king
of Naples (1435-1442), until he was expelled by Alfonso V of
Aragon. Rene was a cousin, not a nephew; of the Valois king of
France.
125 Before her marriage to Ladislao, Marie d'Enghien had been the
wife of Raimondo Orsini del Balzo, prince of Taranto (1398-
1406).
126 The royal house was called Trastamara, but Alfonso was born at
Medina del Campo.
534
BOOK 5
127 Alfonso did not conquer Sicily; which he inherited from his fa-
ther Fernando I in 1416. But he did arrive with his fleet at Pa-
lermo on February 10, 1421, and made Sicily his base for the con-
quest of the mainland.
The citadels of Naples were the seaside Castel dell'Ovo and
Castel Nuovo and the inland Castel Capuano. Alfonso took Na-
ples at the invitation of Giovanna, who had adopted him, inJuly
1421, but in 1423 she revoked the adoption in favor of Louis III
of Anjou. After months of fighting around the city, Alfonso left
for Spain on October 15, 1423. Alfonso besieged Naples again in
September 1438, when it was being held by Rene, but failed and
lost his brother (see below); the Aragonese garrison in the Cas-
tel Nuovo resisted until August 1439. The final siege was be-
tween 1441 and 1443 and was a success for Alfonso. Laonikos has
conflated aspects of these sieges.
129 Pedro, duke of Nato, was killed in a campaign against Naples, in
143 8.
130 During the fighting of 1422-23, Giovanna had shut herself in the
Castel Nuovo.
13 1 Rene had fled for Provence in 1441, so this refers to a later siege.
13 2 Muzio Attendolo Sforza, the father of Francesco I Sforza (fu-
ture lord of Ancona in the Marche and duke of Milan, 1450-
1466), had fought for Giovanna in 1423; he died on January 3,
1424. His son Francesco also opposed Alfonso starting in 1438,
when Alfonso made further attacks on Naples. This reference
has nothing to do with Rene's wife, Isabelle, duchess of Lorraine
(143 1- 1 453).
133 Alfonso entered Naples as its king in February 1443, having
taken it the previous autumn.
134 Laonikos seems to have confused three women here: (I) Marie
d'Enghien (the widow of Ladislao but not the wife of Rene),
who had in fact retired to her family's lands at Lecce and
Taranto, and died in 1446; (2) Ladislao's sister and heiress
Giovanna II of Naples, who died in 1435; and (3) Rene's wife, Isa-
belle, duchess of Lorraine (1431-1453), who had no part in this
535
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
story. As for Marie, her marriage to Raimondo Orsini ofTaranto
preceded that to Ladislao; their son was Giovanni Antonio Or-
sini, prince of Taranto (1420-1463).
I35 In 1444 Alfonso V married his illegitimate son, the future Nea- I45
politan king Ferdinanda I 6458-1494), to Isabella of Chiara-
monte, daughter of Tristan de Clermont by Caterina; Caterina
was the sister of Giovanni Antonio Orsini (prince of Taranto)
and the daughter of Marie d'Enghien.
Genoese fleets, upholding French interests, harassed and at-
tacked Naples in 1453, when Rene was active in Italy; and in
I454. Rene's son Jean II of Lorraine attempted to reconquer I47
Naples from 1458 to 1461 but failed.
I37 This is what ancient Greek sources called the Ligurians (as far
west sometimes as the Gulf of Lyon); it is unclear what part of
the kingdom of Aragon Laonikos means here.
I)8 Alfonso's younger brother, the future Juan II of Aragon (1458-
1479), had become king of Navarre by his marriage in 1425 to its I5I
heiress Blanca (1425-1441), daughter of King Carlos III of Na- '52
varre (1387-1425).
'39 The son was Carlos of Viana, who, at the age of twenty, claimed I53
the throne of Navarre as his mother's heir in 1441, but his father
refused to yield it. Juan II never lost Navarre. His son prede-
ceased him in 1461.
That is, Minorca. Laonikos omits Majorca; also, the Aragonese
kingdom of Sardinia was called "Sardinia and Corsica" but did
not actually include Corsica. I54
One manuscript correctly has "outside."
But at 2.33 above, Laonikos correctly claims that (the territory I55
of) Granada is by the sea. The city, at any rate, is inland. At this
time, Granada was ruled by the Arab Nasrid dynasty, the last
Muslim dynasty to rule it.
I43 The kings of Castile were descended, in the male line, from the
counts of Burgundy in the Holy Roman Empire, not from the
kings of France.
I44 From 1420 King Juan II of Castile (14°6-1454) and his consta- I58
ble Alvaro de Luna clashed with a noble faction headed by the
BOOK 5
king's Aragonese cousins, Alfonso V's brothers Juan and En-
rique; the civil war in Castile led to Alfonso's intervention, but
he was defeated (1430).
Alvaro de Luna, duke ofTrujillo (d. 1453), was long the power be-
hind the throne ofJuan II of Castile.
Alfonso toyed with the idea of attacking Castile in the 142os,
especially 1429, and armies did march around, but there was no
decisive battle such as Laonikos describes, nor was Alfonso
taken prisoner. The dispute with Castile was settled on July 25,
143 0 .
See 5.62-64 above. Alfonso never moved against Sicily; he
owned it.
Alfonso's wife was his cousin Maria, sister ofJuan II of Castile.
See 8.6) and 8.66-67.
Juan II of Castile (1406-1454) and his constable Alvaro declared
war on Granada in 1431.
See also 2.32-33 above. The city meant here is Granada.
In fact, the Castilians imposed a protege, Yusuf IV (1431-1432),
on the throne of Granada.
In 1418 Juan II of Castile married his cousin Maria of Aragon (d.
1445), sister ofAlfonso V, and in 1447 Isabel of PortugaL Enrique
IV of Castile (1454-1474) was actuallyJuan's son by Maria. He, in
turn, married his cousin Blanca of Navarre, daughter ofJuan II
of Navarre, in 1440, but had no offspring from this union, and
divorced her in 1453.
Enrique married Joana of Portugal in 1455; she produced a
daughter, Juana, in 1462.
They were descended from the French kings via the Capetian
dukes of Burgundy.
See also 2.32-33 and 5.76 above.
The kings of Navarre at that time were indeed descended from
the French Capetians through a daughter of Louis X of France
and Navarre, and through a younger son of Philippe III of
France.
See 5.70 above for these events.
537
 T f::- X. fS·· .:t
it D 2<'1 I')

DUMBARTON OAKS MEDIEVAL LIBRARY

The Histories
Jan M. Ziolkowski, General Editor
Alice-.MaryTalbot, Byzantine Greek Editor
LAONIKOS CHALKOKONDYLES
Byzantine Greek Editorial Board
Alexander Alexakis VOLUME II
Charles Barber
John Duffy
Niels Gaul
Richard Greenfield
Anthony Kaldellis Translated by
Derek Krueger
Eustratios Papaioannou ANTHONY KALDELLIS
Claudia Rapp

Byzantine GreekAdvisory Board

Albrecht Berger Antony Littlewood rDUMBARTON OAKS
Wolfram Brandes Margaret Mullett .MEDIEVAL ..Q]lRARY
Elizabeth Fisher Jan OlofRosenqvist
Clive Foss Jonathan Sbepard
HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS
John Haldon Denis Sullivan
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
RobertJordan John Wortley
LONDON, ENGLAND

201 4
 Contents

Copyright © 2014 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College

THE HISTORIES
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Printed in the United States ofAmerica BOOK 6 2

BOOK 7 82
Lilmtry o/Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chalkokondyles, Laonikos, approximately 1430-approximateIy r49 0 . BOOK 8 168
[De rebus Turcicis.}
The histories / Laonikos Chalkokondyles ; translated by Anthony BOOK 9 27 2
Kaldellis. BOOK 10 4 00
volumes cm. -(Dumbarton Oaks medieval library ; doml33)
(Dumbarton Oaks medieval library ; doml34)
In Greek with English translation on the recto.
Includes bibliographical references and index. Note on the Text 48I
ISBN 978-0-674-599I8-5 (volume I , alkaline paper)- Notes to the Text 485
ISBN 978-0-674-599X9-2 (volume 2: alkaline paper) I. Byzantine Notes to the Translation 487
Empire-History-ro8r-r453-Ear1yworks to 1800. 2. Turkey-
Appendix 524
History-x288-X453-Earlyworks to 1800. 3. Istanbul (Turkey)-
History-Siege, 1453-Earlyworks to 1800. 4. Greece-History- Maps 528
323-x453-Earlyworks to 1800. I. Kaldellis, Anthony. II. Title, Bibliography 533
DF600.C47 20I4 Index 539
949·5'04-dc23 2014004768
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2 3
Book 6
After his campaign against Karaman, l Murad, the son of
Mehmed, marched against the Wallachians in order to in-
stall the son of Dracul in power.' But as he was preparing
to depart from his palace, he learned that Karaman was
plotting and planning a rebellion against his realm, and that
he had with him the ruler of Kandyloron3 and some of the
other rulers in Asia. Karaman's hope was that the Hungari-
ans would advance against Murad and soon reach him with a
large army, and he had invited the rest of the tyrants of Asia
to join his rebellion. Therefore Murad, the son of Mehmed,
broke up his camp and marched against him, 4 sending Tura-
han, the prefect of Thessaly, against the Isthmos of the
Peloponnese to demolish the wall and raid the territory of
the Peloponnese, as much of it as happened to be under the
rulers of the Greeks, and he was then to depart. So Turahan
took the army ofThessaly and Lake Peraibia' and arrived at
the Isthmos. Finding the wall deserted, he demolished it, in-
vaded the Peloponnese, and plundered the land. Reaching
Mistra, he overran Lakonia and then departed. 6
Meanwhile, Sultan Murad crossed over into Asia and 2
marched, for the second time, against Karaman, plundering
 THE HISTORIES
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4 5
BOOK 6
and conquering his land. While this was happening, Durad,
the ruler of the Serbs,' entered into discussions with Janko
and the king of the Hungarians and contacted each of the
leading men of Hungary; he urged them to march against
Murad and promised to give the Hungarians significant
funds for this campaign, which he had brought with him. He
was assisted in this by Janko as well, who was friendly to-
ward the Greeks and happened to be a personal friend of
Duradtoo.
Ioannes [VIII}, the king of Byzantion, was fighting 3
against the Genoese, having fallen out with them for this
reason, namely relating to their taxes in Galatas. So the
Genoese manned the largest ships that they had and thir-
teen triremes and embarked about eight thousand of their
soldiers upon these ships; then they sailed against Byzan-
tion intending to capture it.S They also campaigned against
the Skythians by the [Crimean} Bosporos, for the Skythians
had harassed and raided their city called Caffa by the Bos-
poros, having fallen out with the inhabitants of this city.9
For this reason they had sent envoys to Hajji Giray, the king
of the Skythians in that region, in order ro resolve their dif-
ferences. But the envoys managed to achieve none of their
goals, so they referred matters regarding the city back to
Italy.
The Genoese considered the Skythian raid on their city 4
to be an intolerable insult and, as it happened that their dis-
pute with the Greeks arose at the same time, they prepared
to campaign against both of them, with the intention of de-
stroying them. They arrived at Byzantion and declared war
on the city of Constantine, and then sailed on to the Black
 THE HISTORIES
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6 7
BOOK 6
Sea and arrived at Caffa.lO Departing from the {Crimean}
Chersonese, they went directly against the Skythians, leav-
ing their city and moving against them. The Skythians saw
that the Genoese were attacking in a disorderly way and not
heeding them at all. For on the previous day the Genoese
had turned aside to a river there to make camp and had not
even posted sentries in the camp, thinking that the Skythi-
ans would never dare to be so bold as to risk attacking them.
Also, those in the van had not waited for those bringing up
the rear, so that the army did not present a single front but
became a long column as they advanced, and this is how
they were moving against the enemy. The Skythians, then,
set upon their vanguard intending to do battle. They routed
the Genoese with their attack and pursued them as quickly
as each was able. The fleeing vanguard collided with their
comrades and turned them to flight as well, and thus the
rout spread all the way to the rear. Having routed the entire
army, the Skythians slaughtered them in flight, sparing no
one and cutting down everyone whom they could get hold
of, until the Genoese sought safety in the city from this
destruction,l1
That was the result of their war against the nomadic Sky- 5
thians by the Bosporos, so the Genoese departed and sailed
to Byzantion. They arrived at the city of Galatas that is
across from Byzantion on the European side, and deliber-
ated in a public assembly over how to capture the city by
force. They manned their ships and prepared to fight against
the harbor of Byzantion by bringing their ships up against
the walls so that they could take the city from their ships.
 THE HISTORIES
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A~AWV 0'1 'tE "EAAt]V£<; Kat Dt £K 'tDU faAa'tDU tVE~aAADV,
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1taV'to<; 'tpD<pifiDU Kat 'tWV ilAAwv. Kat 1tDAADU<; 'tWV a1to
'tWV vt]wv 'tWV 'Iavutwv t1tLSpaflwv DV'tD<; Ka'tED"XE, Kal flE8'
aAuO'Ewv 't<ji ~aO'LAe1 'lwavvn /lV'tL tv 't<ji DtK~ fla'tL 'tDU
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'tDU<; tv 't<ji xapaKL 'tDU faAa'tDu. ME'ta 'ta;;'ta {z.6z} SLa1tpE-
O'~wO'aflEvDL 1tpo<; aAA~ADu<; 1tEpi n 'tWV e;w afl1tEAiwv
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xapiO'aV'tE<; Kal flaAADV 't<ji ~aO'LAe1 XPUO'iVDU<; XLAiDU<; <p8D-
pa<; ~vEKa 'tDU tv 'tfi BaO'LALKfj 1tUpyDU, El<; ilv Dt 'lavV'iDL
'tt]AE~OADL<; txp~O'av'tD, Kal'twv EpyaO''tt]ptwv 'tWV tv'tfi
MtO'U, t; WV txaAM8t]O'av, Kat ~V O'1']flaiav a'ipELv 'to';;
~aO'LAEW<; 'EA~VWV. Tau'ta fI£v E<; 'tDO'DU'tDV 'tDl<; "EAAt]O'L
1tPDO'EV~V£K'taL t<; 'tDU<; 'lawtDU<;.
7 'Iwavvt]<; flEV'tDl 6 'tWV 'EAA~VWV ~aO'LAEu<; tv'tau8a SLa-
1tPEO'~woflEVD<; 1tpo<; 'tOY 'Pwfla[wv apXLEpta, EuytVELOV
'tDuvDfla ExDv'ta, WO''tE t<; 'tau'to O'UVLEVaL Kat ~V t1tt 'tfj<;
8 9
BOOK 6
Meanwhile, the Byzantines prepared to defend themselves
and fDUght valiantly against the Genoese from atDp their
walls. The latter attacked the walls from their ships and at-
tempted to' capture them but were unable to' scale the walls
as the Greeks were putting up a fierce resistance. As they
were making no prDgress, they called it off and sailed back
to Italy.
Galatas, the city Df the GenDese, cDntinued to' fight 6
against Byzantion fDr a IDng time, with the Greeks and the
inhabitants of Galatas firing cannDns at each Dther. At one
point, IDannes Leontares launched a vigorDus attack against
the walls Df Galatas and blDckaded it,12 depriving them Df
fODd and Dther necessities. By making raids he captured
many men from the ships Df the GenDese, and he brought
abDut three hundred Df them in chains to' King Ioannes,
whO' was in the residence DfXyllas; he had come upDn these
men in the Galatas mDat. After that, they sent envDys to'
each Dther and discussed the vineyards Dutside Galatas and
alsO' their taxes. The GeneDse cDnsented to' the terms pro-
pDsed by the king to' reach an agreement, and they alsO' gave
the king a thDusand gDld cDins as restitutiDn fDr the tDwer in
the Basilike, Dn which they had trained their cannDns, and
fDr the damage dDne to' the wDrkshDps alDng the Mese,
and they agreed to fly the flag Df the king Df the Greeks. And
that was the agreement that the Greeks made with the
GenDese.
At that pDint IDannes, the king Df the Greeks, sent an 7
embassy to' the pDntiff Df the RDmans, whDse name was
Eugenius {IV},1J SO' that they cDuld meet and resDlve their
 THE HISTORIES
r BOOK
9pl]crKelao; SLa'l>opav cruvd;eAelv, E1teLpCi'to 'tfjo; 'tWV E01te-
plwv yvwflI]O;, ei reepireoAAou 'PWflalOL reoLOlv'to ~ufl~ijvaL
'tolo; "EAAI](JlV, 0,0; Kai erei 'touo; repflavouo; cuplKe'to athou
~ repecr~e[a. 'Ewrxavov Sf. 'ton o[ repflavoireepl BacrLAeaV
reOALv, SLevexgev'teo; YVWfln repoo; 'tOY EvyeveLOv apXLepea,
Kai areoSoKLfla~ov'teo; athov Ka91cr'tacrav av'toi ClpXLepea
<l>eAlKLOv 'touvofla, iivSpa 'twv reap' atholo; SOKlflwv, ~vv­
oSov 'te reOLI]craflevoL KOLVfj KClreLSeSeLYflevoL OV'tOL flf.V
OVV iifl<pw reAI]pwcraV'teo; 'tPL~PeLO; fle'tereeflreoV'to EKa'tepOL
ere' av'touo; 'Iwavvl]v 'tOY Bu~aV'tlou ~acrLAea, 't~v 'te ~vv­
oSov erei cr<plcrL reoL~cracr9aL EKa'tepOL a~LOuv'teo;, Kai cruv-
e~eAelv cr<plcrL 'ta SLCl<popa, ~uv'l'Sa cl1CoSeLKvuflevouo;. Do;
Se a<plKov'to areo 'tOlV apXLepeOLv afl<polv 'tPL~ peLo;, TIjv
flev'tOL ~vvoSov 'tOY 'tijo; {2.63} BacrLAEao; reAovv ClreereEfI'ita'to
~relwo;, <paflevoo; erei 'touo; 'Pwflalouo; av'tov evSeSEcr9aL
repo'tepov Kai 'tovo; 'te Oveve'touo; Kal TIjv iiAAI]V 'l'taA(av,
ev'tau9a athov LeVat KeAevov'tao;' reapaAa~o,v Se 'tovo; 'te
Bu~aV'tlou apXLepelo; Kai 'EAA~VWV 'touo; EAAoylflouo; 4Ixe'to
areoreAewv erel 'l'taA(av.
8 Kai eo; 'touo; Oveve'touo; a<pLKoflevoo; eKofl(~e'to erei <l>ep-
pap lao;, ii SLa'tpl~eLv 'tOY apXLepea EvyeveLOv ereuv9ave'to'
eKofll~e'to Se SLa 'tov 'HpLSavov. ["ExeL S' au'tl] ~ reoALo;
areo 'twv Oveve'twv cr'taS(ouo; reepi 'touo; 'tpLaKocrlouo;, I!pxov-
'tao; Se fxeL I!vSpao; oLKlao; 'twv 'Ecr'tevcr(wv KaA01lflEVOUo;.
"E<J'tL S' ~ reoALo; aihl] evSalflwv n KaireOA1lav9pwreoo;, Kai
reepi avTIjv pEEL reo'tafloo; 'touvofla IIaSoo;. 'llLKI]'tat Sf. ~
reOALo; eo; TIjv'Pwfla(wv flolpav areo'te'taYflevl]. 'Eyevov'to S'
OU'tOL, oilo; e~flavov I!Pxov'tao; 'tijo; reoAewo;, wSe. Av~p Se
IO
6
differences in religious matters. He was testing western
opinion, to ascertain whether the Romans would value an
agreement with the Greeks, and his embassy also went to
the Germans. At that time the Germans happened to be in
the area of the city of Basel and were dissenting from
the pontiff Eugenius. They had declared him deposed and
had appointed a pontiff whose name was Felix {V},'4 one
of their noblemen. They convoked a public synod to make
their case. So both sides manned triremes and summoned
Ioannes, the king of Byzantion, requesting that the synod
be hosted by them and that they could together resolve
their differences and attain concord. When triremes from
both pontiffs arrived, Ioannes politely dismissed the ship
sent by the Basel synod, saying that he had already commit-
ted to the Romans, the Venetians, and the other Italians,
who had invited him to go there. So he took the bishops of
Byzantion and the most learned among the Greeks and de-
parted, sailing to Ita1y.15
He came to Venice l6 and proceeded to Ferraral7 where, 8
the king learned, the pontiff Eugenius was residing; he trav-
eled along the Po. This city is about three hundred stades
distant from Venice, and its lords are men of the house that
is called Este. 18 The city is prosperous and populous and the
Po River flows by it, and it is located in territory allied to the
Romans. The rulers of the city, whom I mentioned, came
to be of the following sort. 19 The man who ruled this city
II
 THE HISTORIES
OU..O<; 6 ..O..ETIj<; 1tOAEW<; apxwv E1tlElKt']<;"E Kat OUK 'i<rUVE-
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Kat ..Ov "P01tOV tfl1tpoJ9EV OUK aYEvt']<;. Au..,] t']paJ9']
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au~v IhJrlflo<;, t'i vOfllSE"aL Cl1tAO·'KW..EpOV flanov ..oT<;
Ka.." ..~v 'haAlav oiKovm, 1tpOUKaAu..o tv 1taLSlq yEVO-
flEV,] JUv ..<ji VEavlq E1tt ..ov tpw ..a. Kal w<; DJ9E..0 S~
EpwflEV,]V au ..ov, EJt'jEl"E au..ov 6 TIj<; YUVaLKO<; epw<;, Kal
E1tt Xpovov E1tEflalvE"o "n yuvaLKl (z.64} fI,]"pUlq oUJI]
eau..ov. Twv Se 9Epa1taLvlSwv "l<;, w<; DJ9E..o ..ou..wv
OU..W<; aAAt']Awv EpWV"WV Kat JUYYEVOflEVWV, Ka..ayopEuEl
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1tOAEW<; Kal t ..lfla flEyaAw<;. 'E1td -rE t~Efla9E Kal au..o<;
aiJ90flEVO<;, t~ayopEuEl ..<ji SEJ1tO't!] au..oi;' Atywv, "w
SEJ1to..a, Eflot flEV"Ol Ka.." yfj<; £19E ltv yEVOl..OKa..aSVVaL
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1taLSl vo94' fllrryEJ9al EV <plM..']..l, a9EJfla Epya!;oflEvoU<;.
IIolEl ..E, 01tw<; E~a1tanaYii<; ..au..,]<; ..i'j<; YUVaLKO<;' fI,]KE"l
au"n JUVOlKOl']<;. 'A.A.X a1t01tEfnJrov Kat ..Ov vEavlav."
9 '0 Sf: W<; E:n:U9E..0, EV 9aUfLa"l flf:V eJXE"O £1tl ..<ji YE-
YOVO..l, lfLElpE"O Sf: 0..4' ..p01t4' iSwv E~ayopEuol ,,0 YE-
YOVO<;, Kat au ..o<; t<p'] E9EA£lV 9EaJaJ9al Kat au..o1t..']<;
YEVEJ9aL. 'Ev-rav9a E1tt ~v Kol..']v avw9Ev 6~v 1t0l-
']JaflEvo<; ~paxuav, WJ-rE fI~ aiJ9avEJ9al EKdvou<; ..i'j<;
61ti'j<;, E9Ea..O avw9Ev ~v yuvaTKa au..ov fllrryoflEV,]V ..<ji
1taLSt au..ov EV -rfi Kol..!]. TI.<; Sf Ka"uSE "E Kal E~Efla9E ..0
1Z
BOOK 6
was reasonable and not unwise, but the following misfor-
tune had happened to him. His wife, the daughter of the
ruler of Montferrat, was outstanding in appearance and ini-
tially noble in her conduct.20 She fell in love with an illegiti-
mate son of her husband. His visits to her would last until
late in the evening - a rather naive custom among the inhab-
itants of Italy-and, as they were playing some games, she
enticed the young man seductively. When he realized that
she was enamored with him, he too became infatuated with
her and for some time lusted for her, even though she was
his own stepmother. But one of the maids realized that
these two were in love with each other and having an affair,
and she betrayed them to her lover, a man held in high es-
teem and the highest honor by the lord of the city. When he
learned this and personally ascertained its truth, he revealed
it to his lord, saying, "0 lord, I would rather be buried be-
neath the earth than witness such disgraceful things hap-
pening in your house. I have seen my lady making love to
your illegitimate son, such a forbidden thing. Do what you
must to get rid of this woman! Do not live with her any
longer! Aod send the young man away too!"
When the lord learned this, he was astonished at what 9
was happening and longed to find a way to confirm the mat-
ter by seeing it himself; he said that he wanted to observe it
for himself and become a firsthand witness to it. So he made
a small hole above the bed, small enough that they would
not be able to see it, and he watched from above as his own
wife had sex with his own son in the bed. When he saw this
13
 THE HISTORIES
yeyCVO<;, fle'tan£flne'tat npw'ta fltv 'tfJv yvvalKa. 'Ene! St
napfjv, !!Aeye 'tcuiSe' "w yUvat, nClo<; O'e Sa(flwv E<; 'tcu'tc
flav(a<; O'UVeAaO'a<;, WO"te natSt 't<li tfl<li O'uyyev£0'9at avc-
O'lw'ta'ta naO'wv S~ YVVatKWV, WV 10'fleV ~flel<;; Katnw<; Clel
'tcu'tc KaAw<; eXelV tflc( 'te Kat 0'0'1 t<; 'tOV yaflcv;" 'H St
unCAa~cuO'a etp'1, "aAX onw<; fltv, W SEO'1tC'ta, 'tClau'ta
dpyaO'afl'1v 'tOV O'OV yaflcv, CUKE'tl dfll e;apvc<;, aAX elVat
aA'19fj 'tau'ta {2.65} OflCAOYW. Mov'1 St 'tCU'tCU at't[a tyw
Ka'tEO''t'1V, aUn] n aVCO'lw'ta'ta epya t<; VCUV 'tlgeflEVYJ, uno
avaYK'1<; fld~cvc<; npcax9elO'a, CUK cIS' onw<; t<; 'tcu'tc ye-
VCfI£VYJ, Kat 'tOV Veav(av aKcv-ra etpeAKCflEV'1 t<; 'tOV avc-
O'lw'ta'tcv epw'ta. Kat au'tfJ flev SlKa(w<; tlV 'tfJv S(K'1V
unExclfll, SEcflat SE O'cu fI~ nept 'tov Veav(av aV~KeO''ta
~OUAeuO'a0'9al, cuSafift 'tcu'tcu a'i'tLOv Ilv'ta."
w 'Ev'taii9a 'tov nalSa fle'ta 'tau'ta au't[Ka fle'taneflvafle-
VC<; t~pe'tC, d S(Kala to''tlV, lina tn' au'tctpwp'l' EaAw
nOlWV. Kat w<; CUKelXeV apVel0'9attKnAaytv'ta, O'uyyvwfl'1v
~'1'twv Ene'tpane'to. Elne'tC St 't<li veav(q Kal av9pwno<;, 1\<;
O'UViJSel n au'tcl<; 'tov epw'ta Kat O'Uv'1n(O''ta'tc, Kal uncup-
ywv Sle'ttAet afltpclv· fllflo<; S' ~v, 1\<; n]v 't£ apmv 't<li vea-
v(q w'tpuvev Enl'tov epw'ta. Kat 'tcu'tcv KaAEO'a<; ~pe'tc "
SeO'1to't'1<;, n0gev 'tcO'cu'tcv epycv Eau'tov nencl'1Kw<; e'i'1
avcO'lw'ta'tcv. '0 Se !!Aeyev O'tl "'tfJv tpWflEV'1V 'tcu O'cii
natSo<; EAoflevc<; O'Uveytvcu· Sla 'tau'ta crUv S(Kn tnc('1O'£
'te 'tclau'ta." '0 yap 'tCl nal<; au'tcu ~pa YVVatKO<; tv 'tft
nOAel, cu fI£V'tCl O'Uv£y£v£'tC 'tft yvvatKI 'tau-rn' Kat tnd 't£
tnuv9ave'tc KaAA(O"t'lv elval 0 nan] p, iJO"tepcv t~laO'a'to
't£ Kat O'uvey£ve'tc. Tau't'1v 'tfJv a('t(av " fllflc<; 't6v 'te
BCOK 6
and knew that it was true, he first summoned his wife.
When she came, he spoke to' her as follcws: "0 wife, what
demcn has driven you to' such a pitch cf madness that you
wculd have sex with my cwn son, the most unholy thing
that, to' our kncwledge, any woman has ever done? How did
ycu think matters would torn out well fcr me, for you, fcr
cur marriage?" She respcnded by saying, "0 lcrd, I will nO'
lcnger hide the fact that I have dcne this to' your marriage;
it is all true, I ccnfess. But I alcne am responsible fcr it,
it was I whO' ccnceived these mcst unhcly deeds, driven by
the greatest need. I don't kncw hcw it came to this, that I
dragged this unwilling young man intO' an unholy affair. So I
will justly accept your punishment, but I beg you nct to' im-
pose a harsh penalty on the ycung man, for he is in nO' way
respcnsible."
After that he summcned the ycung man and asked him if 10
the things that he was caught doing red-handed were right.
The latter was stunned and unable to deny it, and he began
to' seek fcrgiveness. Ncw, the young man was acccmpanied
by a perscn who knew perfectly well abcut their affair and
had assisted bcth sides in carrying it cut. He was an actor
and had from the very beginning enccuraged the young man
in this affair. The lcrd called him in tcc and asked him why
he had ccmmitted such a most unhcly deed against him. But
he said, "Ycu ycurself tcok fcr ycurself and slept with ycur
son's lcver. Therefcre, he did this to' ycu with justice." Fcr
his scn had once fallen in lcve with a woman in the city, but
had nct had sex with her. Later, when his father learned that
she was very beautiful, he tcck her by force and had sex with
her. It was fcr this reascn that the actor had enccuraged the
15
 THE HISTORIES
vwviav btl'TOV epw'Ta 'tij<; yuvalKo<; EKelVl'j<; npoe'Tpeta'To.
Tau'Ta flf:V oov w<; £KaJ'Ta EmJee'TO, EKeAeucre 'T~V Ke<paA~v
'TOU nalSo<; Imo'Tafiofievou<; fle'Ta 'TaU'Ta aO'TiKa Ka1 'tij<;
YUVatKO<; cmo'Tafielv, Ka1 UJ'TEpOV 'TOU fliflou. TOlau'Tll flf:V
wXll 6 'tij<; nOAew<; iipxwv nepmecrwv crufl<p0P~ 'Te EXpfj'TO,
[2.66} Ka1 ou nOAA", ucr'Tepov eyl'jflE euya'Tepa 'TOUAlyUPWV
'Tupavvou, Ka1natSl~ avel<; eau'Tov 'Ta nOAAa napeflueei-ro
'tijv 'TUXl'jv.
II '0 fleV'TOl 'EAAfjvwv ~acrlAeu<; w<; napfjv EV Q.Jeppapiq
napa 'TOV 'Pwfll'j<; apXlepta, 0<; au'Tou 'Ton Sla'Tpi~wv
Ewyxavev ano 'Pwfll'j<; a<p'(Koflevo<; (Oueve'To<; yap fjv, Kal
'tij<; na'TpiSo<; ESei-ro 'TlflWPelV au'T'" E<; 'tijv npo<; repflavou<;
Sla<popav). 'E<; SlaAe;iv 'TE Ka'TtJ'Tl'jcrav nOAunpaYflo-
vouv'Te<; 'tijv Sla<popav, onol "xel iiflelvov KeTcreat aU'ToT<;
afl<poTv. 'Ev-rEUeev Sf. anaAAanofievOl a<piKov'To E<; Q.JAw-
pev'Tiav 'tijv Tuppl'jvwv fll'j'TponoAlv, nOAlv fleYaAl'jv 'Te Ka1
euSaifiova Ka1 KaAAicr'Tl'jv 'TWV EV 'haAiq nOAewv. 'H Sf:
Tuppl'jvia iipXE'Tal flf:V ano I1epw~l'j<; nOAew<;, Kal anelp-
youcra tv Se;l~ nOAlv euSaifiova Bovwviav SlfjKel Sf En1
'tijv AOUKl'jV. "Ecr'Tl Sf. ~ 'Te AOUKl'j Ka1 'TO I1epou~LOv nOAel<;
aU'TOVOflOl, E<; S'lfioKpa'Tiav anoKAivoucral. 'H Sf. Q.JAwpev-
'Tia nOAl<; tJ'Tlv oA~lw'Ta'Tl'j flna ye'tijv Oueve'Twv nOAlv,
En1 Eflnopiav iifla Ka1 yewpyou<; napexoflevl'j 'Tou<; acr'Tou<;.
Luvecrel Sf: 'TWV iiAAwv SOKoiiO"lv OU'TOl npoexelv, Ka1 Sla-
npanecreat iiflelvov, E<; 0 'Tl ltv yevOlV'TO ol 'TfjcrSe 'tij<;
nOAew<; iivSpe<;.
12 EtieUVOV'Tal Sf. Ka'Ta 'TaSe. BouAfj Ecr'TlV ati'ToT<; e<; nev-ra-
KOcr(OU<;, nep1 'TWV 'tij<; nOAew<; npaYfla'Twv 'tijv tfj<pov
,6
BOOK 6
young man to pursue the affair with the other woman. Hav-
ing received these answers from each, he then ordered the
son to be decapitated, and then his wife too, and later the
actor as well. Through such circumstances did the lord of
the city fall into misfortune. Shortly afterward he married
the daughter of the tyrant of the Lombards2l and devoted
himself to frivolous fun in order to find some consolation
for his fate.
The king of the Greeks arrived at Ferrara and met the II
pontiff of Rome, who happened to be residing there at the
time, having come from Rome, for he was a Venetian and
was asking his native city to support him in his dispute with
the Germans. The king and the pontiff entered into formal
discussions and closely examined their differences, looking
to find a position that would be best for them both. Then,
leaving from there, they went to Florence, the capital of the
Tuscans, a city that was large, prosperous, and the most
beautiful of all in Italy.22 Tuscany begins at the city of Peru-
gia and, skirting the prosperous city of Bologna on the right,
extends to Lucca. Lucca and Perugia are autonomous cities,
and their regimes incline toward democratic rule. Florence
is the wealthiest city after that of the Venetians, and its citi-
zens are occupied with trade and agriculture. They seem to
surpass others in intelligence, and the men of this city excel
at whatever they busy themselves with.
They are governed in the following way. They have a 12
council of five hundred which votes concerning the affairs
'7
 THE HISTORIES
-rleEflEV'l, Kal nEpl nOAEflou Kal ElP~V'l' Kal npE<r~El(;;V
XP'lfla-rlSou<ra mpl<rl. Kal iiVSpE, Suo napE<r-rOV au-roT,
E~AUSE" oil, flE-ranEflnE-rm ~ nOAl-rda, -rlflwnE,. Tov flfV
SlKa~V E<j>L<r-rii<rlv au-rft -rWV E)'KA'lfla-rwv -rij, n6AEW"
-rov Sf E, [2.67} -rO -ra, iiAAa, SlKa, SlKaSElV -rij, n6AEW,
au-rov afl<pl ~V -rij, n6AEW, iiAA'lV SLOlK'l<rlv i'XOU(l'lV.
'En~AUSa, SE OUml Enayov-rm -rOU, iivSpa, au-rou" W, iiv
fl~ nOAI-ral, OI-rE SlKa1;ov-rE, SlK'lv -rlVa, Enl ea-rEpa -raAaV-
-rEUOlnO. Alpovnal Sf iipxov-ra, -rWV npaYfla-rwv -rij,
n6AEw, Kal <r'lflaLO<p6pov nap' au-rol, KaAouflEvOV, -rPlfl'l-
vlalou, ~v apX'1v, E, oj), -ra npaYfla-ra -rij, n6AEw, -ra -rE
xp~fla-ra Kal ~ np6<roSo, ava<pEpE-rm. Kal EnElSav -rlVE,
n6AEflov <pEponE, ij ElP~v'lv, aV'lvexe'l E, au-rou" OU-rOl
au tnl ~v nEnaKQ(l'lwv ~OUA~V. Tou, Se iipxov-ra, al-
povv-rm emo -rov S~flou, S'lfl6-ra, -rE /Sv-ra, Kal-rEXVwv -rl-
vwv tm<r-ra-ra,. "E;E<r-rl Sf. Kal o-r4'OVV ;EV4' tv -rau-rtl -rn
n6AEl YEve<rem nOAl-r!], ;uvEl<r<pepov-rl t, ~v n6Alv Kaea
vOfllSE-rm au-rol,. 'H flEnol ~OUA~ EnElSaV -rlVl t~<P4'
npO<rKEOl-rO, -rol, -rE iiPXOU<rlV tm-rpenEl SlanpaTIE<real W,
KaAAl<r-ra -rE Kal iipl<r-ra. 'E, -rau-ro S~ -ro -rij, nOAmla,
elSO, -rE-rpaflfleval El<rl <rXES6v -rl <rVflna<ral al -rij, Tup-
P'lvla, n6AEl" -r6 -rE ITEpOU<rLOV, ~ AOUK'l Kal -ro Ape-rLOV
Kal ai Lijvm n6AEl,.
13 'Ev-ravea S~ a<plYflEvOl 01 "EAA'lVE, <rUv -r<;i apXlEpElnO-
AunpaYflovovV-rE, flEV Enl -rlva XP6vov ~v -rij, ep'l<rKda,
Sla<popav, ontl -rE "XEl iiflElVOV Elpij<rem au-roT" Kal -rE-
Aeu-rWV-rE, ;uvE~'l<rav E, -ro au-r6, ;uv4'Sa an0<p'lvaflEvOl
w,
ilfl<P6-rEpOl <r<pl<rl -ra Sla<popa, -rn yvwfltl E, -rau-ro iifl<pw
BOOK 6
of the city, including war and peace, and it negotiates with
envoys.23 There are also two foreign men, whom the state
invites in and honors. They appoint one as judge over the
crimes that take place in the city, while they keep the other
to preside over the other cases of the city, those that pertain
to the rest of the city's administration. They bring these for-
eign men in so that their own citizens cannot show a bias in
favor of one side or another, if they were to preside over a
certain trial. They also elect the magistrates for the affairs of
the city and the so-called Standard Bearer. Each of them
holds office for three months and is in charge of the affairs
of the city, the money, and revenue. 24 Whenever people
come with a proposal for war or peace, it is referred to them,
an,d they in turn refer it to the council of five hundred. They
choose their magistrates from among the people who are
commoners and the leaders of certain guilds. It is permitted
in this city for any foreigner who pays his taxes in accor-
dance with their customs to become its citizen. Whenever
the council has voted on a matter, it allows the magistrates
to act in the best way they see fit. More or less all the cities
ofTuscany have adopted this type of regime: Perugia, Lucca,
Arezzo, and Siena.
Upon arrival there, the Greeks and the pontiff scruti- '3
nized their religious differences for some time, trying to
decide what would be best for them to declare, and fi-
nally they reached an agreement: both sides in harmony re-
nounced their differences, as both parties now held one and
'9
 THE HISTORIES
'tw yevEE tOV'tE<;, f'1]SEf'iav ~OU)W1eaL O'<picn KaLvo'tof'iav
au'toT<;. Kal E~e<pEpOV 'tOU'tO ypC!f'f'aO'L, Kal E<; 'tOV<; ayiou<;
E7tLf'ap'tUpOUf'EVOl f'1]Se'tEpOV VEW'tEpi~ElV 7tpO<; [2.68J TIJV
ep1]O'Keiav. 'EV'tEUeEV E7tLAE~af'Evo<; 6 'tWV 'Pwf'aiwv apx-
LEPEV<; iiVSpE Suo 'tWV 'EAA~VWV EUSOKLf'W'tC!'tW £jJKElWO'a'to
oi, avaK'twf'EvO<; 'ta f'aALO"ta a~iw<; 't£ 'ti'j<; 7tap' eau't£2 'tLf'fj<;
'ti'j<; f'£yiO"tI1<;, KapSLVaAEl<; 'to a7teSEl~£v, ola 'ti'j<; epl1O'Keia<;
~yEf'0V£. Tou'tou<; yap S~ E<; TIJv 7tap' eau't£2 EYYU'tc!'tW
xwpav iSpuf'evou<;, af'<pl 'tov<; 'tpLC!KoV'ta, e'taipou<; 'to all't£2
E7tayE'taL Kal O'Uf'~OUAOU<;, 7tapEX0f'£vo<; 'tE 7tpOO'oSOV lKa-
v~v Kal xwpav, a<p' ~<; iiv au'toT<; 7tPOO'iOL xp~f'a'ta, 't£2 f'EV
7tlew 't£2 SE EAa't'tw, a~Lwv w<; ~X£L 'to eKaO''t4' Kal xwpa<;.
'E<; 'tou'tou<; S~ a7tOAE~c!f'£VO<; iivSpa<; Suo 'twv 'EAA~VWV,
BI1O'O'aptwva 'tOV a7to Tpa7t£~ouv'to<;, NLKaia<; apXLEpea,
Kal 'IO'iSwpov 'tOY Lapf'a'tia<; apXL£pea, imoupyw 'to ~JX£v
au't£2 Kal O'UV£pyw E<; TIJv 7tpo<; 'tov<; "EAAl1va<; SLaAUO'LV
'ti'j<; SLa<popi'i<;.
'4 IT£pl f'EV ollv BI1O'O'apiwvo<; 'tOO'ovS£ E7tLO"taf'Evo<; f'v~-
f't]v 7tOL~O'0f'aL, w<; ~UVeO'£L 'tE 'tfi a7to <pVJ£w<; 7tOAAWV S~
'tWV E<; 'tou'to £USOKIf'OUV'tWV 'EAA~VWV f'aKp£2 7tpw'to<;
y£v0f'£vo<;, Kal KptVELV 't£ E<p' i5 'tL ltv yeVOL'tO KPC!'tLO"tO<;
SOKWV Y£VeO'eaL, 'ta SE E<; O'o<piav 't~v 'EAA~VWV 'to Kal
'Pwf'aiwv ouS£vo<; SEU't£P0<;' Tou'tov S~ ayaO'eev'ta 'tOY
'pwf'l1<; apXL£pea NLK6Aaov, 'tOV f'£'ta'tau'ta E7tL'tpetaL 'ti'j<;
Bovwvia<; 7tOALV EuSaif'ova E7tL'tP07tEU£LV au't£2' EV 'tau'tn 'to
'ti'j<; 7tOA£W<; EV O"tC!O'£L OJ<; 'ta 7tOAAa y£v0f'evt]<; Kal'twv O''ta-
O'LW'tWV E7tl SLa<popav O'<piO'LV a<pLKvouf'evwv, SaLf'ovLoV
'tLva 'tWV EV 'tfi 7tOA£1 'tau-rn E7tL<pavfjVaL. "EO''tL S' ~ 7tOAL<;
20
BOOK 6
the same opinion and wanted no more innovations. They
put this agreement in writing and called on the saints to wit-
ness that they were introducing no innovations regarding
the faith.25 The pontiff of the Romans then selected two
of the most distinguished men of the Greeks, befriended
them, and won them over by appointing them cardinals, the
highest honor that was in his power to grant, namely they
were made princes of the faith. They are established in do-
mains closest to him, are about thirty in number," and are
his companions and advisors. He furnishes them with sub-
stantial income and land that provides them with revenue,
to some more and to some less, assigning to each lands in
proportion to the esteem in which he holds them. He ap-
pointed two of the Greeks to this order then, Bessarion
from Trebizond, the bishop of Nikaia,27 and Isidoros, the
bisbop ofRussia,28 to have them as his ministers and associ-
ates in settling the disputes between him and the Greeks.
I will say more about Bessarion, knowing how great he '4
was. When it came to natural intelligence, even though
many Greeks were noted for it, he became by far the first
among them, and he seemed to have the most powerful ca-
pacity for judgment regarding anything that might hap-
pen. He was second to none in learning, whether among the
Greeks or the Romans. He so pleased Nicolaus [VJ, who
was later pontiff of Rome, that he entrusted him with the
supervision of the prosperous city of Bologna. This citywas
torn apart by civil unrest and the factions had utterly fallen
out with each other, so that he appeared to the people of
this city to be a kind of supernatural force. 29 This city is one
21
 THE HISTORIES
ail't!] £v 'tai, Ka'ta 'ti]v 'haA[av :JtOAeow euSa[ftwv 'te Kat
:JtAOU't'!' Kal 'tij, liAA!], euSaLft0v[a, ou :JtOAA4i 'twv :Jtpw'twv
AemoftEv!] :JtoAewv, KeKO<Tft!]'taL S£ Kat t, 'ti]v 'twv [2.69}
AOYwv li<TK!]<TlV, E, 'ta :Jtpw'ta ilV~KOU<Ta 'haA[a,.
'5 Tev S£ 'I<T[Swpov EAAOYlftov 'te Dv'ta Kat cplAO:Jta'tplv,
l<Aov'ta 't£ il<T'tepov tv Bu~av-r[,!, (me ~ap~apwv, E:Jtaftu -
vov-ra 'tfi :Jta'tp[Sl. Tou'tw Se w, a~lW<Tel 'te :Jtapa 'toi,
"EAA!]<Tl SOKovv-re :Jtpo£xelv Kat <Tuft:Jtpa~elv au't4i 'ta :Jtpe,
'tOO, "EAA!]Va, E:JtlAe~aftevo, " 'to'te EUYEveLO, apXlepeo,
~UV£~!] E, 'tau'to 'toi, "EAA!]<Tl' Kal E1tlKOup[a, 't£ SeoftEV,!,
't4i 'EAA~vwv ~a<rlAei, o<Ta E, cpuAaK~v 'tij, :JtoAew, :Jtap-
exoftevov, tm£rrxe'to 'tov Aomov fteA~<Telv au't4i lKavw, 'tij,
~a<TlAe[a, au'tov Kat 'twv 'EAA~vwv, Kat 'tOO, I1a[ova, Kat
repftavoo, E:Jtl TOUPKOV, ilvayvw<Tav'ta <T'tpaieUe<Teal ft~
ilveiva[ :Jto'te E:JtO'tpuvov'ta E, 'toV'to athoi" w<T'te ilyaeov
dSe<Teal 'toi, 'te "EAA!]<Tl Kat 'toi, liAAOl,. Tav'ta (J:JtoSe~a­
ftEVOV 'tov ilpXlepEw<; EK0ft[~e'to £:Jtt 'ti]v ~a<rlAe[av Bv~av­
't[ov fte'ta 'tav'ta 0 'twv 'EAA~VWV ~a<rlAeu<;.
,6 Ot ftev oiiv "EAA!]Ve<; W<; E:Jt' O'(KOV Ey£vOV'to, OUK£'tl ~cpa-
<Tav Eftft£velv 'toi<; Wft0Aoy!]ftEvOl<;, aAAa 'touvav-r[ov Ka't-
E<T't1J ft!]KE-rl ~OUA0ft£vol<; <Tvv'ttee<TeaL 'toi, 'Pwfta[Ol,. '0
ft£v'tolilpXlepeo<; Kat <T0cpwv 'tlvil<; £:Jte:Jtoftcpel £:Jtl 'to Bv~av­
'tLOV :Jtapa 'tOO, "EAA!]Va<;, E, SlaAe~lv ilCPl~0ftEVOV<; 'toi<;
'twv 'EAA~vwv <Tocpoi<;, 01 ou :Jtp0<T[ev'to 't~v yevoft£v!]V
<TCP[<Tl ~uvoSov Ka'ta 't~v 'haA[av, MapK'!' 'te 't4i 'Ecp£<TOV
apXlepei, ouSe 'ti]v apmv 'tleeftEv'!' 't4i 'twv Aa't[vwv
Soyfta'tl'to :Jtapa:Jtav, Kal LxoAap['!' 't4i 'to'te :Jtap' "EAA!]<Tl
'ta E<; <Tocp[av euSoKlft0VV'tl, OU ftEV'tOl ~vue'to au'toi<;
22
BOOK 6
of the most prosperous in Italy and is not far behind the
leading ones when it comes to wealth and general prosper-
ity. It is adorned also by the cultivation of literature, and is
among the first in Italy.
Isidoros was learned and a patriot, aod was later captured '5
by the barbarians at Byzantion, defending his fatheriand.3D
So Eugenius, the pontiff at the time, picked out these two
men because of the high esteem in which they seemed to be
held by the Greeks and the assistance that they would give
him in dealing with the Greeks, and he reached an agree-
ment with the Greeks. Eugenius promised to the king of the
Greeks, who was in need of as much help as could be offered
toward guarding his city, that he would henceforth take
great care for his kingdom and the Greeks; he would induce
the Hungarians and Germans to march against the Turks
and would never let up in his efforts to encourage them to
that end, so that the Greeks and others would recognize his
kindness. After the pontiff made these promises, the king of
the Greeks returned to his kingdom ofByzantion. 31
But when the Greeks returned home, they said that they ,6
would no longer abide by their agreement; to the contrary,
they were no longer willing to even come to terms with the
Romans. But the pontiff dispatched certain wise men to the
Greeks in Byzantion to enter into discussions with the wise
men of the Greeks who now rejected the synod that had
taken place between them in Italy, namely Markos, the
bishop of Ephesos, who was utterly opposed to the doctrine
of the Latins from the beginning, aod Scholarios, who was
then esteemed among the Greeks for his wisdom. 32 But it
23

THE HISTORIES
ouSev e<; Mywv iifllAAav a<plKvoufltvou;, aAX are£xwpOUV
iirepaK'TOl erel 'haAla<;.
'0 St EUytV£lO<; ou reonQ uO"t£pOV a<plK£'To e<; 'Pwfl'lv,
'7
[2.7 0} erufl~aAAofltvwv aU'TQ 'TWV OU£V£'TWV, <P£pofltvwv
'TM£ 'TQ reoAtfl'" iifl£lVOV repo<; 'TOV Alyupla<; wpavvov. Ot
yap Ou£v£'Tol ereayofl£vol O"tpa'T'lYov er<plerlv iivSpa Al-
yupa, KapflavloAav 'Touvofla, K'lS£er'tf]v y£vofl£vOV 'TOU
AlyUPWV -rupavvou, 'TO 'T£ O"tpa'T£ufla eret'Tp£'\tav aU'TQ' Kal
0<; reapaAa~wv 'TO 'T£ er'Tpa'T£ufla Kal vau<;, aera<; ~slou
reA'lpweraL aU'TQ 'TOU<; Ou£ve'TOu<;, eO"tpa'T£U£'TO ree~ii 'Te Kal
Sla 'TOU 'HplSavou, ~xwv vau<; e\;wreAlerfltva<; e<; 'Ta<;
ereaAS£l<; SUAlva<; afl<pl 'Ta<; £~SOfl~KOV'Ta, erel 'TOV MeSLO-
","vou ~Y£flova 'TOV <I>Ourereov. 'Y:rcfjv SE eKELV", er'Tpa'T'lYo<;
N lKoAew<; " Bpaxu<; erelKA'lv, av~ p 'Ta reoAtflla ayaeo<; Kal
e<; 'Ta repw'Ta aV~Kwv 'TOU reoAtflou. Kal repw'Ta fltv e<pt-
POV'TO ol Ouev£'Tol e<; 'TOV re6A£flov erelreoAuv Xp6vov 'TlVa,
E<; 'T£ 'tf]v AlflV'lv 'rij <; <puAaKfj <; KaAou fltv'lv SlareoA£flouV'T£<;
an~AOl<;. Kal erel BplSlav reoAlv eAe6v'T0<; NlKOA£W 'TOU
Bpaxto<;, KalreoALOpKOUV'To<; 'tf]v re6Alv w<; tsalp~erOV'To<;,
aV'TeO"t'lerav erel cruXV6v 'Tlva Xp6vov, Kal e<; 'TOU'TO avaYK'l<;
eA'lAUeeVaL, wer'T£ Kal flua<; Kal yaAii<; eS'lSOKtVaL Kal Selva
ure£v£YKciv fl~ tvSlS6v'Ta<; 'TO reapareav 'TOu<; Alyua<;. fou-
tA<pWV St flolpav ouerav ev -rft re6Ael aV'Tler'TfjVaL erel 'Toer-
oV'tov.
T~v yap 'TOl 'haAlav crUflreaerav e<; Suo flolpa<; Sla-
K£Kp[erea, ereue6fl£ea, ~v 'Te foutA<PWV Kal n~eAAlvwv.
"O'T", flEV ouv 'Tp6re", Kal ytvo<; Kal re6A£l<; 'TWV Ka'Ta 'tf]v
'haAlav areav'Taxii e<; Suo 'TOU'TW flo[pa SltO"t'l, wO"t£
BOOK 6
turned into an acrimonious debate and they accomplished
nothing whatever, so they returned empty-handed to Italy.33
Shortly afterward Eugenius went to Rome with the Vene- '7
tians as allies,34 who were at that time gaining the upper
hand in their war against the tyrant of Lombardy. For the
Venetians had brought in a general, a Lombard named Car-
magnola, who was a relative by marriage of the tyrant of the
Lombards, and they had entrusted their army to him.35 He
took the army and the ships, as many as he had requested
that the Venetians man for him, and he marched against
Filippo, the lord of Milan, both on foot and along the Po,
with about seventy ships equipped with wooden battle-
ments. The lord of Milan had the general Niccolb, known
also as the Short, a man skilled at warfare who had attained
martial distinction. For a long time, the Venetians had the
upper hand in the war, and they fought against each other
at the lake called "Prison."36 When Niccolb the Short came
against the city of Brescia and besieged it with the intention
of capturing it, the Lombards resisted him for a long time
and came into such dire need that they were eating mice and
cats,37 preferring to suffer horribly rather than surrender. It
was the faction of the Guelphs in the city that stiffened the
resistance.
We have learned that all ofItaly is divided into two fac- IS
tions, the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. I have learned from
no one how it came about that every family and city in Italy
is divided into these two factions so that they are enemies to
 THE HISTORIES
aAA1']Acw; 1tOAQ1(W; {2.7r} dVaL, blevEXeeT<1C1l -cft yvwfln bla
1tClyro<;, KCll oeev TI]v apxiJv Ecrxe T* blCl<j>Opii<;, ol"'e TlVO<;
t1tUeofl'lv, W<1TE aA'leE<; Tl 1tEpl ClUTWV tm<1'lflijVaL, oi,..'
ClUTO<; <1Ufl~ClAAoflEvo<; EXOl'" liv AEym Tl <l<1<j>ClAe<; 1tEpl
ClUTWV. 'H flEVTOl AlyUPWV XWpCl KClI 1'] TWV 'IClvutwv E<; TI]v
n~EAA(vwv a1tOKEKplTCll floTpClV, 1'] be TWV OueVETWV KClI
TWV 'PwflCl(wV KCll 1'] MapK'l t<; TI]v fouEA<j>wv blE<1T'l blCl-
<j>opav, TupP'lvol flEVTOl KClI 1'] XWpCl TIj<; ~C!<1'AElCl<;, t1t1
'ICl1tuy(Clv flClKpav blClTElVOU<1C1, t1t' afl<j>oTEpCl TClAClvTEu-
OVTaL' ot flEV yap TOUTWV t<; TI]v fouEA<j>wv ot be t<; TI]v
n~EAA(vwv a1tOKEKplVTaL floTpClV, KClI tv flu';i TE KClI -cft ClU-cft
1tOAEl E<1TlV (bETv lifl<j>w TW flo(PCl blE<1""'1KU(CI Te KClI flClXo-
flEVCI aAA1']AaL<;. fl.l' Ii bf] KClI w<; Ta 1tAEW Ta<; <1Ta<1El<; AOY(-
!;OflCll <1Ufl~CI(VElV ToT<; KClTa Tf]V 'hClA(Clv y(VE<1eaL.
'9 LUVE~'l be tv TOUT'l' KClI TOU<; tv I1C1TCI~('l' E1tClyoflEVOU<;
TOV <1<j>wv f]YEfloVCI, MClp<1lAlOV ToilvoflCl, o'IKou TWV KClpCl-
p(wv, <1UVT[eE<1eaL CI{mii 1tClpClbOUVCll Tf]V 1tOAlV. "E<1Tl be
ClilT'l f] 1tOAl<; flEyaA'l TE KClI EubCl(flwv, EXOU<1C1 1tEp(~oAov
afl<j>l TOU<; t~bofl1']KOVTCI <1TClb(OU<;. 'PET be bla TIj<; 1tOAEw<;
1tOTClflo<; BpEVTCI<; ToilvoflCl, KClI TOUT'l' 1tEplioVTl YEvoflEv'l
EXOPWTCll t<; Ta flaA'<1TCI. TOUTOV w<; t1t1']YOVTO TOV MClp-
<1lAlOV, <1UVeEflEVOl YJflEpc,t, i'i ClUTOV bEOl1tClpETvCll t<; TOtip-
yov, tmyeVE<1eaL Te XElflWVCI flEYl<1TOV, KClI blClKWAU<1aL TOV
liVbpCl 1tClPETvaL, t<; ijv <1UVEeeTO YJflEpClV. "EvCI be TWV <1UV-
ElbOTWV TI]v 1tPObO<1(ClV, bEblOTCI 1tEpl {2·7 2} ClUT<l>, flf]
<j>ea<1C1<; hepo<; KClTClfl'lvu~ Tf]V 1tpObO<1(ClV, a<j>lKoflEVO<;
ClUTO<; aVClyopEUEl Tf]V 1tPObO<1(ClV. Ot be w<; n<1eOVTO, T1']V
TE 1tOAlV 0XUPW<1C1VTO <j>uAClKal<;, w<; olov T' ijv fl aAl <1TCI
26
BOOK 6
each other and irrevocably split in their opinions, or from
where this division arose, so I have nothing accurate to say
about these matters, nor do I have anything reliable to con-
tribute myself The land of the Lombards and that of the
Genoese belongs to the Ghibelline faction, while those of
the Venetians, the Romans, and Marche are in the opposite
camp of the Guelphs. However, the Tuscans and the land
of the kingdom that extends to distant Apulia are divided
internally between the two: some of them belong to the
Guelph faction and some to the Ghibellines, and one can
see both factions at odds and fighting each other in one and
:he same city. I suspect that most civil strife among the Ital-
Ians takes place for this reason.
It happened at that time that the people of Padua wanted '9
to bring in their own lord, a man by the name of Marsilio,
from the house of Carrara, and made an agreement to sur-
render the city to him.J8 The city is large and prosperous
with a circumference of about seventy stades. A river called
Brenta flows througb the city and also around it, thereby
strongly fortitying the city. Now, when they were bringing
Marsilio in, they agreed upon the day when he should come
for the attempt to be made. But a fierce storm picked up
and prevented the man from coming on the appointed day.
One of those who was privy to the plot began to fear for his
life, in case someone else betrayed the plot first, and so he
stepped forward and revealed the treachery. When the oth-
ers became aware of this, they fortified the city with garri-
sons as best they could and ambushed Marsilio at the place
27
 THE HISTORIES
C(1)-roT<;, Kal-rov MapO'LALOv AoxlO'av-rE<;, ii ~ftEAAE OlE~lItval,
£7nov-ra -rti nOA£l tAETv -rE, Kal -rou<; EV -rti nOAEl /ivopa<;, E<;
£Ka-r6v nov -rov apleft6v, O"iJv yvval~l -rE /ifta aVEAclv, Kal
au-rov MapO'LALOV Olaxp~O'aO'eal.
20 Tau-ra 01: E<; -rov nOAEftov -rou-rov ~vft~alvona OUEVE-
-roT<; EnEppwO'E -rE [lanov, Kal E<; -ra<; O'"rpa-r'1yla<; Kapfta-
vloAov -ra npw-ra [l1:v Enl nOAu E<pEpOV-rO /i[l£lVOV E<; -rov
n6AE[lov -rou AlylipWV ~yE[lOVO<;. ME-ra 01: -rau-ra npo-
Oloono<; -rou-rov, w<; E[l'1VVe'1 au-roT<;, ii AEYE-rat, eaAw -rE
En' au-ro<pwp'!' E1tl~OVAEuwv -rti nOAEl Kal anEeaVE. ToO'ovoE
[lEnol AEYE-rat w<; [lEnOV-rO<; au-rou E<; -rov xwpov E<;
OV ~O£l -rEAw'tfjO'at ano~aAov-ra TIjv KE<paA~v, E1t'1O'<pa-
AlO'[lEv,!, -r4\ O'-ro[la-rl a<plKEO'eat, w<; liv [l~ Ola[lap-rlipaO'eat
~XOl E<; -rou<; nap6na<; au-r4\ -rEAw-rwv-rl. Mna [lev ouv
TIjv -rEAw-r~v -rou-rov [lE-rEnE[lnov-ro ct>payKlO'Kov -rov
:E<pop-rlav EnlKA'1v, Kal O'-rpa-r'1Yov anoOEl~a[lEvol EVEXEL-
plO'av av-r4\ -ra npaY[la-ra E<; -rOY n6AE[lov.
Tou-r'!' [l£v (J'VV~VEYKE XP'1[la-rlO'aftEv,!, ano OUEVE-rWV
au-r4\ i\O'-rEpOV ou non4\ Xpov'!' E<; -r~v MEoLOAavov ~YE­
[lovlav EAeclv' XP'1[la-rl!;wv 01: au-roT<; E<; -ra<; O'"rpa-r'1yla<;
Ka\ [lEya EUOOKl[lWV /iXPl Aool'1<; noAEw<; 'tfj<; Eyyv-ra-rw
MEoLOAavov a<plKE-ro, Ka-raO'-rpE<p6[lEVO<; ~v -rE I1Epya[lov
KaAov [lEV'1V XW pay Kal /ina /ina 'tfj <; Alyvp la<; nOAlO'[la-ra,
-ra tnEKElva -rou 'Aoa {2.73} no-ra[lou. ME-ra 01: -rau-ra
(J'1tOVOWV yEVO[lEVWV a[l<poTv, -roT<; -rE OUEvE-roT<; Kal -r4\
MEoLOAavov ~yE[l6vl, ~yayE-ro evya-rEpa voeov -rou ~yE­
[lovo<; t<; yvvaTKa au-r4\ Kal EK [lEO'OV a[l<poTv yEVO[lEVO<;
olE-rEAEl ~O'vxlav /iywv npo<; -r£ -rov NlKoAEwv noAE[lwv.
BOOK 6
where he was supposed to go through. When he came to the
city he was captured, and they killed about a hundred of the
men in the city, including their wives; Marsilio himself was
also executed.
These events that were taking place during this war 20
greatly strengthened the Venetians. Under the military lead-
ership of Carmagnola they were prevailing and getting the
upper hand in the war against the ruler of the Lombards.
Later, it is said that he was involved in a plot and was be-
trayed to the Venetians. He was captured red-handed while
plotting against the city and killed. This much is also said,
that as he was conveyed to the place where he was to die
by decapitation, he was gagged so that he would not be
able to testilY against those who came to see him die. After
his death, the Venetians summoned Francesco, surnamed
Sforza, appointed him general, and entrusted the war to
him.'9
Shortly afterward it happened that, when Francesco was H
in the service of the Venetians, he took over the principality
of Milan. 40 But while he was still employed as their general
he enjoyed great success and went as far as the city of Lodi,
which is very close to Milan, and he conquered the land of
Bergamo, as it is called, and some other towns of Lombardy
on the far side of the Adda River. After that a treaty was
made between the two sides, the Venetians and the ruler of
Milan, and Francesco took as his wife an illegitimate daugh-
ter of the ruler.41 He was no longer caught between the two,
remained at peace with them, and fought a war against
29
 THE HISTORIES
Ou'tO<; f'1:v oliv, w<; at <17tovSal tytvOV'tO Kat dpl']v'l i]v,
cuplKE'to btl 't~v ITap9Evore'lv reapa 'tov TapaKwv'lcrlwv
~acrLAta, w<; crVcr-r'lcrOf'EVO<; 'tE tav'tov 't<li ~acrLAci Kal
ureovpyf]crwv au't<li, El'tov StOL'tO t<; 'tov repe<; 'tou<; TvpP'l-
vou<; reoAEf'ov. D<; f'tV'COL au't<li ouS1:v Evpa'to treL-r1jSELOV,
treaviJEL reapa 'tev MESLOAaVOV I']YEf'ova. Kat 0<; ou reoAu<;
Xpovo<; f'E'ta 'tau'ta t'tEAEU't'lcrEV, av~p 'ta t<; cr'tpa't'lylav
Kpa'tLcr'to<; YEVOf'EVO<;, liyELV 'tE cr-rpa'tov Kat SLaf'aXEcr9aL.
~La~I']'t'lv S1: £XWV vocrov tretreoAAa £'t'l t'tEAEU't1']crE, Ka'ta-
AL1CWV tav'tou f'vElav 'rij<; 'haAla<; cmav'taXfi, 'to ytVO<;
YEVOf'EVO<; ITEpOUcrLO<;.
22 (j)payKlCYKo<; f'1:v ouv, w<; ou reoAA<Ii Vcr'tEpOV 0 ME-
OLOAavov I']YEf'WV t'tEAEV't'lcrE vocr<¥ 'tev ~lov Ka'taAL1Cwv,
Ka'tEcr't'l o~ t<; 0La'l'0 pav au'tlKa 'to1<; OUEvE'tol<;, Wp f''l f'tvo<;
tret 't~v 'tvpavvloa MEoLOAavov. Ot yap 'tot OUEvE'tol, w<;
t'tEAEU't'lcrEV 6 (j)()l.lrereo<;, 'tol<; 'tE MEOLOAavov crvvE'tl9Ev't0,
tret apLcr-roKpa'tlav reapaKaAOUV'tE<; 'rijv reOALv, Kat 'tLf'W-
pOUV'tE<; au'tft t<; 'rijv 't~<; reOAL'tEla<; Ka'tacr-racrLV. Kal rcn Kat
tret Xpovov 'tLva OL<¥KEl'tO I'] reoAL<;, alpovf'EV'l apxa<; 'ta<;
'twv aplcr-rwv cr'l'lcrLV tvov'twv 'tft reoAEL. Kat tcr'tEVof'aXELl
au'rij w<; tret 'rijv lcrovof'lav 'tE'tpaf'f'Ev'l, cr-rpa'tov 'tE
treL1Ctf'reovcra. 'H f'£v ouv reoAL<; tcr-rlv, n txwAWEV, trel
'tvpavvloa OLwKovcra, Kat treEKaAOVV'tO cr'l'lcrLV I']YEf'ova
'tov [2.74} (j)paYKICYKov' ol 01: IiAAOL tvav'tLOuv'tO au'tol<;.
2) Ou'tO<; f'1:v ouv cr'tpa'tov crvvayElpa<; i]yE <17tovOft tret
'tou<; OUEVE'tOU<;, n trevv9avE't0 au'tou<; cr-rpa'toreEOw-
Of'EVOV<;. 'EreLwv 01: crUv 't<li cr'tpa't<li ayxov 't~<; reoAEw<; wcrEi
cr-raolov<; eKa'tov treoALopKEL 'rijv reoALv, repaYf'a'twv 'tE'ta
30
BOOK 6
Niccolo. As for the latter, when the treaty was concluded
and there was peace, he went to Parthenope to meet the
king of the Aragonese [Alfonso V} in order to make an alli-
ance with him and assist him, ifhe should have need of him
at all in the war against the Tuscans. But the king could find
nothing useful for him to do, so he went back to the ruler of
Milan. 42 Shortly afterward he died, a man most powerful in
military strategy, at leading an army, and waging battles. He
was ill with diabetes for many years, and died of it, having
made a great name for himself throughout Italy. His family
was from Perugia.
As for Francesco, shortly after the ruler of Milan suc- 22
cumbed to illoess and died,43 he fell out with the Venetians
and set out to acquire the tyranny of Milan. For the Vene-
tians, when Filippo died, came to an agreement with the
people of Milan, encouraged the city to accept an aristoc-
r~C}\ and acted as the defenders there of the regime. The
~Itywas governed in that way for some time, selecting mag-
Istrates from among the leading men inside the city.44 But
they fought in the alleys as the city began to adopt a more
egalitarian type of regime, and they sent out an army.4' As
matters were not making any progress, the city wanted a tyr-
anny, and they called in Francesco to be their ruler; but oth-
ers were opposed to them. 46
Francesco assembled an army and marched quickly 2)
against the Venetians, where he had learned that they had
encamped. He came with his army near the city, to a dis-
tance of about one hundred stades, and besieged it. He took
31

THE HISTORIES
1tpO~ 'C~V 'Cvpavv(oa E1tlAa~Oflevo~ 'CO"~ E1tl'C'10dov~ aU'C<!l
(J'vYKa'Cepya~e(J'9aL, Kat OUK E1tl'CpE1tWV 'CWV E1tl'C'1 odwv
O'CLOUV d(J'l£VaL d~ ~V 1tOAlV, w(J''Ce 1tle~Ofl£vov~ E~ OflO-
Aoy(av aU'C<!l KCI'Ca(J'tijVaL. 'EAa(J'aL fltv OVV eu9" tij~ 1tOAeW~
OUK E1tOleT'Co ~OVA~V, oeOOlKW~ 'COV OijflOV 'Cij~ 1tOAeW~,
fI£Yl<r-cOV O~ ilv'Ca 'Cwv Ka'Ca ~V 'haA(av Kat1tOAAa1tAa(J'LOV
'Cou £av'Cou (J''Cpa'Cou, 1tpO~ O£ KClt ilPl(J''COV 'Ca 1tOAefllKa,
'Cou (J''Cpa'Cou a;loxpewv, Kat 'Cou a1to Oueve'Cwv <r-cpCl'COU
1tPo(J'OOK(flOV au'CoT~ 1tap£(J'e(J'9aL E1tt 'COV 1toAeflOV 'Covoe.
OV'CO~ fltv OVV au'Cou, 1tpa(J'(J'wv 'Ca 1tpO~ 'C~V 1tOAlV, ~V
flov~v E1tOlel'CO.
24 n~ O£ E1tl~0'190uv'Ca <r-cpa'Cov 'Cov a1to Ouevnwv
E1tvv9ave'Co 1tapeTvaL ~0'1, 1tpoe;av'(J''Caflevo~ {J1t~v'Ca, w~
elXe 'Caxov~, flClKpav a1to 'Cij~ 1tOAeW~ E~ 1tev'CaKO(J'(OV~
flaAl(J''Ca 1t!1 (J''Cao(ov~, KClt E(J''Cpa'C01teOeue'Co. 'Ev'Cau9C1
av'Ce<r-cpa'Co1teoeue'Co Kat 0 Oueve'Cwv <r-cpa'C'1Yo~ (Kov-
oovv(oa~ 0' ~v ovofla aU'C<!l), Kat 1tepl'Ca<ppw(J'aflevo~
aVEfieve 'Co a1to MeOloAavov <r-cpa'Cwfla E1tl~0'19ij(J'ov
aU'C<!l, Kat 'CMe ~v (J'Vfl~OA~V 1tol~(J'a<r9al. "Ev9a o~ 0
<l>paYK(<J'Ko~, Ola 'Cwv Ka'Ca<J'K01twv w~ Ew9E'CO emo tij~
1tOAeW~ E;eAauvElv 'Cov <r-cpa'Cov E1tl~0'19~(J'ov'Ca 'CoT~ Oue-
vE'CoT~, VVK'CO~ 1tvpa 1tOAAa ataflevo~ tV'C<!l (J''Cpa'Co1t£04',
w(J''Ce fI'1o£v 'COLOU'COV U1tOAoy(~e(J'9aL 'Co,,~ 1toAefl(ov~, Kat
{2.75} E;01tAl(J'aflevo~ VVK'CO~ tAauvel O'Cl 'CaXl(J''Ca (J'1tOVO ft
E1tt 'Cov MEOLOAavov (J''Cpa'Cov. Kat EV'Cau9a flaX'lv 1tOl'1(J'a-
flEVO~, Kat ola<p9dpa~ 'Co 1tAtov 'Cou <r-cpa'Cou, Kat 1tEpl-
yEv6f1EVO~ au'Cou, w<r-ce fI'10' O'ClOUV U1tOAEl<p9ijval il 'Cl Kat
il;lOV AOYOV, aU'C(Ka a1teAaUVEl 61t«J'w E1tt 'Co (J''Cpa'Co1teOov.
32
BOOK 6
measures to secure the tyranny and his friends assisted him
in this, but he would not let any of his supporters enter the
city, so that they would be under pressure to stay on his
side. 47 He decided not to attack the city directly, fearing its
populace, which was the largest of all cities in Italy and
many times his own army in size; moreover, they were
skilled at war, a match for his army, and they were expecting
an army from the Venetians to join them in this war. And so
he waited there, dealing with the city.48
When he learned that the army sent by the Venetians to 24
help the people of Milan was already arriving, he made the
first move by breaking up his camp and, as quickly as he
could, fell back to a distance from the city of about five hun-
dred stades, and made camp. There the general of the Vene-
tians (his name was Koudounidas)49 made a countercamp,
surrounded it with a ditch, and waited for the army from
Milan to come to his support, at which point he would make
the attack. Francesco learned from his spies that the army
was leaving the city to come to the support of the Venetians,
and so at night he lit many fires in his camp so that his ene-
mies would suspect nothing of what he was up to; he armed
his men that night and marched in great haste against the
army of Milan. There he joined battle, destroyed most of
the army and so prevailed over it that nothing worthy of
mention survived. He then immediately returned to his
33
 THE HISTORIES
Kai ~IJfI~aAWV 'tQ Oueve'twv (Y'tpa't'lyQ, ou reOAAQ ilcrre-
pov flaX'lv 'te £flaXEO"av'to LO"XIJpaV, Kal e, q)IJyl]V 'tpetafle-
VO, eLAE 'te [rereEa, afl<pi 'tou, E~aKIO"XIAlOIJ, Kai VlK'lV
aveLAno reepl<pav~. Ou reOAAQ S£ ilO"'tEpov £reeAauvwv erei
TI]v reDAlv, Ii Kai 'to repD'tepov SIE'tpl~e, Kai repanwv Sl-
erepa~a'to. Kal elO"fiEI ou reOAAQ ilcrrepov, elp~v'lv 'te ereOI-
~O"a'to, Na~'lpaloIJ 'tIVO, e, 'too'tO reapaKlv~O"av'to,. Kai
'tOY reaTSa au'too freEfltev e, 'tou, OUEve'tou" Kai eilvOlav
evSElKvuflevo, SlnEAe!. 'J\AAa'tao'ta fI£v ilcrrepov ou reoAAQ
eyEve'to.
T O'tE S£ w, "EAA'lve, ere' O'{KOIJ eyevov'to, EUYEvelO, 0
apXlEpEU, ouS£v A6yolJ a~lOv freEflreE reap a'tou, "EAA'lva,
'to e, erelKOIJplav <pEpOV. Au'tlKa o[ "EAA'lve, £'tpareoV'to,
Kai fle'tEfleAev au'toT, Ka'taAIJO"aflEvOl, repo, 'tOY apXlEpea.
OUK freeflree S£ St' aL'tlav TI]vSe. II6AEflD<; 'tE yap O"\lv~re'to
au'tQ Ka'ta 't~v 'haAlav erel 'tou, TIJpP'lvou, erei xwpa,
Sla<popq, Kai crrpa'tDv 'te fxwv Kai Sareav'lv Kal O"'tpa't'lYov
ere' au'tQ repo~Kov'ta e, YEVO" avSpa eAA6Ylflov rea'tpl-
apX'1v, reoAEflwv o't£ fI£v 'tol, TIJpP'lvoT" o't£ S£ Kal 'tQ
Oup~lv,¥, 'tQ fle'ta 'tao'ta ~yeflDvl OUK ereaUE'to' eSOKEI'te
yap ~ TIJpP'lvwv fI'l'tporeoAI, 'to'tE <pPOVelV 'ta 'toO AlyVPWV
~yeflDvo, <!>IAlrereolJ Kai {2.76} O"\lflflaXelv eKelv,¥ Ka'ta 'to
LO"XVpDV. ~l' a S~ Kairepo, 'tOY apXlEpEa OUEve'tov i\v'ta,
'too OtKOIJ KovSolJAflaplwv, QV 'tlva S~ olKov a~lOov'to, 'too
apXlEpEW, 't~, O"IJyKA~'tOIJ £reol~O"av'to areo 'tooSe, Kai E~­
eO"'t1 flE'taO"xeTv au'toT,. ~lareoAeflouv'twv yap aAA~AOIJ,
'twv 'te OuevE'tWv Kai 'too MeSIOAavolJ ~yEflovo, <!>IAlrereolJ,
~uflreaO"a 'te ~ 'haAla SIEcrr'lrepo, EKa'tEpOIJ,.
34
BOOK 6
own camp. Shortly afterward, he attacked the general of the
Venetians in a fierce battle, turned them to flight, and cap-
tured about six thousand cavalry, thereby winning a glori-
ous victory. Shortly afterward, he marched to the city, to the
very place where he had formerly encamped, and contin-
ued his operations. Shortly afterward, he entered and made
peace, urged to do this by a certain monk. 50 He sent his son
to the Venetians and continued to show them goodwill. But
these things happened shortly afterward.
At that time, when the Greeks returned home, the pon- 25
tiffEugenius sent no help to them worthy of note. Then the
Greeks immediately changed their minds and regretted
having broken their agreement with the pontiff But he was
not sending aid for the following reason. He was involved in
a war that had broken out in Italy between him and the Tus-
cans over a territorial dispute, and he had to maintain an
army, expenses, and a general who was from his family and
also a learned prelate. He fought without pause, at times
with the Tuscans and at times with Urbino, too, with the fu-
ture ruler.51 For it appears that the capital of the Tuscans
was then siding with Filippo, the ruler of the Lombards, and
making a powerful alliance with him. It was for this reason
that they were opposed to the pontiff, who was a Venetian,
from the house of Condulmer, which house the Venetians
raised to senatorial rank from then on, at the pontiff's insis-
tence, and so they were able to join the senate. For when the
Venetians and Filippo, the ruler of Milan, were fighting each
other, all of Italy took sides and split apart.
35
 THE HISTORIES
26 EtJI Sf 1:UpavviSE<; ava 1:~V 'l't"aAiav aISE, ~ TI'J<; <PEP-
papia<;, OIKOU 1:WV 'EJ1:EVJiwv, Kal ol 1:0V Aplf'ivou, Kal ol
1:~<; MapK']<; MaAa't"£J1:c«ol, Kal Ovp~ivou wpavvo<; Kal
Mav1:otJ']<; Kal MEStoAaVou Kal 'PWf',]<; Kal NmreoAEw<;
Kat 'Iareuyia<;, TotJ1:wV ol 1:~<; <pEppapia<; w<; eXOUJlV
~yEf'0VE<;, Kal MEStoAaVou Kat 'Iareuyia<; Kal Mav1:otJ']<;,
eAt'Xe,], w<; iKavw<; yovv eXElv t<; f'v£iav aV1:wv 1:0V AOYOV
reolotJflEVO<;,2 ITEpt St 1:WV Ovp~ivou 1:tJpavvwv 1:0JaSE
treiJ't"aflal. AOKOVJl Sf oi MaAa1:EJ1:alOl yt'vo<; 1:E ElVat
reaAat01:a1:0v, Kal t<; -rfjv MapK']<; ap~v eret reoAAa E't"']
SlaYEVt'Jeat, ~yEflovEtJonE<; 1:0V 1:E AplflivotJ Kal IiAAWV
1:WV tv 1:atJ't!] reOAEwv ereupavwv· 5eEV S~ Kal WPf'']flt'votJ<;
Kal e<; J't"pa1:']yia<; Ka1:aJ1:~Val 1:WV afl<pt -rfjv 'l't"aAiav reptJ-
1:av£tJonwv. rEVeJeat St OVEVE1:oT<; J1:pa1:']yoi><; eV1:EVeEV
Kal TtJPp']voT<;, Kal trel-rfjv TI'J<; ManotJ']<; apx~v reapEA']-
AtJetval. {Z.77]
27 ITEpl st 1:0V 'PwfI,]<; apXlEpt'W<; epxoflat tpwv, w<; ereElSav
1:EA£tJ-rfj"11 apXlEpEtJ<;, O1JAAtyonal ol KapSlvaAtol e<; OIKOV
1:lVa, Kal 1:a<; 1:E tfJ<potJ<; Sla<pEpof'EVOl 1:ieEV1:ai 1:E Kal
aipovv1:at, ov iiv 0'( 1:E TI'J<; KOAoviotJ Kal OvpJlviotJ Kap-
SlvaAtol,' Kal tKAt'yoV1:al J<piJlV t<; alpeJlv 1:0i><; eTCl1:,]-
S£iotJ<;. EtJI Sf ali1:at al oiKial f't'YlJ1:al S~ 1:WV ev 'Pwfln
Kal fltYlJ1:0V StJvaf'EVat, Kat trel 1:otJ1:otJ<; 01:t flfV 1:otJ1:ou<;,
01:t Sf tK£ivotJ<; 1:aAaV1:EtJEJeal. ZtJfI<pepOV1:al St w<; 1:it
reoAAit Kal ere~AtJSa<; fI,]St hepWJE areoKAivona<; reOlOVV1:at
apXlEpeT<;. 'EreElSitv St 1:it<; t~<potJ<; trelAt'ywV1:at Kal areo-
SElxefj, apXlEpt'a avayopetJotJJi 1:E atJ1:ov, O'(KOl Ka1:t'xov-
1:E<;, e<; 0 liv Kal 1:oT<; AomoT<; JtJvSo;n ~ alpEJl<;. Kaei~otJJl
BOOK 6
The following are the tyrannies in Italy: that of Ferrara 26
of the house of Este; the Malatesta of Rimini and th~
Marche; and the tyrants of Urbino, Mantua, Milan, Rome,
Naples, and Apulia. I have already discussed the condition
of the rulers of Ferrara, Milan, Apulia, and Mantua,52 and
have made sufficient mention of them in my account. As
for the tyrants ofUrbino, that is what I knOw. The family of
the Malatesta appears to be most ancient and has ruled the
Marche for many years, ruling also Rimini and other dis-
tinguished cities in that region. From their base there they
have been appointed to military commands by the leading
powers in Italy. They have served as generals for the Vene-
tians and Tuscans, and acquired the principality of Mantua.53
I turn now to the topic of the pontiff of Rome. When the 27
pontiff dies, the cardinals assemble in a certain house, cast
votes for different sides, and choose whomever the Colonna
and Orsini cardinals choose, and in this election they fa-
vor their friends. For these are the greatest of the houses in
Rome and they are very influential, so that power oscillates
now on one side and now on the other. But they are often in
agreement and do not appoint outsiders as pontiffs or those
who support the other side. When the votes are cast and
theyobtain a re~ult, th~y acclaim that man pontiff and keep
hIm m the bnddmg until such a time as the others have con-
sented to the choice. They seat him upon a chair with a hole
37
 THE HISTORIES
r BOOK
Sf: £rel crKLfl1tOSo<; 6niJv i!xono<;, wcrTe Kal TWV oPXewv
alJTou E1tlKpeflaflEVwv 1i1t1'£creaL Tlva TWV 1tpocr-raxeEVTWV,
C,crTe KaTa<pavfj elval IivSpa elval TOUTOV. iloKoucrl yap TO
1taAatOV yuvalKa E1ttTf]V 'PWfl,]<; apX,epaTeLaV a<plKEcreal'
OU yap E1tLS']AO<; ~v, OTl Kal oi lippeve<; <1XeSov Tl Tfj<;
'haALa<; Kal ;Ofl1tC<cr']<; 1'£ -rfj<; 1tpo<; e=Epav xwpa<; E1tlelKw<;
;opWVTal TO YEveLOV' i!YKOOV Sf: yevoflEV,]V, W<; et<; Tf]V
eocrLav a<pLKeTO, yevvfjcraL Te TO 1talSLOV KaTa -ri]v eocrLav
Kal O<pefjval lmo TOU AaoU. il,' a Sf] wcr-re E1tlYVWVat Kal
flf] [2.78} 1taVO Tl EvSOla~£lV, Ii1tTOVTal, Kal ayaflevo<; E1tl-
<pwve1, "lipp']v f][-l1v Ecr-rlV " Se=OT']<;."
28 Ta flEVTOl OVOflaTa fleTa~aAAoocrlV, ola eel6TepOl cr<pWV
aUTWV Ylvoflevol Kal E<; 1taV fleTa~oAfj<; a<plKoflevol.
AipoUVTat Sf: Kat 6voflacrLa<; Ta<; trJ<p0o<;, EVTleEflevOl Ta
TWV apx,epewv 6voflaTa. LE~OVTat Sf: flEya aUTOV 01Te Tfj<;
'haALa<; ~yeflove<; Kat oi 1tpC<; -ri]v AOl1tf]V Ecr1tEpav. Kap-
S,vaALO, SE dcrlV afl<plTOU<; 1teV~KOVTa. Oi yap TOl 'haALa<;
~yefl6ve<; <1XeS6v Tl E<; Ta Suo E1tlS,eAOflevOl Ta<; apxa<;,
E1telSaV 1talSe Suo YEVWVTat, TO flEV TQ 1tatSt et<; Tf]V ~ye­
flOVLav EKS,Soacr" TO SE au TQ ETEP,!, 1talSL, C,cr1'£ flf] S,a-
<popav aUTOl<; EYYLVWeal, E<; iepwcrUv']V KaTaAeL1tecreal.
Kal TO a1tO TouSe fleyaA,]V exelV aUTOl<; -ri]v a;Lav -rfj<;
'PWfl,]<; apXl£pta, Ta Te IiAAa Kal E1tlT']SeLW<; exelV aUTQ
crUfl1taVTa<;.
29 TIepl flEV TOUTWV 'IwaKelfl EAAOYlflo<; TWV KaTa -ri]v
'haALav cro<pwv yevofltvwv, Kat E1tl flavTlKf]v a<plKOflevo<;,
TOU<; Te EcrOflEVOO<; apx,epe1<; 1tpOe~flalve, Tp01t'!' 4> av
i!KacrTO<; -roUTWV 1tap'WV E1tl -ri]v ~yeflovLav ~lWcrOlTO,
6
so that his testicles dangle down and can be touched by a
man appomted to that duty, and in this way it becomes clear
that he is a man. They believe that long ago a woman at-
tamed the pontificate at Rome. 54 The uncertainty was due
to the fact that almost all men in Italy and the western lands
regnIarly shave their beards. She then became pregnant and,
when she went to perform the eucharist, she gave birth to a
child dunng the ceremony in full view of the congregation
It is for this reason, so that they may know for certain and
ha:e no doubts, that they do this touching, and the person
domg the touching calls out, "Our lord is a man!"
They change their names on the assumption that they 28
become more holy than their previous selves and undergo a
total transformation. They choose the name with a vote too
entering the names of past pontiffs into the selection. Th~
rulers of Italy and the rest of the west show great deference
to the pontiff There are about fifty cardinals. 55 The rulers of
Italy have more or less divided positions of authority into
two: whenever they have two sons, they give over the prin-
cipality to the one son while to the other son they leave
the priesthood, to prevent the two from falling out. Because
of this, the position of pontiff of Rome has great value for
them, and so everyone is generally friendly to him.
Regarding these pontiffs, then, Joachim, a learned man 29
among the wisest of Italy, became an expert at divination
and foretold the identities of the future pontiffs as well as
the manner in which each of them would come into that
39
 THE HISTORIES
oalfl6vLOV O. ylyve<real, e1telOaV e<; 1:a epya Ka1:a<r1:ft 1:a
flav1:eufla1:a aU1:4'. Kal Atye1:al fltv 1tepl1:ou avopo<; 1:0U1:0U
Kal E1:ep' ana eaufla1:o<; a;la. 'IOlW1:'lV yap oV1:a, Kal ouo'
cmouv emitov1:a ~ flLKpOV ~ fltya <roq>la<;, 1tUAWPOV ot
oV1:a Ka1:a 1:lVa flov~v 1:WV tv 'haAl~ OV1:WV Na~'lpalwv,
1:UXeLV tAeOv1:a e<; Kfj1tOV' 1:4' O. 1tOPeuofltvcp e1tlq>avfjvat
avopa aU1:4' 1:0 eIoo<; KaAA[(11:0V, Kal t1tl<r1:av1:a ot ei1teLv,
Ka1: t XOV1:a tv [2.79} 1:al<; xep<rlv UOPeLOV, "ciJ 'IwaKeLfl, Aa~e,
1tle 1:0U o'(vou 1:0U1:ou' KaAAlmo<; yap tml." Tov O. Aa~OV1:a
e1tl1tleLV 1:£ 1:0U o'lvou tKavw<; Kal eflq>0p'lefjval. D<; ot apa
tKavw<; exetv aU1:4' e'ip'l1:al 1tpo<; 1:0V aVepW1tOV, enel1teLv
au"t'(~ "Cov &'vSpa, "til 'IwaKE[~, et'to 1tGiv E1tLEC; 'tau o'(vou, "Co
1taV il0et<; aKpl~w<;." 'Ev1:eueev 1:01<; <roq>W1:a1:0l<; Ka1:a-
mfjval 1:e e<; olaAe;lv, Kal oalflovLoV 1:lVa ~v <roq>(av £:rCL-
q>alve<real. 'Ev1:eueev O. wPfl'lfltvov e1tl ~v 1:fj<; apx"pa-
1:eLa<; 1)yeflovlav, 1tpo<r'l flaVal fleyaA' ana e<rofleva 01:cpouv,
a1to<r'lfletw<raflevo<;, w<r1:e Ka1:aq>avfj ylve<real, e1tetoav
e<; epyov tK~fi. Ola fltV1:0l 1tpoe<r1)flatvev, e;e<r1:lV iOeLv·
a1tav1:aXfi 1teptYov1:WV 1:WV <T'lfleLWV aU1:ou.
)0 ITepl O. 1:WV Ka1:a ~v 'haAlav 1:upavvwv, ou 1taw
fleyaAwv OV1:WV Kal U1t' aU1:ov 1:a1:1:ofltvwv 1:0V MeOLO-
Aavou 1)yeflova, Ii o~ Kal ot 1:fj<; :ElKeAla<; Kal KaAa~pla<;
Kal 'Ia1tuyla<; Kal 1:fj<; an'l<; xwpa<; 1:fj<; Ka1:a 1:1)voe ~v
Xwpav U1tO 1:4' ITapeevo1t'l<; ~a<rlAel 1:anov1:at, ouotv
otov e1tlflv'l<refjVat 1tepl aU1:wv, 1tap~<rw. IToAL1:elat O. t<;
~v 'haAlav 1:£Aou<ral ei<rlv fj 1:e Oueve1:wv 1tOAl<; Kal1) Bo-
vwvla Kal at TUPP'lvlKal1tOAet<; (ll<ral1:£ eL<r(, Kal1tp01:epov
flOl oeo1)AW1:at) [1t0flevat 1:ft cpAwpev1:l~ Kal Ka1:a 1:au1:a
BOOK 6
office and conduct himself in it. 56 He became an object
of marvel when his prophecies became actual fact. Other
amazing things are said about this man. When he was an
ordinary man, before he possessed any wisdom, whether
small or great, he was the gatekeeper of a certain monastery
in Italy57 and he happened to enter a garden. As he was walk-
ing along, a man of splendid appearance appeared before
him; he stood and said to him, holding a jug in his hands,
"0 Joachim, take, drink this wine; it is quite delightful." He
took it and drank it down until he had his fill. When he
told the man that he had had enough, the man said to him,
"0 Joachim, if you drink all the wine, you will know sim-
ply everything with precision." From then on he was able
to converse with the wisest men and displayed a kind of su-
pernatural wisdom. 58 From then on he strongly supported
the hegemony of the papacy and foretold many great events
that would happen, specifYing signs in detail so that it would
be perfectly clear when his predictions had come true. As
for the sorts of predictions that he made, one can see the
signs that he postulated appearing everywhere.
Regarding the tyrannies in Italy, which are not very large )0
and are subject to the ruler of Milan himself, just as the ty-
rants of Sicily, Calabria, Apulia, and the rest of the terri-
t~ries in that realm are subject to the king of Parthenope,
smce I need not record anything about them, I will pass
them by. As for the republics in Italy there are the cities of
the Venetians and Bologna; the cities ofTuscany (I have ear-
lier specified which these are)59 that follow Florence and are
4'
 r
I
BOOK.6
j
THE HISTORIES

governed in the same way; and the city of the Genoese.

OLOl1WUfl£VaL, Kat ~ -rWV 'IavuTwv 1tOA,<;. Av-raL fI£V OUV
crx£/)OV al -rfj<; 'haAla<; ~Y£flovla" o-r£ fI£V 1tpo<; -rou<; Ou-
£v£-rou<;, o-r£ O£ Kat1tpo<; -rOV M£oLOAavou wpavvov -r~v
O1lflflaxlav 1tOLOUfl£VaL. 'E1tav£'fI' O£ e1tt -rov 1tpo-r£pov
AOyOV. [2.8o}
3 "EAA'lV£<; fI£V W<; e1t' O'{KOU eKofll~ov-ro, -r<iJ -r£ ~a(nA£l
' nos, the king's brother, who had gone to the Peloponnese,
Afloupa-rn 1tp£O'~£L<; 1t£fl1tOv-r£<; ~!;louv -r£ au-r<iJ £lp~V'lV
1tO'£lO'eaL Kal efl1t£owO'aL au-r<iJ -ra<; O'1tOvoa<;. 3uv£~'l O£ ou
1tOAA<iJ uO'-r£pov -rOV fI£v-ro, KwvO"rav-rlvov -rou ~aO"A£W<;
aO£A<pOV e1tt il£A01tOVV'lO'ov a<p'Kofl£Vov 1tapaKaAciv -rOV
aO£A<pOV e1tl ~V -rfj<; ~aO"Ada<; o,aoomv, Kat a1t£-
O'1taO'fI£vov WPfl~O'eaL flEv ainov e1tt Bu~av-r'ov 1tA£ov-ra,
Y£VOfl£VOV of. ev A~flV4', W<; ~Y'1f1£ -rou A£O'~ou ~Y£flovo<;
euya-r£pa, e1tL1tA£uO'al n au-r<iJ -rou ~aO"A£W<; O"rOA4' AXfla -
-r'lV, Kat1tOALOpK~O'aL au-rov ev Ko-r~lv4' -rfj<; A~flVOU 1tOA£L
O'i>v -rol<; afl<p' au-rov. Tov O£ AXfla-r'lv a1to~av-ra e<; -r~v
v~O'ov Kat emOpaflov-ra 1tOALOPKciv -rOV ~aO"A£W<; aO£A<pOV
e1tt ~fI£pa<; e1t-ra Kal £"(KOO", Kat Ka-ra~aAov-ra -ro -rcix°<;
-r'1A£~OAO'<;, OUK ~Ouv~e'1 ~,aO'aO'ea" ",O'-r£ £lO'£Aeciv e<;
-r~v 1tOA,V. M£-ra o£, W<; OUK ~ouva-ro e!;£Aciv, a1t£1tA£' e1t'
O·{KOU.
3' '0 fI£v-ro, KwvO"rav-rlvo<; y£vofl£vo<; e1tt Bu~av-rLOv, Kat
YVWfI'lV a1tOO£'KVufl£vou -rou ~aO"A£W<;, ",O'-r£ a<p'K£O'eaL
au-r<iJ -rov aO£A<pov, ave,<; e1tt ileA01tOvv'lO'ov eAeciv -re
au-rov, Kat -rov aoeA<pOv au-rou 8eoowpov o'ixeO'eaL Ka-ra-
AL1tOv-ra -re ~v ileA01tOvv'lO'ov Kal amov-ra e<; Bu~av-rLOv.
Tou-rOL<; fI£v e<; -roO'ou-rov eytve-ro' 0 of. v£w-repo<; -rou-rwv
aO£A<po<; ~'lfl~-rpLO<; e<; o,a<popav -r<iJ ~aO"Ael a<p'Koflevo<;
These are almost all the powers in Italy, and they make alli-
ances sometimes with the Venetians and sometimes with
the tyrant of Milan. I rerurn now to where I left off
When the Greeks returned home, they sent envoys to 3I
Sultan Murad and asked him to make peace and confirm
their treaty. It happened shortly afterward that Konstanti-
was summoned by his brother to succeed to the throne and
so he departed from there and set sail for Byzantion. He
reached Lemnos but, when he married the daughter of the
ruler of Lesbos,60 Ahmed, he of Sultan Murad's fleet, sailed
against him and besieged him and his men in Kotzinos, a
city of Lemnos. Ahmed landed on the island, raided it, and
besieged the king's brother for twenty-seven days.61 He de-
molished the walls with cannons but was unable to take the
city by force and enter into it. Afterward, as he was unable
to take it, he sailed home.
Konstantinos came to Byzantion where the king an- 3'
nounced his opinion that his brother [Theodoros?} should
come to him, that he [Konstantinos?} should go back to the
Peloponnese, and that his brother Theodoros should de-
part, leave the Peloponnese, and come to Byzantion. 62 And
this is what they did. But their younger brother Demetrios
fell out with the king because the latter had stripped him of

43
42
 r
THE HISTORIES
it<peAOflev~ aUTOU Ta 1tAdw TIj<; xwpa<;, W<; ouS£v aUT<9 TWV
SeOVTWV 1tpocreXWpet 1tpO<; TOU aSeA<pOU, Sla1tpecr~eucrafle­
VO<; 1tpo<; ~acrlAea AfloopaTYJv Kal ;Ofl1tapaAa~wv 1tap'
aUTOU CYTpaTeufla e1teAacre Te Kal e1tOAlopKet Bo~avTlOv.
MeT' ou 1tOAU S£ TOU Acravew TOU yafl~pou, [2.BI} avSpo<;
flEya Sovaflevoo ev Bo~avTi~ Kal SOKOUVTO<; CYOfl1tpa;etv
aUT<9 Ta 1tpo<; T~V ~acrlAeiav, w<; ouS£v ~VUeTO aUT<9,
a1texwpet. MeT' ou 1tOAU S£ Sla1tpecr~eucraflevo<; 1tpo<; TOV
aSeA<pov aUTou ~acrlAea ~Ke Te e<; Bo~avTlOV, Kal ou 1tOAA<9
ilcrTepov EaAW aUTO<; Te Kal " TIj<; yovalKO<; aSeA<po<; U1tO
~acrlAew<; 'EAAiJVWV 'lwavvoo. Kal ev <poAaKft xwpl<; a1t'
aAAiJAWV DVTe TOUTW, il1tOTl8eflEvOo TOU Acravew a1teSpa
Te WKTO<; e<; ~V KaTaVTlKpu 1tOAlV ~V raAaT[YJV, Kal S,a-
1tpecr~eucraflevo<; £TOXf. Te dp~vYJ<; Kal e<; ~V apx~v av8l<;
'~v e1tl TOU Eu;eivoo 1tOVTOO a<piKeTO, Kal " yovalKa-
SeA<po<; aUTOU a1teAu8YJ lJ1tO ~acrtAf.w<;.
33 '0 flf.VTOl ~acrtAeu<; Ta<; Te cr1tovSa<; efl1teSwcra<; 1tpo<;
AfloopaTYJV TOV MeXfleTeW, ouS£v fleVTOl ~nov £1tpacrcre
1tpo<; TOV EuyevelOv TOV 'PWflYJ<; apxtepea Sla1tpecr~euofle­
VO<; Kal1tpo<; TOV ~acrlAf.a ITalovwv AaSlcrAcwv, vewcrTl e1tl
T~V ~acrlAeiav KaTacrTaVTa. 'Ev~ye S£ aUTOV OTl flaAlCYTa
rewpylO<; BOUAKO<;, ecrTepYJflEVO<; Te TIj<; apm<; Kal xp~flaTa
fleyaAa e<; ~v eKcrTpaTeiav TauTYJv ;ofl~aAA6f1evo<;. 80Kei
fleVTol Kal 'lwavvYJ<; "XWVlaTYJ<;, TOTe flf.ya Sovaflevo<; Kal
So;av a1tO<pepoflevo<; e<; Ta<; KaTa ToupKWV CYTpaTYJyia<;
aUT<9, avayvwcrat ev flaAa ~acrlAf.a ITalovwv e1tlAfloopaTYJv
TOV MeXfleTeW CYTpaTeuecr8al. 'EVTau8a croAAf.;a<; crTpaTov
flf.y'CYTOV, CYOfl1tapaAa~wv Kal 8paKOUAYJV TWV 8aKWV
44
BOOK 6
most of his lands. As he was failing to get anything that he
needed from his brother, he sent an envoy to Sultan Murad,
received an army from him, and marched out to besiege
Byzantion. 63 Shortly afterward he departed, as he was mak-
ing no progress, even though his brother-in-law Asanes, a
man who was very influential in Byzantion, seemed to be
collaborating with him in the struggle for the throne. 64
Shortly afterward he sent an envoy to his brother the king
and came to Byzantion; shortly thereafter, both he and his
wife's brother were arrested by loannes, the king of the
Greeks. The two men were held separately in prison but,
at Asanes's instigation, Demetrios escaped at night across
to the city of Galatas. Sending envoys, he made peace and
was appointed again to the Black Sea command." His wife's
brother was also released by the king.
The king confirmed the treaty with Murad, the son of 33
Mehmed, and was no less active with embassies to Euge-
nius, the pontiff of Rome, and Wladislaus, the king of the
Hungarians, who had just come to the throne. 66 The latter
was urged on especially by Duraa Vuk, who had been de-
prived of his principality and contributed large sums of
money to that campaign. 67 It seems that Janko Hunyadi,
who was very influential at the time and had won much
glory for his victories against the Turks, successfully induced
the king of the Hungarians to march against Murad, the son
of Mehmed. So he assembled a huge army, taking with him
[Vlad II} Dracul, the ruler of the Wallachians, and Duraa,
45

THE HISTORIES
~yeflova, fewpyLOv S' au TWV Tpl~aAAwv ~yeflova -rfj,
6Soo yevoflevov. ·Bn£lS1: TOV ·'I(npOV Sla~aVTe, E, ~V TOO
~a,:nAEW, xwpav {2.82} tytVOV-ro, tVTa08a nav, 0 Tl iiv
tflnoSwv YEVOlTO aUToT" 80uAouflevol tnopeUOVTO, Kat
Ta, Te KWfla, Kat L0'l'[av noAlV euSa[flova tflnlnpWVTe,
tSiJOUV.
34
AflOUpaT!], flEvTOl W<; tnuv8aveTO TO\><; I1a[ova<; t1tlEVat
fleyaAn X£lP[, oUflnav-ra<; TO\><; -rfj<; Ao[a, Te Kat Bupwn!]<;
OTpaTO\>, ouvayElpa<; tntl£l Te aUTO<; iifla w<; OUfl~OA~V
nOl!]OOflevo<;. ·BnEl Te S~ t<; BaolA[T~av KaAOUflEV!]V w- x ans, to notify him of their movements, and to block the pass
pav, KaT£Aa~ev aUTOO TO\><; I1a[ova<; o-rpaToneSeuoflEvou<;.
Kat AfloupaT!]<; flev KatnpoTepov OTpaTeufla tnl1tEflta <;
EKEAeuev, wOTe 'l'uAanelv TOV I1atovwv oTpaTov, onol
YEVOlTO SlaOl]fl;jvat aUT<ji Kat TO Te OTevov TOO opou, -rfj<;
BaolA[T~!]<; StVSPOl<; 'l'pa;aflEVOU<; SlaKwAuElV nelpa08at.
Ol flev oihw EnOLOUV, Kat 'l'pa;afleVOl tn£lpWVTO KwAuelV,
KaL nn Kat tn£lpWVTO ol I1aLove, naplEval dow tnt T~V
ElpQ:K!]V. AfloupaT!], S1: t, TO opo<; TO Ka8~flevov Ent Ta
o-reva T;j<; oSoo tOTpaToneSeueTo, tv-ra08a ouAAE;a<; TO\><;
apLoTou<; aUTOO, Kat flaAloTa TO\><; SOKoOV"ta, tv o-rpa-
T!]yLat<; yevE08at nepl'l'~flou<;. 'Hoav S' OUTOl 1eoE Te 6
TOO BpeVE~ew, Toupaxav!]<; 6 ElenaALa<; unapx0<;, Kou-
flOUAL!]<;, XaoLfI!]<; 6 T~<; Bupwn!]<; o-rpaT!]Y0<; Kat10aaK!]<;
6 TWV LKonLwv unapx0<;. A'l'lKOfl£vWV S1: aUTwv Kat napa-
Ka8!] fltvwv &eye TOlaSe.
35
""l\vSpe, MOUOOUAflavol, ufleT<; opaTE, 01 avaYK!]<;
a'l'LK£To Ta npaYflaTa ~flwv. I1aLove<; yap olSe EKoTpa-
TeuoflevOl, Kat TO\><; L\.aKO\><; Kat Tpl~aAAWV ~yeflova
BOOK 6
the ruler of the Serbs, to show him the way. When they
crossed the Danube and entered the sultan's territory. they
marched onward enslaving everyone they found in their
way. They plundered and burned the towns and the prosper-
ous city of Sofia. 68
When Murad learned that the Hungarians were attack- 34
ing him with a large army, he called up the entire armies of
Asia and Europe and marched against them in person to
give battle. When he reached a place called Basilitza, he
found the Hungarians encamped there." Murad had earlier
senj an advance army to contain the army of the Hungari-
of the Basilitza Mountain with trees in an effort to block
their passage. They did what they were told and stopped up
the pass, attempting to block passage, while the Hungari-
ans were attempting to proceed forward into Thrace. Mu-
rad made his camp on the mountain by the narrow point in
the road. Here he assembled his best men, especially those
who had the best reputation for strategy. They were isa, the
son of Evrenos; Turahan, the prefect of Thessaly; Kiimlii;
Kasim, the general of Europe; and Ishak, the prefect ofSko-
pje. When they arrived and took their seats, Murad said the
following:
"Muslims, you see to what dire necessity our affairs have 35
come. These Hungarians are marching against us, bringing
the Wallachians and the ruler of the Serbs too. Now is the
47
 r!
THE HISTORIES
7CapaAa~ov'w;, (J"rpa't£uonat Ka8' ~f'WV, Nuv £Opa eO''tlv,
£'i'tl aya86v 'tl<; e7ClVOel, 07CW<; Kpa't~O'£l 'tovS£ 'tOY 7COA£f'OV
'tl8£f'EVOl<; £D YEVOl'tO ~f'lv, <ppaS£lv ev {2,83} 't<li 7CapOnl,
'Efto1 yap 7COA£f'']'tEa't£ £Lval ~f'lv Ka1 f'ax']v O'tl 'taX'O''ta
7COlelO'8at, O'Uf'~aAAoV'ta<; 'tol<; 7CoA£f'lol<;' alp~O'£lv yap
oIf'at ~f'a<; 'touO'S£ OA[YOU<; 't£ iSv'ta<; e<; 'tOY apl8f'ov, Nuv
S1: SOKel f'0l <'>f'Ocr£ lona<; 't~v f'aXY]v 7COlelO'8al Ka1 f'~ S,a-
f'EAA£<V-"
)6 Tau'ta el7COV'tO<; 'tou l\f'oupa't£w Xacrlf'']<; <'> -rij<; Eu-
pw7CYj<; O"tpa't']yo<;, e7Co'tpuvWv e<; f'aXY]v, e'A£;£ 'tOlaS£, "12
~aO'lA£u, OUK EO"tlV, OO''tl<; OUK e7CalvEO'£'tat 'tovS£ 'tOY
AOYOV, w<; ~aO'lA£l 't£ 7CpOcrijKOV f'£yaA'P Ka1 'O'touf'avlSn,
11<; 'tol<; 7CoA£f'lol<; ouS1:v e<plEf'£vO<;, avSpacrl 't£ oAlyou
a;lol<;, Ka1 ~v n xwpav avacrwS£lv 7C£lp~, "Hv St f'~ f'axw-
f'£8a, ~f"v n 'ta <ppov~f'a'ta a7CoAAu'tal, eYKa8lO''taf'£Va
U7CO SEOU<; 'tou ~aO'lAEw<;, Ka1 'tol<; 7CoA£f'lol<; eppwf'£vEO"t£-
pa ylv£'tal, Ka1 SESolKa, f'~ e<; 'touvav'tlov, ii SOKel ~ f'lv
w<pEA£la £O'£O'8al, 7C£plcrtU ~ e<; ~v f'aXY]v ava~oA~, Kat
ef'o[ 't£ OUK ava"X£'tov ~v ap~v eSoK£l 't~v 't£ e'(O'oSov
<ppaTI£O'8at w<; S£S'O'tWV ~f'wv, Kal 'tau't']v ~f'wv 't<li
O"tpa't<li ~v £vvolav ef'~aAelV, 'AAX £u8v exp~v iov'ta<;,
£u8v<; avaKlvSuv£U£lV O'uft~aAAov'ta<;, Ka1 'tau-rn 7C£lPW-
f'EVOU<; O'WS£lV 't~v xwpav, f',]Stv "<pl£O'8al 'tol<; 7COA£f'IOl<;,
el ~OUA£l au'to<;, W ~aO'lA£u, 'to6crS£ 'tov<; ~v crijv xwpav
SnwO'ana<; 'tlf'wpelO'8aL El S1: f'~, au'to<; Ka8']O'0 ev'tau8a'
eyo, SE't£ au'to<; 'touO'S£ O'ol7CapaO"t~O'w, £OO"t£ f'~'t£ au'tov<;
f'~n 'tov<; Aomov<; 'tov<; 7CpO<; EO'7CEpaV e8£A~O'al 7Con
evav'tla 0'01 emEvaL" {2,84}
BOOK 6
time: if any of you cau devise a good plan that we can imple-
ment in order to prevail in this war, declare it now. I believe
that we must fight, and give battle as quickly as possible,
by attacking the enemy. For I think that we will overpower
them, as they are so few in number, It seems to me that we
must go now, all together, and give battle, and not put it of£"
When Murad spoke these words, Kasim, the general of )6
Europe, urged him to battle, saying, "0 sultan, there is no
one who will not praise your words, which befit a great Ot-
toman sultan who, having committed no aggression against
his enemies, those men of little worth, is attempting to pre-
serve his realm, If we do not fight, our morale, grounded in
the fear that we have of our sultan, will crumble, while that
of the enemy will grow stronger, And I fear that putting off
battle will lead to the opposite result than the one that
we believe will bring us advantage, From the beginning it
seemed unbearable to me that we blocked the pass as if we
were afraid, and gave that impression to our army. Now we
must go directly against them, immediately run the risk of
battle, make a trial of it to save our land and not yield to the
enemy-that is, 0 sultan, if you want to punish these men
who have plundered your land, If not, then you should re-
main here, I myself will bring them to you so that neither
they nor anyone else in the west will ever want to come
against you again!"
49
 r
THE HISTORIES
37 Tav-ra fl£V Xa<Ylfl'l, 6 Ma~aflEw 1tal, €AEYE' <YlW1tWV-rWV
8£ -rWV aAAwv Kal ou -roAflwnwv Evav-rlav yvwfl'lv -rov
~a<YlAtw<; a1t08ElKvu<YSaL, Tovpaxav'l, 6 Eln-raAla, u1tap-
XO, t'AE~E -rola8E. "Xp~ fltv, OJ ~a<Y'AEv, 0 -rl <ppovwv
-rvyxavEl ~Ka<Y-ro" -ra <Ya fl'l8tv -rl U1tOAoyl~oflEvo<; AtyElv,
Kal o<Y,!, 8~ Kal flEl~W -rov Klv8vvov 1taptXE-raL -ra EVE<Y-rw-ra.
Kal E1tl-r~8ELO, ~v -rvyxavn WV, avaYK'l, e1tEl8av -rl, au-r<ii
Klv8vvo<; E1tl<Y-rfj, <ppa~£lv, 0 -rl <ppov£1 ~Ka<Y-ro,. IIoAA<ii 8'
iiv e-rl fluAAOV Kal 8£<Y1to-r!] XPEWV a1t08ElKvv<YSaL, 0 -rl iiv
~flwV ~Ka<Y-ro, ylVW<YK!] E, -ra 1tapona, o<Y,!, -rE Kal KOlVO,
E<p' ~flu, a<plKVEl-ral (, Klv8vvo,. 'Eyw yap, OJ ~a<YlAEv, Eli
8LOlKolfl' ltv -ra <Ya 1tpaYfla-ra {~v}. "Hv 8t -rwv 1t-rEPUyWV
fllav a<ptA!]" KaKw, fl£v 8vv~<YnaL xpfj<YSaL alJ-rfj E, i.l -rl
iiv yevol-ro xpEla, ~v 8£ Kal ~v htpav a<pEAoflEvo, Ka-ra-
AI1t!], -ro <Ywfla au-rfi, flovov, [1t-ra<YSal flenol OUK iiv hl
EXOl , 1t0PEUE<YSaL 8t floVOV Ka-raAEl1tol-r' iiv au-rfj. IIw, 8'
iiv au-rfj '8£ XP~<YaL-ro e-rl -rov AOl1tOV, ~v -rE E1tl -rpo<p~v
ESEA~<Y!] [EVaL, ~v -rE aAAo -rl xpfj<YSal o[ E, -ra 1tapov-ra
au-rfi; Tov-ro 8' ltv Aeyolfll Kal e1tl <YoV. Ta, -rE yap Supa,
<Ywfla <P'lfll £Ival, Kal ~E~aLO-r'h'lv ~fllV U1tOAEl1tE<YSaL U1CO-
80~v Ev-ravSa' -ro 8£ A<Yla, <Y-rpa-rEUfla 1C-rtpvyl -rE £iKa~w,
w<Yau-rw, Kal-ro Eupw1C'l<;' MaxofltvOl, fl£v ouv ou8' hEpa
u1CO<Y-rfjval E, -rtAO, -rov aywva ESEA~<YoV<Ylv, aA)( ~ fl£v
{2.85} A<Yla ou8t £I, x£1pa, a<p(~E-raL -rOU-rOl, 80pv<popol,
-rE OU<Yl Kal W1tAl<YflEvol<; au-rol, -rE, -ro 8t -rfi, Eupw1t'l'
flaXE<YSaL fl£v eSEA~<YEl, a1Clov-ro<; 8£ -rov A<Ylavov floVOV
u1COA£l1CoflEVOV OUKe-rl E1ClflEv£1-rtAEOv, aAAa <pEU~El-ral Kal
au-ro, 01C0l iiv 8uval-r0 <YW~E<ySaL. 'Y1CoA£i1Cov-raL 8t <Y0l a[
BOOK 6
That is what Kasim said, the son of Mazak. 70 When the 37
rest were now silent and did not dare express an opinion
contrary to that of the sultan, Turahan, the prefect of
Thessaly, said the following: "0 sultan, each person should
say what he happens to believe, regardless of what you have
said, especially as the present moment is one of great dan-
ger. If he happens to be a friend, it is necessary for each per-
son to speak what he believes when danger threatens his
friend. It is even more necessary to tell one's lord what each
of us knows at the moment, insofar as the danger threatens
us all in common, For I, 0 sultan, would have your affairs
governed welL If you remove one wing from a bird, it will be
unable to use it well in case of necessity; if you cut the other
one off as well, leaving only its body, then it will not be able
to fly and will only be able to walle Howwill it then function
in the future, if it needs to obtain food or do anything else
in its present circumstances? I would say that this applies to
you as well. The Porte is the body, and it provides a most se-
cure base of operations right here. The army of Asia I am
comparing to one wing, and likewise the army of Europe.
Neither one of the two will want to see the battle through to
the end; rather, Asia will not come to blows with the enemy,
who bear spears and are armored, while the army of Europe
will want to fight but, without the army of Asia, will be left
on its own and will no longer persist to the end. It too will be
put to flight, seeking safety wherever that can be found. You
51
 r
I
THE HISTORIES
aupaL Kat ot VE~AOSE" Kat OUK £xw (1)fl~aAter9al, il1tw, ltv
erwcrr] erao't<ji £1tl'tI']SElW, xp~er9aL £, 'ta 1tapov'ta, ~ aflUVE-
er9al flOVOV, ouStv 'tl Sla1tpaTIOflEVOV. AAAa SOK£l flev £flol
erofl~oA~V flev fl~ 1tol£ler9aL, aXt: avaxwpoliV'tE, £, 'tou1tlerw
'(Eer9aL, £1tl il 'tl ltv ~[ffv £fl1tOSWV ylYVI']'tal, Kat 'toli'to 1tOl-
£lV, £, " /'tv au'tot Alfl<ji 1tld;OflEVOl 'ta flaAler'ta 'ta efl1taAlV
ytvwv'taL, Kal oihw xaAE1tW, exooerlv £1tl'tl9Eer9aL Ka'ta
Suvafllv. Kal eer'taL S~ 'to'tE xp~er9aL 'tOU'tOl" il 'tl /'tv ~oo­
AolflE9a."
38 Tau't!] 'tft yvwfln, w, £SOKEl 'to aflElvwv ~, 1tpo'ttpa,
ElVaL, t'tl9EV't0 Kat ot AOl1tot1tapoV'tE, 'tME £, 't~v ~OOA~V.
'IEere Se 6 BpEvt~Ew i:'AE~E 'to laSE. "Eflol SOK£l, & ~aerlAEli,
fll']Sev ilv ~fllv £1tl~SElOV. "Hv 'tE yap 1tEplytvOLO 1tOAEfllwv,
OUK £Vopw, i5 'tl ltv ytVOl'tO erOl iI<PEAO, a1to 'tou'too. Kat
yap 'tOl ITala~~'tI'], 6 AalAat, ero, 1ta1t1to" hptta'to
fltV'tOl 'tou, KEA'tou, 'tE Kat ITalova,' ou fltV'tOl yE /I<I'EAO,
au't<ji ~ovt~1'] yE a1to 'tou'too, aX)': £, ~v xwpav a1t0Xw-
POliV'tE, ~v er<pE'ttpav er<pa, 'tE au'tou, eerwerav au'tlKa
lOV'tE, Kal 't~v xwpav Slterwerav. "Hv Se 'touvaV'tlov erofl~ii,
a1ta(erLOV AtyElV, oT, ~ofl~~erE'taL xaAE1ta a1to 'tou'too. AflEl-
vov Se 1tav'ta alp£ler9aL 'ta aer<paA~ au'twv 'tlva l'Kaer'tov,
a<p' &v a1tO~~erE'taL au't<ji fll']Stv 'tl Slaer<paAtv'tl ~'t't1']9~vaL
flev flI']Saflw" {z.86} 1tEplyEvter9aL Se 'twv £vaV'tlwv, ~v fl~
1tapa yvwfll']v £~lOl au't<ji 'ta epya. ~uo S~ alpterEwv, ~,
'tE £1tler<paAoli, ouerl'], ~fllv, 1tEpl~, SESlO'tE, ~00AEOOflE9a,
Kat ~, Ct.cr<paAEer'ttpa, 1tOAA<ji 'tau'tl']" atp£ler9aL Xp~ ~v
Ct.cr<paA~ flaAAov, Kat ii /) voli, exOl, 'tau't!] flaAAov ~ ilAAn
1tOl Aoyl~Eer9aL. 'Eflot St, U1toxwp~eraL flev 'tol, £vav'tlOl,
BOOK 6
have, then, the Porte and the janissaries, but I cannot say
how you would appropriately save yourself in those circum-
stances, or at least defend yourself, but accomplish nothing.
It seems to me that we should not make an attack, but with-
draw and move back, dealing with anything that gets in our
way, and do this until the enemy is hard pressed by hunger
and turns back. Then, when they are in a weaker position,
we can attack with our full force. Then we will be in a posi-
tion to deal with them as we please."
This opinion seemed to be better than the previous one 38
and all others who were present at the council agreed with
it. But Isa, the son of Evrenos, said the following: "It seems
to me, 0 sultan, that this is not at all in our interest. For if
you prevail over the enemy, I cannot see what benefit you
will derive from it. Bayezid the Hurricane, your grandfather,
routed the French and the Hungarians, but he derived no
benefit from this; they withdrew back to their own land and
saved themselves by going back immediately and so kept
their own land." But if the opposite should happen - heaven
forbid! - then horrible things will come of it. It is best for
each man to choose the safest course of action, from which
the outcome will be that he does not go wrong and is not
defeated but prevails over the other side, provided that his
actions go according to plan. Between these two options,
one that is full of danger for us, about which we are deliber-
ating in fear, and another one that is much safer than this
one, we should prefer the safer course. It is a matter of intel-
ligence to think in this way rather than in any other. To me,
53

THE HISTORIES
OU't'E 0"0(, W ~ao"lAEU, 1tpE1tOV EO"'t'[V, OU't" ltv au't'o') O"U~~OU­
A£ucratfl L' <P£UY£LV yap iiv So;atfl£V, Kat EK£lVOl<; flEV E<; 'to
~EA'tLOV 1tap[cr'ta'tat, ~flLV SE E<; 'touvav't[ov. OuS' ltv E1tL-
crxdv £'tL, oTflat, SuvaLfI£ea 'tou<; 't£A<YLavou<; Kat 'tOV 1t£~OV,
OV Exofl£v. AAAa flCtx£creat flEV fl1']K£'tL, <ppa;afl£vou<; SE £'tL
~£A'tLOV EltlfI£v£LV, IiXPL<; OU E<; CtVCtYK1']v Ct<pLKWV'tat iJ1t0Xw-
pdv, Ct1t0XWPOUcrL SE E1tL'tLeWeaL au'tLKa crUv 'tOL<; t1t1t£U<YLV
E1tOflEVOU<;, Kal ~ACt1t't£LV, 0 'tL iiv Suva[fI£ea."
39
Tau'tl] -rft yvwflU £'tL TIj<; 1tpo'tEpa<; Ctfl£lvovL cruV't[e£-
creat E<pacrav Kat ot Aomot 'tWV 'to't£ 1tapov'twv. 'Ev'tauea
tSOK£L fI~'t£ crUfl~oA~V 1tOL£Lcreat fI~'t£ Ct1toxwpdv, 'tPL~£LV
SE 'tov Xpovov au'tou EltLfI£voV'ta<;, Kat Ct1t0XWPOUcrL 'tOL<;
1tOA£fI[OL<; tltL't[e£creat, 'to TIj<; Eupw1t1']<; cr'tPCt't£ufla Eltl1t£fI-
1tov'ta<;, Kat njv 'to £'lcroSov <pUACt't't£LV, w<; S£SUV1']v'tat 'ta
flCtALO"'ta, Ctfluvofl£vOL<; Eb£SOK'tO. T~v 'to £1crobov E<puAa't-
'tov, Ii Ebuvav'to, w<; KpCt'tLO"'ta Ctfluvofl£VOL. Kat E1t£LpWV'tO
flEV 1tapL£VaL ot TIa[ov£<; Kal ~LCt~£creat 'tou<; TOUPKOU<;, ou
fI£V'tOL EbuvaV'to. 11<; yap E1tmL1t'tov't£<; E~LCt~OV'tO [crxupw<;,
Ev'taUea ot Aomol 'tWV TOUpKWV t1t£~O~eOUV, Kat weLcrfl0<;
EY£V£'tO Ctfl<PO't£PWV' T£Ao<; Se wcrCtfl£VOL 'tou<; TIaLova<; ot
'tou ~acrLA£w<; 'icr'taV'to Efl1tOSwv.
Xpovou SE {2.87} E1tLy£vOfl£vou, w<; oubev ~vuov ot
TIa[ov£<; Kat ALfI<I> t1tL£~OV'tO, EV'taUea Ct1t£XWPOUV 'ta i'fI-
1taALV y£vofl£VOL. NUK'tO<; be crU<YKwacrCtfl£VOL t1tOP£uov'to.
11<; Se ~w<; U1t£<patV£ Kat 'to 'tWV 1tOA£fI[WV O"'tpa't01t£bOV
EWPWV ot TOUPKOL o[xofl£VOV U1tO ~V VUK'ta, EfI£VOV.
'EV'tauea EltLA£;Ctfl£VO<; 'tou O"'tpa'tou au'tou, acroL EfI£VOV
Kal1tap£<YKwacrflevOL ~crav, tltL'tp£1t£L Xacr[flU 't<l> Eupw1t1']<;
54
BOOK 6
then, it does not seem fitting that you, 0 sultan, withdraw
before the enemy, nor would I advise it. For we would seem
to be fleeing and it would strengthen their position, while
weakening ours. Nor, on the other hand, do I think that we
would prevail with the Asians and the infantry that we have.
We should not offer battle, but persist in blocking the pass
even more strongly nntil necessity forces them to withdraw
and, when they are withdrawing, then we will attack them
in pursuit with the cavalry and harm them in whatever way
we can."
The rest of those present agreed that this opinion was 39
even better than the previous one. Thereupon they decided
neither to attack nor to withdraw but to stall them by hold-
ing that line, to attack the enemy when they withdrew, send-
ing the army of Europe against them, having decided to
goard the pass as closely as possible, as defenders. So they
goarded the pass in whatever way they were able, defending
it as vigorously as they could. The Hungarians attempted
to force their way through the Turks, but failed. For as they
attacked them and applied tremendous force, the rest of
the Turks came up to help and a pushing struggle ensued.
Finally, the sultan's men pushed the Hungarians back and
stood in their way, blocking their passage. 72
A while later, as the Hungarians were accomplishing 40
nothing and they were being pressed by hunger, they with-
drew and turned back. They gathered their gear and began
their march at night. When dawn appeared and the Turks
saw that the enemy camp had been abandoned during the
night, they held their position. Thereupon the sultan se-
lected from his army those who remained and were pre-
pared, and charged Kasim, the general of Europe, to pursue
55
 THE HISTORIES
<1'tpa't'1yQ SIWKelV 'tou, reoAefl[ou" Ka,'tov ye Toup axav '1v
EKEAwev Eree<19", exov'ta 'to 'tfj, 8enaA[a, <1'tpa'twfla .
Ou'to, flev ouv Aa~wv 'tOU'tOU" w, elXe reoSwv, ~Aauvev
EmSlWKWV 'tou, reoAefl[ou,' Ereel Se 'Iwavv'1, repOnSel'tou,
ToupKou, <r<p[<11V areOXWpOU<11V Em'te9'1<10fl tvou " Em-
Ad;aflevo , Ka, OU'to, 'twv rr",OVWv 'tlVa, 'tou, ap[<1'tou,
Ka9[<1'ta'to E, EVESpa" W, EmOU<11 't01, TOUpKOl, Ka,
SIWKOU<11 'to tau'twv <1'tpa'teufla EreI9'1<10flevo , Ere' afl<po-
'tEpOU,. 'Ev'tau9a EAauvov'to, 'tou Xa<1[flew Sla 'tOU reeS[ou
Ka'ta reo Sa, Ka, SIWKOV'tO, 'tou, rra[ova" repO<1eAa<1a, Se
Ka\ 6 aSeA<po, Toupaxav'1" !:'Aeye'tQ aSeA<pQ 'tolaU'ta.
4' "Xa<1[fI'1, <rU flev EAaUVeL, Sla 'tOU reeS[ou <1'tpa'tov EXWV
'to<1ou'tov. "I<191 flev ouv OUK a<1<paAij 'tau't'1v reopwoflevo,
TIjv reope[av' o[ yap rra[ove, oun aVE~ov't'" SIWKOV'tWV
~flwV au'tou" ou:"'e ~(J"Ux[av &yov'te, E, 'tourel<1w <peu~ov'tal
&<1f1evol, 01 'tlve, flaxe<19", flev E, 'to EfI<Pave, 'to<10U'tov
n
xpovov repouKaAouv'to ~fla" Kat &<1f1evol, Eflot SOKel,
Eflaxov'to, Ka\ reoAAou, w, o'loflal, rep["'v'to, a,<r1:e au'tol, E,
'to reeSlov Ka'ta~av'ta, 6f16<re lEV"'. 'AAAa 'tau't'1v TIjv
urewpelav reopeuoflevol EKelVOU, 'te EmSlw~oflev, 0<10V [Ka-
vw, Exel, Kat ~fllv e<1'tal EKelVWV 'taflleUe<19"" 0<101, &v
Erel't'1 Selw , £xwfl ev." {2.88} Tau'ta AEYWV W, OUK ereelge 'tov
Xa<1lfl'1 v, EXWV au'to, 8e't'taA[a, <r1:pa'twfla hparee1:o Sla
'tfj, urewpela, (J"Uv'te'taYflEv4' 'tQ <r1:pa'teu fl a'tl.
42 rrOpWOflEV4' Se Sla 'tOU reeS[ou 'tQ Xa<r[fln <rUv 'tQ
Eupwrel], <r1:pa'tQ, W, EV K"'pQ EYEve'to 'tQ Xwvla'tn Eve-
SpeU<1av'tl 'to <1'tpa'twfla, ot 'te afl<p\ ~a<11Ata <peuyovn,
Em<pavEv'to, EK 'tfj, EVESpa, 'tou 'Iwavvou EreeAaUVOU<11
BOOK 6
the enemy; he also ordered Turahan to follow with the army
ofThessaly. So Kasim took these men and marched in pur-
suit of the enemy as quickly as he could. But Janko had fore-
seen that the Turks would attack them as they were retreat-
ing, and so he too selected some of the leading Hungarians
and arranged them in an ambush in order to attack from
both sides the Turks who were coming against them in pur-
suit of their own army. As Kasim was marching through the
plain as quickly as he could in pursuit of the Hungarians, he
made his advance. But Turahan, his brother,73 was speaking
to his brother in the following way:
"Kasim, you are marching through the plain with this 4'
large army. But know that you are not advancing in a safe
way. For the Hungarians will neither tolerate our pursuit
nor, having suspended hostilities, are they eagerly fleeing in
retreat. Some of them have been challenging us for some
time now to an open fight and, it seems to me, are eager for
battle. They would pay a lot of money, I believe, for us to go
down onto the plain against them. Instead, let us pursue
them to the extent necessary by marching along the foot of
the mountain. We will thus be able to deal with them in the
way that is most convenient for us." But his words did not
persuade Kasim. So Turahan himself took the army ofThes-
saly and turned off to the path through the foothills, with
his army in formation.
As Kasim and the army of Europe were advancing 42
through the plain, the best moment came for Hunyadi to
launch his ambush, and so the king's men who had been re-
treating charged now against the barbarians when Janko
57
 THE HISTORIES
-rol<; ~ap~apoL<;, Kat -rpe",a~evo<; £<; <ptJyf]v " XWVLa-r'l<;
-r01hotJ<;, -roi><; f'ev [<p8eLpe, -roi><; Se Kat £SwYP'lerev. 'Ev-
-rau8a reoAAol-re EreEerov -rou ~aerLA£W<;, Kat 6 -rou XaALAEw
aSeA<p6<;, TIpcit~ew real<;, EaAW ureo TIaLovwv, Kal aAAOL
-rwv TOUpKWV ~AlerKov-ro <peuyov-rE<;, av-ro<; -re 6 Xaerl~'l<;
E<pwyev £ret-ro ~aerLAew<; <Y-rpa-roreeSov, oAlyotJ<; EXWV a~<p'
au-rov -rou er-rpa-rou. A<pLKo~evo<; St £<; O"'LV -rQ ~a<YLAel
EAe;E -ro LaSe.
43 "D ~a<YLAeU, ola reereov8a~ev ureo avSpo<;, wv ~~el<;
'{er~ev, <patJAo-ra-rotJ Kat-ra .era repay~a-ra Ka-rarepoSLSoV-rO<;
-rol<; reoAe~loL<;' 01",e yap £reol'lerEv, Ii £re'lneLAa-ro, 01",e
Ka-ra -rau-ro levaL ~8eA'lerE. fewpyl,!, St -rQ BOllAK,!" £1tL-r'l-
Sel,!, -re onL au-rQ, ure0<Y'l~~va<; eKaer-rov, Ii £~eAAo~ev
£ltLevat, £<p8elpov-ro -ra era repay~a-ra, Kat -ro £KelVOtJ ~epo<;
olx6~e8a." 'Ev-rau8a XaALA'l<; " TIpcit~ew, ax8eer8el<; SLa
-rOY aSeA<pov au-rou, £;e-rELve Kal au-ro<; ~aerLAea Ka-ra -rou
TotJpaxavew. BaerLAei><; St SELvoreoL'lera~evo<; ~~ levat
Ka-ra -rau-ro -rQ Eupw1t11<; er-rpa-r'lyQ, aAAaxoere yEvo~evov
aAA'lV reopeueer8at, {2.89} Ka-rarepoSLSov-ra -ro eatJ-rou
<Y-rpa-rw~a, repoereAa~e -re TotJpaxav'lv, Kat £<; <ptJAaK~v
reoL'lera~evo<; Eree~reEv £<; ~v Aerlav £<; ToXa-r'lv reoALv
lcrxtJpav, Seer~L6v -re yevo~evov Kat £<; <ptJAaK~v areayo~e­
vov. KatXaALA'l<; yap-roL uree-rl8e-ro ~aerLAel, ava~L~v~erKwv
w<; eKelVo<; ev ~eyaAn BLSlvn SLa-rpl~wv, Kal ureapx0<; wv
-rij<; reap' "Ier-rpov xwpa<;, BouAK'!' -rQ TpL~aAAwv ~ye~ovL
£reL-r'lSel,!, -re expij-ro Kat ertJv~8EL, Kal SLa -rou-ro ureoer'l-
~alvoL-ro au-rolv, ii SeOL, aAA~AotJ<; ",<peAelv e<; -ra reapona,
Kat Swpa Sexo~evov reap a -rou BOUAKOtJ ertJ~~aAeer8at
BOOK 6
emerged from his ambush. Hunyadi routed them and turned
them to flight, and he killed some of them while capturing
others. Many of the sultan's men fell there, and the brother
of Halil, the son of ibrahim, was captured by the Hungari-
ans. 74 Other Turks were captured as they were fleeing, but
Kasim himself fled to the sultan's camp, having only a few
men from his army with him. When he came before the sul-
tan, he said the following:
"0 sultan, what things we have suffered because of this 43
man {Turahan}, the vilest one we know, who has betrayed
your interests to the enemy! For he did not do what he was
ordered to do, nor was he even willing to cooperate in doing
it. He disclosed everything that we were intending to do to
Duran Vuk,75 who is his friend, and so your interests were
harmed; from that direction, then, we are undone." There-
upon Halil, the son of ibrahim, aggrieved on account of his
brother, also denounced Turahan to the sultan. The sultan
was greatly insulted that Turahan had not accompanied the
general of Europe but had veered off to take another path,
and so betrayed his army. He arrested Turahan and impris-
oned him, sending him in chains to Asia, to be imprisoned at
Tokat, a strong city. For Halil also enjoined this upon the
sultan, reminding him that Turahan had resided in Great Vi-
din and was prefect of the lands by the Danube, had been a
friend and associate of {Duran} Vuk, the ruler of the Serbs,
and for this reason he had come to an understanding that
the two of them should help each other in whatever way
present circumstances required. He had also received gifts
59
 THE HISTORIES
ai)1;<ji, E, (\ '" ltv ~rfJO"arro O"IJvoiO"Elv EKelVC!'. KaL EV'tEVeEV
aVa1tElO"eel, ~ao"lAEU, Ka'telp\;E 'tE au'tov TOIJpaxav'lv, E,
TI]V AO"iav E1tl:n:EfI'i'a" KaL TI]V apx~v TIj, BE't'taAia, £'tEPC!'
avSpL E:n:t'tPE1tE SLOlKETv. KaL TOIJpaxav'l, f1EV oihw E, 't~V
eipK't~V EytVE'tO.
44 rEWpyLO, SE " Tpl~aAAwv ~yEflwv, W, OUSEV ~VUE'tO
au't<ji u:n:o 'tWV TIatOVWV E, TI]V apx~v au'tov, :n:tfl:n:wv
ltyyEAOV E1tL'tIt, eupa, t:n:Elp&'tO TIj,'tov ~aO"lAtw, YVWfI'l"
ei a1toSoi'l au't<ji TI]v apx~v, WO"'tE t1tayElv au't<ji 'l'0POV KaL
~f1io"Elav TIj, xwpa, au'tov 1tpoO"oSov KaL au'to, 'tE e'l'a<1KE
O"1ttvSEO"eat t1tl 'tOU'tOl" KaL 'tou, TIaiova, afla au't<ji
1telo"ElV, U:n:EStXE-ro 'tit, <11tovSIt, :n:OlelO"eat. 'Ev'tavea W,
~KOIJo"E 'tov ayytAoIJ 'tOlav'ta 1tpo'icrxofltvOIJ, 'ta 'tE aAAa
imtcrxE'to au't<ji KaL 'to, :n:aTSE au't<ji a1toSovVat, KaL EO"EO"eat
~aO"lAtW, t1tl't'lSelOIJ, 'to a:n:o 'tOVSE. 'Ev-ravea 6 BOVAKO,
f1E'tlo,V {2.90] 'tWV TIatovwv EKaO"'tov KaL 'tov yE ~ao"lAta
AaSlO"Aaov e:n:EleE O":n:tvSEO"eal AflolJpa'tl], Atywv 'to laSE.
'''D ~ao"lAEv, o"E ~ao"lAEu, AflolJpa't'l, :n:apaKaAel t:n:l 'tit,
<11tovSa" ou f1~v 't~v xwpav a1tOSlSoval. "Hv OVV Eflol
1telen, <11tovSIt, tv 't<ji 'tOl<jiSE 1tOLOUflEvo, aflElvov :n:apa-
<1K EIJacrn t, 'tOV 1tOAEflov. KaL t1tlov'ta 'taSE :n:av'ta oUKt'tl
'to SEU'tEPOV imoflEvET."
45
Tav'ta Atywv 'tE E1tEleE, KaL 0" U1ttcrxE'to :n:Ol~o"ElV, n ised to do what the Serb was suggesting to him. Thereupon
imE'tieE'to au't<ji 6 Tpl~aAA6" au'tiKa E1tEfl1tEV aYYEAov
:n:aplt'tlt, eupa" f1E'ta1tEfl1toflEVO, 1tpto"~El" W, 'tWV TIat-
OVWV 1tOl'lO"ofltvwv 't~v eip~v'lv Kal au'to, a:n:oA'l'i'oflEvo ,
TI]v apmv. 'Ev'tavea AflolJpa't'l, e:n:EfI'i'E :n:pto"~El" KaL'tIt,
<11tovSIt, t:n:OLOVV'tO, t'l" <!J 'tov 'tE rEWpYlOV EXElV TI]v xwpav
60
BOOK 6
from Vuk to assist him in whatever he believed would be in
his interest. The sultan was persuaded by this and impris-
oned Turaban, sending him to Asia and entrusting the com-
mand ofThessaly to another man to govern. So Turaban was
imprisoned.
As for Durad, the ruler of the Serbs, given that the Hun- 44
garians managed to accomplish nothing for him, in terms
of returning him to his principality, he sent a messenger to
the Porte and sought to ascertain the sultan's views, that is,
whether he would return his principality to him so that he
could pay him tribute and give him half the revenue of his
land. He said that he would make a treaty on those terms
and would undertake to persuade the Hungarians to join in
the treaty with him. When Murad heard the messenger
making these offers, he promised to grant those requests
and also to give back to him his two sons and regard them
as friends of the sultan henceforth. Thereupon Vuk went
around to each of the Hungarians separately and persuaded
King Wladislaus to make a treaty with Murad, saying the
following: "0 king, you are invited by Sultan Murad to make
a treaty, though not to give back territories. If you agree to
what I am saying and make a treaty for the time being, you
will be better able to prepare for war. And he will not be able
to withstand you a second time."
These words persuaded him {Wladislaus} and he prom-
45
he sent a messenger to the Porte, dispatching envoys to the
effect that the Hungarians would make peace and that he
{Durad} would be restored to his principality. Murad then
sent envoys and they made a treaty whose terms were that
6r

THE HISTORIES
au'toii Kat 't~V ~ f'l(r£lav npocroSov cmoSlSoVat 'tQ ~acrl)"i.
Kal OpKlit 'tE af'a enOLOUV'tO, E'l" 4> f'~'tE 'toi>~ I1alova~
A'lt~Ecr9al ~V ~a<YlAtw~ xwpav, f'~'t£ au ToupKou~ Sla-
~~vat 'tov "I<Y'tpov Ent f''lSEf'l~ ~M~n, f''lSEf'l~ f''lXavfj, E'l"
4> 'tE napa nav'ta 'tov ~lov au'twv l;£vou~ 'tE Kat 'l'LAOU~
dvat, av£u 'tE SOAOU Kat ana't'l~' 'toi>~ SE .6.aKoi>~ uno-
'l'0POU~ 'tE dval 'tQ ~acrlAu, a Kat <YUv£gev'to ev 'taT~ ~a­
crlAtW~ crnovSaT~ npo~ au'toi>~ npo't£pov yEV0f'evat~, Kat E~
'roi>~ I1alova~ 'tEAUV, ii 'to npocrgev EXOV'tE~ Sle't£Aouv.
Tau'ta w~ Ey£VE'rO, au'tIKa Af'0upa't'l~ E<Y'tpa't£ue'to Ent
Kapaf'iivov. Ou'to~ yap w~ E1ti>9E'tO E1tl£Val 'toi>~ I1alova~
Enl ~acrlA£a Af'oupa't'lv, Ka'ta~av'ta~ 'tov "I<Y'tpov Ent ~v
xwpav 'tov ~acrlA£w~ EAauvElv, EV KatpQ au'tQ EcrEcr9at
ol0f'Evo~, ~v E1tlWV {2.9r} Ka'tacr'tp£'l'Ol'tO ~v Ka'ta ~v
Acrlav ~a<YlA£W~ xwpav, El;~Aauv£ 'te, Kat En!lEl Ka'taSou-
AOUf'EVO~, 0 'tl av au'tQ npoxwpol'l' Katnp6cr9Ev yap o'te
ot I1alovE~ Ef'EAAOV <Y'tpa'tEuEcr9al ent Af'oupa't'lv, yvwf'n
't£ napanA'lcrl" wPf''lv'to En' au'tov, Wcr'tE em' af''l'oTv 'talV
XWpatV E1tlOv-rWV cr'tpa'twv Slacrxl~ol'to au'tQ 'ta <Y'tpa'tEu-
f'a'ta Kal ou'tw acr9Ev~ l;uf'~alvol ylvecr9at. Af'0upa"'1~
f'EV ouv ent 'tov f'£l~ova nOAef'ov a'l'lK0f'EVO~, Kat 'toii'tov
au'tQ enl 'to ~£A'tLOV 9£f'EVO~, e<Y'tpa'teue'to au'tIKa enl Ka-
paf'iivov. '0 SE nptcr~£l~ 'tE nef'nwv ~l;lou 'ta'tE aAAa au'tQ
unoupyuv, WV av S£Ol'tO au'tov, Kal 6f'~pou~ Katnlcr'ta
nap£XEcr9al ent 'tOU'tOl~. Taii'ta f'EV'tOl au'tQ Ka'ta ~v
Acrlav l;UVE~E~~KEl.
47
Ka'ta Sf. ~v Eupwn'lv uno f'EV'tOl 'twv I1EAonOVv'lcrlwv
~yEf'0VWV E~ ~v xwpav au'toii 'tOlaSe eyEVE'tO. n~ yap
62
BOOK 6
Duran would have his land and give half its revenue to the
sultan. At the same time the Hungarians took oaths that
they would not plunder the sultan's land nor, in turn, would
the Turks cross the Danube and cause any damage by any
means; they would be friends and allies for life, without
guile or deceit; the Wallachians would be tributaries to the
sultan, as they had agreed in the treaty that the sultan had
previously made with them, and they would serve the Hun-
garians in the same way that they served them previously. 76
When this was done, Murad marched against Karaman. 46
For when the latter had learned that the Hungarians were
advancing against Sultan Murad, that they had come down
the Danube and marched against the territory of the sul-
tan, he believed that it would be the perfect opportunity to
march out and conquer the sultan's land in Asia. And Kara-
man did set out and advance, enslaving whatever he could.
For even earlier, when the Hungarians were about to cam-
paign against Murad, they had pressed forward with a simi-
lar rationale, namely that with armies from both lands com-
ing against him, Murad's armies would be divided and thus
he would be weakened. 77 Murad dealt with the more impor-
tant war first, and when he had disposed of it in a man-
ner advantageous for him, he marched immediately against
Karaman. But the latter sent envoys, offering to serve him
in all matters in which he might have need of him, and pro-
vided hostage~ and pledges on those terms. That, then, was
what happened for him in Asia.
But in Europe the following was taking place in his 47
territories among the Peloponnesian rulers. For when
 THE HISTORIES
au'tov Kal 't~v ~f'(<1Elav TCpo<1080v im08l8ovaL 't<!i ~a<1lA£T.
Kal 6pKla 't£ lif'a tTCOLOVV'tO, t'l>' q, f'~'t£ 'tOU<; Ila(ova<;
Al'ft~£<19aL ~v ~a<1lAEW<; xwpav, f'~'t£ au ToupKou<; 8,a-
~i'jVaL 'tOV "I<1'tpoV tTCl f''18£f',q ~Aa~ll, f''18£f''q f''1xavfi, Ecp'
q,'t£ TCapa TCaV'ta 'tOV ~(OV au'twv ~EVOU<; 't£ Kal CPlAou<;
dVaL, iiv£lJ 't£ 86Aou Kal aTCa't'1<;' 'tou<; 8£ il.aKou<; UTCO-
cpopou<; 't£ dVaL 't<!i ~a<1lA£l, Ii Kal <1UVE9£v't0 EV 'tal<; ~a­
<1lAEW<; <1TCov8a1<; TCpO<; au'tou<; TCPO't£pov Y£V0f'EvaL<;, Kal t<;
'tou<; Ila(ova<; 't£AUV, iJ 'to TCp0<19£v ~xoV't£<; 8,£'tEAouv.
Tav'ta w<; EyEV£'tO, au't(Ka Af'oupa't'1<; t<1'tpa't£u£'to tTCl
Kapaf'avov. Ou'to<; yap w<; eTCU9£'t0 tTClEVaL 'tou<; Ila(ova<;
eTCl ~a<1lAEa Af'oupa't'1v, Ka'ta~aV'ta<; 'tOV "I<1'tpov eTCl ~v
xwpav 'tov ~a<1lAEw<; eAauv£lv, tv Kalp<!i ath<!i E<1£<19al
oiof'£vo<;, ~v eTClWV [2.9r} Ka'ta<1'tpEcpol'tO ~v Ka'ta ~v
A<1(av ~a<1lAEw<; xwpav, e~~Aauve 't£, Kal e1tl'JEl Ka'ta80u-
AOUf'£VO<;, 15 'tl av au't<!i TCpOXWpO('1' Kal TCp0<19£v yap 15't£
o[ Ila[ov£<; ~f'£Uov <1'tpa't£u£<19aL tTCl Af'oupa't'1v, yvwf'll
't£ TCapaTCA'1<1(q wPf''1v'to eTC' au'tov, W<1't£ aTC' af'cpolv 'talV
XWPaLV emov'twv <1'tpa'twv 8la<1X(~ol't0 au't<!i 'ta <1'tpa't£u-
f'a'ta Kal oihw a<19£vi'j ~uf'~a(vol y(v£<19aL. Af'oupa't'1<;
f'Ev ouv eTCl 'tOV f'd~ova TCOA£f'OV acp'K0f'£VO<;, Kal'tov'tov
au't<!i tTCl 'to ~ehLOv 9Ef'£vo<;, t<1'tpa't£u£'to au't(Ka tTCI Ka-
paf'avov. U 8/: TCpE<1~El<; 't£ TCEf'TCWV ~~(ou 'ta't£ iiAAa au't<!i
UTCOUpyUV, WV av 8Eol'to au'tov, Kal 6f'~pou<; Kal m<1'ta
TCap X£<19aL tTCl 'tOU'tOl<;. Tav'ta f'ev'tol ath<!i Ka'ta ~v
e But in Europe the following was taking place in his 47
A<1(av ~uV£~£~~K£l.
47
Ka'ta 8£ ~v EupwTC'1v UTCO f'ev'tol 'tWV Il£AoTCovv'1<1(wv
~Y£f'0vwv t<; ~v xwpav au'tov 'tola8£ eyEv£'to. D<; yap
62
BOOK 6
Duran would have his land and give half its revenue to the
sultan. At the same time the Hungarians took oaths that
they would not plunder the sultan's land nor, in turn, would
the Turks cross the Danube and cause any damage by any
means; they would be friends and allies for life, without
guile or deceit; the Wallachians would be tributaries to the
sultan, as they had agreed in the treaty that the sultan had
previously made with them, and they would serve the Hun-
garians in the same way that they served them previously.76
When this was done, Murad marched against Karaman. 46
For when the latter had learned that the Hungarians were
advancing against Sultan Murad, that they had come down
the Danube and marched against the territory of the sul-
tan, he believed that it would be the perfect opportunity to
march out and conquer the sultan's land in Asia. And Kara-
man did set out and advance, enslaving whatever he could.
For even earlier, when the Hungarians were about to cam-
paign against Murad, they had pressed forward with a simi-
lar rationale, namely that with armies from both lands com-
ing against him, Murad's armies would be divided and thus
he would be weakened. 77 Murad dealt with the more impor-
tant war first, and when he had disposed of it in a man-
ner advantageous for him, he marched immediately against
Karaman. But the latter sent envoys, offering to serve him
in all matters in which he might have need of him, and pro-
vided hostage~ and pledges on those terms. That, then, was
what happened for him in Asia.
territories among the Peloponnesian rulers. For when
 THE HISTORIES
El£oSwpoo; 6 fle1" aU1'bv ~a<1lAEa 'EAAf]VWV yevoflevoo;, wo;
oixoflevoo; 1tapi'jv eo; BU~CLV1'lOV e1t1 TI]v ~a<1lAeiav, Kwv-
<11'av1'1voo; 0 e1thcA']v Ll.payCL<1'] 0;, a<pl1coflevoo; to; IIeAo-
1tovv']<10V Kal1tapaAa~wv TI]v 1'oli aSeA<poli xwpav, 1'CL 1'e
aAAa Kal ~1tap"'1v TI]v 1tpbo; 1'0 Tauye1'ov IIpoo;, Kat <1XeSOV
;u fl1ta<1av 1'~V aAA']V IIeAo1tovv'] O"OV (1tA~V yap 1'i'j 0; 1'oli
Elwfla 1'oli ~ao"lAEwo; aSeA<poli Xwpao;, TI]v aAA']v u<p' aU1'<!i
eTXe 1tapaAa~wv), eV1'aliea wo; a<plKe1'O, 1'0 1'e ev 1'<!i 'I<1efl<!i
nlxl~elv 1tap£<1Keua~e1'O, Kal 1'~V eK1'OO; IIeAo1tovvf]<10U
xwpav a<pl<11''] a1to ~a<1lAEWO;, 1'J\v 1'e BOlW1'lav Ka1't<1xe,
Kal 1'~V El'] ~wv 1tOAlV u<p' aU1'<!i 1tOl']<1CLflevoo; Kal ;ufl1ta<rav
TI]v BOlW1'lav Ka1'Eo-xe. Kal6 1'i'j0; AfflKi'jo; 1CUpavvoo; <popov
1'e amiyelv ml1'<!i v1tlIJ"XV0uflevoo; {2.92} <11tovSao; e1tOlf]<1a1'O,
Kal1'o 1'e IIlvSov IIpoo;-BACLXOl S' eVOlKOli<1lV aU1'6, 1'WV
Ll.aKwv oflOYAWffOl' 1'oio; 1tapa 1'bv "I<11'poV Ll.a;lv 0flol-
WV1'O-a<plKoflevOl1tapa 1'OU1'OV 1'bv f]yeflova, 1tapaSlSov-
1'e0;5 <1<pl<1lV, e1toAEflouV 1'010; TI]v EleffaAlav OiKOU<1l Toup-
KOlo;, Aafl~CLVOV1'eo; apxov1'a 1tapa 1'OU IIeAo1tovv']<1lwv
f]yeflovoe;.
48 AewSoplKlOV n 1'b Ka1'a TI]V AOKPWV xwpav ¢K']flEVOV
1toAlXV'OV, IIlvSou fltV1'Ol 1'0 Ka1'a TI]V tPavaplou 1tOAlV
¢K']fltvov, apxonCL 1'e Aafl~CLvel a1to ~a<rlAEWe;. To Sf; ail
Ka1'a TI]v Axatav Kaei'jKOV Apa~a10l 4\KOUV avSpee; l\A~a­
vol, U1tO ~a<rlAEWe; <1UYXWp,]eEV1'eo; apxelv 1'i'j<; 1ta1'p¢ae;
au1'wv xwpae;' Kal Oil1'Ol a<plKOV1'O to; 1'OVo; "EAA']vae;. ~uv­
ayaywv Sf; Kat ;ufl1ta<rav TI]v IIeAo1tovv']<10V eO; 1'OV
'I<1eflOV heiX'<1ev au1'ov, we; f]Suva1'o 1'aX'<11'a, <1uYKaAE<1ae;
au1'OU Kal 1'OV aSeA<pov, Kal I\e; aU1'bo; I\pxe xwpae;,
BOOK 6
Theodoros, who was to be king of the Greeks after Ioannes,
went to Byzantion to receive the kingdom," Konstantinos,
surnamed Dragas,79 went to the Peloponnese to receive his
brother's lands, including, among others, Mistra, which is
next to Mount Taygetos, and almost the whole of the rest of
the Peloponnese-for, excepting the territory ofThomas,8o
the brother of the king, he received all the rest to be under
his authority. When he arrived there, he made arrangements
to have the Isthmos walled OffllI and caused the lands out-
side the Peloponnese to rebel against the sultan of the Turks.
He took over Boiotia, subjected to himself the city of
Thebes, and generally took over all of Boiotia. 82 The tyrant
of Athens {Nerio II} promised to pay him a tribute and
made a treaty.83 As for Mount Pindos, on it dwell the Vlachs,
who speak the same language as the Wallachians - for they
are similar to the Wallachians by the Danube - and they
came to this ruler and entrusted themselves to him. They
fought a war against the Turks who live in Thessaly, and re-
ceived a lord from the ruler of the Peloponnesians {Kon-
stantinos}.
Loidorikion, a town settled in the land of the Lokrians, in 48
Pindos by the city of Phanarion, receives its lord from the
sultan. The territory that extends down to Achaia is inhab-
ited by Arabaioi, who are Albanian men allowed by the sul-
tan to rule their own ancestral land. 84 They too came to the
Greeks. 85 Calling together the entire Peloponnese to the
Isthmos, Konstantinos walled it off, as quickly as he could,
and he called on his brother {Thomas} to come there, who

THE HISTORIES
;uflnav-ra<; i:v-rauea flnaneflVaflevo<; tA'lAaKeL -rO -reLX°<;,
napaSoiJ<; tvl eKae"",!" i\erov tv -roer0Se Xpov4J naptxoL-rO
<!>KoSofl'lfli:vov. U<; Sf. -ro -reLX0<; -rou 'Iereflou au-r0 nap-
eerKeuacr-ro, cr-rpa-rov -re £neflnev tnl -r~v ~aerLAew<; Xwpav,
Kal tSiJou -re ~v Xwpav KalnoAeflwv SLeyeve-ro.
Me-ra Se -rau-ra ou nOAiJvxpovov'Oflap'l<; 0 Toupaxavew
49
nat<;, napaAa~wv -ro 8enaAla<; er-rpa-rwfLa, En~Aaere -re
Enl-ra<; 8~~a<; Kal-r~v AnLK~v, Kal A'lYeraflevo<; aneAauve,
AelaV anaywv lKav~v. "Evea S~ NepLO<; 6 Ae'lvwv -rUpav-
vo<;, w<; ewpa -ra [2.93} TOUpKWV npaYfla-ra aVeL<; enavL-
ov-ra e<; -ro npO-repov Kaeecr-r'lKo<;, Enpeer~eue-ro E<; -ra<;
eupa<; Kal ~;lou au-r0 CT1tEVSeerem ~aerLAeL, E'fl' '" anayeLv
'flopov, DV CtV au-r0 -ra;aL-ro. BacrLAeiJ<; flev ovv Afloupa-r'l<;
Enelee-ro -re Kal £CT1tevSev au-r0, E'fl' '" Kal npo-repov an-
e<pepe, <popov anayeLv Kal -rou Aomou.
50 '0 Sf. NepLO<; ov-ro<; a'fllKe-ro, ano ¢Awpev-rla<; -rij<; Tup-
P'lvwv fI'l-rponoAew<; wv, tnl -r~v Ae'lvwv -rupavvlSa
-rpon4J 'tOL0Se. AV-rWVLO<; 6 'Pmveplou naT<; -rou-rov -re iifla
Kal-rov aSeA<pov au-rou fle-raneflvaflevo<; ano ¢Awpev-rla<;
npo~Kov-ra<; -re au-r0 Kal ;uyyeveL<; elxe nap' eau-r0, ~v
Slm-rav napexoflevo<;. 'EneL Sf. t-reAeu-r'lerev AV-rWVLO<;, uno
eue;la<; imonA'lyel<; Ka-ra -rov ilnvov, ij -re yuv~ au-rou
£neflnEv E<; ~acrLAea -r~v apmv tnL-rpanijvaL au't'fi -re Kal -r0
-rij<; nOAew<; aflelVOVL, eau-rij<; Sf. npo~Kov-rL, na-rpl Sf.
~flnep4J. Tou-rov w<; £neflne neLpaeroflevov napa ~aCTlAeL,
Kal Xp~fla-ra SLSouera fleyaAa, wer-re SLanpaneereaL er'fl lerL
~v apmv -rij<; -reAnLKij<; iifla Kal BOLw-r[a<;, w<; t;eAauvwv
EK -rij<; nOAew<; tnopeue'tO napa ~aerLAea, olnpoeer-r'lerav
66
BOOK 6
ruled his own land. Summoning everyone there, he raised
up the wall, assigning a different section to each person, as
much as he could build in the given time. When the Isthmos
wall was completed, he sent an army against the sultan's
land, plundered it, and remained at war.
Shortly after that, Orner, the son ofTurahan, received the 49
army ofThessaly and marched against Thebes and Attica."
He plundered them and departed, taking much loot back
with him. When Nerio [II}, the tyrant of Athens, saw that
Turkish affairs were again returning to their prior state,"
he sent an envoy to the Porte and asked to make a treaty
with the sultan, pledging to pay whatever tribute the sultan
imposed on him. Sultan Murad was persuaded and made a
treaty with him on the condition that he pay as much trib-
ute to him in the future as he had in the past.
This Nerio, who was from Florence, the capital of the 50
Tuscans, came to the tyranny ofAthens in the following way.
Antonio [I}, the son of Nerio [I}, summoned him and his
brother from Florence, being his relatives and kinsmen, and
he kept them by his side, providing their upkeep.88 When
Antonio died of apoplexy in his sleep, although he was oth-
erwise in good health,89 his wife sent to the sultan asking
that the principality be entrusted to her and to a worthy
man of the city. who was a relative of hers and, in fact, my
father.'o She sent this man to the sultan to sound him out,
and gave him large sums of money so that he would be able
to secure for them the principality ofAttica and Boiotia. He
set out from the city and journeyed to the sultan, but the
 THE HISTORIES
'tOU S1)flou, Ka'ta 'to ltpO~ au'tov XaAKoKavSuA'1v ex90~
-rYjv 'tE -yvvciiKa 'tOU :Av'twv[ou aml'tn ltap1)yayov EK 'ti'j~
aKpolt6AEW~, Kat 'toi>~ ltpOm']KOV'ta~ :Av'twv[OU Ka9[cr'ta-
crav 'tupavvou~, Kat 'to yevo~ E~EAacrav'tE~ au'tot '[crxOUcrl
't~v lt6AlV. 'Emyafl[av SE ltOl'1craflEvOl ltpO~ ~v -yvvalKa
'tou :Av'twv[ou Eltt 9m!> au'tfj~ ltatSt aya9Q, E~ ~v aKp6-
ltoAlV ltapfjcrav. Kat ou ltOAAQ iSC1'tEpOV EK~aAAov'tE~ 't~v
yuvalKa EK 'tfj~ aKpolt6AEW~, Kat 'to yevo~ 1) flWV E~EAau­
vovn~, 'ta 'tfj~ lt6AEW~ ltpaYfla'ta ecrxov.
5' '0 {2.94} flev S~ XaAKOKavSuA'1~ acplK6f1EVO~ ltapa
~acrlA.Ea E~ cpUAaK~v flev'tOlltEpt au'tov EyevE'tO, UltO ~aC1l­
Aew~ KEAEU6f1EVO~ ltapaSouvat ~v xwpav. n~ Se lJ1tO-
crx6f1EVO~ t~ 'tpci, flup,aSa~ Xpucr[OU ouSev 'tl eltpacrcrE,
cr'tpa'tov Se E1tV9E'tO ltEltOflcpevat ~acrlA.Ea Eltt BOlw't[av w~
~v e'1~Wv lt6AlV ltapacr't'1cr6f1EVOV, SlEltpa~a't6 'tE Kat
alteSpa Eltt Bu~av'tlOv, Ka'taAl1tWV 'tou~ 'tE 9EpaltOv'ta~ Kat
crK'1va, iifla Kat ';ltO~uyla. 'E1tl~a~ Se VEW~ alto Bu~av't[ou
eltAEl Eltt ~v ITEAOlt6vv'1crov. Kat Ev'tau9a VfjE~ au'tou
ltEpl1tAeoucral 'twv -rupavvwv 'ti'j~ :AnlKfj, cruAAafl~avoucr[
'tE 'to ltAOIOV, Kat au'tov eA.6V'tE~ XaAKoKaVSUA.'1v av1)ya-
yov ltapa ~acrlAea Secrfllov. BacrlAEi>~ flev aU'tQ acpfjKE ~v
al't[av Kat cruveyvw, fI'1Sev Eltt 'tou't'!' al'tlacraflEvo~' au'to~
fleV'tOl 'ta~ 'tPEI, fluplaSa, altat'touflEVO~ OUK eXElv alto-
SlS6val ecpaC1KEv. 'EV'tEU9EV 1) Xwpa EAE'1Aa'tEI'to flEyaAw,
,;ltO 'tou ~acrlAew~6 EV 'tfi eEnaA[ .. xwp ...
5' NeplO, Se 'tupavvo~ Olv 't~v apmv, Kat 9'1AuSp[a~ Olv
Kat flaAaKw'tEpo~, ,;ltO aSEAcpou :Av'twv[ou acpnp'1'tO ~v
apx~v E1tl~OUAEU9d~. ME'ta Se, w~ E-rEAEU't'1crEV :AV'tWVlO~,
68
BOOK 6
leading men of the populace tricked Antonio's wife out of
the acropolis because of their hatred for Chalkokandyles.
They then Installed Antonio's relatives as tyrants and, by
drIvmg my family out, prevailed in the city. They made a
marriage alliance with Antonio's wife, through a wellborn
adopted son of hers,'! and occupied the acropolis. Shortly
afterward, having expelled his wife from the acropolis and
drIven my family out, they took charge of the affairs of the
city.
When Chalkokandyles arrived before the sultan, he was 5'
placed under guard and was ordered by the sultan to surren-
der the territory. He promised thirty thousand gold pieces,
but it did him no good, as he learned that the sultan had sent
an army against Boiotia to subject the city of Thebes. 92 He
managed to escape to Byzantion, abandoning his servants,
the tents, and the pack animals. He boarded a ship at Byzan-
tion and sailed to the Peloponnese. There, ships of the ty-
rants ofAthens that were sailing on patrol captured his ship.
They seized Chalkokandyles and brought him in chains
back to the sultan. But the sultan dismissed the charges and
forgave him, not holding him responsible for anything.
~en he 93 demanded the thirty thousand gold pieces, he
srud that he did not have them to pay. From then on the land
was plundered horribly by the <prefect of the> sultan sta-
tioned in Thessaly.
Nerio {II}, now being the tyrant of the principality, was 52
r~ther effeminate and soft, and he was stripped of his posi-
tIOn by hIS brother Antonio {II}, who plotted against him.

THE HISTORIES
t<; TI]V apx~v miSl<; Ka1:to",,'l Ntpw<; (, Av'twvlou aSEA'l'O<;,
area <l>AwpEV'tla<; a'l'LKOfLEVO<;. To'tE Se Sla 't~v d<; 'tou<;
"EAA'lva<; au'tov crufLfLaxlav tSnou TI]v Xwpav 6 't~<; GE't-
'taAla<; vreapx0<;' IIpaYfLa'ta SE exwv dp~v'lv treOLel'tO
repo<; ~acrlAta. Kal ot "EAAIJVE<; reuSofLEvOl tcr'tpa-reuov'to
tret 'ta<; AS~va<;. 'Ev'tavSa iiYYEAOV 'tE ereEfLreE repo<; 'tOY
~acrLAta, w<; KaKw<; reowlEv au'tov ot "EAA'lVE<; Kal reoAwp-
KOIEV [2.95} 't~v reoALv, reElpwfLEVOL t!;EAelV. Kat Tou-
paxav'l<; St, 6 TI]<; GEnaAla<; vreapxo<;, 't<ji 'tE ~acrlAel
retfLrewv ayytAou<; t~PEV trel IIEAoreovv'lcrov cr'tpa-reoE-
crSal. AlAa 'tav'ta fLEV Vcr'tEpOV Xpov'!' reoAA<ji tytVE'tO'
'to'tE SE oreo 't<ji IIEAoreovv~crou ~yEfLoVL, ~acrlAtw<; SE
aSEA'l'<ji tSESOOAW'tO, 'tpore,!, C;; repo'tEpoV fLOl SES~AW'taL.
53 AlAa Ka'ta fLEV 'tOU<; "EAA'lva<; Kat 't~V IIEAoreovv'lcrov
'tolav'ta tytVE'tO, Ka'ta SE 'tOY Bu~av'tlou ~acrlAta 'taSE !;UV-
E~E~~KEL. Too<; 'tE yap IIalova<; w<; ncrSE'tO areEAacrav'ta<;
Ka'taAocracrSal 't<ji AfLoupa't!], rEwpylou e<; 'toV'to reapa-
KaMcrav'to<;, ereEfLreov reptcr~El<; reapa 'tOY 'PwfL'l<; apXlEpta,
ureo'tlStfLEvOL w<; 'tPl~PWV Kal VEWV reapaYEvofLtvwv cr'l'lcrlV
t<; 'tOY 'EAA~crrcOV'tov, OICT'tE areov'tl au't<ji t<; TI]v Acrlav flY]
trel'tpttal SLa~~VaL t<; TI]v Eupwre'lv, EureETI] iiv yeVOL'tO
'tao't!] XElPWS~VaL 'ta repaYfLa'ta au'tov' e'i'tE 'to TI]<;
Eupwre'l<; cr'tpa'tEUfLa crUv 't<ji AfLoupa'tn areofLovwS~crE'taL,
OUKt'tl d<; XElpa<; 'tol<; IIalocrLv LtVaL tSEA~crEI. "EreEfLreov Se
Kat t<; 'tou<; KEhou<; Kat 'tOY BoupyouvSla<; Y]YEfLova ava-
fLlfLv~CTKOV'tE<;, w<; SlKaLOl dEV SlK'lV repanEcrSal 'twv ev't<ji
reoAefL'!' IIaLa~~'tEw areoSavov'twv KEA'twv Sla TI]v 'tov Ll-
YlcrfLoovSoU ayvwfLocrUv'lv. LuvEreEAa~ov'to fLEv oiiv crUv
BOOK 6
Afterward, when Antonio died, Nerio, the brother of this
Antonio, came back from Florence and took charge of the
principality.94 At that time, then, the prefect of Thessaly
raided his land on account of his alliance with the Greeks."
Faced with this situation, he made peace with the sultan.
When the Greeks learned this, they marched against Ath-
ens. Thereupon Nerio sent a messenger to the sultan, saying
that the Greeks were aggressing against him and besieging
the city in an effort to take it. Turahan, the prefect ofThes-
saly, sent messengers to the sultan and incited him to march
against the Peloponnese. But these events happened much
later. 96 At that time Nerio was the subject of the ruler of the
Peloponnese [Konstantinos}, the brother of the king, as I
described earlier."
That was how matters stood for the Greeks and the Pelo- 53
ponnese. As for the king of Byzantion [Ioannes VIII}, the
following had taken place. When he realized that the Hun-
garians were withdrawing and had reached an agreement
with Murad at the behest of Durad, they sent envoys to the
pontiff of Rome {Eugenius IV}, proposing that triremes
and other ships should come to them to the Hellespont and
prevent Murad, who was then absent in Asia, from crossing
over into Europe. It would then be easy to put him down.
Alternately, the army of Europe would be cut off with Mu-
rad and it would no longer be willing to engage with the
Hungarians. They also sent envoys to the French and the
ruler of Burgundy, reminding them that it would be right
for them to avenge the Frenchmen who, due to Sigismund's
foolishness, died in the war with Bayezid. 98 They were won
7'
 1\,"'-
THE HISTORIES
't'i> apXlepeT 'PWflaiwv, Kat 'tpl1'1Peu; f:J1:A~pW<1aV SEKa, btl
'EAA~<11tOV'tov 1tEfl1tov'tE,. Kat apXlepeu, Sf. SEKa IiAAa,
1tA'lpw<1a, U1tE<1'tEAAev £1tt ~a<1lAEa 'Iwavv'lv, w, 1tOl'l-
<10flEVOU " Ii tmoSol'to au'tOl, ~a<1lAev,. Oli'tol flEV oliv
aq>lKoflevo, £, 'tOY 'EAA~=OV'tov SleKwAuoV Afloupa't'lv
'tou £, 'tf]v Evpw1t'lv Sla~i'jval.
54 Ka'ta Sf. 't~v 1tapaALOV 'ti'j, MaKeSovia, t, 'tOY 'IOVLOV
[2.9 6} <1UVE~aLVe 'tOlaSe. '0, yap 1tP0<1S0K'flO' ~<1av ot
llaloVE, aq>l;e<1Sal aliSl, £, 'tf]v EvpW1t'lV' W, £;eMV'tE,
TovpKou, 't£ Kat Afloupa't'lV £K 'ti'j, Evpw1t'1" 1tpo'(Sov'te,
lI'tl ~<10l't0 aliSl, 0 1tOAEflO, (1tpO'lrrEAAE'tO yap imav'taxn
'tf\ Evpw7tt], W, <1UAAEYOlV'tO 'te aliSl, <1'tpa'teU<1Ofl EVO' ot
llalove, Kala 'EAA~=OV'tO, tmo 'twv t=epiwv Ka'tEXOl'tO),
OJPfl'l'tO Kat av'to, 'tl, EKa<1'tO, £1tt 'tf]v 1ta'tp4>av av'tou
apmv, W, crm<1WV 'te Kat Ka'taA'ltoflEvo" 0 'tl liv av't'i>
1tpOXWp~<1etev. "EvSa S~ Kat Zevefl1ti<1a, a1to MaKeSovla,
'ti'j, 1tpO, 'tOY 'IOVLOV 1tapaAlou wPfl'lflEvo " <1Ufl1tapaAafl-
~avwv 'tou, 'tav'tn AA~avov" 01 £vi'j<1av av't'i>, 1tpOil e, Sla
'ti'j, ApYUP01tOAiXV'l', Kat 't~v 'te 1tESlaSa, O<1'1v 4>Kel tv-
'tauSa flEXP' Kamopla" V1t'lyaye'to. 'Ev'tauSa S~ Elepi~'l'
a Beppola, il1tapxo" l;uvayaywv 'tou, 1tapa A't~lKepi'l
EVWV
LKvSa, 'te lifla Kat TovpKou, 'tov, ~a<1lAEW" £1tl=ofl
av't'i> Kat <1UXVWV 'twv a1to 'ti'j, ElEPfl'l, 'te Kat AlflV'l' 'ti'j,
lleppal~wv, £1tEAa<1E 'te Ii'l'vw, Kal a1tapaO"KeVOl, £1tel<1-
1te<1wv, £<1K'lvWflEvo" av'tou 'tav-rn 1tOU 1tEpt 't~v 'ti'j, Ka-
<1'topla, Xwpav, 'tou, 1tAd<1'tou, 'te av'twv AA~avwv
SlEq>gelpe, Kat av'tov ZeVEfl1tl<1av 'tOY ~yEflova aveAwv £1tl
1tOAU ~Aa<1e q>ovou, tv'tauSa 'tou, IiAAOU, Ka'ta~aivwv.
72
BOOK 6
overMth the help of the pontiff of the Romans and manned
ten tnremes and sent them to the Hellespont. The pontiff
manned another ten and dispatched them to King loannes
to carry out the plan that the king had proposed to them 99
These ships arrived at the Hellespont and prevented Mur~d
from crossing over into Europe.
As for the coast of Macedonia on the Adriatic Sea, the
followmg was taking place. While the H '
unganans were ex- 54
pected to arrive again in Europe in order to expel Murad
and the Turks from Europe, the people there foresaw that a
war would begin again - for it had been announced through-
out Europe that the Hungarians would be assembling to
march out and that the Hellespont would be occupied by
. . Everyone " then rushed to his natIve
westerners. . re aim' WIth
the mtentlOn of taking it back and occupying it, to whatever
extent he could make progress there.lOo So too Zenebishi set
out from the regions of Macedonia by the Adriatic Sea, tak-
mg along the Albanians there, those whom he could muster
He advanced beyond Argyrokastron and subjected the val~
ley cthat extends there as far as Kastoria .101 But F'lfuz,te h
pre,ect of Berroia, assembled the Skythians of H alJl ... G'Iray
d
an th~ sultan's Turks, and was followed also by many from
the regIOn ofThessalonike and the lake of the Perraiboi. He
set off suddenly on his march and attacked them when they
were illo'prepared, having pitched their tents somewhere in
the regIOn of Kastoria. Most of the Albanians he k'll d .
I d' h' Ie, m-
e u mg t elr leader Zenebishi himself He caused a great
slaughter, gomg against the rest of them. That, then, is what
73
 THE HISTORIES
Tau'tt] flenoL ava 'ti]v Eupwn']v tyeVE'tO, Kal t<; eOpU~OV<;
Kael,na'tO, W<; eKatnOL tnt'ta <1q>e'tEpa au'twv wpfl,]flevoL
npaYfla'ta. Kal 01 ToGpKoL t<; q>o~ov 'tE tyevov'to fleyav,
OtOflEVOL {2.97} au'tIKa anOAAV<1eaL uno I1aLovwv Kat'tWv
napolKWv tevwv aAAOq>uAWV au'toT<;' Kat 6nt] '""'XOLEV, 'ta
'tElX,] tKpa'tVvov, KapaSoKoGv't£<; nano~f]<1E'taL eKaO"'ta t<;
'to'to,ovS£.
I1alovE<; Se, w, npe<1~v<; aq>IKE'to nap' au'toG 'toG 'Pw-
55
flaiwv apXLEpew<; 'IovALavo<; KapSLvaALO<;, avi] p 'ta'tE aAAa
tnLELKi], Kal t<; -cf]v 'Pwflaiwv <1oq>iav EUSOKLflo<;, napEKaAEL
'tE tnt 'tov nOAEflov, 'tov 'tE 6pKOV, 0<; fley,O"'tO<; ~v au'toT<;
tv 'tat, <1novSaT<;, tAU<1a'to tnL'tponij 'toG apXLEpew<;,
aveyvw So 'ta au'toeL. Kat wPfl,]v'to O"'tpa'tEUE<1eaL tnt-cf]v
Eupwn']v, OtOflEVOL Ka'taAf]V£<1eaL au-cf]v i'P,]flov, anov'to<;
'toG Aflovpa'tEw Ka'ta -cf]v A<1iav Kat SLa'tpi~ov'to" Kat'twv
VEWV 'toG apXLEpew<; au'toG tv 'tQ 'EAA']<1nov't'" SLanAE-
oVO"wv W<; fli] tnL'tpenELV SLa~fjvaL, Kat {uno} 'toG 'EAAf]VWV
~a<1LAew<; uno<1'Jflaivov'to<; <1q>i<1L 'taG'ta, W<; OUK av no'tE
SLa~ai'] t<; -cf]v Eupwn']v' 'tou<; 'tE Boeflov<; tv <1novSaT<;
a
<1q>i<1,nOL,]<1aflEVOL Ka'ta 'ti]v S,aq>opav, SL' flOL SOKET Kat
'ta<; Aflovpa'tEw <1novSa<; nOLf]<1a<1eat, npaYfla'ta <1q>i<1L
nap£Xov'twv, Kat W<; nap£<10flevov au'tol<; ano 'twv Boeflwv
Xwpa<; nOAeflov, tSe;av'to 'ti]v ~a<1LAew<; Aflovpa'tEw
Elpf]v']v, 'to'tE Si] <1VVeeflEvoL tKEIVOL<;, w<; napETXEv au'tou<;
tv KaAQ f]<1vxiav ayELV.
'D.Pfl,]v'to O"'tpa'tEU£<1eaL tnt 'ti]v Eupwn']v, ;vflnapa-
Aafl~avov'tE, ~aKa<; 'tE Kal ~paKouA']v 'tov MUp;EW
naTSa, w<; napwv 'tE t, 'tov nOAEflov <1VflnpOeVfloho 'tE Kat
74
BOOK 6
was happening throughout Europe, which was being thrown
into turmoil as each rushed toward his own affairs. This in-
stilled great fear into the Turks, as they thought that they
would then be destroyed by the Hungarians and the sur-
rounding peoples, who were not of the same race as them.
Wherever they happened to be, they strengthened their
walls and walted to see how each of these matters would
turnout.
As for the Hungarians, an envoy was sent to them by the 55
pontiff of the Romans: he was the cardinal Giuliano, a rea-
sonable man and esteemed as a Roman scholar, and he in-
cited them to war. 102 As for the oath, a most formidable one
that they had sworn upon the treaty, 103 he declared it invalid
with the blessing of the pontiff, and he managed to persuade
them. 104 They set out to march against the sultan's Euro-
pean possessions, thinking that they would find them aban-
doned as Murad was absent in Asia and occupied there;!05
also, the ships of the pontiff were patrolling the Hellespont
and would prevent him from crossing. The king of the
Greeks had also indicated to them that Murad would never
again cross over into Europe. They made a treaty with the
Bohemians to settle their differences, for the same reason,
it seems to me, that they had made a treaty with Murad,
namely that they were a real threat to them. They had ac-
cepted the peace with Murad because there was going to be
war between them and the realm of the Bohemians, but now
they came to an agreement with them so that they could
carry out their plans without worry.106
They set out to march against Europe, taking with them 56
the Wallachians and {Vlad II} Dracul, the son ofMircea {I},
who was very eager to join the campaign and be taken along,
75

THE HISTORIES
O'IJVEruAa~OL'rO, napexwv innea, aft<pt -roil, ftIJp[OIJ,. fEWP-
ytoV SE -rOY Tpl~aAAwv i]YEftOVa napEKaAOIJV ftEv t, -rOY
nOAEftOV -rOU-rOV, O'IJVSla<pepElV -rE au-rov afta tKElVOl,' aAN
OUK tnEl9E-ro, [2.98} <paftEVO, ageftl-ra tpya~E0'9at au-rou"
-ra, -rE O'novSa, Auov-ra, Kat aSlK[a, tmapxov-ra" xpi]ftaO'[
-rE tVOftlO'E SlaAuO'ElV au-riii -ri]v ah[av, O-rl ou O"rpa-rEuOl-ro
-riii TIalovwv ~aO'lAET. TIp011Y6pEIJE SE -riii -rE ~aO'lAE1 fti]
O"rpa-rEuE0'9al, W<; ToupKWV fteya SIJvaftevwv, Kat OUK
EunE-rw, p<j:SlOV ou-rw XElpw9fjvat uno TIal6vwv. 'Ewpa
yap -ri]v napaO'Kwi]v oux lKavf]v £Ival, wO'-rE -ri]v Eupwrup
Ka-ra<YXETv, naftnOAAWv tv au-rfj ov-rwv ToupKwv, Kat tv
nOAEftOl, nOAAa nElpa9Ev-rwv, Kat -ro nAEOv -rou ~[OIJ O'<pl-
mv tv-rEu9EV nOtoIJftEvWV. ApE-ri]V -rE -ro yEVO<; -rou-ro t,
anOYVWO'lv a<plKE0'9at a;[av AOYOIJ tVSElKVUftEVOV anav-
-raxou , Kal avaAaft~avElv 'rE O'<pa<; -ro yEVO<; -rou-ro unEft[ftv'1-
(J'KE Salft0v[w<; napa -ra aAAa YEV'1'
AaSlO'Aao<; ftEv oilv (, -rwv TIalovwv ~aO'lAEU<;, ano -rou
57
'EpSEAlolJ Sla~a<; -rOY "IO"rpov Kat -rOY O"rpa-rov Slanop9ftEU-
O'a<;, a<plKE-ro t<; -rf]v ~amAEW<; Xwpav, Kat au-rou eO"rpa-ro-
nESEUE-rO Ka-ra -ri]v -rou Eu;ElvoIJ napaA[av, Ll.O~pO-r[KEW
-rou MIJO'ou xwpav, tnl KaAAlaKp'1v -rE Kat ent Bapv'1v.
Kat eA96v-rE<; ev-rau9a -ra<; -rE nOAEl<; tnoAlOpKOIJV. Kal i]
ftEv Bapv'1 w<; tnoAlopKET-ro, npoO'EXwp'1O'E Ka9' "ftOAO -
y[av, i] SE KaAAlaKp'1 <aAw -rE npoO'~aAov-rwv -rwv TIalo-
vwv Kat ava~av-rwv tnt -ro -rETx0<;. 'E;EAOV-rE<; Sf] Kat t;av-
SpanoSlO'aftEvOl ijAaIJVOV Eu9il -rfj<; BIJ~av-r[oIJ Xwpa<; Kat
'0 PEO"ru1So<;.
Kal ol ftEv aft<pt -rau-ra £Ixov, AftoIJpa-r'1<; SE" MEXfte-rEW
BOOK 6
and he provided about ten thousand cavalry.I07 They invited
Duraa, the ruler of the Serbs, to join the war and contribute
to their effort, but he was not persuaded, saying that their
actions were in the wrong, as they were breaking the treaty
and committing an injustice. He believed that by giving
money he could, however, deflect the accusation that he was
not campaigning with the king of the Hungarians [Wladis-
laus}. But he advised the king not to march out, as the Turks
were very powerful and would not be so easily defeated by
the Hungarians. For he saw that their preparations were in-
sufficient to prevail over the sultan's European possessions,
given that there were countless Turks living there who were
highly experienced in war, and they had made most of their
livelihood from that source. And he reminded them that in
desperate situations this race had everywhere displayed an
extraordinaty virtue, and that they were fiendishly able to
regroup, better than anyone else.
Wladislaus, the king of the Hungarians, crossed the Dan- 57
ube from Ardeal and ferried his army across, arriving at the
sultan's territory. He encamped there, by the coast of the
Black Sea, in the lands of Dobrotica the Bulgarian,108 near
Ka11iakra and Varna. They came there and besieged the cit-
ies. When Varna was besieged, it negotiated its own surren-
der, but Kallialcra was captured when the Hungarians at-
tacked and scaled the wallS.109 Occupying and enslaving it,
they marched straight for the territory of Byzantion and
Adrianople.
While they were doing that, Murad, the son ofMehmed, 58
77
 r
:
THE HISTORIES
tAaO'ao; t1tt Kapaflavov 't~v 'tE xo,pav tStl0u, Kat 'tet U1tO-
SUyla ArfiO'aflevoo; t1tOAlOPKEl 'tijv 'tou 'IKOV[OU aKp01tOAlV.
Kapaflavoo; flEV oilv t1tt 'tet aKpa 'Cijo; xo,pao; Imo<puywv
Sle'tpl~ev alJ'tou, 0,0; ~v 'tl<; t1t' au'tov, emo 'twv aKpwv aflu-
vouflevoo; {2.99} SlEKap'ttpEl. Kat t1tpEO'~eue'to 1tpOo; 'tOY
1\floupa't'lv, u1toaxoflevoo; S,8ova, 'te 6f1~pouo;, Kat 'tOY
1tal8a t<; 'ta<; eupa<; au'tou tm1tefl1tElV, Kat <popov ImayElv
'tou E'tOU<; 8l1tAamOV, oil a1tE<pepE 1tpO'tEpOV. Tau'ta S~ oilv
1tpo'telvov'to<; 'tou Kapaflavou, Kat SeoflEVOU O'1tevSweat
au'tou 'tQ ~aO'lAel, tv'tauea a<p[Ke'to aYYEA[a 1tapet 'tou
Tpl~aAAwv ~yEflovoo;, 0,<; ot I1a[ove<; t1teAauvov'tE<; S,a-
~a[vouO'l 'tOY "IO''tpov. Kat 'to'te 8~ 'tOUo; Myou<; eSexe'to
'tou Kapaflavou Kat <Y1tovSet<; t1tOlEl'tO, Aa~wv S£ 6f1~pou<;
Kat 'tOY 1taISa au'tou a~yayE 'tOY O"tpa'tov.
59 Tov flEv oilv <EAA~<Y1tOV'tov t1tUVeave'to Ka'teXEO'eat U1tO
'twv VEWV 'twv 'haAlKwv Kat e<Y1tEptwv. 'Ev'tauea tv a1top4'
exoflEvo<;, 0 'tl xp~O'al'to 'tQ 1tapov'tl to; Sla~aO'lv, 'tOY
O"tpa'tov oflwo; ~yE O'1tou8fi t1t\ 'tOY <En~O'1tov'tov, 0,<; 'tao;
n 'tPl~PEl<;, ~v t1tl1tAeouO'at 8,aKWAUWO'" 'tolo; 't'lAE~6AOl<;
ii1tEAaO'0flEvo<;. "EO''tl yetP 'tou'to 'Cij<; I1P01tov-rtSo<; O''tevo,-
'ta'tov tmelKW<;, Ka\ 1tUpyo<; EVW'tlV tv 'tfi 1\0'[", 'Iepov
KaAouflevo<;, OJO''te fI'lSaflou e-repWe, t<; 'toO'ou'tov ~paxO
!;uvlevat 'to, ~1telPW SlM'CijO'at. 'Ev'tauea 0,<; t1tijye 'tOY
O"tpa'tov Sla~'lO'0flevo<;, 'tOY 'tfj<; Eupo,1t'l<; 'te Kat1\O'lavov,
'teto; flEV 'tpl~pel<; oUKe'tl Ka'teAa~ev tv'tauea' aveflol yetP
to'xupot 1taw OUK etwv 'tet<; 'tPl~ peto; t<; 't~v I1P01tov't[Sa
to'1tAeetV, Ka\ 1tveufla 'te taxupov Ka'ttlet t1tt O'u)("et<; ~fltpa<;,
~lasoflevov 'tet<; vau<; fI'lSaflfi aVa1tAeuO'al tvav't[a 'tou
BOOK 6
marched against Karaman and plundered his land,uo He
seized the pack animals and besieged the acropolis of Iko-
nion. Karaman eluded him in the mountain peaks of his
land and took up residence there; his plan was that if anyone
attacked him there, he would hold out by defending himself
from the peaks. He sent an envoy to Murad, promising to
give him hostages, to send his son to the Porte, and to pay
double the annual tribute that he had paid before. While
Karaman was making this offer and asking to make a treaty
with the sultan, news was sent there by the ruler of the Serbs
{Durad} that the Hungarians had marched out and crossed
the Danube. Murad then accepted Karaman's proposal and
made the treaty, and taking the hostages and his son, he led
his army away.
He then learned that the Hellespont was occupied by 59
Italian and western ships, whereupon he did not know what
to do or how to deal with the present circumstance and ef-
fect a crossing. Still, he led his army in haste to the Helles-
pont, thinking that he would repel the triremes with can-
nons if they attempted to blockade him with their patrols.
For this is the narrowest point of the Propontis and there is
a tower on the Asian side called Hieron, as nowhere else
were the two continents so close together. He led his army
there, both that of Europe and ofAsia, with the intention of
making the crossing, but he found no triremes there, for
strong winds were preventing them from sailing into the
Propontis. This strong wind had been blowing for many
days and had forced the ships to ground as they could not
79
 THE HISTORIES BOOK 6

nVEufla'to,. AflOUPCt't'l' St,w,

at 'tPl~PEl, oUKt'tlnap~crav sail against it in any way. As the triremes were no longer
au'toii, Kae' ~crux[av Slt~aLVEV au'to, 'tE Kal 6 cr'tpa'te, there to meet him, Murad and his entire army made the
lina,. 'EnEl Se SlE~E~~KEl, liYYEAOV EnEfl"'E napa 'tev Bu- crossing in a leisurely way.lll Once he had crossed, he sent a
~av't[ou ~acrlAta, [Z.IOO} epouv-ra aLhQ, w, Sla~a[vol crw, messenger to the king of Byzantion informing him that he
had crossed safely, was about to march against his enemy,
Kal enl 'tev txepov av'tou leil tAavvol, Kal EUXEcreal nap-
and urged him to pray for his success in the coming wars.
ayytMElv w, KCtMlcr'ta au'tQ 'ta t, 'toil, noAEflou,.

80 8r
 r
!
Z'
{2.IOI] BaOlAEiJ<; oe 'EAA~VWV w<; £rcu9£1:0 'ra napa 'rou
ayyeAotJ, ~X9e-ro flEV ola elKO<;, Ola~E~1']KO'rO<; oihw, WO'rE
flY] OlaKwAuom -ri]v ola~aolv aflax1']'r[, aXX ~otJxf\ Sla-
~av-ra 'rov 'rE o'rpa'rov au'rou iifla 0Ianop9f1Euom, Kat
lcpEpE flEV xaAEnw<;, £~OtJAEUE'rO Se, onw<; 'rcii naponl
XP~OOI'rO, Kat £"('rE nOAEflov anayyeAol 'rcii Afl0tJpa'tt] £"('rE
elp~v1']V. Et flEV yap elP~V1'] au'rcii £"(1'] npo<; Afl°tJpa'r1']v,
£Xp~v £Aauvov'rlola 'rou IIov'rotJ -ri]v Xwpav au'rou ayopav
'rE iifla napeXEIV Kat 'ra £nl~SEla. Kat'rou'ro £SOKEI SEIVOV
au'rou £oEo9m npo<; 'rWV IImovwv, EnEloav nEplyevwv'ral
'rou Afl0tJpanw, Kat ax9EooflevotJ<; au'rcii Sla 'rou'ro 'rou<;
IIa[ova<;. 'ESOKEI 'rE ovv £nt 'rY]v 'rwv IImovwv flolpav 'rpa-
nOflEvo<;1 eAeo9m 'rE 'ra EK£fvwv, KatnOAEflov EnayyeAAElv
'rcii Afl0tJpa'tt]. D<; flEV ouv ~ ypacpY] ES~AOtJ, ou navtJ 'rl
OIEoacp1']oE XaAfA1']<; b IIpatflEw, E1tl~S£lO<; WV EV 'rcii 'rO'rE
'rOl<; "EAA1']OI, Kat ~OtJA6f1EVO<; w<; ~Klo-ra au'rou<; £K 'rou
Eflcpavou<; nOAEfI£lV ~aOIA£l, nptv ~ KapaooK~om, 01
XWP~OEI 6 nOAEfl0<;' {2.I02]
2 Afl0tJpa'r1']<; flEV 0Y] Eu9u 'rWV nOAEfI[wV £Aavvov'rwv
Eo-rpa'rEuE'ro napaOKEtlaoaflEVo<;, Kat'rO iiAAO ~<; Eupwn1']<;
o'rpa'rEtlfla Ka'reAa~EV ~9poloflevov au'rcii, Kal npoolov
£Kao'ro'r" ot £nt 'rov nOAEflov. OU'ro<; oe Ka'r01tlV £Aauvwv
Book 7
"W;,en the king of the Greeks {loannes VIII} heard the
messenger's words, he was understandably angry that Mu-
rad had crossed over in this way, unhindered and without
having to give battle; instead, he had crossed over at his lei-
sure and had ferried his army across too. The king took it
badly, but also considered how he might handle the present
situation, that is whether he should declare war on Murad
or make peace. For if there were to be peace between him
and Murad, he would have to provide a market and other
necessities to him as he marched along the Black Sea and
through his territory. But this, it seemed, would also put him
in a terrible position with respect to the Hungarians, if they
prevailed over Murad and were then angry at him on ac-
count of this. He inclined toward the Hungarians and so
decided to side with them and declare war on Murad. But
Halil, the son of ibrahim, did not at all make clear what the
declaration said, because he was then one of the friends of
the Greeks and he did not at all wish for them to be openly
at war with the sultan before they could wait and see how
the war would go.
Murad immediately made preparations and marched out 2
as his enemies were advancing, and he gathered the rest of
the army of Europe as it assembled to his side and joined
up with him, at intervals, for the war. He then marched
83

THE HISTORIES
'tou I1alovwv (r-rpa'tou Eer'tpa'tOnESEUE'tO VOK'tO<;, EVSa -rft
npo'tEpal", En']OAl~ov'to ot I1alOVE<;, Kal ~flEN au ~AaOVE
Kal Eer'tpa'tonESEUE-ro E<; 'tOY er'taSflov 'tWV I1acovwv, Ii
Eer'tpa'tonESEUOV'tO. Tou'to So EnolEI Enl ~ flEpa<; 'tEererapa<;,
KaSopwv n 'to nAfjSo<; 'tWV nOAEfllwv Kal w<; Exooeri Sla-
SEerEW<; E<; au'tov, EhE nEplSEET<; Enl m'ierlv, Wcr-rE Enl ~paxuv
'tlva XWpOV2 eroer'tEAAwSal, e'i'tE Kal 'toAfln XWpOUv-rE<;,
fI']SoV SES10'tE<; cr-rpa'tEuov-ral, Kal w<; £xooerl 'tE Enl't']Selwv
EV't<!J er'tpa'tonES",. Tau'ta yap iifla CTOVElSel'] iiv 'tl<; EnoflE-
vo<; 't<!J nOAEfllwv cr-rpa'tonES"" Kal E1tlAoylerac'to eracpEcr-ra'ta,
W<; Exoocrl'tE SEOO<; Kal 'toAfI,]<; Kal W<; ExooerlV E1tl't']SelWV
Kat nA']Suo<;, n6ppw 'tE e'i'] 0 er'tpa'to<; ~ EyyV<; 'tOU'tOO.
Tau'ta flOV OUV AflooPCt't']<; EAauvwv Ka'tonlV EAoyl~E'tO Enl
'tEererapa<; ~flepa<;.
J Tn So nEfln"'n 'IWCtVV']<; 6 XWV1Ct't']<;, w<; ijerSE'to Ka'ta
noSa<; EAauvElv 'tOY ~aerlAEw<; er'tpa'tov, E<; ~OOA~V 'tE
KaSler'ta'to crUv 't<!J I1acovwv ~aerIAeT, Kal E~OOAEUOV'tO, ei
TIjv flCtX']v av'tou nOl~eralv'to Kal flaXEerCtflEVOI ou'tw 'tou
npoerw EX01V'tO, ~ etflaX'l'tlnpoTolEV, Ka'taAafl~Ctvov'tE<; TIjv
xwpav. 'Ev'tauSa ESO~E ~00AeooflEV01<; TIjv flCtX'lv nOl-
eTerSac, w<; C!v fI~ E1tlCT1tWflEVOI EVOXAOTEV Kal npCtYfla'ta
EXOlEV, wer'tE {2.I03} KWAuEerSal, ~v 'tl E1tlXE1poTEV {TIjv} E<;
TIjv xwpav av'tou. n<; ouv ESeSoK'to Kal EneflEvov, Ev'tauSa
AflooPCt't']<; etcplKOflEVO<; Eer'tpa'tonESEuE'tO EV't<!J nESl",.
4 Kal npw'ta floV 'tou<; vE~AoSa<; napa'ta~CtflEvo<; EKO-
KAOU'tO uno 'tWV SOpEWV, EVflEyeSE1<; 1t']~CtflEVO<; erlS']peloO<;
E<; 't~v yfjv. <PepEI So 'tou'too<; atel, IInol iiv cr-rpa'tEu']'tac
~acrlAEU<;, Enl 'tWV Kafl~Awv' Kat npo<; yE 'ta IInAa 'twv
BOOK 7
behind the army of the Hungarians and encamped by night
at the place where the Hungarians had made their camp the
mght before. And during the day he marched again and
made camp at the location where they had made camp. He
did this for four days, observing the numbers of the en-
emy and assessing their attitude toward him, that is whether
they were thoroughly frightened and would huddle together
in a small space or whether they were feeling daring and
w~re ~arching without fear; and also whether they had sup-
phe~ m the camp. For one can ascertain these things by fol-
lowmg an enemy army and conclude most reliably whether
they are afraid or bold, how many supplies and what num-
bers they have, and whether their army is close or distant. So
Murad considered these things for four days as he marched
in pursuit,l
On the fifth day, as Janko Hunyadi realized that the sul- J
tan's army was following behind them in their march, he de-
liberated with the king of the Hungarians {W1adislausl and
they tried to decide whether they should offer him bat-
tle there and advance only after they had battled him, or
whether to continue to advance without battle and subject
the land. Whereupon they decided in these deliberations to
give battle so that they would not be pursued and harassed
and have troubles which might hinder them from carrying
out some operation in his land. They made this decision and
halted their advance, whereupon Murad arrived and made
camp in the plain.
He stationed the janissaries first and surrounded himself 4
with shields, large iron ones that they stick in the ground.
The sultan always carries these with him on camels, wher-
ever he marches. In addition, the arms of the janissaries are
THE HISTORIES
BOOK 7

also carried on camels, and wherever there is to be a battle

he distributes the weapons and so prepares for battle. Af-
ter the shields have been placed, the camels are positioned
there in front of the shields, and thus the Porte is deployed.
In the middle were Murad himself, the lords of his house-
hold, and the lords of the Porte, all those who accompany
the sultan in the camp. The army of Europe was deployed
by him under the general Karaja, an esteemed man. It de-
ployed with its companies separated from each other at
small intervals. The army of Asia deployed by companies,
with all of them facing forward so as to come to each other's
aid, should part of them be hard pressed by the enemy. For
the cavalry cannot deploy in any way except by companies,
while the infantry is best deployed by wings, which the cav-
alry do not have.
The Hungarians also deployed by units and clans. The 5
Hungarians held the right, the Wallachians the left. Janko
Hunyadi commanded the phakze, the so-called vitezek, 2 and
went against the general of Asia. Most of the latter army
did not even try to come to blows with the Hungarians but
rather fled to a great distance, allowing the Hungarians to
pursue, and so they dispersed. This was the second army
of Asia that Hunyadi routed and pursued. There remaiued
the army of Europe that stood its ground, did not yield in
the least, but fought back against the enemy. For it is clear
that the army of Europe stood its ground because the sultan
stood his ground: whenever they are not able to withstand
 THE HISTORIES
ave,,; E:mlvetCflV btl '!o ~a(flAEw, (npa'!6nESov. EiweEl yap
yevo" flE'!a yE LKUea, -cou, vOflaSa, nav-cwv S~ flaAl<na,
wv ~flEl, 'lcrflEV, <PEUYOV aVel, ;uvl<nacreal '!E aim!> Kal
EnaVlEVal p"Slw, Kal aVel, E, ~v fla)(l1v, Kal,!pEn6f1Evov
EunE'!w" onOl ltv au-c<\> Aucrl-cEAolll·
6 Oi flEnol baKE, EV '!<\> eopu~,!, '!ou'!,!, -rfj, fl a Xll" w,
ewpwv -cou, Amavou, E, <puny -cpEnoflEVOu" OUKE'!l S~
Ev-raUea EnEcrxov, aA")( E, -cou, ~acrlUW, ell crau pou,
'!pan6f1EVOl Sl~pna~ov '!a '!E XpiJfla'!a Kal -COV ~acrlUw,
KOl-cwva, Kat '!a, KafliJAou, E<p6vetlov, aAAiJAol, SlaKE-
Aetl6f1Evol. '0, Sf; "pyou E'lxov'!o Kat [Kavw, Elxov -rfj, Sl-
apnayij" OUKe-cl t6V'!E, E, flaXllv napE-cacrcrov'!o EV ouSEvi,
aA")( Enl '!o eau'!wv cr'!pa-c6nESov f\Aauvov. 'Iwavv ll, flev
ovv, w, E'!PEta'!o '!o -rfj, Acria, <npa-cetlfla, a<plKE'!O Ent
AaSlcrAaov ~acrlUa, napalVwv au-c<\> '(<nacreal KatlSpucreal
Ka-ca Xwpav, fillS!: npo"ieval nOl {2.I05} crufl~aAouna -col,
nOAEfliol" w, ltv Enl6v'!l Ka-ca -cou ~acrlAEw, xaAEnov ano-
~alll, Ka-Ca<pUn EK -rfj, flaXll, yEVOl-CO. Kat napEyyUa
flll SEvl '!wv afl<p' au'!ov Em-cpEnElV llAAn nn ameval, il.A")(
au'!ou flEvov-ca, EmflEvElv, E, Il ltv flaXEcraflEvo, Kat '!o -rfj,
Eupwnll' <npa-cetlfla '!PEtaflEVO, ono<npE'itll'!al, Kal -C6-CE
Ent -ca, eupa, llfla, onoAElnoflevou -cou il.ywvo, -cou'!ou,
EAwcrl flE'!a '!au'!a, Kat E;Epyacrwv-cal Kat -cou-cov '!EAEU-
-caLov il.ywva.
7 '0 flev -cau-ca Einwv il.1t1lEl cruv'!a;aflEvo, Ent '!o -rfj,
Eupwnll' cr'!pa-cetlfla, Il Enl '!o EOWVUflOV '!ou ~acrlUw,
napE-cacrcrE'!O flepo" Kat crufl~aAwv EflaXE,!o Enl Xp6vov
'!lva. 'EyevE-co Se ~ flaXll oihw,. '0, crufl~anolEV ol
88
BOOK 7
the enemy and flee, they return back to the camp of the sul-
tan. For this race, more than any other of which we know-
that is, after the nomadic Skythians-can easily regroup in
flight and return again to the battle, turning easily in what-
ever direction is to its advantage.
In the commotion of battle, when the Wallachians saw 6
the Asians turn to flight, they no longer held their position
but turned to go to the sultan's treasury and plundered his
money and the royal sleeping-tent. Encouraging each other,
they even killed the camels. Preoccupied with this business
and satisfied with their plunder, they did not then again de-
ploy for battle but returned to their own camp. Janko, when
he had routed the army of Asia, went to King Wladislaus
and urged him to halt and consolidate his position, without
advancing at all to engage with the enemy, in case something
untoward might happen to him ifhe went against the sultan
and then had to escape from the battle. He advised him to
allow none of his men to go elsewhere, but that they shonld
stay there and hold the position until he could engage with
the army of Europe, rout it, and return, and only after that
could they talce on the one remaining struggle by attacking
and capturing the Porte; then they could bring that final
struggle to completion.
With these words, Hunyadi went off in formation against 7
the army of Europe, which was deployed on the left side of
the sultan. He engaged with it and they fought for some
time. The battle took place in the following way. When the
 THE HISTORIES
I1alove<; e<; xelpa<; eAeOV-re<;, -rpnVCtflevol -rov<; ToupKolJ<;
eS[WKOV, ew<; ou eyevoV'ro CtyxOO -rOO (Hpa-r01ttSOlJ au-roo.
Me-ra Se euev<; <1lJ<Ttpetav-re<; ot ToopKol eSlWKOV -rOV<;
I1alova<; Xp6vov tKavoV axP(<; ou yevOlV'rO Kat OU-rOl ev -r';;
<1-rpa-r01ttS'll au-rwv. Kat o1to-re flev ~la<1Ctflevol ot I1a[ove<;
-rov<; ToupKolJ<; e1tlKeOlv-ro SlwKov-re<;, ev-raoea <1lJ)(Vol
-rwv ToupKwv E1tl1t-rOV Ka-ra1ta-rouflevol U1tO -rwv I1atovwv.
Kat flev S~ Kat I1a[ove<; tv -rfi cmOXWp~<1el1tOnot cmeyl-
vov-ro, 01to-re S~ alSol imoxwpoov-re<;. 'Ev -rou-r'll 1tl1t-rel
Kapa~ll]<; 0 -r~<; EupW1tl]<; <1-rpa-rl]Y0<;' ;lcpel I1atOVlK';; ~AI]­
eel<; Ka-ra -ro ~eo<;, Sopa-rlolJ -rpaufla-rl.
8 Ta yap I1aLOvlKa ;lcpl] crxeSov -rl S~, Kal -ra ~<; rep-
flav[a<; cmCt<1l]<;, eAI]Aafleva -rlJYXCtVel e1tl fl~Kl<1-rOV Kat
6;ea, ou flev-rOl -rolao-ra ola Ka-ralpov-ra {z.ro6} K01t-relv
on Kat a;la AOYOlJ, w<; -ra ~ap~aplKa ~ Kat 'haAlKCt. Ta
flev ~ap~aplKa -rOlao-ra (ToupKwv Se e<Ttl -rao-ra), ~Ctpo<;
'icrxov-ra 1tCtflfleya Kat ecp' tvt Exov-ra ~v -r0fl~v, Ka-ra-
~a[voll<1l ye flCtAl<1-ra S~ 1tCtv-rwv -rwv ;lCPWV, wv ~fle1<;
'i<1flev. Seu-repa Se -rou-rwv -ra 'haA(KCt, 'EAAI]VlKCt 1to-re
yevofleva. Ta Se repflavlKa Kat I1aLOvlKa flaKpa fltv et<1l
Kat <TtpOyyUAa, -re-rpCtywva, ~v -r0fl~v 6;ea, e<; 6;v Se
1tCtVV A~yov-ra 86pa-ro<; E1tlcpepOlJ<1l -rOfl~v, -rOO ECP' l1t1tOlJ
Ka-re1tepelSov-ro<; au-ro w<; e<; -ro -rOO Sopa-ro<; crx~fla. Kapa-
~[I]<; flev oov oihwo; e-reAeu-r'l<1e.
9 I1ept Se AaSl<1ACtOV -rov I1alovwv ~a<1lAea eyeve-ro
-rOlCtSe. 'H<1av yap 1tap' au-r';; avSpE<; cpeovoov-reo; Kat
CtXeOflevol -r';; 'IwCtvvt] Sla -r~v Ctpe~v. nO; twpwv au-rov
KaAwo; Sle1tOv-ra -ra CtflCPt-rov 1toAeflov, Kal-rpetCtflevov flev
BOOK 7
Hungarians closed and joined in combat, they routed the
Turks and pursued them until they came near to their camp.
But then the Turks wheeled around and pursued the Hun-
garians for a long time until they too came to their own
camp. Thereupon the Hungarians pressed hard upon the
Turks and pursued them, and many Turks fell there, tram-
pled by the Hungarians. In fact, many Hungarians had also
perished during their retreat, when, to their shame, they
had been retreating. It was here that Karaja fell, the general
pf Europe, struck in the chest by a Hungarian sword, a
wound like that caused by a spear. 3
Like all German swords, Hungarian swords are beaten 8
out to be long and sharp. They do not cut much in a down-
ward chop, like barbarian or Italian swords. Barbarian
swords, I mean those of the Turks, are very heavy and sharp
along one edge, and they have the most powerful downward
thrust of all the swords that we know. After them come
the Italian swords, which were later used by the Greeks.
But German and Hungarian ones are long and rounded or
square;4 they have a sharp edge and end in a sharp point like
that of a spear; they inflict the wound of a spear when thrust
down from atop a horse in the manner of a spear. Thus did
Karaja perish.
But as for Wladislaus, the king of the Hungarians, the 9
followmg took place. He had at his side men who envied and
hated Janko on account of his valor. As they saw that he was
conducting the battle well, had routed the entire army of
91
 THE HISTORIES
'to 'tfj<; Aer(a<; <f'tpanuf'a cmav, f'aXOf'EVOV St Kal1tpo<; 'to
'tfj<; Eupw1t'1<; YEVvaL6'ta'ta Kal aVEAOV'ta <f'tpa't'lyov at'J'tou
Kapa~('1v, e'AEYOV 1tpO<; ~aerLA£a 'to LaSE. "n ~aerLAEu, 'tl
E<f't'1 KO'tE<; EvSaSE avaf'EVWf'EV 'Iwavv'1v 'taSE 1tav'ta SLa-
1tpa't'rEerSaL, w<; f'OV'l' avSpl OV'tL E1tl'tPE1tOV'tE<; au'tQ 'tou<;
1tOAEf'[OU<; SLWeraerSaLj 'H[.ifv yap f.<; aicrxUv'1V f.1tlELKfj 'tLva
<PEP£[ 1tavu 'tou'to, ~f'i'i<; f'tv WSE Eer't'lKo'ta<; opf'i'iv 'tov erov
SOUAOV f'axof'EvoV 'tOU'tOL<; 'tol<; ToupKoL<;. 'EXpfjv yap S~
~aerLAEa Dv'ta ~f'wv criJv ~f'lv 'tol<; af'cpl au'tov ooerLv a1to-
SEiKvUerSaL epya, ola E1taLVEeraLv'to Kal at YUValKE<; ~f'wv
Kal ot EV 'tal<; 1tOAE<fLV ~f'wv, ~v f'aX'1v 1tUVSav6f'EvoL w<;
EyEVE'tO, Kat ot 1tOAEf'LOL. All< 00't0<; f'tv 'tpE'itaf'EVO<; 'toer-
ou'tOV er'tl<po<; avSpw1tWV lmo<pEpE'taL S6;av {2.I07} aSava-
'tov' erol St E<f't'lK6'tL f'ovov EV'tauSa Kal E<pOpWV'tL EKaer'ta
QVELSO<; Ka'taAEi1tE'taL f.<; 'tou<; E1tlYLVOf'EVOU<;. M'1 St yap
oIOU, w<; f.1tELSaV 'tpE'it'1'taL 'ta <f'tpa'tEuf'a'ta, al 'tou ~aerL­
AEW<; SUpaL E1tLf'EvouerLv ~f'i'i<; E1tLov'ta<;, aAAa <pEo;ov'taL 'to
1tapau't(Ka, 01tOL 1tpoXWp~eraLEv. ''ISL oov E1t1 'ta<; Sopa<;
'(Wf'EV 'tou Af'oupanw· ~aerLAEu<; yap wv 1tpoer<pEpEerSaL
~aerLAci S[KaLO<; CtV £'('1<;."
10 Tau'ta aKooerav'ta'tov vEav(av e1tELSe 'tE 0 AOy0<; epywv
ola f'eyaAwv opEy6f'EVOV, Ka\ w<; elXE 'taxou<;, EAaovEL E1t1
'ta<; ~a<rLA£W<; Sopa<;, ii E~KEL (fUv'tE'taYf'evo<; w<; E<;
f'aX'lv, Kat 'ta<ppov 1tepL; 'tE 6pu;af'EVO<; f.V'tQ er'tpa't01tES 'l'
E1tef'EVEV iSElv, ii Xwp~ereL ~ f'ax'1' :0.<; Sf. Evt~aAEV E<; 'tou<;
vEi'jAuSa<;, Kal Ef'axoV'tO KUKAweraf'EVOL EV'to<; ot VEi'jAUSE<;,
KallmoAa~6vn<; f.f'axov'to a;[w<; Myou. 'EV'tauSa 1tEA£KEL
6 l1t1to<; 'tou ~aerLA£w<; ITaLOVWV 'tL'tPW<fKE'taL 'tou<; 1toSa<;
BOOK 7
Asia, and was now fighting against the army of Europe most
valiantly and had killed its general Karaja, they said the fol-
lowing to the king: "0 king, why should we just stand here
waiting for Janko to do everything, entrusting him, as if
there were only one man present, with the task of repelling
the enemy? This brings upon us a considerable amount of
shame, namely for your servant to charge out in battle
against these Turks while we just stand here. It is imperative
for you, our king, and for us who are by your side to perform
deeds that will be praised by our womenfolk and our towns-
pe~ple, when they learn how the battle went, and by our en-
enues. Instead, this man will rout this multitude of men and
win immortal glory for himsel£ You, who just stood here
and watched everything, will earn only infamy among later
generatIOns. Nor should you think that when the armies are
routed, the sultan's Porte will await our attack; rather, they
will flee immediately, wherever they can go. Come now, let
us move against the Porte of Murad. For inasmuch as you
are a kmg, It IS only fair that you should challenge another
king."
The young man listened to these words and was per- 10
suaded, as he had an appetite for great deeds. So, as quickly
as he could, he charged against the sultan's Porte, where
Murad stood deployed for battle, with a ditch dug all
around; for Murad had remained in his camp to observe the
course of the battle. When Wladislaus attacked the janissar-
les, they were surrounded and fought inside the camp, and
they held steady and fought valiantly. There the horse of the
king of the Hungarians was struck on its legs with an ax and
93

THE HISTORIES
Kat :n:[:n:nl. IIeO'ov'too; 8E ou'te n0'80v'to ot afl<p' au'tov oun
£wpaKeLO'av iJ:n:o 'tov 80pu~ou 'tov afi<p' au'touo; yevofl£vou.
'Ev'tav8a a<peAoflevoL 'to Kpavoo; ot ve~Au8eo; Kal iJ:n:o-
'tEfloflEVOL 'ti]v Ke<paAiiv a~yayov eo; ~aO'LA£a. 8ep[s'1O; 8E
~v 'touvofla 6 v£'1AUo;, ii> 8La 'tov'to av8peIov 'tL veov
e:n:£'tpEte ~aO'LAeuo; Afloupa't'1O; EXeLv Kal fleyaAa e't[fla .
n Afloupa't'lo; fl£v oliv ev-rav8a A£yE'tm, WO; £wpa efl-
~aAov-rao; 'touo; IIa[ovao; Kat flaxofl£vouo; a;[wo; AOyOU,
a,Pfl'1'to eo; <pu~v' nptv 8E au'tov eo; <punv 'tpa:n:fjvaL, 'tLo;
l8wv au'tov e~AaO'<p~fl'1O'e, 8ELVOV AOYLO'aflevoo; [2.I08} el
eK<puyoLEV, Ka't£O'XE 'tE au'tov, Kat flE't' ou :n:OAU 'ti]v Ke-
<paAiiv 'tov ~aO'LAEwo; IImovwv eo; ~aO'LA£a MouO'ouAflavwv
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vov'to' t:n:iJpWO'E yap 'tolipyov 'touo; vE~Au8ao;, Kat efla-
xov'to fLEyaAwo;. Me'ta 8£, WO; OUK ii8uvav'tO aveA£0'8m 'tov
VEKpOV, a~Aauvov e:n:t 'to 0''tpa'to:n:E8ov.
n Kat au'tiKa ~ <P~fl'1 a<pLKofl£v'1 e:n:l 'tov XWVLa't'lv Kat eo;
'tou<; aAAOU<; 'tou<; ev'taT<; O'Uv'ta;eO'Lv E:n:auO'£ 'te 'tfjo; fl a X'1<;'
Kat a:n:oxwpovv'tOo; Kallov'to<; ev ou8evt KOO'fl4', e:n:uv8ave'to
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(f1tou8ijo;, E<PWYOV ev OU8EVt K6O'fl4' Kat ot afl<pl 'tov ~a­
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yevoflevo<; apLO"tOo;. Kat aAAOL 'tE £:n:eO'ov ev 'tft a:n:oxwp~O'EL
94
BOOK 7
it fell. His retinue did not realize that he had fallen nor did
they see it, given the twnult raging all around them. The
pllLssanes removed his helmet, cut off his head, and took it
to the sultan. The name of this janissary was Firuz 5 and on
account of this brave and unforeseen deed Sultan ~urad be-
stowed a mark of valor upon him' and held h'1m In . great es-
teem.
It is said that Murad, when he saw the Hungarians charge n
and fight so valiantly, turned to flee. But before he actually
fled, someone saw h,m and cursed him, considering how ter-
nble It would be if he fled, and held him back. Shortlyafter-
ward they brought the head of the king of the Hungarians
to the sultan of the Muslims. After they had withdrawn, the
Hungarlans who had been with the king searched for him.
Later, when they realized that he had fallen there and died
they c~arged in again, attempting to recover his body, bu;
th~y dld not succeed. For this feat had fired up the janis-
sarles and they fought with determination. Later, when the
Hungarlans proved unable to recover the body, they went
back to their camp. '
When the news reached Hunyadi and the others in their I2
ranks, the battle ceased. As each person learned the news
he withdrew and departed in disorder. TheYd'd 1 not marc h'
back to their camp, but both Hunyadi and the Wallachians
advanced directly to the Danube. The retinue of the king
of the Hu~garlans also fled in disorder, as quickly as they
could. Dunng
. thls withdrawal, Cardinal
1 G'uliana, a man ex-
cellent 1ll all ways, was killed by the Turks. Many other good
95
 THE HISTORIES
iivSp£<; ayaeOt OUK oAiyOl ll.aKWV. 'Iwavv']<; Se ,0<; tnt't'ov
"I<1't'pov a<piK£'t'o Kat 't'a 't'£ O''t'pa't'£ufLa't'a Sla~av't'a Sl-
£O'nap,], tv't'auea, ,0<; tnop£u£'t'o oAiyOl<; 't'01<; afL<p' aim\v,
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emo tij<; ll.aKia<; 't'ov "I<1't'poV Sla~aivov't'£<;, 't'a<; 't'£ KWfLa<;
au't'oii A']'i~ofL£vo<;, Kat Slt~aA£ npo<; ~aO'lAta I1alovwv
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Kat unoO"]fLaivol tKeiVOl<;, iina 't'Uyxavol£v npanov't'e<;
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enpa~a't'o XP~fLa<Y' Kat ,meAve,] Sla 't'aii't'a.
I1opwofLevov Se Sla tij<; ll.aKia<; elM't'e au't'ov, 't'iO'aO'eaL
13
tvvoovfLevo<;, Kat Kaeeip~a<; elxev tv <puAaKii· Ot fLev oiiv
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KOVAew O'UAA']<peijVaL iivSpa I1alova Kal tv a~lwfLa't'l Dv't'a.
"EnefLnov Se K£Aevov-re<; a<plEvaL 't'ov 'Iwavv']v' ei Se fL~,
nepltteO'eaL ,0<; nOAtfLloV tnlov't'a<; tn' au't'ov navO''t'pa't'l~.
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't'ol<; au't'oii npaYfLaO'" fLiJ vew't'epov 't'l ~OUA']etv't'e<; nept
't'ov iivSpa t~tAWO'lV au't'ov tnlov't'e<; ot I1alove<;, aneAuO't
't'e ail't'ov, Kal <plAO<ppov,]O'afLevo<; npotnefLtev t<; 't'ou<;
I1atova<; Sla 't'ou I1pa<Yo~oii t<; 't'o ApStALOV.
Toii't'ov fLev oiiv ou nOAA<i' u<1't'epov Xwvla't'']<;, Ka't'aywv
ll.avov ~yefLova tij<; ll.aKia<; tKnemwKo't'a, tne~ijAee, Sla-
<peelpa<; au't'ov 't'£ iifLa Kat 't'ov nalSa av't'oii. '0,<; yap
O''t'pa't'wfLa O'uvayelpa<; Ka~yayev t<; ll.aKiav 't'ov ll.avov
BOOK 7
men also fell among the Wallachians during this withdrawal.
When Janko reached the Danube, his armies crossed over
and dispersed. As he was proceeding with a small retinue, he
was captured by {Vlad II} Dracul, the ruler of the Wallachi-
ans, who was his enemy. Janko had previously opposed him
among the Hungarians and in the presence of King WIadis-
laus, when they were making the journey from Wallachia to
cross the Danube. He had plundered his villages and slan-
dered him to the king of the Hungarians, saying that he was
on the side of Murad and the Turks and was signaling to
them everything that they were doing. Dracul captured him
with the intent of killing him but afterward ransomed him
for money, and he was therefore released. 7
So as Janko was marching through Wallachia, Dracul cap- 13
tured him and intended to exact revenge on him. He impris-
oned him and held him under guard. When the Hungarians
arrived home and learned that Janko had been arrested, they
considered it an unbearable insult that Dracul would arrest
a Hungarian man, and one who held office at that. They sent
messengers ordering him to release Janko. Ifhe did not, they
would regard him as an enemy and come against him with
their full army. When this message from the Hungarians was
announced to him, he feared for his own interests, that is in
case the Hungarians decided to change the status quo on
behalf of this man, and so advanced against him and drove
him out. So he released Janko, treated him kindly, and sent
him on to the Hungarians through Brasso to Ardeal.
Shortly afterward Hunyadi brought back Dan, the de- '4
posed ruler of Wallachia, and marched against Dracul, kill-
ing him along with his son. 8 Hunyadi raised an army and led
back to Wallachia Dan, the deposed son of Bas arab . Dracul,
97
 THE HISTORIES
'tou MreaO"apaflrea reaT8a EKreere'tWK6-ra, Mup~ew oU'to<;
reaT<; aUv 't<li reat8t au'tou reape-raO"O"e'to w<; E<; flaX'lv, I1apa-
'tanoflEvwv 8' afl<poTv Kat fleAAonwv ~8'l O"ufI~aAeTv, 01
"'aKe<; areoAeAomo'te<; EV 'tfi reapa'ta~eL 'tOY Mup~ew reaT8a
'lu'tOflOAOUV reapa ",avov. 'Opwv 8' Enau9a 'tou<; "'aKa<;
wPfl'lflEVOU<; levat ~uflreav'ta<; E<; 'tOY [2.lIO} "'avov, wPfl'l'to
E<; <punv. Kat 6 fI£v £<peuye, "'avo<; 8e E8iwKev elva Kpa'to<;,
Kat O"UAAa~wv iifl<PW elveTAev au'tiKa. Oli'to<; flev oi'iv EKO-
fli~e'to Ere' o'iKou, Kat ou reoAA<Ii uO"'tepov O"'tpa't'lYov 'te
e['Aono au'tov Kat ElClO"'ta't'lv 'twv repaYfla'twv O"<piO"LV, ~8'l
ureo 'te repflavwv Kat Boeflwv reoAeflouflevoLO;, Kat Eree'tpe-
t av au't<li 'ta repaYfla'ta 8La9eTvaL, iJ ltv au't<li <paivOL'to. Kat
O"'tpa'tov 8e O"uAAe~a<; EO"'tpanue'to Eret Boeflouo;, Kat EreoAE-
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Kat O"ufI~aAwv ~-m'J9'l, Kat uO"'tepov ai'i9L<; EreneL 'te O"UfI-
~aAwv KatreepLeyeve'to.
15 Afloupa't'l<; 8e w<; 'tou ~ao"LAEwo; Aa8LO"Aaou ~v Ke-
<paA~v cmo'tafloflevoo; eret 8opa'to<; reepLEreeflreE 'te Kat ere-
e8eiKvu t<; 'ta O"'tpanufla'ta, O"ucrKeuaO"aflevo<; Ev'teugev
EKofli~e'to ere' O·{KOU. "EreeO"ov 8' Ev'tau'tt] 'tfi flaX!1 ToupKwv
flEV, w<; au'tot AeyOUo"LV, elfl<P! 'touo; £~aKLcrxLA[OU<;, I1atOVWV
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repaYfla'ta EreavijKev ai'i9L<; 't<li Afloupa'tt], d<; Ev80LaO"flov
'toT<; elva ~v Eupwre'lv el<pLKofleva OUK 6Aiyov. eepi~'lv
flEV'tOL 'tOY 't~v Ke<paA~v 'tou ~ao"LAtwo; elreeveYKaflevov
XP~flaO"i 'te reoAAoT<; E8wp~O"a'to Kat xwpat<;, Kat ureapxov
BOOK 7
the son of Mircea, and his son deployed for battle. When
both sides were deployed for battle and about to engage, the
Wallachians abandoned the son of Mircea in his formation
and defected to Dan. When Dracul saw that the Wallachi-
ans were going over to Dan en masse, he rushed to flee. So
he fled while Dan pursued with all his might. Dan captured
both of them and killed them on the spot. Janko, then, re-
turned home and, shortly afterward, was elected general and
regent over the affairs of the Hungarians as they were al-
ready at war with the Germans and Bohemians. They en-
trusted their affairs to him to manage however seemed best
to him.' He assembled an army and marched against the Bo-
hemians and fought against them for a long time. He even
fought against Jiskra, a tactician whose fame had spread ev-
erywhere. Engaging with him, he was defeated, but later he
went and engaged with him again, and prevailed. to
After Murad had the head of King Wladislaus severed, 15
earned around on a spear, and exhibited to the armies, he
prepared to return home from there. About six thousand
Turks fell in that battle, as they themselves say, and of the
Hungarians more than that. Most fell during the retreat at
the hands ofll the Wallachians. That is how those events
transpired and control of affairs returned again to Murad,
leadmg to great apprehension among the inhabitants ofEu-
rope. He gave a gift of much money and many lands to Firuz,
who brought him the head of the king, and appointed him
99
 THE HISTORIES
aretS£l;e. To fltV-rOl Kapal;lew O"wfla eveydflevo<; e<; l\SPl-
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t ev a;lw<; AOyOU. Kal LKoupav an' au-rou eO"~O"a-ro
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EKelVOU tSpuO"a-ro xwpav. To Kpa-ro<; S' eIXe XaAlAll<; "
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-rou ~ao"IAEw<; 9upal<;. Tov flev oiiv <t>a-roufli'iv ou reoAA<ji
umepov o"uAAa~wv TI]v ouO"(av au-rou a<pelAe-ro, e<; reev~­
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o"IAEW<; Kat OUKE-rl eAtAUV"CO, eIXE -re ijO"ux0<; ev -r<ji reapov-rl
Kal egepareeue -rov ~aO"lAEa SWpOl<;, 6\O"-re flllSev au-r<ji
xaAereov eret vouv ~aAt0"9aL -rov ~ao"lAta l\floupa-rllv. "Hv
yap S~ au-r<ji Sla<popa repo<; -rov aSeA<pov au-rou ee6Sw-
pov -rov vewmt a<plYflEvOV eret Bul;av-rLOv SlaSe;oflevov
TI]v apmv reapa -rou aSeA<pou. Kal i'repaTIev oii-ro<; -ra
repo<; ~a<YIAelav evav-rLOuflevo<; -r<ji aSeA<p<ji, Kat uO"-repov
n e;l1vtx9ll au-r<ji e<; eu<pavij Sla<popav, Kal eO"-rpanue-ro
eret Bul;anlou ~ao"lAta eeoSwpo<; 0 aSeA<po<;, -r~v n
LllAu~plav erem-rpaflflevo<; Kal TI]v reep(olKoV -rau"Ct]<;.
Ahouflevo<; yap tKav~v rep6O"0Sov au-r<ji t<; -ro areol;ijv OUK
twyxavev, ogev t<; re6Aeflov -re Ka9lma-ro -r<ji aSeA<p<ji Kat
100
BOOK 7
prefect. The sultan himself brought the body of Karaja to
Adrianople where he saw that it was given a magnificent
fu~eral ~:ocession and buried with great honors. He ap-
pomted Ozgiir in his place as general ofAsia, an Albanian by
race who had been enslaved and taken away from the land of
the Albanians, raised by the sultan himself in his household ,
and appointed first as a prefect and later as general of Asia.
He deposed Fatuma from his office-he was the presiding
officer of the sultan's household-and in his place installed
Saraja, a slave and Greek by race. But power was held by
Halil, the son of ibrahim, a man who was the first in intelli-
gence at the sultan's Porte. Soon afterward he arrested
Fatuma and confiscated his property, worth one million, five
hundred thousand <coins>, plus four thousand talents of
silver.
As for the king of the Greeks [Joannes VIII}, he kept his 16
treaty with the sultan, which had not been dissolved. He
kept quiet for the time being and placated the sultan with
gifts, so that Sultan Murad should not form any evil inten-
tion against him. For he was at odds with his brother The-
odoros who had recently arrived at Byzantion in order to
succeed his brother on the throne. Theodoros was acting
as if he were a rival for the throne against his brother, and
later was driven to open conflict with him. Theodoros, the
brother, who had been entrusted with Selymbria and its re-
gion, marched against the king of ByzantionY For he had
requested a substantial income for living expenses but had
not received it, for which reason he was now at war with
lOr

THE HISTORIES
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O£ Kal Toupaxav'l<; 6 8£naAia<; ureapx0<;. '0 flEVTOl Kwv-
crTav-rTvo<; w<; hdXlcr£ TCV 'Icr9f1ov, EVTau9a EKa9'lTO <pu-
AaKa<; "xwv i'i tYKa9lcrTa<; d<; TCV 'Icr9f1ov, Kal aUTO<; aUTOU
Ta reOAAa olaTpi~wv £-rUyxav£v. 'Ered 't£ of] £rcU9£TO 'Aflou-
paT'lv cr-rpaT£uw9at £re' aUTov, fI£T£re£flre£To aUTou crUfI-
reaVTa<; TOU<; EV Tn IT£Aoreovvijcr'!', Kal TOV T£ aO£A<pOV
aUTO;; iifla, 0<; £-rUyxav£ yaflov i!xwv 'rij<; realoo<; aUTO;;.
'HpflocraTo yap ~0'l TQ Tpl~aAAwv f]Y£flOV' realol 'EA£-
a~ap,!,. OVTOl fI£v OVV E<; TCV 'Icr9f1ov, i'i Ere'lYY£MovTo,
reapii crav , KalTc T£1x0<; £KpaTuvov, i'i £OOK£l aUToT<; tcrxupw<;
£~£lV afluvoflEVOU<;.
,8 'AfloupaT'l<; O£ £re£AauvwV, cruflreapaAafl~avwv Kal Ta
crTpaT£uflaTa Tii<; xwpa<; oreOl Y£VOlTO, reapiiv £<; Ta<;
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ayofl£vo<; areo 'A9'lvwv, {2.II3} 'EA9wv o£ ErelTa<; Mlyyia<;3
102
BOOK 7
his broth~r and on the march. But later, before he actually
did anythmg agamst him, he succumbed to a pestilence and
died. 13
Meanwhile Konstantinos, the ruler of the Peloponnese '7
had conquered territory of the sultan, namely Pindos, Boio~
tIa, and the so-called Ozolian Lokroi, and he was plundering
the land and did not let up in waging war; he even marched
against Attica, as I stated earlier.'4 Now, the sultan learned
all of these things and found them intolerable. He sent mes-
sengers around to assemble the armies ofAsia and Europe at
Serres, and he set out from Adrianople." Nerio [II}, the ty-
rant of Athens, mClted him also to march against the Pelo-
ponnese, and no less so Turahan, the prefect of Thessaly.t6
When Konstantinos had walled off the Isthmos, he stayed
there himself With the garrison he had installed at the Isth-
mos, and he himself resided there for the most part. But
when he learned that Murad was marching against him,
he summoned there everyone in the Peloponnese, includ-
mg hiS brother [Thomas}, who was just then celebrating the
wedding of his daughter; for he had married her off to Lazar
the son of the ruler of the Serbs. I? All of them came to th~
Isthmos as requested, and they strengthened the wall in the
way that seemed to them most suitable for defense.
Murad advanced, adding the armies of the places he ,8
passed through, and came to Thebes, where he was joined
by Nerio, who brought an army from Athens. He reached
M'mgles
. 18 and made camp, spending several days preparing
103
 BOOK 7
THE HISTORIES
his cannons and torsion catapults. After that he came d
£cr-rpa-ro:n:eSeue-ro, Kat -r'1Ae~6Aou<; -re Kat :n:AoKaSla :n:apa- to the lsthmos and made camp t h ere 'his enc own
crKwa~6flevo<; E:n:t ~fl£pa<; -rlva<;. Me-ra Sf: -rau-ra E:n:1Ka-ra- equipment reaching from sea to sea ,,'A ampment and
nesians returned to K . . spy of the Pelopon-
~a<; ei<; -rov 'IcrSfloV £cr-rpa-ro:n:eSeue-ro, a:n:o SaAan'1<; ei<; titudes of the sultan ~:;tpa::klllos.anald repodrted on the mul-
SaAanav KaSf]KOV-rO<; -rou cr-rpa-ro:n:ESOU Kat -rwv <1KWwv. , ammsanthec IH
was unable to hold hi ' ame s. e
'Ev-rauSa Ka-racrKO:n:O<; -rwv I1eAo:n:ovv'1crlwv, w<; U:n:ocr-rPE- ruler: "0 lord h s tongue but said the following to the
'ita<; a:n:f]yyelAe -r6 -re :n:AiiSo<; -rou ~acrlAtw<; Kat u:n:O~uyla
, w at evil have you wrought for the P I
nese by. choosin t ' e opon-
Kat Kaflf]AOU<;, Kat OUK ~vE<1)(e-ro cr1m :n:apeASe1V, aX'" t:n:t
d gogo to war WIth such a sultan! He leads all
onot
fAesm an.f Europ e and It . WI'11 not be possible to stop him
-rov ~yefl6va o-e~e -rOla8e. "'0 8E<11tO-ra, ola S~ KaKa eip-
,v1enhl you had a double wall stretched across the Isth~
yacrw ~v I1eAo:n:6vv'1crov :n:6Aeflov -rOlOU-r'l' ~acrlAe1 aveA6- mos. nt enameofG d d
flevo<;. "0<; ~v -re Acrlav crUfl:n:acrav Kat Eupw:n:'1V /iywv and invite this sultan t: ;;en :voys as qnickly as possible
crush us utterl . cone ation, so that he does not
ouS' o:n:Ol cr-rf]cre-ral £~el, ouS' ei Sl1tAOUV crOl -re1x0<; £<; -rbv yas evilly as we have treated him."
'lcrSfloV tA'1Aafltvov e'i'1' ]\AAa :n:po<; Geou :n:PEcr~el<; -re When he sard this, the ruler grew an ..
:n:Efl:n:e w<; -raXlcr-ra, Kat t<; SlaAAanV :n:poKaAou -rov ~acrl­
ordered that the man be I d ff . gty and, III his anger, '9
e 0 topnsonsothathe . h
Ata wu-rov, w<; /'I.v fl~ ~fla<; KaKou<; KaKW<; £m-rpltn -ro Iearn t h ere how events would t urn out. I t so happ dnugh t
K onstantinos had se n an envoy to Sultan Mur d b t hat
t ene
n:apa:Jtav." requests
19 Tau-ra ei:n:6v-ro<; au-rou SUflwSiival -re -rbv ~yefl6va, Kat ~ h d that he made through h'1m were not a, ut t t e
moder
or e emanded that the Isthmos b all d a e,
SUflWSEv-ra KeAeucral t<; e[pK~V ayaye1v -r"v /ivSpw:n:ov, was for him and that he get t k e owe to stand as it
w<; /'I.v -rau-ra :n;t'JS01-rO, ola a:n:o~alvol. "E-ruxe S' au-r4i beyond it that he had b' 0 eep all the sultan's lands
s.u~cted. Konstantinos thereby in-
:n:PEcr~U<; a:n:ecr-raAfl£vo<; :n:apa ~acrlAEa, ou fltV-rOl fl£-rpla curred the sultan'
h' s pums ent, and the latter imprisoned
t~f]-rel yevEcrSal au-r4i' ~~lou -re yap -r6v -re 'lcrSfloV £cr-r'1- IS envoy at Serres and held him d d
V
KEVal au-r4i, Kat ~v £K-r,,<; Xwpav -rou ~acrlAEw<;, iI<1'1 marched against th P I
middle f '
un er guar while he
e e oponnese, even though it was the
u1t1'\yaye-ro, Exelv au-r6v. Kat au-r,,<; flf:V Sla -rau-ra -r~v Atheni; ;::er. And that envoy was Chalkokandyles, the
SlK'1 U:n:E<1)(ev u:n:o ~acrlAEW<;, -r6v -re :n:PEcr~UV KaSelp~a<; . mpnsoned him at Serres along with h'
V vants, while he marched onto IS ser-
tv ¢eppdi<; elXev tv <f'uAaKij, au-rb<; Sf: i\Aauvev t:n:t I1eAo-
:n:6vv'1 crov fl EcrOV xelflwVo<;. 'Hv 8' 6 :n:PEcr~U<; XaAKOKav-
SUA'1<; AS'1vdio<;. Tou-rov tv ¢eppdi<; KaSelp~a<; au-r6v -re
Kat -rou<; Sepa:n:ov-ra<; t:n:f]Aauve.

104
 THE HISTORIES
Ecr'Cpa'C07tESEUE'CO, Kat 'C1']AE~OAOV<; 'CE Kat 7tAOKaSla 7tapa-
crK£ua~ofLEvo<; E7tt ~fLepa<; 'Clva<;. ME'Ca Sf. 'Cau'Ca E7tlKa'Ca-
~a<; El<; 'Cov 'Icr9fLov Ecr'Cpa'C07tESEUE'CO, a7tO 9aMn1']<; El<;
9Manav Ka9~KOv'C0<; 'Cou cr-cpa'C07teSOU Kat 'CWV crK£UWV.
'Ev'Cau9a Ka'CaCYK07to<; 'CWV I1EA07tOvv1']crlwv, w<; iJ7tocr'Cpt-
t a<; a~yyElAE 'Co 'CE 7tAfj90<; 'Cou ~acrlAew<; Kat U7tO~uyla
Kat KafL~AOU<;, Kat OUK fjve<1)(£'Co crlyft 7tapEA9civ, aXIC E7tt
'COV ~yEfL6va E?'E~E 'COlaSE. 'Tl SeCY7to'Ca, oTa SYJ KaKa ElP-
yacrw -cfJv I1EA07tOVV1']crov 7tOAEfLOV 'COLOU'C'!' ~acrlAEI aVEA6-
fLEVO<;. "0<; -cfJv 'CE Acrlav crUfL7tacrav Kat Eopw1t1']V aywv
ooS' 07tOl cr-cfJcrE'Cat !'~El, ooS' El Sl1tAOUV crol 'CEIX0<; E<; 'Cov
'Icr9fLov EA1']AafLtvov £11']. AAAa 7tpo<; 8wu 7tpecr~El<; 'CE
7tefL7tE w<; 'CaXlcr-ca, Kat E<; SlaAAayfJv 7tpOKaAOu 'COV ~acrt­
Ata 'Cou'COV, w<; iiv fLYJ ~fLa<; KaKOU<; KaKW<; £7tl'Cp(tn 'Co
7tapa7tav."
19 Tau'Ca El7tOV'CO<; ao'Cou 9ufLw9fjval 'CE 'COV ~yEfLova, Kat
9ufLwgev'Ca KEAEUcrat £<; EipK'CYJV ayaYEIv 'Cov av9pw7tov,
w<; iiv 'Cau'Ca 7t1l90l'C0, oTa a7to~alvol. "E'CUXE S' ao'C<;i
7tpecr~u<; a7tEcr-caAfLevo<; 7tapa ~acrlAta, 00 fLev'CO' fL£'Cpla
t~fj'CEl YEvtcr9al ao'C<;i' fj~(ou 'CE yap 'Cov 'CE 'Icr9fLov £cr-c1']-
KeVal ao'C<;i, Kat -cfJv EK'CO<; xwpav 'Cou ~acrtAtw<;, ocr1']V
07t1']yayE'C0, eXElV ao'Cov. Kat ao'Co<; fLEv Sla 'Cau'Ca -cfJv
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tv <lJEppal<; £1XEV tv 'f'uAaKft, ao'Co<; Sf. ~AauvEv E7tt I1EAo-
7tovv1']crov fLecrov X£lfLwvo<;. 'Hv S' 6 7tpecr~u<; XaAKoKav-
SOA1']<; A91']vaIo<;. Tou'Cov tv <lJEppa1<; Ka9£lp~a<; ao'Cov 'C£
Kat 'COU<; 9Epa7tOv'Ca<; E~Aauv£.
BOOK 7
his cannons and torsion catapults. After that he came down
to the Isthmos and made camp there, his encampment and
equipment reaching from sea to sea." A spy of the Pelopon-
neslans returned to Konstantinos and reported on the mul-
titudes of the sultan, the pack animals, and the camels. He
was unable to hold his tongue bnt said the following to the
ruler: "0 lord: what evil have you wrought for the Pelopon-
nese by ChOOSlllg to go to war with such a sultan! He leads all
of Asia and Europe and it will not be possible to stop him
not even if you had a double wall stretched across the Isth~
mos!. In. the n:une of God, send envoys as quickly as possible
and lllVlte this sultan to reconciliation, so that he does not
crush us utterly as evilly as we have treated him."
When he said this, the ruler grew angry and, in his anger, 19
ordered that the man be led off to prison so that he might
learn there how events would turn out. It so happened that
Konstantinos had sent an envoy to Sultan Murad, but the
reqnests that he made throngh him were not moderate
for he demanded that the Isthmos be allowed to stand as i~
was for him and that he get to keep all the sultan's lands
beyond it that he had subjected. Konstantinos thereby in-
curred the sultan's punishment, and the latter imprisoned
hiS envoy at Serres and held him under guard while he
marched against the Peloponnese, even though it was the
middle of winter. And that envoy was Chalkokandyles, the
Athenian. He imprisoned him at Serres along with his ser-
vants, while he marched out.
105
 THE HISTORIES
20 ~OKel SE flOl [2.II4} Afloupa-r,]<;, W<; EV Mlyy(at<; EO'-rpa-
-r01tESEUE-rO, Kat -roil<; ap(O'-rou<; 1tapaAa~wv -rou O'-rpa-rou
(d']O'av St O,,-rOl aflq>t -rou<; t;aKlO')(lAiou<;), 1tEpt'lWV -r"v
'I0'8f1ov t8Ea-rO, W<; eXEl -rE q>uAaKij<; -ro -rETx0<; Kat 1tapa-
O'KEVij<; E<; -rOV 1tOAEflov. Kat ~X8E-rO fltv -re;; Toupaxav !],
6-rl 8EpOU<; 0'-rpa-rEuE0'8at 1tpo<; 'ti]v ITEA01tOVV']O'ov O'uv-
E~OUAEVO'EV av-re;;, Atywv w<; OUX 01t0flEVOUO'lV Emov-ra
at'nov, aAX o(x~O'ov-ral q>EUYOV-rE<;, E1tElSaV -ro 1tpw-rOV
nU8wv-ral aq>lKE0'8at au-rov E1tt -rov 'I0'8f16v. Kal E1ttflEVE
-rE ~flEpa<; O'UXVa<; w<; EVSWO'OV't'o<; Sla -rau-ra -rou ITEA01tOV-
v']O'(wv ~yEfl6vo<;. Kal E1td -rE 1tapEA']Au8aO'lv ~flEpal, Em-
Ka-ra~a<; E<; -ro -rETx0<; EO"t'pa-r01tESEUE-rO.
21 Tn fltv uO"t'Epa(q: -r']AE~6AOl<; flaKpol<; e-ru1t-rE -ro O'-rpa-ro-
1tESOV -rou ~yEfl6vo<;' -rft S' EmouO'!] a1tE1tElpwV-ro -rWV EV
-re;; -rdXEl, Kat 1tpOO'Eq>EpOV -ra<; fI']xava<;. Tn st -rE-rap,,!]
to'1tEpa<; 1tUpa ataflEvol Ka-ra -ro O'-rpa-r01tESOV w<; 1tAElO"t'a
eKaO'-ro<; 1tpo<; -r~v tau-rou O'K']v~v (Etw8aO'l yap oihw -ro
yEVO<; -rou-ro -rWV ToupKwv, E1tElSaV E<; flaX']v flEAAWO'lV
(EVat· 1tpo-rpl-ra ~S']-rij<; ~fltpa<;, Ii E<; 'ti]v flamv Ka8iO"t'av-
-ral, 1tupa -rE Ka(ouO'lv ava -ro O'-rpa-r01tESOV 8-rl 1tAelO"t'a
EKaO'-ro<;, Kal uflvOV -rlVa avaq>aivouO'l -re;; GEe;; Kal-re;; ~pw'l,
SijAOV 1tOlOUflEVOl, w<; itv flaX']v -rft oO"t'Epa(q: -rij<; EmouO'']<;
Ka8iO'-rav-rat), Kat -ro-rE S~ 1tUpa 1tol,]O'aflEVOl 1tapEO'KEVa-
~OV-rO E<; -rElxoflax(av. Tn st 1tEfl1t-r!] ~flEpq: to'1tEpa<; -ra<; -rE
fI']Xava<; 1tpOO'Eq>EpOV [Kal} 01tO 1tAOKOU oi O'apaxoplSE<;
KaAouflEvOl, 6 axpElo<; Aomo<; OfllAO<; -rou Aaou. ITapE;
yap -rou O'-rpa-rou, 1\<; t1tOflEVO<; -re;; ~aO'lAel -rou-r'l' O"t'pa-
-rEuE-ral, E1tayov-rat OfllAOV -ra -rE O'l-ria q>Epov-ra a1to -rwv
lO6
BOOK 7
I believe that when Murad made camp at Mingies, he 20
took the best men from his army (they would have been
around six thousand) and toured the Isthmos to inspect how
well the wall was guarded and how well prepared for an as-
sault. And he was angry at Turahan who had advised him
to campaign against the Peloponnese in the summer, saying
that the enemy would not stay to resist his attack, but would
turn and flee as soon as they heard that he had arrived at the
Isthmos. He waited for many days to see whether the ruler
of the Peloponnese would yield, based on that reasoning.
When those days had passed, he came down to the wall and
made camp there.
On the next day Murad bombarded the ruler's camp with 21
his long cannons. On the day after that, he made trial of
those on the wall and brought up his engines. On the eve-
ning of the fourth day, they lit fires across the camp, as many
as each could light by his own tent, for the race of the Turks
customarily does this whenever they are about to go into
battle. For three days before they go into battle each of
them burns as many fires throughout the camp as he can
and they chant a hymn to God and to their hero,zo making it
clear that they intend to go into battle on the day after next.
So by lighting these fires they prepared for the battle over
the wall. On the evening of the fifth day, the so-called sara-
bors," the otherwise useless mob of the army, brought up the
engines with ropes. For besides the army itself that marches
with this sultan, there follows along a crowd drawn from
 T
THE HISTORIES
1!EpLO[KWV Kat tij<; IXAAYj<; [2.II5} Toil ~a(nAew<; xwpa<;. "ETE-
pOl IXAAOl 8' ail ot Amavot ayLa8E<; KaA01Jf'EvOL, 1!E~6<; TE
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<npaTcJ1!E8a.
22 ~OKET 8£ TO Toil ~aO'LAEW<; ToilTO <npaT61!E80v KaAALO'Ta
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ro8
BOOK 7
the neighboring lands and the rest of the sultan's territory
who carry the provisions. Then there is a whole other group
of Asians called the yayas, a crowd that follows on foot and
serves the various needs of the army; they also clear the
roads and the camps.22
It would seem that the sultan's camp has contrived the 22
most excellent and efficient arrangement regarding its tents
and the abundance of its provisions, more so than any other
camp that we have either seen or heard about. First of all,
large markets follow the sultan snpplyingwhatever is needed
in terms of provisions for the horses, slaves, and the army,
and so a great multitude of people is present there for that
purpose. Second, each of the great men who accompany the
sultan brings countless pack animals along on the march,
some bringing numerous camels with supplies, weapons, or
barley as feed for the pack animals, while others have don-
keys, yet others both, or even horses, so that the number
of pack animals is double that of the army. Besides these,
the sultan leads around a crowd from his territories for the
sake of the supplies, so whenever the army is in need, he di-
vides the food up among the leading men and thus advances,
come what may. One might see ten thousand tents in the
sultan's camp, or more or less than these, depending on the
nature of the campaign.
At that time, then, the sarahors deployed against the 23
Greeks made trial of them, and fought until nightfall, pro-
voking them to battle and keeping them awake. At the break
of dawn, the cymbals, flutes, and trumpets of the sultan-
10 9
 THE HISTORIES
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KALf'aKa, e,TO TelXO, eV£YKaf'£VOl aV£~aLVOV, Kat iJ1C£p£~'1-
O'av Tau't!1, n ee£i<To eO'TW, 6 ~aJlA£U" aVE~'1 erel TO TelXO,
VE'1AU , Xl~P'1', Tpl~aAAo, TO yevo" Kat dAt T£ TO TelXO"
Kat TOU, Tau't!1 SlWO'af'£Vo, .0, <puyf]v e-rpEtaTO. Ot Sf w,
areoAL1CoVT£, Tf]V Ta~lv KaTE~aLVOV eVTaUea, Kat reA'1 O'LOV
.0, Seo, T£ ureo El£ou KaeLO'TaVTO Kat are£lp(a" Kai OUTW
ereOLOUV' <P£UYOVT£, yap <l>XOVTO. Kal ot reapa TOUTOU,
aVel, T£TaYf'Evol, OUK £(SOT£" 0 Tl ~uf'~a(V£l xaA£1COV,
<l>XOVTO <P£UYOVT£,. Kat OUTW reavT£, areOAL1COVT£, TO Tel-
XO, E<PWYOV ouS£vt KOO'f'4'. OliTol S' ot ToupKol ere£lO'-
re£O'OVT£, Tau't!1 T£, n eaAW ureo TOU V£f]AUSO" Kat Tii aAAn,
n KaTE~aAAov SLOpUO'O'OVT£" Kat Sla [z.Il7} TWV 1CUAWV
dO'£X£OVTO Kat i!-rp£xov. Kat ot f'fV erei TO JTpaTOre£Sov
TWV 'EAAf]vwv Tpareof'£vol Slf]prea~ov Ta TWV 'EAAf]vwv
IIO
BOOK 7
they are conspicuous due to the volume of their sound-re-
vealed that battle was at hand. Each man prepared himself
and they advanced against the wall, fighting a fierce battle
in the attempt to scale it. The sultan himself and the janis-
saries fought in the middle of the Isthmos, where they had
their camp, bringing up ladders, and they were struggling to
breai< through the wall in order to capture it. He positioned
his small firearms here so the Peloponnesians could not
raise up their heads. For these firearms are terrible things, as
no armor can withstand them and prevent them from pene-
trating through all matter to reach their target. And when-
ever a material seems that it should resist it, then it extends
its target all the more so, as cotton and wool would not slow
it down much. 23
When the janissaries were given this opening, they 24
brought the ladders up to the wall and climbed up, and they
mounted the wall where Murad was standing and observing.
A janissary named HlZlr, a Serb by race, climbed atop the
wall and took it by repelling the defenders there and routing
them.24 They abandoned their formation and rushed down.
It was as though they were struck with the fear of God and
their own inexperience, and acted accordingly, leaving in
flight. Those again who were stationed next to them, not
koowing what had gone wrong, also fled hastily. Thus they
all abandoned the wall and fled in disorder. The Turks there
attacked the spot where the janissary had tai<en the wall
and elsewhere, where they tunneled through the wall and
brought it down, and they poured in through the gates at a
run. Some of them turned against the camp of the Greeks
and plundered the equipment of the Greeks, their clothes,
III
 THE HISTORIES
~1tl1tAa, E<1Sij'ta<; 'tE Kal 't~v aAAYJV EUSmf'0V[av' ot St E1t1
'tou<; avSpa<; 'tpa1tOf'EVOl 'tOU<; f'EV au'twv i'<pSElpOV, 'tOU<;
SE Kal E~WYPOUV, E<; avSpa1toSWV f'oTpav '!ISef'EVOI. Kal
<povo<; 'tE ~V 1tOAU<; 'tWV <pwyOV'tWV.
25 ITEpl SE 'tOU<; 'tWV 'EAA~VWV ~yEf'0Va<; 'to laSE EytVE'tO.
D<; yap twpWV <pEuyoV'ta<; 'tou<; "EAAYJva<; ava Kpa'to<; Kal
ouSEvl KO<1f''!', E1tElPWV'tO f'EV 1tpw'tl<1'ta Ka'teXElv, w<; S'
OUK ~Suvav'to, Kal au'tol <PEUYOV1:£<; 4Ixov'to, E1t1 f'EV 't~v
KOplVSOV OUK£'tl (~SE<1aV yap, w<; 1tOALOPKYJ<10f'EVOl aAW-
<101V't0 eV'tauSa, 'tij<; 1:£ 'tpo<pij<; [Kavij<; OUK oil<1YJ<; ev au'tfj
Kal aAAYJ<; 1tapa<1Kwij<;), e1t1 SE 't~v f'E<1oymov e1t£lY0 f'EVOl
i'<pSa<1av YEVOf'EVOl e1t1 't~v aKpav AaKwvlK~V 'tij<; ITEAo-
1tOVV~<10U, KapaSOK~<1aV'tE<;, ii f'eAAEl XWP~<1ElV 6 ~a<11-
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1tP0<1W 1t[1t'tElV, w<; ~v e1t[n eAauvwv, e<; ~V SaAa<1<1aV
a<pl;Of'EVOl Kal U1tEK<1'tYJ<10f'EVOl 'tij<; xwpa<; au'tlii. "HlSE-
<1av yap, W<; 'tlii 'I<1Sf'1ii 'ta ITEA01tOVV~<10U 1tpaYf'a'ta Sl-
E<pSapYJ U1tO 'tou ~a(1LA£W<;, Kal o1tAa Kal avSpE<; Kal ouStv
o 'tl a;LOV lOyou U1tEAel<pSYJ EV 'taT<; 1tOAE<11V ~ aKp01tOAE<11,
Kal oUKe'tl ~A1tl~OV 1tEpl£<1£<1Sal <1<p[<11 ~V apx~v 'tou AOl-
1tOU, aAA olX£<1Sm <1<p[<11 'ta 1tpaYf'a'ta a1tOAAuf'Eva.
26 Af'oupa'tYJ<; SE w<; Ka't£<1XE 'tOY 'I<1Sf'ov, Kal e1tel ey£vE'to
ev'to<; 'tij<; ITEA01tOVV~<10U, 1tpw'ta f'EV e<; 'tplaKO<1[ou<; 'tWV
a[Xf'aAw'twv, oil<; a1to<puyov'ta<; 'tij<; VUK'tO<; 'tau'tYJ<; e<; 'to
opo<; 'to {2.IlS} U1tEp 'ta<; KEyxp£a<;, 'O;u SE KaAouf'EvOV,
KUKAW<1af'Evol ETAov a1ta"n 1tav'ta<;, E[<; eva xwpov a1t-
ayaywv Ka'te<1<pa;E' f'E'ta SE wVYJ<1af'Evo<; avSpa1toSa e<;
£;aK0<11a SU<1[av avijyE '!Iii tau'tou 1ta'tp[, e;IAEouf'EVO<; 'tlii
II2
BOOK 7
and other goods, while others turned against the men and
killed some of them and captured the rest, turning them
into their slaves. There was a great slaughter among those
fleeing.
The leaders of the Greeks, meanwhile, fared as follows. 25
When they saw that the Greeks were fleeing in disorder
with all their might, they attempted at first to restrain them,
but when they failed they too fled away from there. They
did not go to Corinth, for they knew that if they were be-
sieged there they would be taken, as it was inadequately pro-
visioned with food and other necessities, and so they has-
tened inland until they reached the Lakonian citadel of the
Peloponnese {Mistra}, waiting to see whether the sultan
would come against them. For these men even considered
casting themselves onto the sea and going even farther: if
he advanced against them, they would set out to sea and
surrender their claim to the land to him. For they realized
that the position of the Peloponnese had been completely
compromised by the sultan at the Isthmos, and they had no
weapons, men, or anything else useful left for them in their
cities or citadels, and so they no longer hoped to be able to
maintain control of the principality in the future, but knew
that their affairs were undone and ruined.
Murad occupied the Isthmos and entered the Pelopon- 26
nese. First, he surrounded and, through deceit, captured
about three hundred prisoners who had escaped at night
to the mountain that is above Kenchreai, which is called
Oxy. He rounded them up in one place and butchered them.
Then he bought about six hundred slaves and sacrificed
them to his father {Mehmed I}, performing an act of piety
II3
 THE HISTORIES
<pOV'!' 't'WV &v8pwv 't'othwv. 'Ev't'Eu9£v 8E em81£AOfl£VO<; 't'a
crrpa't'£ufla, Kat 't'a flEV 1tapa80u<; Toupaxavn 't'Q 8£TIa-
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L1KUWVO<; ~Aauv£v £v9u 'rij<; l\xala<;.
27 l\<plKOfl£VO<; e<; L1Kuwva, ~V flEV 1tOA1V, tv i'i ~fltN 0
'!O'9f1a<; eaAW, e1t£8pafl£ 't'£ 0 O''t'pa't'a<; 't'ou ~acrlA£W<;, Kat
~vSpa1t08iO'a't'0 crVfl1taO'av lip8']v 't'~v 1tOA1V. l\1tov't'wv SE
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"EAA']V Kal liAAOl flE't" au't'ou 't'lVE<; 'EAA~VWV ou 1tOAAOt crUv
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28 Kal 1tp6crw exoflevo<; &<plK£'t'o e1tt {2.II9} IIa't'pa<; 'rij<;
l\xaTa<; 1tOA1V EuSalflova. Tav't"]v flEV ouv e;£Al1tOV ot
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4Ixov -ro <p£vyov't'£<;. 'HO'av S' ot eVa1tOA£1<p9£v't'£<; e<; 't'E't'pa-
Kl"X1Alou<;. Tou<; flEv oov 't'WV ~aO'lAeLWV livSpa<; 't'E Kat
BOOK 7
through the murder of these men. 2S At that point he divided
the army, giving part of it, along with about a thousand janis-
saries, to Turahan, the prefect ofThessaly, who was experi-
enced and, more than any other Turk, familiar with the Pelo-
ponnese, and they were to advance inland, while he himself
was to advance directly to Achaia by way of Sikyon.
When the sultan's army arrived at Sikyon, it occupied the 27
city on the same day as the fall of the Isthmos; and they en-
slaved the entire city in a thorough fashion. The men were
absent at the Isthmos and the city was not fortified at all.
So they immediately enslaved it, and they marched over
most of the Peloponnese, pursuing the rulers and the other
Greeks as each fled in a different direction. Finding the city
deserted," he27 took it and besieged the acropolis. In it were
the Greek Moulgerios and a few other Greeks with him,
with the women and children. As he was making good time
in undermining the acropolis, its guardian came to an agree-
ment with him and surrendered both himself and the cita-
deL He sent them along with the women and children to the
prosperous city ofAigion, and burned the houses of the city.
Advancing forward, Turahan reached Patras, a prosper- 28
ous city of Achaia. Its men had abandoned it for the oppo-
site mainland of the Venetians. Except for those who were
foolish enough to stay behind in the acropolis and the pal-
ace, all the rest had fled from there. Those who had stayed
behind were about four thousand in number. He subjected
the men and women in the palace through a negotiated
II5
 r
THE HISTORIES
yuvalKa<; 1tapEcm'jcraTo ofloAoylq, Kat E<; avSpcmoSa SL-
EAOflEVO<; -n']v n aKp01tOALV E1tOALOPKEL Kat TOU<; TE VE~AU­
Sa<; t1tEfI'\tev w<; £AOVVTa<;. Kal OOTOL 1tpocrt~aAAOV TE 1'';;
TdxeL Kat lmopu;aflevoL dcrt1tL1tTOV. Ot Sf. "EAA']ve<;
p']Tlv']v Kat 1t(crcrav 1tupl a'\taflevoL KaTa 61ti]v TOU<; Te
ve~AuSa<; E;eKpoucravTo afluvoflevoL Kat EKpaTUVOV -rf]v
aKp01tOALV. AfloupaTI]<; flev S~, w<; ToupaXCtVI]<; tv-revSev
acpLKOflevo<; Kat avSpa1toSa w<; 1tAelcrTa ayoflevo<; 1tap-
eytveTO aUT';;, tVTavSa t1tava~eu;a<; a~Aauve. MeTa Se
TaVTa oti 1tOAA';; ucrTepov cr1tov8a<; n E1tOL~craTo, Kat lmo-
cpopov i!crxov -rf]v I1eA01tOvv']crov TO a1tO TovSe ol "EAA']-
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1tOALV TWV el] ~wv 1teLpwflevov t1tLtvaL ~acrLAta t1tl I1eAo-
1tOvv']crov t;eAL1tOV Te, Kat TOU<; IivSpa<; t;avLcrTavTe<; cilKL-
crav tv 1'';; 'IcrSfI';;' 01 TLve<; S~ Kal £CtAwcrav U1tO ToupKwv.
'H Se tKTO<; xwpa TOV ~acrLAtW<; atiTlKa fl eTa -rf]v TOU
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Kat ~ IiAA'] xwpa TOU ~acrLAew<;. TaUTa flf.V ouv tv -rft
I1eA01tOVv~cr4' E<; TOcrOUTov EyeveTO.
Kal {Z.IZO} ~acrLAeu<; TOV E1tLYLYVOfltvou Sepou<; EcrTpa-
TeueTO t1tl LKevTtp']v TOV 'I~avew 1tatSa, 11<; 1tal<; a,v t<; Ta<;
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flevo<; a1ttSpa t<; -rf]v 1taTpcl>aV atiTov xwpav, Kat ayoflevo<;
yuvalKa SuyaTepa TOV ApLavlTOu .oK TOV Eflcpavov<; E1tO-
AEflOUV 1'';; ~acrLAel, Kal oun cpopov E~yayov 1'';; ~aO"LAel
OUTe atiTOt E<; Ta<; Supa<; 'levTo olJTe 1tdSecrSat ~SeAov. ~La
TaVTa cruvaydpa<; li1taVTa T6v Te Acrla<; Kal Etipw1t']<;
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II6
BOOK 7
surrender. They were divided up and enslaved. He then be-
sieged the acropolis and sent the janissaries to take it. They
attacked the walls and took up the task of undermining
them, but the Greeks set fire to resin and tar, and, defend-
ing themselves by pouring it through apertures, repelled the
janissaries and held the acropolis. As for Murad, when Tura-
han arrived from there and joined him with vast multitudes
of slave captives, he departed and marched away. Shortly af-
ter that he made a treaty: the Greeks would hold the Pelo-
ponnese henceforth under tribute, whereas before it had
been free. The Greeks had abandoned the city of Thebes
when the sultan was planning to go against the Peloponnese,
removing its men and settling them at the Isthmos; there
they were captured by the Turks. After the fall of the Isth-
mos, the sultan's territory beyond it reverted back to his
control, namely Pindos and the rest of his territory. And
that was the outcome of events in the Peloponnese.
The following summer28 the sultan marched against 29
Skanderbeg, the son of Gjon, who, as a child, had attended
the sultan's Porte, had been the sultan's young lover, and fled
back to his native land.29 After he married the daughter of
Arianiti, they {Skanderbeg and Arianiti} fought a war openly
against the sultan,30 neither paying him tribute, nor attend-
ing in person at the Porte, nor wanting to obey his orders.
For these reasons the sultan assembled the entire army of
Asia and Europe and marched against the land of GjonY
II7
 THE HISTORIES
tcr£~aAev t<; '"n'!v xwpav, tOiJOV -re -ra O"-rpa-reufla-ra ola-
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a:n:o~~O"e-ral.
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:n:OAlV e:n:oAlOpKel. Kat AOYOV flEV :n:poo"E<pepev, w<; :n:apa-
ooitv -re au-ri]v Kai au-roi a:n:[Olev t:n:i -ra tav-rou ~Kacr-ro<;·
ot SE OUK t:n:el80VTO. Me-ra DE -rau-ra :n:poO"t~aAe a1JV -roi<;
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Kai-rou<; tv -rfi :n:oAel avSpa:n:oolO"aflevo<; t:n:i'jye -rov O"-rpa-rov
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w<; OUK i'jSvv~81"] £A£tV, a:n:~yaye -r~v cr-rpa-rov· ~01"] yap
atE ~v -rou tVlav-rou, Kai Xelflwv e:n:lyevoflevo<; t:n:[e~e -rov
O"-rpa-rov.
)1 Tov oiiv :n:aiSa au-rou lip-rl i'j~aO"Kov-ra MeXflE-r1"]v
II8
BOOK 7
When he entered into the land, he sent his armies to plun-
der wherever they could, and to burn towns and fields. The
crops were burned by the army, and they generally destroyed
everything in that region. Skanderbeg, both himself and his
Albanians, brought their women and children for safety to
the coastal territory of the Venetians by the Adriatic Sea.
They themselves then went from place to place throughout
the land, in case their cities needed help. But then they hun-
kered down in the mountains that rise above their land and
extend to the Adriatic Sea, and waited to see how events
would uofold.
Murad marched first against the city of Svetigrad and )0
besieged it. 32 He offered terms, namely that if they surren-
dered it to him they themselves could leave, each to his own
lands. But they did not accept this. He then attacked with
the janissaries and seized the city by force, enslaving it, but
he killed alI the men. Then he went against Getia, which he
took through a negotiated surrender.33 He enslaved the in-
habitants of the town and led his army against Kruje, the
chief city of the land of the Albanians, an excellently for-
tified one. He invested it and besieged it, blasting at the
walls with cannons. 34 He knocked down a substantial part of
them. After that he attacked with the janissaries to capture
the city, but as he was unable to seize it, he led his army away.
It was already late in the year and the onset of winter was
putting pressure on his army.
Murad always kept at his side in the army his own son )1
"9
 THE HISTORIES
reEplijyEV £V -rQ er-rpa-rQ, £; ,hotJ a<pElAE-ro au-rov -ri]v ~a­
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-rovno, au-rou Kat £metov-ro, ava Kpa-ro, eret-ri]v &a<pov.
Ou-ro, f'£v ouv ou-rw, £-':EAEU-r1']erE.
32 MEXf'e-r1']v o£ -rov VEW-rEPOV realoa reEplov-ra, W, eAtyE-ro
f'Ol, -ro't£ eret -ri]v apmv f'E-rEretf'reE-ro. D, o£ a<plKE-ro,
erel-rpt'ita , au-rQ -r~v apmv Kat-ra, eupa, Kat-roo, VE~AtJ­
Sa, au-ro, 'i\xE-rO Sla~a, eret -r~v :Aer[av, e, ITpouerav, i'i -ra
'tiJ, :Aerla, ~aerlAEla ~v. T~v f'ev ouv apmv areoetf'EVO,
f'E-ra ~lXlSwv -rwv reap' au-rol, Na~1']palwv Kat erEl-rlSwv Kat
-rwv -rou yevotJ, ero<pwv reona Slt-rPl~EV' ou reonQ S£
U<T-rEpOV f'E-ref'EAt -rE au-rQ arelov-rl £K 'tiJ, apxij, Kat lSlW-
-rEUOV-rl. D, S£ OUK ~vtcrxE-rO, £repaererEv Drew, £reavlwv -ri]v
apmv Ka-racrxol Kae' ~ertJx[av, w, S£ f'~ £, Sla<popav a<p-
lKVOtJf'tvotJ au-rQ -rou realSo, KlVStJVEtJOf'tV'l' -ret repayf'a-ra
120
BOOK 7
Mehmed, who was just barely a young man at the time,35 and
he had followed this practice ever since he had deposed
Mehmed from the throne." That had happened in the fol-
lowing way. When he was fighting the Hungarians at Varna
and saw his armies in flight, Murad fell into great terror, in
the belief that he would perish immediately and utterly. As
his doom was drawing near, he made a vow that ifhe did not
then perish in that chaotic melee, he would step down from
his ruling position, entrust it to his son, and take himself
off to Asia to reside with the priests and their equivalent of
monks, turning his mind to their hero {Muhammad} and
offering sacrifice often. When he prevailed over the Hun-
garians and killed their king, he returned home and sum-
moned his younger son Mehmed to the throne. For his older
son Alaeddin was no longer alive, having died when he was
thrown from his horse during a hunt, while chasing a deer
with all his might. That was how he had died."
So Murad summoned Mehrned, his surviving younger 32
son, as I explained, to the throne. He came, was entrusted
with the realm, the Porte, and the janissaries, whereas Mu-
rad departed, crossed over into Asia, to Prousa, where the
royal court of Asia was. After he divested himself of power,
he spent most of his time in the company of the zahids,
which is what they call their monks, the seyyid, and the wise
men of their race." But shortly afterward he regretted step-
ping down from his position of power to live a private life.
He could not bear it, so he took steps to return to the throne
and reclaim power in a peaceful way, so that his son would
not fall out with him while he was hazarding his return to
121
 THE HISTORIES
l<at ah:lav "XOl 1tpO<; '"COU YEVOU<;, ola 1tOLE!. "E1tpacrcre S£
01tw<; E1taVEA90L fLe'"Ca XaAlAew '"COU I1patfLew, avSpo<; cr~v,­
~90u<; au'"C<!> E<; '"Ca fLaALcr'"Ca Kal ol E1tL'"C1']SelW<; "XOV'"CO<; aL~L.
Au'"Co<; fL£v OVV E1teLcre '"COV 1talSa E<; iiypa<; <p0m;:'v'"Ca YD\va-
r ecr9aL w<; KCtAALO"'"Ca E<p' 11t1tOU' Kat E1teLS~ £1teLee, Kpu<pa
~ t ' , 'v
£1te fL1te '"C<!> 1ta'"Cpt au'"Cou, fL1']S£v SeSLo'"Ca, ii<pv_w <;,'"C1']V p1']'"C1']
au'"C<!> ~fLEpav a<pLKOfLevov E<; '"Ca ~acrlAeLa '"C1']<; 1tOAew<; XP1']-
fLa'"Cl~eLv '"COl<; tv 'tfi 1tOAeL W<; ~acrLAEa. , any fear, deal with its inhabitants as sultan.
33 '0 fLEV ovv, W<; u1te'"Cle£'"Co, t<; ~v au'"C<!> cruvEee'"Co 1']fLtp av:
1tapeyEve'"Co '"C£ a1tOv'"Co<; au'"C<!> '"Cou 1taLSo<; t<; ~v iiypav ~aL
Kuv1']ye'"Couno<;, 1tapayevofLevo<; '"Ce Ka'"C~crx~ '"C1']v ~acrL~eL~v,
XP1'] fLa'"Cl~wv '"COl<; tv 'tfi 1tOAeL '"Cwv eupwv w<; ~acr~Aeu<;. 0
fLEV'"COL 1tal<; au'"C<!>, W<; {2.123} t\cree'"Co t1tavL6~'"C0<; '"Cou 1ta'"Cp~<;
au'"C<!> ii<pvw, OUK EXWV 0 '"CL xp~craL'"CO '"C<!> 1tpaYfLa'"CL, 1t~0,"11~L
'"C£ Kat1tpocreKvv1']cre' Kat '"Co a1to '"CouSe 1tapfjyev au'"CCjJ, e<;
~v av cr'"Cpa'"Cev1']'"CaL Xwpav. Tov fLEv'"COl1t~Sa OUK tMvea~
vev w<; au'"C<!> '"Cav'"Ca e'i1'] SLa1te1tpaYfLevo<; XaAlA1']<; 0
I1p'd lfL ew , Kat fixee'"Co '"Ce a~lw<;, ou fLEV'"COl ye, av_eS~Ao~
au'"C<!> ~v 6pyfJv' t\SeL yap fLtya SuvCtfLevov 1t~P~ '"C:' 1ta'"CpL.
To'"Ce fLEV ovv t<; ~v l\.fLoupCt'"Cew t1tCtVOSov em '"C1']V ~acrL­
Aelav oiJ'"Cw<; tyEve'"Co.
34 'E1tet s£ a~yaye '"Cov cr'"Cpa'"Cov a1tO '"Cfj<; 1tpo<; '"Cov 'I6VLov
MaKeSovla<; '"Cfj<; '"Cwv l\.A~avwv xwpa<;, '"CoU'"CO fL£v'"CO !""Co<;
SLhpL~ev tv '"COL, Eupw1t1']<; ~acrLAeloL<; ~cruxla~ iiywv, '"C~
S' tm6v'"CL tVLau'"C<!> aVeL<;, E1tel1tepLaYYEAAeL '"CCjJ O"'"Cpa'"Ceu-
fLa'"CL E1tecreaL, Ecr'"Cpa'"Ceve'"Co aVeL<; E1tt LKeVSEp1']v '"Cov 'I~Ct­
vew Kat E1tt ~v '"Cav'tTj Ka'"Ca '"Cov 'I6VLOV l\.A~avwv xwpav"
Kat bqjeL 1tOAA<!> eUfL<!> w, E~eAwv '"Ce ~v Kpov1']V Kat au'"Cov
122
BOOK 7
the throne or create grounds for hostility within the family.
So he did the following. He organized his return through
Halil, the son of ibrahim, an extremely close associate of his
who had always had his interests at heart. Halil, then, per-
suaded the boy to go hunting and practice his horsemanship
as skillfully as he could. After he persuaded him to do this,
he secretly sent word to his father telling him to arrive sud-
denly at the city palace on an appointed day and, without
As suggested, Murad presented himself on the agreed- 33
upon day, when his son was away hunting for game. He ar-
rived and assumed the throne, dealing with the people in
the city of the Porte as sultan. When the son realized that
his father had suddenly returned, he did not know how to
respond to this development and so he went to him and did
obeisance before him. And from then on Murad kept him
close by his side in whatever land he was campaigning. Yet it
did not escape the son's notice that it was Halil, the son of
ibrahim, who had engineered this, and he hated him deserv-
edly, though he did not reveal his anger to him, for he knew
that Halil had great influence over his father. Those, then,
were the events of Murad's return to the throne,J9
When Murad led the army back from the Macedonian 34
lands of the Albanians by the Adriatic Sea, he spent the year
at peace residing in the European palace. The following
year, after he had sent messengers around to tell the armies
to follow him, he marched again against Skanderbeg, the
son of Gjon, and the land of the Albanians there, by the
Adriatic Sea. He went against him in great anger with the
I23
 THE HISTORIES
~K£vSep'1v E;al't'1<Y<JfI£vor, 'tOUr, OU£V£'tOUr" Kal '1V flh
cutoSoT£v Clu't6v, wr, 1tOALOPKl'jJWV ~V 1t6AlV, Er, ~V KCI'tCl-
q>u'Y WV Eo1Jel. 'E1td Sf dJe~ClAeV, E1tOp£ue'to t8u E1tt 'thy
Kpou'1v, KClt -rY]v 'te XWpClV, 00"1'] im£Ad1t£'to ~v apxhv
Clu'tiii aeflvl'jr" E1teSpClflE 'te Clu'toil 'ta J'tPCl't£uflCI'tCl, KClt
E1tEKClOV niip EVlEV'ter" i\-r4' CtV ClU'toLr, 1tep''tuxo,£v.
'E1tESpClfle S, KClt CtXP' 'toil 1to'tClfloil 'toil [ ...} 'ta J'tpCl-
'teuflCI'tCl. Thv s, E1tEK£lVCI 'toil 1to'tClfloil XWpClV oux ola 'te
~v A'1T~eJ8al S,a 'to Ct~CI'tOV elVal 1tav't'1 'tOlr, ~C(JlAEWr,
i1t1tOOP Ofl Olr,.
35 KClt OU'tOl flEV, 'tar, 'te ytJVCllKClr, KClt 1taTSClr, imeK8EfI£VOl
E<; 'ta EXlJpa 'twv Oueve'twv, JIJVeAE'Yov'tO Er, 'to opor, 'to
im,p ~V Kpou'1v 1tOAlV ClU'tWV. 'Ev'tClil8C1 Sf U1t£; CI'YCI'YWV
'tar, 'YIJVCllKClr, KClt 'ta 1taloiCl [2.124} KCI'tE8£'to Er, 'tar, 'twv
Ou£v£'twv 1t6A£lr" 'tour, oe CtVOPClr, KCI'ttAl1t£V tv -rfi 1tOAel
afllJvolJflEVOIJr, KClt 'ta 'tdX'1 <pIJAa;ov'tClr" KClt 'tou'tOIJr, E1tl-
Ae;aflevor, 'tour, E8EAOV'tClr, ClU'tOUr, imo~val 'tOY a'YwvCI .
1\.flolJ pa't'1r, flev oUV 'tour, 'te 't1']Ae~OAOIJr, 1tClpeJKeua~£'to
KCl8e~oflevor, wr, 'to 'tuxor, KCl8alpl'jJWV, KClt 1tClpClflEVWV
CtflCl JUV 'toTr, vel'jAIJJlV Er, 'thy 1tOAlV' E1tet oe Clu'tiii 'ta 1tav'tCl
1tClpeJK£uClJ'tO, E'tIJ1t'te'to 'teTxor, 't1']Ae~oAolr, KClt KCI'tE~ClAe
flEpO<; 1tOAU. ~KevOEp'1r, Oe a1to 'toil ilpolJr, 1tlJpa 'te EKClIJ-
Jev, E1tlOelKvuflevor, 'tOlr, £v'tij 1tOAel, KClt E1t£lOaV XpdCl ii,
1tClP£JO fl£vor, KClt ClU'tOr, E1tl~0'18l'jJwv, KCli 'tlVWV 'twv 'toil
~C(JlAEWr, aVCI~av'twv t1tt'to opor, 1tpOJe~ClAE 'te KClt Efla-
xe'to, EP'YCI a1tOOelKvvflevor, Ct;lCl AO'YOIJ .
36 'E1tet 0, 'tiii ~C(JlAeL ~0'1 iKClVWr, KCI'te~E~A'1'tO 'to 'teLXOr"
Er, flaX1']v KCl8~J't0 1tClVJ'tpCl'tl~, KClt E1t£lPWV'tO oi v£l'jAIJOer,
BOOK 7
intention of capturing Kruje and Skanderbeg himself, and
he threatened the Venetians that ,ifs
h. they
udl'd
r not
r e nder
1m: he would besiege the city in which he had taken refuge.
He Invaded and marched directly to Kruje, and his armies
~ow ::Ided the land that he ha(i left untouched the first
time. Th~y set fires as they pressed forward and burned
e~eryrhing In their path. Murad's armies raided as far as the
fiver [ .. .}. But they were not able to plunder the land across
the fiver because it was entirely impassable to the suit n'
'd a s
cayaIry rat ers.
The. Albanians placed their women and children for 35
c
safety I~ Venetian forts and themselves gathered on the
mountaIn above Kruje, their city. Extracting their women
and child~en, they placed them in the cities of the Vene-
tians, leaVIng the men to defend the city and guard the walls
and they selected the latter among volunteers to take u~
the fight. :vrurad prepared his cannons and invested the city
WIth the. IntentIOn
. of destroyr' ng it . He and the Janlssanes
.. .
now waited It out before the city. When all his preparations
were completed, he bombarded the walls with cannons and
brought down a large section of them. But Skanderbeg lit
fires from the mountaIn signaling to those in the city that
when there was need, he would be there to assist them. H~
attacked some of the sultan's men who went up the moun-
taIn and fought against them, performing remarkable deeds.
When the sultan had demolished a large part of the walls 36
he engaged his entire army in the battle . The J'am'ssanes .'
125
 THE HISTORIES
EAElV 'tau't1], i'i £KEl'tO 'to 'tElXOe; E1tl yfje;' ou [!£V'tOl ()1tEP-
E~aAOV'tO 'toile; EV 'tij 1tOAEl, 1tap' EA1t[Sa al'WVlO"a[!£VOVe;.
'Ev'ta5ea We; E1tEVOEl Al[!<ii EK1tOALOpK~o"ElV, Kat aUele; 'to
SEV-rEpOV 1tpoO"~aAWV Ka'ta 'to Kap'tEpov, aq>lKVE!'tCU a1'1'E-
A[l'] 1tapa rEWpl'[OV 't05 Tpl~aAAwv ~l'E[!OVOe; we; 'Iwavvl']e;
O"vvaepo[O"ae; 'toile; IIa[ovae; 'tOV 'tE "IO"'tpov Sla~a[vEl Kal
o"V[!1tapaAa~wv O"'tpa'tEuol'tO E1t' au'tov. Ta5'ta we; E:rcUeE'tO,
~v 'tax[O"'t1']v O"vO"K£OaO"a[!EVOe; a1ttlEl Ev'ta5ea, i'i E1tlov'ta
E1tVVeav£'to Kal K~pvKa £1tE[!1tE 1tpOe; ~v Eupwnl']v 1tEpl-
a1'1'£AAov'ta 1tapElVal au't<ii we; ~u[!1tav'tae; 'tWV ToupKwv.
OU'tOl [!i:v ouv 1tapEl'EvoV'tO au't<ii we; E'tVXEV EKaO"'tOe;
EK1tOSWV l'EVO[!EVOe;, we; EV C0p" 1tapal'£Vol'tO EKaO"'tOe;
KaelO"'tae; {2.125} au't<ii te; [!axl']v.
37 'EAaUVWV Sf 1tav'tt 't<ii O"'tpa't<ii 1tpOe; 'tlVOe; 'tije; MvO"[ae;
au't05 Xwpae; Ka'ta 't~v Tpl~aAAwv au'twv xwpav (EO"'tl Si:
alITl'] ~ xwpa, nap' ~v a[!d~El Mopa~ae; 1to'ta[!Oe; Kal EK-
SlSO! te; 'tov "IO"'tpov' 1tap~KEl Si: ~ xwpa 't05 ~aO"lAEWe;
Ev't£5eEV E1tt O"'taSlove; oK'taKoO"[OVe; EO"'t£ E1tl N~O"LOV, 1tO-
ALV 't05 ~aO"lA£We; E1tt SE~la [OV'tl, Ee; 'to 1tpoO"w No~o1tvp-
1'0v 1tOAlV E1tt IIpove; [!El'aAoV 't05 Tp l~aAAwv ~l'E[!OVOe;
4\Kl']'tal). 'Ev'ta58a aq>lKO[!EVOe; A[!ovpa't1']e; £i;PEV E1tE~EAa~­
vov'ta 'Iwavvl']v 'tOY Xwvla't1']v O"iJv 't<ii IIcuovwv O"'tpa't'l'.
THO"av Si: IIa[ovEe; Kat ~aKot O"Ova[!q>O'tEpOl Ee; 'tE'tpaKlo"[!V-
p[ove; Kat E1t'taKl<YXlA[OVe; l1t1t£ae;, Kat a[!a~ae; Eq>£pOV'to: tv
aTe; ~v au'tO!e; 'ta t1tl~SEla Kat 'ta 01tAa, a[!q>t'tae; Sl<YXlAlae;.
'Eq>' £KaO"'tl']e; Sf a[!a~l']e; Suo ~O"'tl']v iivSpE 1tE~W, 1tEA'taO"'t~e;
'tE a[!a Kal 'tl']AE~OAlO"'t~e;. 'Eq>epov'to Si: Kat E1tt 'tWV a[!a~wv
126
BOOK 7
attempted to seize the city at the place where the walls had
collapsed to the ground. But they did not overcome those in
the city, who were fighting beyond hope. He then decided to
starve the city into surrender and made a second, most fero-
cious attack, when a message arrived from Durad, the ruler
of the Serbs, that Janko had assembled the Hungarians, was
crossing the Danube, and, taking him along, would march
agaiust Murad. 4 ! When Murad learned this, he assembled
his forces as quickly as he could and departed, going toward
the place where he learned his euemy was coming; he also
sent a herald around Europe to gather all the Turks to him.
They rallied to him, each dropping whatever he happened
to be doing in order to be present in time and in formation
for the battle.
Murad marched with his entire army from his Bulgariao 37
territory toward the laod of the Serbs - this was the region
where the Morava River meets aod flows into the Daoube;
the territory of the sultau extends from there to a distaoce
of eight huudred stades as far as NiS, a city belouging to
the sultao, to the right of one going down the Morava; aod
farther on is the city of Novo Brdo, founded on a great
mountain belonging to the ruler of the Serbs. Arriving there,
the suhao found Janko Hunyadi, advancing with his army
of Hungarians. The Hungariaos and Wallachians were, alto-
gether, forty thousaod men plus seven thousaod cavalry, aod
they had about two thousaod wagons with supplies aod
weapons. On each wagon were two infaotrymen, a regular
soldier and an artillerymao. The wagons also carried a large
127
 BOOK 7
THE HISTORIES

finumber. of cannons called zarobotane.42 They h a~~= d d

"C'lAE~OAOU~ ~apo~o"Cava~ KaAoul-'£va~, reoAu "co reAfj80~.
OO"COl l-'ev oOv oi\-cw reapa01<£Uaoal-'Evol [£~} "cov "Io"Cpov
Sl£~'l0av.
38 I1pouKaAoiiv"Co St oq>lol Ka\ "Cwv Tpl~aAAWv YjyEl-'ova
orTh
war In that way and had crossed the D anu b e.
· ey had also invited the ruler of the Serbs to join them
In the. war,
fbut ihe'said that he could see that thelr . prep- 38
a~atlOns or a campaIgn against Murad were insufficient for

£~ "Cov reOAEl-'OV' " Se £'I''l0EV OUX bpav I#av "Cfjv reapa-
O1<£Ufjv"L"fj~ Ka"Ca'Al-'OUpa"CEW O"Cpa"cla~, WO"CE reEplyeve08at
au"Cou~ "L"fj~ ~aolAew~ Suval-'EW~ 'Al-'oupa"CEW, Kal SESlevat
l-'aAAOV £KelVOV ~ "Cou~ I1alova~, oil~ Ka\ an0'l'UAOU~ "CE
ov"Ca~ Ka\ l-'eYlO"Ca KaKWv epyaoal-'evou~ au"Cov, Ka\ il-'elpe-
08al l-'tv "Cloa08al 'Al-'0upa"C'lv "Cou~ ulou~ au"Coii [2.I26}
£K"CU'l'Awoav"Ca, aSuva"Ca St "pwv-ca "L"fi reapouOl] reap a-
O1<£UU ureep~aAe08at "L"fj~ "cwv reoAEl-'lwv Suval-'ew~ OUK liv
t em to. overcome the power of Sultan Murad; that he
feare~ him more than the Hungarians, who, besides, were
of a different race and had done him great harm; and that
while he longed to avenge himself on Murad for blindi '
hissons ,43 se' eIng t h at Wit
' h thelr
' present preparation they ng
would be unable to overcome the force of the enemy, he
would
· hi never willingly join that war. When D urad responded '
In t s way, Janko threatened him and advanced farther
InvadIng the territory of the sultan and arriVl'ng a r
p .,. H s lar as
'

reo"Ce eKov"Ca £Ivat XWpYjOElV t~ "COVSE "COV reoAEl-'OV. Tau"Ca M nstIna.

d [I} he made camp there in the field 0
f K h
OSOVO, were
areoKplval-'evou treareElAYjoav"Ca "Cov 'Iwavv'lv £AauvElV t~ ura ,t e son of Orhan, had fought the battle against
"co rep60w, £o~aAov"Ca Se £~ "L"fjv ~aOlAeW~ Xwpav, IiXpl[~} Lazar.and had been killed at the very spot by a Serb, havin
also killed Lazar in the battle. 44 g
I1plo"Clvou a'l'lKoflEVOV, 0"Cpa"CoreESeuE08al au"Coii £v Ko-
· Janko began his campaign against Murad for the follow-
oo~,!, reESl,!" tv 4> 'Al-'oupa"C'l~ " 'OpXavEw flaXEoaflevo~ ~ng reason. At the battle of Varna he had seen the Turks flee- 39
repo~ 'EAea~apov l-'amv au"Co~ "CE au"Cou "Cau"Cn t"L"EAEU"C'l- Ing after comIng to blows with him and then mid'
h' d' r e Ing, so
OEV vreo Tpl~aAAou Kal "Cov yE 'EAEal;apov aVELAEV £v "L"fi e Imme lately came to the conclusion that even then it
flam- would have been easy for him to master the situation were
39 'Ered st wPfl'l"CO 'Iwavv'l~ 0"Cpa"CEuE08at tre\ 'Al-'0upa"C'lv It not for the foolishness of King Wladislaus and th t'
t' . 1 ' a next
Sl' ai"Clav "L"fjvSe. n~ yap tv "L"fi tv Bapvn l-'am ewpa "Cou~ Ime It ,:,"OU d not be difficult to overcome the enem.
TOUpKOU~ 'l'Euyov"Ca~ t~ Xelpa~ tA8ov"Ca~ HIS OpInIOn prevailed and, having assembled a larger armY.
great~
Ka\ tau"C</> Ka\
£VSlSov"Ca~, au"ClKa tVOl-'lOEV Euree"L"fj fltv Ka\ "Co"Ce ilv"Ca he thus marched out so that by causing even
"Ca repaYl-'a"Ca au"C</> XElpw8fjval, d flfj Sla "Cfjv ~aolA£w~
AaSloAaou a'l'pooUV'lv, Ka\ £oaii8l~ Se XaAErea OUKe"cl
eOE08al Ka"Cepyaoao8al. "E'I'EPE St au"Coii Yj yvwfl'l Kal
reAelova o"Cpa"Cov ouvayelpav"Ca t;EAauvElv, WO"L"E Ka\ "C</>
12 9
128
 THE HISTORIES
TCAElOVl Ka'taTCA'lTIofLEVWv alp~o"El 'tOY AflotJpa't'lv OU'tW
S~ 'tOl EUTCE'tW~, a,O"'tE fI'lS' OTCwO"oiiv EvSola~Elv. IIpE-
O"~EtJO"aflEvo~ SE ETCt LKEVSEP'lV 'tE Ka! AplavI't'lv, EV v<!'
lxwv au'tou~ TCpoo"l6v'ta~ E~ 'to TCp6O"W 'tfj~ EupwTC'l~
O"tJflfl1;al" OU'tw yap TCpoElp'l'to Kat 'to10"SE.
40 'ETCdSE £~ K6O"0~ov 'to TCES[OV Afl0tJpa't']~ 0 MEXfl£-rEW
a<pIKE'to, w~ EOpE 'tou~ TCOAEflIOtJ~ £Aauvov-ra~, £O"'tpa'to-
TCESEUE'tO. AeyE'taL SE [2.127} YEveO"eaL au't<!' 'tOY O"'tpa'tov
E~ TCEv-rEKaISEKa fltJPlaSa~. Kat 'tii OO"'tEpal" au'tIKa TCap-
E'taO"O"E'to w~ E~ flax'lv, TCapE'taO"O"E'to Sf. Ka! 'ta 'taYfla'ta.
Ka! E~ flf.V 'to SE;lOV au'toii K£pa~ 'to 'tfj~ .t\()"la~ E'tCtO"O"E'tO
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o 'tfj~ EupwTC'l~ O"'tpa't']Yo~ Kapa~I'l~' lxwv 'to 'tij~ Eu-
pwTC']~ O"'tpa'tEtJfla. Tou~ fI£V'tOltTCTCoSp6f10tJ~ eKaO"'to~ 'tWV
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au'to~ ~ao"lAEv~, EVea au't<!' VOfl[~E'taL O"'tpa'toTCESEVEO"eaL,
xapaKa TCpo~all6f1EvoV, flE'ta SE 'taii'ta 'ta~ Kafl~AotJ~
O"'t'lO"afiEvov au'toii 'tau'tfl, flE'ta Sf. 'taii'ta 'tou~ etJPEOU~
TC'1;aflEvov. 'ETC! 'tOU'tOl~ 'tou~ vE~AtJSa~ E'ta;a'to O"ilv 'to1~
't'lAE~OAOl~ 'tE afla Kat 't'lAE~OAIO"KOl~ Kat 'to1~ aAAOl~.
4' 'ETCeL SE E'ta;a'to, aV'tE:rcnEl Kal 'Iwavv'1~ 0 XWVla't'l~
O"tJV'ta;aflEVo~ WSE. To flEV SE;lOV au'toii elXOV ot IIalovwv
apxov'tE~ Ka! aSEA<plSoii~ amoii (LEKOVA'l~ SE ~v 'tollvofla
au't<!') Kal EtMK'l~ Ka! S~ TaAouO"l]~, EV fleO"4' S' au'to~
e-raO"O"E'to Xwvla't'l~, lxwv 'tov~ 'tE ~l'te~lSa~ KaAotJfI£votJ~
Kat 'tOY ApSEAlotJ 0"'tpa't6v. To SE EuwvufloV ll.avo~ elXEV
au't<!' ETCl~SElO~ a,v, OV Ka'tayaywv E~ ~v ll.aKlav xwpav
S,a 'to TCpO~ 'tOY ll.paKoVA'lv au'toii eXeo~ EKelVOV 'tE 'tfj~
13 0
BOOK 7
~stonishment he could overpower Murad all the more eas-
tly; there would be no doubt about it whatsoever this time.
He ~ent en:voys to Skanderbeg and Arianiti, as it was his in-
tentIOn to Join forces with them as they penetrated deeper
mto Europe. Thus they too were informed in advance.45
When Murad, the son of Mehmed, arrived at the field 40
of Kosovo, he found there his enemies who had mar h d
. h c e
bagamst im, and he made camp . It is said that h'1S army num-
ered one hundred and fifty thousand men. On the next day
he immediately deployed for battle, and the battalions de-
ployed as well. He stati~ned the army of Asia on the right
wmg under the general OZgiir, while the left was held by the
general of Europe, Karaja, in command of the army of Eu-
rop:. E~ch of the prefects deployed his cavalry raiders. In
their middle was positioned the smtan himself, where it was
his custom to make camp after making a ditch, and next to
that he placed the camels, then the shields jammed into the
ground. Around these he placed the janissaries with the can-
nons, the firearms, and the rest.
. W~en he made his formation, Janko Hunyadi attacked 4'
him With the following deployment. His right wing was held
by the lords of the Hungarians and his nephew, whose name
was Szekely,46 in addition to Ujlaki and Talovac. 47 The mid-
die was held by Hunyadi himself with the so-called vitezek
and the army of Ardeal. 48 The left was held by his friend
Dan, whom he led back to the land ofWallachia on account
of his enmity toward {Vlad II} Dracul, whom he expelled
131
 THE HISTORIES
apXii<; E;~AaO'£, Kat 't~V Xwpav u<p' au't<\> nOl'lO'afl£vo<; 't6v
y£ t.iivov EnEO"t'lO'£v aPX£lv ainfj<;' fjO'av 0' au't<\> t.iiK£<;
afl<p\ 'tOU<; 6K'taKlO"X'A[OU<; napay£v6fl£vOl E<; 't6vo£ 'tov
n6A£flov,
42 'EneL 8£ afl<pw O'uv'ta;afl£vol npon£O'av w<; O'Ufl~OA~V
nOl'l0'6fl£vOl, Ev'tailSa ~l'tES'l<;' 'twv 'toil XWVla'tou O"tpa'tl-
W'twv d<;, EV flEO'''' afl<potv npo£Aauvwv 't<\> tnn", npouKa-
A£l-rO au'toil'tov Imo {2,I28} 'twv ToupKwv flovoflax~O'ona
'tlva, nptv ~ 'ta O"tpa't£ufla'ta O'UVlEVat E<; 'tau't6, n<; o£
~yvwO'av ot ToilpKOl au'tov flovoflaXiiO'ov'ta 'tlVl npo£A'l-
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EV 'tfi 'A0'[q: unapxwv tv6<;, av8po<; ayaSoil y£voflevou 'ta
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O'lAEW<; 9Upat<;, O,,'to<; 8~ EneL E<; 'to fleO'ov npOn£l, 6fl60'£
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'ta 't£ 06pa'ta Ka'tea;av, Kat" fl£v ~l'tes'l<; ~n£O'£v au'toil
O'iJv 't<\> tnn", E<; 't~v yfiv, 'EAltS'l<; 8e EKKontv'to<; 'toil Enl-
~Sou Ka\ swv'l<; O'iJv 't<\> e<pl1tnl", En\ 'tOt<; eO"Xa'tol<; 'toil
tnnou tyey6v£l lnn£uwv' 6 yap tnno<; afldvwv nOAA<\>
'toU'tou fjv, Kat OUK £lX£ fltv, onw<; 'tov lla[ova 8laxp~O'al'to
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[nn£uwv' n£O'6v'to<; flenol 'toil llalovo<; aAaAa;av fltya'to
'twv ToupKwv O''tpa'tEUfla, olwvov nOl'lO'afl£vol.
43 'En£\ 0' afl<p6't£pOl fjAaO'av E<; 'to tau'twv EKa't£po<;
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'\Iafl£vo<; 'EAlES'lv d<; "'\IlV 't~v tau'tOil &£y£ 'tOla8£, "n
nat, n6S£v 8~ ou'tW EytVOU ayaSo<; 'ta nOAEflla, ounw
13 2
BOOK 7
from his realm, subjecting his land to himself and appoint-
mg Danto rule it, The latter brought some eight thousand
Wallach,ans to participate in this battle,
, When both sides were deployed, they advanced with the 42
mt~?tlOn ~f joining battle, whereupon a vitez, one of Hun-
yad,s sold,ers, rode his horse into the space between th
two sides and challenged any of the Turks to come out an~
engage him in single combat before the two armies closed,
When the Turks realized that he had come forward in order
to fight someone in single combat, they halted too, where-
upon t~ere emerged from their army llyas, the son of Ban§
Atay Aga who was one of the prefects in Asia, a man skilled
at warfare and previously the commander of the janissar-
,es at the sultan's Porte, So llyas advanced to the middle
and rushed to engage with the Hungarian, They right away
s~ruck each other with their spears, and broke them, The v,~
fez fell to the ground there with his horse, but llyas's breast-
plate and belt were cut along with his saddlecloth and he
had to ride on his horse's haunches, But his horse was by far
the better one, Still, he was unable to kill the Hungarian
who had fallen with his horse, for he himself was having
trouble keepmg his seat as it was, When the Hungarian feIl
the Turkish army cheered loudly, creating an omen, . '
When both men,rode back, each to his own army, Sultan 43
Murad summoned lIyas into his presence and said the fol-
lowing: "0 child, how did you become such a good warrior
when you have never yet fought, nor been with an army in
133
 THE HISTORIES
npo't"£poV ItAAn nn flaX£O'afl£vo<;, oiJ't"£ napay£vofl£vo<;
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Tou Se £tnov-ro<;, "w ~ao-LA£ii, ano Aayw 't"au't"t]v EflaSov
-ri]v avSpayaSiav," EV Saufla't"L nOLt]o-afl£vov 't"ov ~ao-LAEa
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q>£uywv, w<; tjo-S£'t"o 't"ou Sopu~ou, Kal o[ KUV£<; flev E<;
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134
BOOK 7
battle, to learn how to make a charge?" He replied, "0 sul-
tan, I learned this manly skill from a hare." The sultan was
reportedly amazed, and asked, '1\nd how, young man, does
one learn to become a good warrior from a hare?" He said
"0 sultan, I live in Asia, in the land where you settled us and
appointed my father prefect. Once when I was hunting I
found a sleeping hare and thought that the surest course for
me, to keep the hare from escaping, would be to shoot and
kill it with an arrow there and then. For the hares in Atta-
leia are the fastest of all that we know; the fastest hounds of
Europe cannot catch them. As I was thinking this over, I
saw that I had forty arrows in my quiver. I shot an arrow
with my bow and missed, and then I shot a second one at
him. The hare was still asleep and I considered it a terrible
thing to miss such a target, and so I shot all of my arrows
there. When I had loosed all my arrows and had none left
the hare suddenly stirred from its sleep and took off, for h~
had heard the sound. The hounds chased it briefly but did
not catch It. At that point I realized that all my arrows had
been in vain, as it had been fated for that hare to live on.
From that moment on, 0 sultan, I made a resolution to fear
neither sword, spear, or arrow, for if it is fated for me to live
on, no spear can claim my life. That is why I came out with
135
 THE HISTORIES
W ~a(nAef;, btl 'tov IIaiova, bnJ'tafl£vo<; w<;, el1t£1tPWflEVOV
fl Ol £11') E1tl~lWVat, OUSEV flOl XaA£1tOV f<YOl'tO U1tO 'tOU
IIalovo<;."
44 A.Kou<Yav'ta St 'tOV ~a<YlAEa, Kal aya<YeEV'ta 'tOV vEaviav
'tOU AOYl<YflOU, E<yefj'tl flEV au'tiKa 'ton ESwp~<Ya'to <Y'1PlKft
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au'tou, Kal 't~v xwpav /tAAO<; E1t£'tP01t£O£V U1tO {2.130} ~a­
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'tOU MexflE't£w ep'1<rKdav el<Yt 't£'tpaflflevol. Tau'ta fltv ovv
E<; 't~v
flovoflaxiav EyEV£'tO.
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Ka'tEKalVOV 'tou<; IIaiova<;' /t't£ yap O[ 1tAdoo<; Kat E<p'
BOOK 7
confidence, 0 sultan, against the Hungatian, as I knew that,
if! were fated to live, the Hungarian could do me no harm."
When the sultan heatd this, he admired the youth's rea- 44
soning and gave him at once a silk garment embroidered
with gold, and later he appointed him the lord of his native
land. For his father had already died and someone else had
been appointed by the sultan to oversee the land. This race
is unnaturally devoted to the belief in fate, like almost all
others who adhere to the religion of Muhammad. And that
was how the single combat turned out.
When Murad had positioned his atmies, they clashed 45
and fought. But the sultan kept the Asian atmy out of the
battle because he feated that it might be routed at his first
charge and then risk the destruction of the rest of his armies
if they were to withdraw out of excessive fear. So he held
back the Asian atmy and divided the atmy of Europe into
the same number of contingents as he saw the Hungarians
deployed during their advance, and thus atrayed them for
battle. And in this way the atmies of Europe closed in battle.
They fought beyond hope and performed valiantly. When
the Hungatians advanced, the Turks would draw near and
then flee as fast as they could in order to exhaust the pursu-
ing horses of the Hungatians and thus render them useless.
Then, when the Turks had fled a sufficient distance, they
would take a stand and shoot at the horses; then they would
come back against the Hungarians and kill them. For more
137
 THE HISTORIES
l1C1tWV 1tOAU ~EA'novwv q>EPOflEVOl, Ka1 -rtxvn -ra 1tOAAa -r~V
fl aX'1v <1UVOlaXElpi~oV'tE" ilflElVOV tq>epov-ro -rwv Ilatovwv,
Ka1 ~v fli:v 1tpw'tl'Jv ~flepav 1toAAo1 fli:v Ilalovwv l1tl-
1t'tOV EV -rfi flaXn, 1toAAo1 oi: TOVPKWV a1t6AAuv-rO V1tO
Ilatovwv. Ka1 -rav-r!']v fli:v -r~v ~ flepav IIA!']v Eflaxe<1av-ro
aflq>O-rEpol Ka1 i<101taAEl, {2.13I} EyevOV-ro· t1td oi: oti: ~v,
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OflEVOl -rOU, TOVPKOU<; VUK-rO, OiX~<1E<19at a1tlov-ra, Ka1 ou
flEVouV-ra, tv -rfi -ra;El. Ka1 11t1toOPOflWV fli:v OUK &[YOl
a7t!'JE<1aV' t1td oi: -rou, Tpl~aAAou, E1'Pl<1KOV tv -rOl, <1'tE-
VOL, t1tlflevov-ra" ai'i9l, t1tavtlE<1aV t1t1 -ro <1'tpa-r01tEOoV.
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Ilaiova,. T~v fli:v oi'iv ~flepav -rav-r!']v t, -rO<1ou-rov tytVE-rO.
47 Tfi oi: vvK-r1 -rav-rn IlaiovE, ~oUAEUoflEvol, 01tW, -rfi
u<1-rEpaiq, ~v flaX!']v 1tOl~<1wV'tal, yvwfI!,]v a1tEq>aivE-ro ~Ka­
<1'tO"w, tOOKEl auni> ~v flaX!']v 1tOlEl<19at, Ka1 AOYO,
ty[yvE-rO 1tOAv,. 'Ev-rau9a ~oUAEUoflevwv au-rwv, Taov-r!'],
" Laov~Ew, urtoou, -rou Afloupa-rEw, yevo, wv -rwv 'O-rou-
flav[owv, 1tapEA9wv t, flt<1OV &E;E -rolaOE. "Hfllv fli:v
[Kava <1ufI~e~A!']-ra, l<1'tE -r~v A<1iav Ka1 e, ~v Evpw1t1']v,
OUoe o~ -rau-ra 1tP0<1£xov-ra, t, -ra Afloupa-rEw 1tpaYfla-ra
BOOK 7
of the Turks were mounted on far better horses and they
used this technique to accomplish the most in battle, so
they had the better of the Hungarians.
On the first day many of the Hungarians fell in battle, 46
but many of the Turks were also killed by the Hungarians.
Both sides fought for the whole of that day and it was a
draw. When it grew dark, they separated from each other
and each departed back to his camp to rest. The Hungarians
believed that the Turks would depart at night and not keep
their formation, for many of the cavalry raiders were leav-
ing. But the latter encountered Serbs waiting for them in
the passes, and so again returned to their camp. The Hun-
garians, at any rate, believed that on the following day they
would have to face only a small portion of the army, as the
rest would have departed and not remained behind, and
thus they would prevail and at once capture the sultan's
Porte. But the sultan and the Turks, for their part, had taken
heart and were no longer as afraid of the Hungarians as be-
fore. Full of courage they prepared to fight the next day and
rout the Hungarians. That, then, is exactly what happened
on that day.
During this night the Hungarians held a council to decide 47
how to give battle on the following day, and each expressed
his opinion regarding how they should fight, and there was
much discussion. As they were deliberating, Davud, the son
of Savcl and grandson of Murad {I}, of the Ottoman family,
stepped into the middle and said the following: "We have at-
tacked the armies of Asia and Europe enough. If we con-
tinue to turn our attention to them and do not bring the
'39

THE HISTORIES
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, " " ",,,
-cou-cwv arew<raflEvol -ca repaYfla-ca EXOlflEV -ca EKElVWV.
48 Tav-ca AEYWV 0 Taou'"CI]<; freEleE -CE, Kat ereolouv oi)-cw.
Kat ao-clKa <riJv -caT<; afla;a,<; eret1E<rav e<; -ca ~a<flAEw<;
<r-cpa-coreEOov, reEpt repw-c'1v q>uAaK~v -cfj<; vUK-c6<;. D<; O£
anov eyevov-co -cwv ~a<flA£w<; eupwv, ev-cav9a eOEol-c-
-cov-co '"CI]AE~6AOl<; -CE Kat -C!]AE~OAl<rKOl<; -coil<; {2.133}
"4 0
BOOK 7
battle to Murad himself, we are laboring in vain. Not even if
these men offered themselves to be killed would we be able
to overcome them so easily. It seems to me that he who is
fighting an enemy overthrows that enemy when he lands a
decisive blow, and he is then in a good position to deal with
his army too. And where might one land a more decisive
blow than upon the head? For the head directs the whole
body, that the city is in it.49 If one does not land a decisive
blow, then it is a laborious and difficult task to overcome
the enemy. That is how matters seem now. For you see that
the sultan's Porte has stood apart and not rushed into the
battle in the least, nor have they been willing to run the risk
of fighting, as the Porte is charged with protecting the sul-
tan's safety above all else, and fights only in situations of dire
need. Come, then, let us move against the sultan's forma-
tion, for when that withdraws none of the others will want
to remain. I believe that we should move our entire camp,
along with the wagons on which we have placed our cannons
and firearms, and engage in close combat with the Porte this
very night. We should not delay. For if we move with can-
nons and fire our other projectiles against the sultan's Porte
and frighten them, I believe they will not even wait for day-
light but they will gladly depart while it is still night. And
when we have driven them away, their affairs will be ours."
Davud's words were persuasive, and they acted accord- 48
ingly. They immediately attacked the sultan's camp with
their wagons, in the first watch of the night. When they
came near to the sultan's Porte, they terrified the janissaries
with their cannons and firearms and bombarded the sultan's
"4"
 r
THE HISTORIES
V£~AVSa<;, Kal £~aAAOV 1:0 1:0U ~a<11A£W<; cr-rpa1:61tESOV' Kal
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pOV.
49 'E1te1 Si: ~fI£pa EyeVE1:0, 1tap£1:a<1<1£1:0 S£U1:£pa E<; 1:~V
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yov ava Kpa1:o<;. m~v S~ 1:WV u1tapxwv 9£pa1t0v-rE<;
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ola 1:01<; TOUPKOl<; VOfli~E1:al1tpo<; 1:ou<; TIa(ova<;. TIpo<; Si:
1:ou<; a1tO n;<; Eupw1t'1<; Ka1:a VW1:0V <1<pi<11V E1tlKElflEVOV<;
BOOK 7
camp. They fought fiercely, for their part, until the crack
of dawn. For the janissaries prepared their cannons and re-
sisted the Hungarians with their firearms. Many fell on both
sides that night, most of them killed by the cannons. When
it was almost daylight and the Hungarians saw that the sul-
tan's camp was holding its position and fighting valiantly,
they decided to pack up and march back to the place where
they had made their camp and not persist, gathered near to
the Porte as they were, and be encircled. So it was decided,
and they acted accordingly. They withdrew to their position,
where they had previously been based.
When it was day, Hunyadi deployed a second time for 49
battle, to see how it would turn out for him this time. When
he engaged in battle, he made the charge by striking at the
army of Asia. But as he attacked, the general of Europe sent
Turahan, the prefect of Thessaly, with his army to get be-
hind the Hungarian lines and attack them as fiercely as pos-
sible. Turahan got behind the Hungarians and killed many
of them in this battle. For they were pursuing the Asians
who, as the Hungarians pressed hard upon them in pursuit,
fled as fast as they could. Except for the prefects, the Euro-
peans came in support and, when the Asians had attained
the requisite distance in their flight, they fought, just as
the Turks are used to doing against Hungarians. The latter
wheeled around and fought in a cluster against the Europe-
ans who were pressing hard upon them from behind, in
I43
 THE HISTORIES
CYU<1'rpa<p£v'w; CYUCY'raS'lV Efiaxov'rO, [Z.134} It\.AOn aAA!]
'rou 1tES[OU, w<; 1tEPlnlXOI£V eKa'rEpol aAA~Aol<; E1tlKeLfiEVOl.
50 baKE<; Se w<; ewpwv 'rOU<; TOUpKOU<; 1tOAU 1tap' EA1t[Sa
aywVlsofl£VOU<;, Kal CY<p[m 'ra xaAE1tW'ra'ra E1t'lP'tijcyea"
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Kal au'rov CYOl 'rOY 1tOAEflOV 1tapaCY'r~cyacyeal 'rou AOl1tOU,
dvat."
W(J"t'E 0'0l £'Jtl-rYjSELOV
5' Tau'ra ei1tOV'rO<; 'rou an£AOU, XaALA'l<; 0 1tpu'ravl<; 'rou
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avEU 'rE SOAOU Kat amx""1<;, <pLAOl 'rE elvat Uflel<; 'rou AOl1tOU.
144
BOOK 7
various places across the plain at various times, wherever
they happened to encounter each other.
But the Wallachians saw the Turks fight well beyond hope 50
and realized that a most terrible fate awaited them, which
they would scarcely be able to escape even if they made it
safely out of the battle, for there was no way that they would
escape punishment by the sultan for violating their oath,
fighting against him, and making an alliance with the Hun-
garians. So, in the midst of this great commotion, they de-
cided to send a messenger to negotiate with Sultan Murad,
to surrender their arms and become friends and allies of the
sultan. So they decided, and they acted accordingly. The
messenger came to the Porte and said the following: "0 sul-
tan, the Wallachians sent me to come into your presence
and ask for a treaty on their behalf, they who are begging
forgiveness for all the infractions that they have committed
against your realm and your interests. They swear that on
their own they would not have started a new rebellion
against your interests, if the Hungarians had not exerted
pressure by ordering us to join them and by using force
against us. Now they beseech you to agree to this and make
a treaty with them, and they will stand by you for the rest of
this war so that it works out to your advantage."
That is what the messenger said, to which Halil, the vi- 51
zier of the sultan's household, replied as follows: "But you,
o Wallachians, already know how much of a friend the sul-
tan is, potentially, and he has been your patron from the be-
ginning. Now that you have come here at the right time, by
all means make a treaty without guile or fraud to be our
145
 THE HISTORIES
Kat fiv TL, WV UflEl<; AtYeTE, e~ELpYaJflevov T<ji ~ao-LAEl
xapLv eef'lTE, 'io-n w<; OUX ureEp~aAovflEvOL aVTov EUEP-
YETOUv-rE<;. Ta flevToL oreAa 'in SEUPO OTL TaXLo-Ta reapa-
SWo-OVTE<;." TauTa XaALA'l<; 6 ITpatflEw <paflEvo<; yvwfln
TOU ~ao-LAew<; AtYELV areereEfI'itE. Kat ot baKE<;, w<; ereav~KEv
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ITpatflEw yvwfln TOU ~aJLAtW<;, aUTIKa SLeo-T'lo-av TE areo
ITmovwv xwpl<; YEVOflEVOL, Kat repo'iOVTE<; a<pIKOVTO arxou
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aUT<ji TOLavSE xapLv KaTaeeo-em T<ji ~ao-LAEl, ureoupyouVTE<;
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Kat eo-e~Ta<; repo<; TOU ~aJLAew<;.
Bao-LAel,<; Se, w<; reap' ath<ji dtni]KELo-av, vOfllo-a<; fI~ TLVL
SOACjJ TauTa {O-UVeeflEvoL} repo"io-xoflEVOL mh<ji KaKov TL
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SLO-fluPIOU<;' Kat W<; reap~v aVT<ji, ii eVeTeAAETO, eKeAEUE
reEpLo--raVTa<; TOU<; baKa<; KaTaKaivELv lireavTa<;, fI'lSEVO<;
<pELSoflEVOV. Kat OUTW repo<; aAK~V hpareovTo Ta oreAa
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ouv aUTov. Kat OUTW flEV S~ TavTn ev OVSEVt A6yCjJ arew-
AOVTO.
53
ITalovE<; flEV S~ repwTa TOU<; baKa<; S,io-TaflEvou<;
tSoVTE<; eeavfla~ov, 0 TL ~OVAOLVTO' w<; Sf. Eyvwo-av SLaA-
AaTToflEvOU<; T<ji {z.136} ~aJLAEl, exaAereaLvov TE aUToi<; Kat
fiXeOVTO KaTarepoSESwKOo-L TOU<; <pLAOU<;, ereel S' OAlYOV
BOOK 7
friends henceforth. And if you win favor with the sultan for
one of the deeds that you have mentioned, know that you
need not outdo yourselves in order to benefit him. Just come
here to surrender your weapons as quickly as possible." This
is what Halil, the son of ibrahim, said, speaklng on behalf of
the sultan, and he dismissed them. When the messenger re-
turned to the Wallachians and reported to them what Ha1il,
the son of ibrahim, had urged him on behalf of the sultan,
they immediately separated themselves from the Hungari-
ans and advanced until they came near to the sultan's Porte.
They stood there thinking that they were earning the sul-
tan's gratitude to such a degree, by supporting him in his
moment of need, that they even thought that they would
receive gifts and garments from the sultan.
But as they were standing there at his side, the sultan 52
concluded that they had not made those promises without
some guile and were planning to do him some harm in agree-
ment with the Hungarians. So he summoned the general of
Europe with about twenty thousand men. When he arrived,
as he was ordered, Murad instructed him to kill all the Wal-
lachians who were standing around there, sparing none. The
latter resisted as they were armed. For the sultan did not
want to kill them after they had surrendered their weapons,
but for them to suffer the punishment for what they had
done to him with arms in hand. And thus they perished
there without regard.
As for the Hungarians, when they first saw the Wallachi- 53
ans detaching themselves, they wondered about their inten-
tions. But when they realized that they were negotiating
with the sultan, they were angry with them and hated them
for utterly betraying their allies. But when a little bit later
147

THE HISTORIES
ilcrT£POV KaTUSOV au-rou£ ;UflTCaVTa£ TCpO£ TOU ~acrlAtw£
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TaX[crTljV.
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54
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eflaxovTo TCpO£ TOU£ v£~AoSa£ a;[w£ AOyOO. MeT' ou TCoAu
BOOK 7
they saw them all being killed by the sultan for no apparent
reason, they were astonished again and understood the sul-
tan's thinking, namely that he had no need for such allies.
They were now greatly concerned to extricate themselves
from there as quickly as possible.
Janko came from the battle to the wagons and spoke with 54
their leaders: the plan was that he and his men would rise
from an ambush where Sultan Murad himself was placed in
order to attack the Porte; and when he sent a messenger
to indicate that he had prepared the ambush, the remain-
ing Hungarians too would all advance together against the
Porte. He said this-it was around the last watch-and se-
lected men who were the best prepared for war and whom
he knew were devoted to him; he also instructed those by
the wagons to join them in the assault on the Porte when he
gave the signal. He advanced with his army in formation and
then reversed course, marching to the Danube.
It quickly became day and Janko could no longer be seen 55
either by those Hungarians left behind in the wagon ring
or by the sultan. When the sultan's men saw that the camp
of the Hungarians was empty and that only a few men
had been left among the wagons, they were astonished; then
someone who came to him at a run announced that the
Hungarians had fled to the Danube around the last watch.
Thereupon the janissaries took up their weapons and rushed
with utmost haste against the Hungarians in the wagon ring.
When the latter realized that they had been betrayed by
their own people, they fought valiantly against the janis-
saries. But shortly afterward the janissaries mounted the
'49
 THE HISTORIES
S' ot VE~AIJSE, av£~!']O'av btl 1:a, a!'a!;a" (J1tEp£~!']O'av St
1:0U, I1alova, nav1:a, o!,oj) Ka1:aKalvov1:E,. OU1:0L £W9EV
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to'n£pa ~V a<pLKo!'£V'!' tnl 1:0 L~E1:~aVLOV 1:0j} ~aO'LA£w,
nOALv, SL!']nopEL, W, aO'<paA£O'1:EpOV KOfLL~ofLEVO, npo, 1:E
1:WV MuO'wv fL~ {2.138} Ka1:aS!,]Ao, Y£VOL1:0, Kal KLVSIJVEV"ll
npo, 1:0j} TpL~aUwv ~yE!,OVO, aAwvaL' ElSE yap 1:0V
fEWPYLOV, W, nEpL7tOL~O'aL1:0 £AELv aU1:0V nOA£!'Lov DV1:a
Kal SLa<popov E, 1:a !,aALO'1:a. 'End St SLaO'KOnov!'Evo,
BOOK 7
wagons, prevailed over the Hungarians, and cut them all
down together. The latter fought from dawn to what would
be the busiest hour of the marketplace, and they died as
brave men.
Sultan Murad at first rushed to pursue the Hungarians, as 56
his generals advised him, but he rejected their plan when he
remembered all that Kasim, the son of Mazak, had suffered
at the hands of Hunyadi during the previous pursuit,SO and
was content that his present fortune had turned to the bet-
ter. The number of men who perished in this battle, I have
learned-for they were later tallied up for both sides by the
ruler of the Serbs -was seventeen thousand for the Hungar-
ians and Wallachians together, and about four thousand for
the Turks. It is easy to tell the difference and fulfill their de-
mands5l from the fact that the Turks circumcise their geni-
tals and that the Hungarians wear their hair long, while the
Turks shave their heads along with some of the hair by their
temples. Emerging from the battle, the sultan ordered that
the bodies of the fallen Turks be buried by the banks of the
river Morava; then he packed up and departed to go home.
Janko, meanwhile, departed toward the Danube in flight 57
and, reaching Zvecan, a city of the sultan, toward evening,
he was at a loss as to how he might proceed in the safest
way without being recognized by the Bulgarians, and run
the risk of falling into the hands of the ruler of the Serbs. He
knew that Duraa was his enemy and virulently hostile to
him and would capture him in order to gain an advantage.
 THE HISTORIES
tAoy[se'to, tSOKeL av't£ij Xwp",9Ev'ta 'tov (npa'tov tAavveLv
<Yi>v oA[yoL, 'tol, nept av'tav eveu btl MneAoypaS']v. D,
Sf. tSOKeL av't£ij, nept Sw'ttpav '1'vAaK~v 't* VVK'ta, E1tl-
Ae;afLevo, 'tou, [S[ov, av't£ij tnopeve'to aAA']v 6S6v.
I1opwofLtv,!, Sf. aUeL, ESOKEL ot Kat 'tav'tIl E'tL fLtlAAOV
Ka'taS,]Ao, EO"eO"eaL. I1ptv S~ ~fLtpav yevtO"eaL, v6CjJ Aa~,ov,
,0, fLovo, aimiiv afLeLvov O",oSOL'tO E, 'tov "IO"'tpov, xwpt,
yevofLevo, nap' Eav't£ij [Siq: Enopeve'to av'ta, nopeiav. D,
Sf. ~fLtpa Eytve'to, Ka'ta~aivEL 'te ana 'tov 1nnov, Katnesfi
nopwofLevo, a'1'LKVel'taL Ent Ao'1'ov 'tLva, Kat eeaO"afLevo ,
TovpKov'tav'tIl nov E;eAavvoV'ta Ka'ta'1'evyEL Ent 'ta 1:'1..0,
vSa'to, nAfj pe, Kat Ent nOAu SLfjKOV. 'EneL Sf. npofjAeev,
a'1'LKVel'taL npa, ~v 'tov rewpyiov X,opav, KatnepL'tVXwv
TpL~aAAol, t1;~'tEL yevtO"eaL ot 't* 6Sov 6S']you" Kat
fLLO"eaV av'tol, 'tfj, 6Sov naptxeO"eaL. Ot St, ,0, unto"xoV'to
t;']yelO"eaL av't£ij 't~v 6Sov, Ene~ouAwov aveAelv. 'Ev'tavea,
,0, tSOKeL av'tol" O"vAAafL~avovo"L 'te av'tav ,0, anoK'te-
vovV'te,. '0 Sf. ,0, tjO"ee'to, O"1ta<rafLevo, 'ta ;i'1'o, 'tov TpL-
~aAAov, WO; ot EV KaLp£ij ~v, naieL fLf.V 'tav Eva Ka'tCt 'tav
wfLov Kat Ka'ta~aAAEL' 6 St E'tepo, '1'euywv <!\Xe'to.
58 'Ev Sf. 'tou't'!' nvveavofLevoo; 6 TpL~aAAwv ~yefL,ov, ,0, 6
XwvLa't'], ~'t't']eeLo; npo, 'tov ~aO"LAtwo; CtneAauveL, EnefLne
K~ pVKa nepLayytAAov'ta 'tol, tav'tov, ,00; fL']Sevt I1aLOVWV
[2.139} E1tl'tptnELv SLa~aivELv 't~v x,opav, nptv S~ nvvea-
VOLV'tO [Kat E, ihlflV aYeLv av'tov}, OO"'tL, 'te e'l'] Kat nol
nopeuoL'to, Kat 'tou, fLf.v aAAov, EtlV St'ltVaL, 'tav Sf. Xw-
vLa't']v O"vAAa~ov'ta, aYeLv nap' eav'tov. Ou'tOo; fLtv 'tav'ta
152
BOOK 7
When he considered this and thought about it, he decided
to separate from his army and march with a few men from
his retinue straight to Belgrade. When he decided this, at
the second watch of the night he selected his own men and
proceeded by a different road. But again as he was proceed-
ing on his journey, it occurred to him that he would be even
more conspicuous there. So before daybreak, realizing that
he stood a better chance of reaching the safety of the Dan-
ube alone, he separated from the rest and continued his
journey by himself When it was day, he dismounted and ad-
vanced on foot until he arrived at a certain hill. There he
saw a Turk coming toward him, and so he sought refuge in a
flooded swamp that extended for a long distance. When he
emerged he went into the land of Durac'! and, happening
upon a couple of Serbs, he asked them to guide him along
the way, offering to pay them for this service. They prom-
Ised to show him the way but plotted to kill him. When they
deCided the time was right, they seized him with the inten-
tion of killing him. But when he realized what they were do-
ing, he snatched the Serb's sword at an opportune moment
and struck the one on his shoulder, felling him, while the
other took to his heels.
At that time the ruler of the Serbs learned that Hunyadi 58
was marching back after being defeated by the sultan, and
he sent a herald to arrnounce to his subjects that they were
not to allow any Hungarian to pass through their land unless
they had first ascertained who he was and where he was go-
ing. They were to let the others pass through but to arrest
Hunyadi and bring him to him. So the herald made these
153
 THE HISTORIES
reEpl~y¥EAAEV, oi Si: iiPXov'"w; 'tol<; EV 'tfi xwpq: repoayo-
PEUOV'tE<;, OV'tlVa liv Aa~Ol£V 'tWV ITalovwv, iiyElv reap' tau-
'toi><; £1tlSElKvuv'ta<;, Kat o(r,,<; liAAn reOl lwv ilAW<rOl'tO, w<;
KaKlO"t'!' eava't'!' ilreoAouflEVO <;.
59 'Ev'tauea 0 XWVla't'l<;, W<; urea Alflou iI:reayopEuwV Sl-
'l:reoPEl, oreOl 'tpa:reoflEvo<; yevOl'to, iI<plKVel'tal Erel 'tlva
xwpav 'twv Tpl~aAAwv. Kal Ev'taUea w<; EWpaKEl Tpl~aA­
Aoi><; 't~v yijv Epya~ofltvou<;, ~·iEV Eret 'tou'tou<; SE'l<roflEVO <;
ErelSOeijval ol iip'tov. :0.<; Si: elSov iivSpa ITalova £rel<r'tav'ta
<r<pl<rl ~'l'telV iip'tov, E<pa<rav, "aXt.:, w ;evE, iip'to<; fltV'tOl
OSE <rOl hOlflO<;, XpEWV St E<r'tlV Erel 'tov 'tij<; reoAEW<; iipxo-
V'ta iiyov'ta<; S~ ~flii<; E1tlSElKVUVaL, Kal EreElSilv eEaO"l'tal,
areo:reefl'itEl S~ reaAlv ou'tO<; E:ret 't~v <rau'tou xwpav. OU yilp
KaKov 'tl :repo<; au'tou reelrrn liv ouS' D'tLOUV, aAAiI'Iwavvou
'tou Xwvla'tou ~~'t'l<rl<;, olflal, ylyvE'taL· 'toi><; S' iiAAOU<; 'twv
ITalovwv, O<rOl Sl£;EAauvou<rlV Ev'tEUeEV, EV ouSEvl ADY'!'
:reOlOUV'taL." Tau'ta AtyoV'tE<; w<; ou flEelEV'to au'tou, aXt.:
lrrxupw<; 'tE ~:re't0V't0, avayKa~E'taL 't<i> repE<r~u'tep,!, fl'lvu<ral
'tE tau'tov, w<; e'i'l 0 Xwvla't'l<;. Kat E:re'lY¥tAAE'tO flEyaAa
SOUVaL au't<i> ;evla'tE Kat xp~fla'ta Kal xwpav, ei E:ret MreE-
AoypaS'lv ayayol <rwov, u:reo fl'lSEVO<; 'twv Tpl~aAAwv
{z.14 0 } o<peev'ta. '0 fli:v OUV repE<r~I\-rEpO<; EYVW 'tE au'tov,
Kal lJ1tESt;a'to a<rlvij E<; 't~v xwpav lma;Elv, 'tol<; 'tE aSEA-
<pol<; au'tou E;El7CWV, OO"tl<; et'l, rep0'lyopEUE fl'lSaflfi lov'ta<;
ofloAOyij<raL'tov iivSpa. 'E<r1tepa<; S1: YEvoflev'l<; a:re~yayov
E<; 'to olK'lfla, EV 4> iixupa 'tE ~v <r<pl<rl Kat ureo~uyla, Kat
EveflEvov 'tfi u<r'tEpalq: <rU<rKEua<raflEVOl areayElV Erel M:reE-
AoypaS'lV.
154
BOOK 7
announcements, while the lords ordered their own subjects
in their lands that any Hungarian who was captured was to
be brought before them, and whoever was captured going
somewhere else was to suffer a horrible death.
Whereupon Hunyadi, pressed hard by hunger, was at a 59
loss where to turn, and he came to a certain part of Serbian
territory. There he saw Serbs working the land and he went
to them, begging for some bread. When they saw a Hungar-
ian standing before them and asking for bread, they said, "0
stranger, here is bread for you. But now we have to lead you
before the lord of the city to show you to him, and when he
has seen who yon are, he will send you along to your own
land. You will not suffer any harm at all at his hands, be-
cause, I think, they are looking for Janko Hunyadi. They
don't care at all about any other Hungarians passing through
here." Saying this, they did not let him go but seized him
forcefully, and so he was forced to reveal himself to the elder
of the place, that he was Hunyadi. He announced that he
would give him great gifts, money, and land, if he led him
safely to Belgrade, unseen by any Serb. The elder recognized
him and agreed to lead him unharmed back to his land. He
explained to his brothers who the man was and ordered
them not to go and betray the man. In the evening they took
him to the building where they kept hay and pack animals
and waited for the next day, preparing to lead him to Bel-
grade.
155
 THE HISTORIES
60 Tn Sf. ~ flEp<;< TaV'tl] EV Sla,!,Op~ YEVOflEVWV TWV aSEA'!'WV
t;aYOpEVEl Tl<; TOVTWV T<\> Tij<; 7tOAEW<; apXOVTl, Kat Aa~wv
TOU<; SEpa7tOVTa<; ayet e7tt TO o'iK'lfla, ev <p ~V 0 XWVlaT'l<;
tv TOl<; TWV axupwv otK~flao"l. Kat Aa~ovTE<; a~yayov
7tapa TOV Tij<; 7tOAEW<; apxovTa. '0 Sf. E7tEfl7tE SEO'flLOV
ay6f1EvoV 7tapa TOV ~YEflova, Kat ~yyElAEV, w<; taAw tv
XOp't'" KEKpVflflEVO<;. '0 flEV OUV ~yEflwv, w<; ~X8'l 7tap'
eaVTOV " 'Iwavv'l<;, d<; ,!,VAaK~V 7tOl'lO'aflEVO<; aUTOV elXEV
e7t( Tlva XPOVOV tv Tft aKp07tOAEl. '0 Sf. 7tdSEl TOV TE ap-
XOVTa Tij<; aKp07tOAEW<; Kat ~V ,!,povpltv t7tlSEO'Sat afla
aUT<\> 't<\> ~yEfloVl Kat KaTaAa~ElV ~V 7tOAlV. 'E;EVEYKOVTO<;
SE TlVO<; TWV O'VVElS6Twv ~V e7tl~OVA~V, KaTa'!'av;j eYEVETO
Tit TWV ev Tft ,!,pOvp~, Kat ot flf.v a7tWAOVTO, 'Iwavv'l<; Sf.
emyafl[av aUT<\> 7tol'lO'aflEvo<;, Kat apfloO'aflEvo<; TOV 7talSa
aUTOU, a7tE7tEfI"'EV e7tt T~V apx~v aUTOU e<; M7touS'lv, Kat
7tEpt flf.V ~v TWV IIalovwv tKO'TpaTdav ~yOVflEVOV TOU
XwvlaTov ToO'aUTa eYEVETO Kat ev TEAEl TOUT", EO"XETO.
6, AflovpaT'l<; Sf. w<; t7taV~KEl t<; Tit ~aO'[\Ela, OU 7tOAA<\>
UO'TEpOV WPfl'lTO flEV e7tt Bv~avTLOv O'TpaTEuE0'8at, TEAEV-
~O'avTo<; Se TOU 'EAA~vwv ~aO'lAEw<; 'Iwavvov, Kat e7tt
KwvO"tavTlvov TOV aSEA'!'ov aUTou w<; exwp'lO'EV ~ ~aO'l­
Ada. 'E7td TE yltp tTEAEVT'lO'EV, WPfl'lTO flf.V " aSEA,!,o<;
athou ~'lfl~TpLO<; e7tt ~v ~ao"lAdav, {2.14J} SlEKWAUS'l SE
(mo TWV ev Tft 7tOAEl Kat Tij<; fI'lTpO<; Kat flEO'lTWV Kat TOU
S~flov Kat TWV flEO'a~oVTWV, KaVTaKOV~'lVOU TE Kat No-
Tapa, SESl6TWV fI~ a'!'lKOflEVOV e7tt ~V ~aO'lAdav TOUTOV
e7tayaY!] " KwvO"taVTlvo<; O'TpaTOV e~AvSa, Kat O''!'(O'lV
a7tOAOlTO ~ ap~ TE Kat Ta 7tpaYflaTa. AVEflEVOV S~ Slit
BOOK 7
But on that day the brothers fell out with each other and 60
one of them betrayed the matter to the lord of the city. He
took the lord's servants and led them to the building, the
one Wlth the hay in which Hunyadi was staying. They ar-
rested him and brought him to the lord of the city. He, then,
sent him to be brought in chains to the ruler {DuradJ and
reported how he had been captured hiding in the hay. When
Hunyadi was brought to him, the ruler imprisoned him in
the citadel and kept him there for some time.52 But Hunyadi
p~rsuaded th~ lord of the citadel and the garrison to join
him III attacking the ruler and taking over the city. Yet one
of the conspirators betrayed the plot, the plans of the garri-
son were revealed, and they were killed. Janko, on the other
hand, made a marriage alliance with Durad by betrothing
h'IS son, 53 and was sent along to his own realm, to Buda. That,
then, was how the campaign of the Hungarians, under the
leadership of Hunyac1i, happened, and how it ended.
Murad returned to his palace and shortly afterward set 6,
out to campaign against Byzantion, as the king of the Greeks,
Ioannes, had died and the throne had passed to his brother
Konstantinos. 54 In fact, when he died, it was his brothe;
Demetrios who rushed to take the throne, but he was pre-
vented by the people in the city, that is, his mother,55 the
courtiers in the middle,56 the populace, and the mesazontes
Kantakouzenos and Notaras,57 who feared that ifDemetrios
gained the throne, then Konstantinos would lead a for-
eign army against him, and the entire realm and its interests
157

THE HISTORIES
'tau'ta EASaV 'tOY Kwv<1'tav'tlvov, Kat OUK brhp£:reov 't<!>
Ll.1] fl1]'tpil!' :reaputval E<; 't~v ~acTlAdav. , But it so happened at the time that the younger brother,
62 "E'tUX£ 8e 'to't£ :repo:reapay£v6fl£vo<; E<; Bu~av'tLOv KaL
°
ElwflCt<; v£w't£pO<; a8£Acpo<;, :re£plov'ta E'tl otofl£vo<; Ka'ta-
Aij",£<YSaL 'tOY ~a<YlAEa, Kat XP1]fla'tt<Ywv :re£pt btwv, w~
:repo<Y£8£ho 'tou ~a(YlAtw<;. OU'tO<; flev oiJv h£A£u'ta" Kal
OUKe'tl ~wv'ta Ka'teAa~£v, £iJp£ 8e 'ta :repaYfla'ta Ka'ta<Y'tav'ta
E<; 8lacpopav Ll.1]fl1]'tpi", 't<!> a8£Acp<!> :re£pt 'tii<; ~acrlAda<;~
AcplKOflEVOU 8£ au'tou E<; Bu~av'tLOv ou :reOAA<!> ,i\<Y't£pov 'to~
Kwv<1'tav'ttvou, 8l£tAOV't0 <YepicTl ~v I1£AO:reOVV1]<Yov, Kal
opKla E:rel 'tfi vOflfi 'tau't!1 :repo<; <lAAijAOU<; E'taflov'to, Efl-
:re£80uv't£<; ~v 8lavoflijv. '0 flEV'tOl v£w't£po<; a8£Aepo<;
:repo't£po<; aeplKofl£vo<; v1]t E:ret I1£AO:reOVV1]<Yov aepi<1'ta 't£
'ta<; EV I1£AO:reOVVij<Y1!' :reOA£l<; :repo<; tau'tov :reap a 'tou<;
OpKOU<;, Kat:repo<YAa~ofl£vo<; 'tOil<; I1£Ao:reo~V1]<Yiou<; 'to~<;
<Yuvaep£<Y'tw'ta<; E:reOAEfl£l:repO<; Ll.1]flij'tpLOV 'tOY a8£Aep6v. 0
8£ E:reayofl£vo<; 'tou ~a<YlAEw<; <Y'tpa'tov, t:rel8la:repal;aflEvou
'tou 1:fj<; YUVaLKO<; a8£Aepou A<Yav£w, 'tov 't£ a8£Aepov
ijvaYKa<Y£v t<; ofloAoytav au't<!> Y£VE<YSal, Kal ~:re£'tpa:reov~o
8lal't1]'tfi <Yepwv't<!> a8£Acp<!> Bu~av'ttou ~a(YlA£l, :re£pi 't£ 1:1]<;
xwpa<; oflijpou<; 80v't£<; aAAijAol<; Kat1tl<Y'ta. _ Mehmed, died at a banquet of wine-induced apoplexy.62 He
63 'Ev q, 8~ 'tau'ta tYEV£'tO, Afloupa't1]<; 0 M£XflE't£w :reaL<;
[2.14 2} 't£A£U't~ tv <YUfl:reo<Ytl!', u:reo o!vou y£vofl£vo<; a:reo-
:reA1]K'tO<;. 'E~a<YtA£u£ 8<. E't1] 8uo Kat 'tplaKov'ta. Ka'tEAl1t£
8<' ~acrlAta M£Xfle't1]v 'tov :rea18a au'tou, Kat:reaT8a E't£p~V
tK 1:fj<; yuvalKo<; au'tou, 1:fj<; L:re£v8EP£W Suya'tpo<;, aV1]p
t:rel£lKij<; 't£ y£vofl£vo<; Kat ~v wX1]v OUK a80Klflo<;,
Afluv6fl£vo<; 8£ t:reoAefl£l, OUX u:reapxwv a8lKia<;, <lAX t<;
BOOK 7
would be lost. For that reason they awaited Konstantinos's
arrival and did not allow Demetrios to ascend the throne.
62
Thomas, had come to Byzantion before that, thinking that
he would find the king alive and negotiate with him regard-
ing some requests that he had. But the king [loannes} had
died and so he did not reach him in time. 58 Thomas found
that the succession to the throne was disputed by his
brother Demetrios. When Konstantinos arrived at Byzan-
tion soon afterward,59 they divided the Peloponnese among
themselves, swearing oaths to each other that they would
preserve this division intact among themselves." But the
younger brother [Thomas} arrived first by ship in the Pelo-
ponaese and he caused cities in the Peloponaese to defect
over to his side, contrary to the oaths. Joining to his side
the Peloponnesians who had rebelled with him, he fought
against his brother Demetrios. The latter brought in the sul-
tan's army and, through the mediation of his wife's brother,
Asanes," he forced his brother to come to terms with him
and they entrusted their brother, the king of Byzantion
[Konstantinos}, with the arbitration of their differences.
They exchanged hostages and pledges regarding their lands.
While these things were happening, Murad, the son of 63
had reigned for thirty-two years. 63 He left as sultan his son
Mehmed, and had another son from his wife, the daughter
of isfendiyar,64 He had been a just man and favored by for-
tune. He had fought in defense and did not initiate acts
159
 THE HISTORIES
'tOY unap;av'ta av'tiKa EnlWV E<r'tpanue'to, Kat 6no'te ~~
'ttl; av'tov npOVKaAeL'to Ent nOAe~ov, ov navu 'tl npov8u-
~eho <r'tpa'teve<r8al, OVK E, 'toii'to OKVOU ~KWV, aXI(
a~uvo~evo, ~ev ES1Kaiou Kat X£l~WVO, Kat E, 'tl< xaAe-
nw'ta'ta npo'itval Kat ~'lStva unoAoyi~e<r8al ~~'te novov
~~'te au KivSuvov. 'Ene\ Se £-reAeo't'l<re, Ka'te<Y't'l e, TI]v
~a<rlAelav Mex~t't'l"
64 Kat au'tiKa ~ov ev 'tft A~oupa'tew 'teAeD'tft ot ev 'tft ASP1-
avoii nOAel ve~AuSe, <ruvi<r'tav'to aAA~Aol, w, 'tft nOAel
em8'l<r0~evol, Kat EK'tO, 'te 'tfj, nOAew, <ruva8pol<r8tv'te,
e~ouAeoov'to, onol 'tfj, nOAew, En1801v'to Kat <r<pi<rl Xp~­
~a'ta nopi<ralv'to ano 'too'tou. 'Ev'taii8a S~ XaAlA'l' 6
rrpat~ew 'twv 8upwv 'tou, AOl1COU, E;onAl<ra~evo" Kat
anelA~<ra" av ~~ 'tl< onAa Ka'ta801v'to, ~tya 'tl KaKOV
au'tol, [<re<r8al ano 'tov'tou, 'nelS~ Se Ka'te8ev'to 'tl< onAa,
Kat SltAu<re 'tOY <rOAAOYOV, En' ovSevt aya8", <pa~evo,
-rav"ta 1tOLE1V -rov-rou~.
65 Md ou nOAu So a<plKo~evo, ano 'tfj, A<ria, Mex~t't'l'
6 A~oupa'tEw ent TI]v ~a<rlAElav Ka8i<Y't'l 'tE't1< EV 'tft apxft,
i'J au't'" eSoKEl npo, 'tl< napov'ta ;o~<popa [<rE<r8al, Kat'tol,
n "EAA'l<rl <movSI<, enOleL'to Kat StSwKE TI]v 'tfj, A<ria,
napaALOv. Kat S~ Kat 't", Tpl~aAAWv ~yE~OVl elp~V'lv
[z.r43} 'nOleL'to, Kat 't~v 8uya'tepa au'toii, yuvalKa 'toii
A~oupa'tEw ~'l'tpulav So av'toii, au'tiKa £nE~nE 't", na'tpt
xapl~o~evo" Kat xwpav EnESiSou, o<r'lv EK't~<ra'to. Tov So
aSEA<pDV av'toii 'nt 't~v ~a<rlAelav naplwv aVELAEV, uSa'tl
'm<r'to~w<ra, av'toii TI]v '~nvo~v. AVELAE S, 'toii'tov <ra-
pan'tap'l' oivoxoo, av'toii, 5vo~a So Yjv 'too't4' [ ...}, 0, ou
r60
BOOK 7
of aggression, but he would immediately march against the
one who did. If no one challenged him to war, he was not
eager to campaign; yet he did not shrink from it when it
came to that. Fighting to avenge himself, he would set out in
winter and in the worst conditions, and he took no account
of toil or danger. When he died, Mehmed [II} ascended the
throne.
Immediately upon Murad's death, the janissaries in Adri- 64
anople came to an agreement among themselves to attack
the city, and they assembled outside the city to deliberate on
where to attack it and how to make money from their at-
tack. Thereupon Hali!, the son of ibrahim, armed the rest
of the Porte and threatened that if they did not lay down
their arms, great harm would come to them from it. When
they laid down their arms, he dismissed their assembly, say-
mg that they had done these things for no good purpose.
Shortly afterward, Mehmed, the son of Murad arrived 65
from Asia, established himself on the throne, and ~ade the
arrangements concerning his realm which he believed would
be advantageous for the time being. He made a treaty with
the Greeks and gave them the Asian coast. 65 He also made
peace with the ruler of the Serbs [Duran} and sent back
at once the latter's daughter, who had been Murad's wife
and so his own stepmother, as a gift to her famer. 66 And he
confirmed him in the possession of the lands that he held.
When Mehmed ascended the throne, he also killed his
brother by drowning him. He was killed by his wine pourer,
or [araptar, whose name was [. . .}, who died shortly
r6r
 THE HISTORIES
1tOAA<ii Ucr-rEpOV t-rEAEU-rf}crE. Toii-rov f1ev ouv -rOY aSEAcpov
au-roii -rau"Cl] SlExp~cra-ro' -r~v Se t-rtpav -roii Afloupa-rEw
')'1JvaiKa, L1tEVStPEW 9uya-repa, ijpflocra-ro avSpt f1tYlcr-r~V
Suvaflev'!' tv -rai<; 9upau;, -roilvofla "IcraK,!" (Iv cr-rpa-rf}yov
l!1ttSEl;E -rii<; Acrla<; Kat tCPlAOcppovEi-ro av-rov t<; -rit f1a~l­
cr-ra. Kat -roi<; -rE a1to nEA01tOVv~crou 1tpecr~Ecrl cr1tovSa<;
btol~craToo . ,
66 TEAw~crav-ro<; S~ Afloupa-rEw Kapaflltvo<; 0 AAlcrOU-
pLO<; Kat1tpO-rEpOV f1ev ale! -rapacrcrwv, 01tw<; -rit tv ~ ~crl~
acplcr-raflEva crucr-ralf} -rE t1tt -rou<; "O-rouflavlS,a<; Kal au-r~<;
Slit -roii-ro t1tt f1eya XWp~crEl SuvaflEw<;, e-rapacrcrE-ro f1Eya-
AW -rit tv Acrl~ 1tpaYfla-ra' Kat cr-rpa-rov ay6f1Evo<; t1tt
'tfi
<; "
~v ~acrlAtW<; xwpav £Af}T~E-rO ~v xwpav KCIl ~1tO ~Yla.
~'
MEXfle-rf}<; S, w<; E1tD9E-rO Kapaflltvov Af}T~Ecr9C1l -r1'}v xwp~v
, ~ou- OUK itVtn"YE-rO
au~, OJ -{\;,
Kat Ev9u<; Ecr-rpa-rEvE-ro. Ka-raA!1tWV
, , _
Se Lapa~lf}v -rwv 9upwv 1tpu-ravta, e1tl~SELOV ~E au-r~
5v-ra, Kat t<; ~v Acrlav Sla~it<; i'jAauvEv E1tt Kap,aflav~v,Ka,l
e1tt ~v Xwpav av-roii. '0 Se t;tAl1tE f1ev ~v xwpav E1tl -ra
ItKpa -rwv 6ptwv, w<; Kat1tpo-repov dw9El a1tlevCll~ {2.144}
e1tpEcr~Eucra-ro Se crufl~ouAEUcrav-ro<; XaAlA~W ~o~ ~p~t­
flEW, Kat E<; oflOAoylav acplKoflEvo<; tl1tOUpyElV au-r'!', wv av
Seol-ro Kat -ro KavSuAopOV a1tOSlSOVCll lcpf} hOlflo<; Elval,
'0 S, E1td9E-rO -rE Kat t1tOlEl-rO -rit<; cr1tovSa<;.
67 Kat U1tocr-rptcpwv, w<; tv 'tfi KaAALOU1t6AEl EytVE-rO,
apl9f16v -rE E~~-rEl -rwv VEf}AUSWV, (lcrol ~1tfj,crav ~at"ov 1tap-
Eyevov-ro e<; ~v E;tAwcrlV -rau-rf}v, Kal -rOY f1~V apxo~-r~
av-rwv Ayux1tacrav KaAouflEvov AUflf}vaflEvo<; f1acr-rl;lV E;E-
~aAEv eK -rfi<; -rlflii<;, <-rou<; Se SEKaSapxa <; Kat EVVOUXou <;
BOOK 7
afterward. 67 That, then, was how he did away with his own
brother. Murad's other wife, the daughter of Isfendiyar, he
married to a man who was extremely influential at the Porte
and whose name was Ishak. He appointed him general of
Asia and cultivated him with kindness.6B He also made a
treaty with the envoys sent from the Peloponnese.
When Murad died, Karaman AIishur,69 who was always 66
, stirring up trouble in the past too, stirred up great trouble in
the affairs of Asia by causing Asia to rebel against the Otto-
mans, and thereby advanced personally to a position ofgreat
power. He led an army against the sultan's territory, plunder-
ing the land and the pack animals. 70 When Mehmed learned
that Karaman was plundering his land, he could not bear it
and immediately set out on campaign. He left behind as vi-
zier of the Porte Saraja, who was well disposed toward him,
and then crossed over into Asia and marched against Kara-
man and his land. The latter abandoned his land and took to
the mountain peaks, as was his habit in the past. On the ad-
vice of Halil, the son of Ibrahim, Karaman sent an envoy
and reached an agreement to serve Mehmed in whatever
way his services were needed, and he also said that he was
ready to surrender Kandyloron to him." Mehmed was per-
suaded and made the treaty.
Mehmed returned, and when he reached Gallipoli he 67
asked for a list of the janissaries who had not come to take
part in this campaign. He humiliated their lord, a man
named Aga Pasha, with a whipping and expelled him from
his rank; <as for the leaders of ten, the eunuchs, and the

THE HISTORIES
Kat1tEV't'1 KO V'tapxa <;, WV a'ITfjO"av ot VE~AUSE<;, 1tPW'tOV flEV
flaO"'t,ywO"a<; t;t~aAEV EK 'ti'j<; 'tlflii<;>.4 'tau'ta SE E1tolEl, O'tl
ainw O1)K tS~AWo"E O"'tpa't£uofltv1jJ t1tl 'tou<; 1tOAEfllou<;,
oO"'t:<; 't£ 1tapEl'1 KaloO"'tl<; 'tE a1tWV 'tUrxaVOl. 'IEpaKO<p0pOU<;
flEV 'tou 1ta'tpo<; e1t'taKlD"XlAlou<; E1taUO"EV mhou 'tii<; ~a:E~<;'
Kat 1tpoO"E'tl9El E<; 'tOY O"'tpa'tov 1tapaylyvE0"9at au't1jJ E;-
EAauvoV'tl. leal -roue; 't'£ at) KUVWV £'J'ClCTTCt-rae; Kal -rou-rove;
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KaltEpaKo<p0pwv 1tEv'taKoO"lwv fli] 1tpoO"SEi0"9~l au~ov E~l
1tAtoV, OUSE t<; 'tou'to a<ppoO"Vv'1<; ijKElV, 6\O"'tE apyou<; 'tou-
'tOU<; 'tpE<pElV t1tt fla'tal1jJ Kal KalV01tpE1tEt 1t p aYfl a 'tl. ,
68 T0 flEV ouv I1EA01tovv'1O"lwv i]YEfloVl 't1jJ ~'1f1~'tP~1jJ
O"uvEflaXEl 1tpo<; 'tOY aSEA<pov E'tl Sla<pEpoflEVOV, Kal OUK
E1tE'tPE1tE 'ti]v Xwpav 'to aSEA<p0· Kal 'tOY ~oupaxav'1~
"1tEfl1tE O"UflflaXouv'ta 'tE {2.145} au't0 Kat 'tOY I~~flOV 't~­
A£OV Ka9atp~0"0v'ta. 8wfla<; flEV OUV ;UVE~'1 't1jJ aSEA<p1jJ,
, ",' W 'tou AOl1tOU ;tvou<; 'tE Kat <pLAOU<; elval aAA~AOl<;, Kat
ET •
KaAafla'tav 1tOAlV 1tapExoflEVO<; av'tl 'ti'j<; 'twv LKOp'tWV
Xwpa<;, ijv 'tOY aSEA<pov au'tou a<pEAOflEvO<; dX~' _
69 Tau'ta flEV E<; 'toO"ou'tov EytVE'tO, Kat T~avlO"Q: 't1jJ Kapa-
'lO"OU<pEW 1tatSt 1tpEO"~Elav E<; au'tov 1tEfI'itaV'tl, Kat ai'tou-
fl tV 1jJ, 6\O"'tE fli] 'ti]v 1tEpt LE~M'telav xwpav A'1:t~E0"9at,
~ouwpou 'tE XlAla<; Kafl~Aou<;, Kal {...} tflE~'1~E flEV ~OAE­
floV au't0 1tpoel1tov'ta tAaUVelv. T~avlO"a<; SE OU'tO<;, W<; Kal
1tp6'tEpOV flOl ES'1AOU'to, 'tEAWV t<; 'tou<; flEAava<; .M~upo-
1tpo~a'tav'ta<; ou'tw KaAouflEvOU<;, 'tou<; KapatO"ou<pEW
1taiSa<;, ~v 'tE Ta~pE~'1v a<pEAoflEVO<; O"UVEAaO"E 'tE au'tou
t1tt Laflaxl'1v 1tOAlV. 'Dpfl'1'to Se a1to I1aySa'tl'1<; 'tii<;
BOOK 7
leaders of fifty whose janissaries had absented themselves,
he first whipped and then expelled them from their ranks>. 72
He did this because, when he was marching against the en-
emy Aga Pasha, he did not declare to him who was present
and who was absent. He dismissed also from their position
seven thousand of his father's falconers and enrolled them
in the regular army, to follow him when he went on cam-
paign. He also dismissed from their position the dog han-
dlers, saying that he did not need more than a hundred of
them or more than five hundred falconers, and that he had
not become so foolish as to maintain so many idle people for
such a vain and trendy purpose.
He made an alliance with Demetrios, the ruler of the Pel- 68
oponnese, who was still at odds with his brother {Thomas},
and he73 would not turn over the land to his brother. He sent
Turahan to be his ally and to finally demolish the Isthmos
fortifications. Thomas was then reconciled to his brother,
and they agreed that they would henceforth be friends and
allies, and he gave him the city of Kalamata in exchange
for the land of the Skortoi,74 which he had taken from his
brother.
That was how those matters stood. As for Jahanshah, the 69
son of Kara Yusuf, who sent him an embassy demanding, in
exchange for not plundering the land around Sebasteia, one
thousand camel-loads of butter and {...} he prepared for
war, which he had already declared against him. This Jahan-
shah, as 1 stated earlier,75 was one of the so-called black
Black Sheep, the sons of Kara Yusuf; he took Tabriz and ad-
vanced to the cityofShemakha. 76 He set out from Baghdad

THE HISTORIES
Ba~oAwvoe;, Kat btoAlOPKEl, Kat 'ti]v ApfLEV[WV Xwpav uq>'
eao't<ji 1tolfjcrafLEvoe;, te; 't~V 'Ep't~ryyaVfjv 'ta 'tWV ApfLEV[WV
~acriAEla t1tEAaOVWV 1tapE<Y't~cra'to, EXWV <Y'tpa'tov afLq>t
'tae; OK'to, fLoplaoae; [1t1teae;. Kal t1tEAaOVWV ou'toe; te; 'ti]v
Ka'ta 'ti]v Acr[av xwpav 'tou MEXfLE'tEW tAfjT~E'tO. Ot fLEV
ouv 1tEpt LE~a<Y'tElav, W<Y'tE crq>wv 'ti]v Xwpav fL~ q>epElv
au'tov, ~oowpoo 'tE [Kava q>op't[a Eq>epov'to Kat acrlvij 'ti]v
Xwpav EVEfLov'to. 'Y1tO 'tOO'too fLEV OUV 'ti]v Xwpav 'tou
Kapa'lcroOq>EW 1taL80e; T~OK[fje; 'twv TEfL~PEW a1toyovwv
{2.14 6} wPfLfjfLEVOe; a1tO LafLapxavOfje; Ka'tEcr'tpEq>E'tO, Kat
't~v 'tE llayoa't[fjv 1tOAlV 'rije; Ba~oAwvoe; t1tOAlOPKEl, we; tv
'toTe; EfL1tpocr9EV fLOl tAEYE'tO, Kal Xacravfjv 'tOY fLaKpOv Ka-
AOOfLEVOV te; 'ti]v KCl'tW Acr[av Kat E1tl ApfLEv[av 1tEfL1tWV 'ta
te; 't~V8E 't~V Xwpav U1t0Xeipla t1tOl£('tO. Tau'ta fLEV ouv te;
'tocrou'tOV tyEVE'tO.
166
BOOK 7
by Babylon. and besieged Shemakha, subjected the land of
the Armemans to himself, and advanced against Erzinjan
the royal court of the Armenians, which he also conquered
with an ar~y of about eighty thousand cavalry. He also ad-
vanced agamst the Asian territories of Mehmed and plun-
dered them. 77 Now the people in the area around Sebasteia,
fearmg that their land would have to endure him, brought
hlm a substantial load of butter and thereby kept their land
unharmed. It was during his reign that ]uki, one of the de-
scendants ofTimur, set out from Samarkand, conquered the
land of Kara YusuCs ~on, and besieged the city of Baghdad
by Babylon, as I saId m my earlier narrative," and he called
Hasan the Tall and sent him into Asia Minor and against
Armema to make the land there subject to himself And that
was how those events transpired.
 H'
[Z.147} TOil S' EmYlYVOf'EVOU 9EPOU, MEXf'E'IT], (, 1\f'ou-
paTEW, TCapaO'KwaO'af'EVO, IIO'~EO'TOV EV Tft 1\O'[q W, TCAel-
O'TOV, <!>KOS0f'El TIJV EV Tft Eupw1'Ct] KaTC! TIJV I1poTCon[Sa
EV T<i' BOO'TCOP"" iJ O'TEVWTaTOV EO'Tl Sla~ijVat aTCO 1\O'[a"
TCOA[XV'lV Aatf'OKOTC"lV KaAouf'Ev'lv, Kat O'Uf'TCavTa, f'i:v
O'UV~9pOlO'EV tVTail9a TOU, Te EVTft 1\O'[q Kat EVTft Eupw1'Ct],
Kat EmSleAOf'eVO, E, f'o[pa, T~V TCOA[XV'lV Tau'IT]V ToT, TE
O'TpaT'lyoT, Kat UTCapXOl, <!>KOS0f'El. ToilTO Si: ETCO(El «JO'Te
ampaAij aUT<i' Elval TIJV E, TIJV 1\O'(av Sla~aO'lV, Kat f'~ TOV,
£O'1'CEp[OU, Suva0'9al Emona, TPl~PEO'l S,aKWAUElV aUT<i'
TIJV Sla~a(l'lV Kat KalVOTOf'eT0'9at TC! tv Tft 1\O'[q aUT<i'
TCpayf'aTa. Mtya Se TCpO<pEpElV aUT<i' Ef'eAAE Kat E, TIJV
Busan(ou TCoALOpK[av. D.,KOS0f'E, Si: mpyou, TpeT, f'E-
Y(O'TOU, TCaVTWV, WV '(O'f'EV, Suo f'i:v KaTC! TIJV ~TCelpOV,
«JO'Te WPf''lf'EVOU, aTCO TOUTWV af'UVElV T<i' ETCt Tft 9aMTIll
EPX0f'EV"" ToilTOV Si: f'EylO'TOV ETC",KOS0f'el, Kat f'0A[~S",
TOV, mpyou, EO'TEYETO. To Si: TCAaTO, Toil TetXOU, TCoSa,
Suo Kat e'iKOO'l, TWV Si: TCUpyWV KatTCAEOV TOUTWV, Tpla-
Kona. D., S' EmTETetX'O'TO E, TpEl, f'ijva" ETCtSpaf't Te
aUT[Ka TIJV BusaVT(OU xwpav, TCOAef'0V aOT<i' E;eVeYKWV.
[Z.148}
2 Toil S' EmYlyvof'EVOU XElf'wvo, Toupaxav'lv ETCEf'TCeV
168
Book 8
The following summer, Mehmed, the son of Murad, pre-
pared as much lime as he could in Asia and built, in Europe,
on the Bosporos by the Propontis, at the narrowest crossing
point from Asia, the town called Throat Cutter.' He assem-
bled there the entire armies of Asia and Europe and, divid-
ing them into contingents under their generals and prefects,
he built this town. He did so in order to secure his cross-
ing into Asia and to prevent the westerners from attacking
him with triremes, blocking his crossing, and changing the
status quo of his affairs in Asia. He intended it also to con-
tribute greatly to his siege of Byzantion. He built three of
the largest towers of which we know, two of them facing
the mainland, to be used as bases for defense against those
coming by sea, and he built the third one to be the largest.
He roofed the towers with lead. The width of the walls was
twenty-two feet and that of the towers even more, about
thirty. The walls were completed in three months, and he
immediately raided the territory of Byzantion, initiating
war against it.
The following winter he sent Turahan against the 2
 THE HISTORIES
btl ITEA01tOvv1']erov, 1tOAEflWV afla Kal 'rol, ~a"'AEw,
'EAA~VWV aSEA'Pol,. Oiho, flev oilv Aa~wv 'ro ElEnaAia,
'rE Kal Eilpw1t'l' er'rpa'rEufla, Derov e1tl <l>EPPWV e, 'r~v 'roo
Eupw1t1'], er'rpa'rl]yoo 'ra'r'rE'ral flolpav, eer'rpanuE'ro e1tt
ITEA01tOvv'lerov, 'rou, 'rE 1talSa, au'roo afla aYOfiEVo, Kat
apxov'ra, 'rWV EJEnaA(a, Kat MaKESovia, 1tOAEWV. Kal
eer~aAwv e1tOpEUE'rO ~V flEeroyaLOv, ApKaS(av 'r0 1taAalOV
KaAouflev1']v, Kal S,,, TEye1']<; Kal MaV'rlvola<; eAauvwv
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1tapE~era'ro. Kal ~lS1']p01tOAiXV1']v 1tOALOpKWV, w, OUK
~Suva'ro EAElv, a~yayE 'rOY ""pa'rov, e;EAauvwv S,,, TIj<;
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MAW U1tO AeraVEW 'roo ~yEfiovo, YUValKO<; aSEA'Poo,
eVESpEuO'av-ro<; 'rau'rn 1tEpl MUK~V1'], xwpav, Ii lflEAAEV
e;EAauvwv S,E;,EVal. Too'rov flev oilv a1tayayov'rE<; e<;
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a1tESWKav.
3 Too S' e1tlYlyvofiEVOU SEpOU<; afla ~Pl EUS,,<; KaS-
,,,,,aflevcp t""pa'rEuE'ro MEXflE'rI]<; " Afloupanw e1tt ~v
Bu~av'r(ou 1tOAlV, Kal1tponpov flev EUS", S,avooufl EVO <;,
e1tol 'rE hE'rElX'''''O aU'riii 'r~v ev -m ITP01tOV'riSl Aalflo-
Ko1ti1']v KaAouflEv1']V 1tOAlV. Kal XElflwvo, 'r0 -mSE EUS,,<; l-rl
e1t1'] p'rl] flevou 1tEp laYYEAAwv a1tav-raxn TIj <; 'rE AO'(a<; Kat
Eupw1t1']<; e<; ~V 1tapaAAOV vaU1t'lYElO'Sal, 1tAola [2.149} 'rE
Kal 'rPl~PEl<; 1tapE=EUa~E'ro, 'r1']AE~OAOU, 1tOlOUflEVO <; flE-
y(""OU, S~ WV ~flEl<; e<; eKElvov 10'flEV 'rOY XPOVOV aAAn nn
YEyoveVal. n, Se eSOKEl aU'riii ~S1'] "'pa dVal e;EAauvElv,
BOOK 8
Pe1oponnese to fight against both brothers of the king of
the Greeks [Thomas and Demetrios},2 Turahan took the
army of Thessaly and Europe, the part that is under the
command of the general of Europe and is stationed at
Serres, and he campaigned in the Peloponnese, taking his
own sons with him and the lords of the cities of Thessaly
and Macedonia. 3 He invaded and proceeded to the interior,
the region called Arkadia in times of old [i.e., Kyparissia},
marching through Tegea and Mantineia and advancing
against Ithome and the land of Mesene. Over the course of
many days he plundered the pack animals there and sub-
jected Neokastron. He besieged Siderokastron, but led his
army away when he was unable to capture it, retreating
along the road. But while he was withdrawing from there,
his youngest son Ahmed was captured by Asanes, the
brother of the ruler's [Demetrios's} wife, who lay in wait for
him in the vicinity of Mycenae, through which he was about
to pass on his march out. They brought him to Mistra, to
the ruler, and held him in prison, until they finally released
him.
The following summer, in fact with the coming of spring,' 3
Mehmed, the son of Murad, launched a campaign against
the city of Byzantion, a plan he had conceived earlier too,
when he had the walls built for the town called Throat Cut-
ter in the Propontis. During the previous winter he had sent
orders throughout the coastal regions ofAsia and Europe to
have ships and triremes built and equipped; and he made
the largest cannons that we, at that time, had ever heard of
being made anywhere. When he decided that it was time to
17 1
 THE HISTORIES
~7ref'7re f'£v7rpw'ta 'tov 't~<; EupoJ7r'1<; cr'tpa't'1Yov Lapa't~taV
7rapaAa~6v'ta 'te 'tov ~<;
Eupw7r'1<; cr'tpa't6v, 'tou<; 'te 't'1-
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xwpav.
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AEW<; K'1Se~<; tcr'tpa'to7reSeue'to e<; 'tov Ka'tav'tlKpu xwpov
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crem t<; 'to 'tou ~acrlAtw<; cr'tpa't67reSov· U7rO~uyla yap
vOflt~e'tal t<; 'to cr'tpa'to7reSov 7rep,ayecrem 7rOAAa7rAarrla
'twv aVepW7rWV, <'iJcr'te rrl'tta tm'l'''perrem (Kava cr'l'trrl [Z.150}
'tE au'tol<; Kat 'tOl<; iXAAOl<; 17r7rol<; 'tE Kat avSpacrl. Movol S£
OV'tOl aVepW7rWV, wv ~flel<; tcrf'ev, arr'l'aAl~6f1evOl cr'l'tcrl 'ta
17 2
BOOK 8
march out, he first sent Saraja, the general of Europe, with
the army of Europe to bring the cannons and other engines
to Byzantion, and especially the single, huge cannon. Just
to pull this cannon required seventy pairs of oxen and about
two thousand men, When Saraja arrived, he moved first
against the towers in the territory of Byzantion where peas-
ants at work in the fields seek refuge; after besieging some
through starvation and taking others by force, he led the
peasants away and butchered them. Then he raided the ter-
ritory of Byzantion as he advanced through it.
Shortly afterward the sultan himself arrived too,S and his 4
camp stretched from sea to sea. The entire army of Asia
was encamped to the riglrt of the sultan toward the so-called
Golden Gate, while the European army encamped to the
left by the so-called Wooden Gate. The sultan positioned
himself in the middle, having the janissaries with him and
the men of the Porte, who all, as custom dictated, pitch
their tents by the sultan. Zaganos, the sultan's relative by
marriage, 6 was encamped across on the other side above the
city of Galatas. The entire army is said to have numbered
about four hundred thousand men, and the number of pack
animals in the sultan's camp would have been twice that.
For armies generally bring into camp many more pack ani-
mals than men, to carry provisions sufficient for themselves
and for the rest of the horses and men. But the Turks are
the only people we know who secure enouglr provisions for
173
 THE HISTORIES
£1Cl'tl'1 S£la, 01C01 /tV (rt"pa-reuwv'rat, a>o-re aU'rapK'l £IVat
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'74
BOOK 8
themselves, wherever they are campaigning, so as to be self-
sufficient, and they bring as many camels and mules as they
can for their supplies and even more mules for their conve-
nience in other respects. Each one of them makes a point of
bringing with him the best horses, camels, and mules.
Shortly after the sultan arrived, his fleet came too by sea. 5
There were about thirty triremes and about two hundred
smaller ships. When the Greeks learned that the sultan's
fleet was preparing to attack them, they stretched an iron
chain across the sea from the city opposite [Galatas} to the
walls ofByzantion, by the so-called acropolis, and they posi-
tioned by the chain all the ships that happened to be pres-
ent there, some as allies and some for the sake of trade.
Their intention was to prevent in this way the sultan's fleet
from entering the harbor of Byzantion, which extends in-
side next to the city for eighty stades but along the other
coast of the mainland for one hundred and fifty stades. The
walls of the city are not very strong there and the currents
before it are not powerful enough to pose a challenge to
ships sailing by there. But the city has two mainland walls,
one of which is large and significant while the other is
smaller, and lies above the moat. The moat is built of stone
and is one plethron in width.' The king [Konstantinos Xl}
and the Greeks held a council and decided to deploy on the
outer wall, which is above the moat, and make the defense
'75
 THE HISTORIES
InrepKEl[levov, Ka1:a -ra nptv oeooY[lEVa cr<plolV btl A[lou-
pa-rew, ihe broALopKeL 'ti]v nOALv.
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7
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-rwv -r']Ae~oAwv, Kat -ro £v-ro~ a[la £-rvn-re-ro. 'H<pIEL of. ~~
BOOK 8
there, in accordance with what they had decided to do
against Murad, when he had besieged the city.8
So the sultan at once brought the engines up against vari- 6
ous parts of the city and positioned the two cannons to
bombard the walls. One of the cannons was positioned
against the palace, the other against the so-called Romanos
Gate, where the sultan himself was encamped. Many other
cannons were positioned at various places throughout the
camp, bombarding the Greeks.' But the two larger ones
could each shoot a rock that weighed two talents or more.
The rocks were black and they had been brought, it was
said, to the sultan's camp from the Black Sea by men com-
missioned for this purpose. The chief of the sultan's artil-
lerywas named Urbanus, a Wallachian by race, who had ear-
lier talren up with the Greeks but abandoned them when
he could not malre a livelihood with them. So he went to the
sultan's Porte where he was given a large salary to prepare
the cannons.
They fired in the following way. First, two smaller can- 7
nons on either side of the large one would fire a rock weigh-
ing about half a talent. These two rocks would strike the
walls and crack them. After the two rocks, they let fly the
large one, weighing three talents, and it would knock down
a large part of the walls. lO For the rock was propelled by
an extraordinary momentum and, by an almost supernatural
impetus, would cause unspealrable damage. It is said that its
sonnd was unbearable, and it would cause the earth to shalre
for a radius of forty stades. The outer wall and towers were
brought down by the cannons, while the inner one was also
177
 THE HISTORIES
~f'£pa~ " T'1A£~OAO~ A[eOU~ bmi, Kat eTEpov TIj~ VUKTO~
K0f'lO"af'EVO~ TIj~ ~f'epa~ TO O"'1f'elOV, Ii ESEl atlTOV a<plEvaL.
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BOOK 8
being bombarded. During the course of a day the cannon
would fire seven rocks and one more during the night; the
aim for the night shot was calculated during the day. Thus
from the beginning the Greeks were astonished and ter-
rified.
The janissaries and the rest of the army in the camp pre- 8
pared shelters made of red and white felt and brought them
from the camp to the walls and moat of the city. They made
a ditch along the edge of the moat, digging manholes there,
and shot at the Greeks with firearms and bows, being invisi-
ble to the Greeks and not suffering any serious harm at their
hands, as the Greeks were unable to inflict it. The sultan or-
dered that tunnels be dug that led under the earth to the
wallsY The sultan's sappers managed to suspend four of the
towers and some supporting towers on wooden frames, with
the intention of setting fire to the wood. But they did not
get very far with these tunnels. For when the Greeks real-
ized that the enemy was digging tunnels, they made coun-
tertunnels of their own from inside and advanced until they
found the sultan's sappers whom they drove out by setting
fires. Thus they prevailed in the tunnels." A long wooden
tower was also constructed with many ladders inside it, as
many as could fit, that would reach to the top of the tower,
and they intended to use these ladders to try and scale the
walIS.13 Those were the sultan's siege operations on the land-
ward side.
On the seaward side, as Mehmed could not enter the har- 9
bor so as to attack the city from all sides, he decided to lift
and drag his ships over by the camp of Zaganos and into
the harbor. So he conveyed his ships up and over the hill
'79
 THE HISTORIES
TOU [2.153} ap01J<; OlE~e1J!;E Ta nAoia, napEO'Ke1JaO'ftEVa to'TL-
Ol<; TE Kat Kwnat<; EAKoftEva t<; TOV aty,aAov TOU AlftEvo<;.
Ll.lE~L~aO'E oe nAoia f,<; Ta e~00ft~KoVTa, nEVT'1KoVTOP01J<;
TE Kat TPl'1KOVTOp01J<;, Kat oihw napEO'Ke1Ja~ETO w<; Tft
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o-av"C'e~ 1CAoTa Do-a Enflv aUToT~, Kat EnL6v"C'e~ Ka-raKaUo-at,
~V OUvwVTat, Ta nAoia. Kat f,nEl TE lOO!;EV, tnoto1Jv OUTW,
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KaTaKauO'ovTE<;, !OO'nEp £X01JO'lV aVElAK1JO'ftEva Ta nAoia.
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TP''1KOVTOP01J<;. Kat Ta ftev nAoia Eu8u<; KaTEouETO, ot oe
ilVOpE<;, OO'Ol fth ~nLO'TaVTO V~XOVTE<;, Eu8u<; anwAovTo.
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tyEyOVEl, anayayoVTE<; TOUT01J<; f,<; Ta<; nVAa<; tij<; nOAEw<;
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TOU<; atXftaAWT01J<;.
w Ta ftEVTOl nAoia TOU ~aO'lAtw<;, w<; ouod<; ETl OlEKWA1JE
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180
BOOK 8
there, with their masts and oars secured, and dragged them
to the shore of the harborI4 He transferred about seventy
ships, fifty-oared and thirty-oared, and prepared them to
be launched into the harbor on the following day. The sul-
tan's men also readied cannons there along the shore to re-
pel anyone who might attack, with the intention of prevent-
ing them from dragging the ships to the sea. For when the
Greeks saw the ships all ready along the harbor shore, they
manned as many ships as they had and went out to set fire to
the enemy ships, if they could. This, then, is what they de-
cided, and they acted accordingly.I5 They manned their ships
and armed themselves for an attack that would set fire to
the enemy ships drawn up on the shore. But the Turks real-
ized that they were coming against them and fired their can-
nons, destroying two of the thirty-oared ships. Those ships
immediately sank and all their crew members who did not
know how to swim perished immediately. Those who swam
to the shore were captured by the Turks, who, as soon as it
was day, brought them before the gates of the city and killed
them. For their part, the Greeks-for they had some Turk-
ish prisoners too, whom they had captured-also brought
them up onto the battlements facing the enemy camp and
killed them, getting even with them when it came to the
killing of prisoners.
So the sultan's ships could now sail against the city as w
their launch was no longer being contested. Thereupon the
sultan also built a bridge from the opposite shore, from
181
 THE HISTORIES
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,82
BOOK 8
the region called Keramareioi, to the city: it was fitted to-
gether on two rows of wooden barrels, bound tightly to each
other, so that the armies could cross over from the camp of
Zaganos to the city. It thus came about that the city was be-
sieged on all sides, and the position of the city and of the
Greeks became very weak. For the city is quite spread out
-the circumference of this city is greater than that of any
other in our time, being about one hundred and eleven
stades 16 -and the men were distributed throughout the city,
so that the defense was not very strong.
For forty days Mehmed pounded the walls powerfully n
with the cannons and brought down a large section of them,
including four towers and supporting towers. Likewise, he
brought down some of the towers in the greater walls. In the
beginning, the Greeks also positioned their own cannons
along the walls and fired away, rocks that weighed three half-
talents, and they aimed at the sultan's great cannon. But
their cannons shook the walls too and were causing dam-
age to them, so they accomplished nothing. Moreover, their
largest cannon broke as soon as it was fired for the first time ,
whereupon they accused their artillery chief of having been
corrupted by the sultan and took him away for execution.
But they had no compelling evidence against him to justify
the punishment, and so they released him. They defended
themselves by blocking off with some ladders and wooden
barrels those parts of the walls that had been demolished by
the sultan's cannons, zealously carrying out this work during
the night.
In the meantime, while all this was happening, it was 12
 THE HISTORIES
[2.155} 't4> ~a<nAEl WS vijes E1tl1tAEoucnv ano 'tou Aiyaiou
Ent 'to Bu~av'tLOv, Suo cpop'tiSes, f'ia f'tv f'e[~wv 'twv 'Ia-
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'tpl~pelS Kal nAoTa, Kat ~nef'nev Enl 'taS vaus ijSI] EyyUS
oiJcras Kat E1tlcpepOf'EvaS meuf'a'tl iKav4> ES 'ti]v nOAlv. Ta
f'EV oiiv nAoTa Kal ai 'tpl~pelS av~yov'to ES 'taS vauS, Kat
Ef'~aAAoucrl f'EV 'tfi 'EAAI]VlKfi V'll 'ta npw'ta. Kat napa
~paxU EMW, el f'~ ~ 'Iavutwv vaus E1tl<1'tpacpeTcra ij f'uvev
au'tfi· cpEpoucra yap EvE~aAev ES 'tas 'tPl~PetS. Kat 6 ~acrl­
Aeus ano 'tou aiy,aAou Ene~oa S,aKeAw0f'evos 'toTS eau-
I 'tou, Ecr~aivwv i:S 'ti]v 8aAaTIav criJv 't4> lnn4'. Ai f'Enol
vijes oihw Slacpuyoucrat Ka'tEnAEOv ES 'tov Alf'Eva. 'Ev'tau8a
'tl'tpWO'Ke'tat 6 'tou ~acrlAEws vauapxos I1aA'toyAI]S 'tov
6cp8aAf'ov uno 'twv crcpe'tEpwv, WS au'tos Stef'apwpa'to ES
'tov ~acrlAEa, Kat el f'~ hpw81], elAev ltv 'taS vaus, SllcrxU-
pl~o!,evos. OiJ'tw f'Enol SlEcpuyev, wO''te KaKov 'tl f'~ na-
8e1v uno ~acrlAEws. Kat oilS Ev unoti", ~crxe, cruAAa~wv 6
~acrtAeus Ka8eTp~ev WS anoAEcrwv.
'3 Us f'tv oiiv iKavws ijS'] au't4> 'to 'tElXOS Ka't£~E~AI]'tO,
wO''te elcrnecrov'tas 'tOUS ve~AuSas elcreA8eTv ts 't~v nOAlv,
tKEAeucrev ava 'to <1'tpa'toneSov cmav'taXfi nupa Kaietv 'ta
vevof'lcrf'Eva, Kal 'taAAa nOlouf'evoS WS 'tfi t1tlOUern 'tijs
u<1'tep aia s 't~v npocr~oA~v nOll]crof'evos, Kat ~v 'te Slap-
nan v Kat i:~avSpanoSlcrf'0V aveK~ pUTIev ts 'ta O''tpa'to-
neSa. Aeye'tal f'EV ouv Kal 'toSe. Us 'to 'tElXOS En£1t'tWKet
uno 'twv 'tl]Ae~oAwv, 6 LKevSEpew 'tou LlVW1tI]S apxov'toS
naTs, 'Icrf'afAI]S [2.156} 'touvof'a, npocrEcpepe A6youS 'tOlS
BOOK 8
annouuced to the sultan that ships were sailiug from the Ae-
gean Sea to Byzantiou, two cargo ships in fact, the larger
oue belonging to the Genoese and the other to the king of
the Greeks, both bearing grain. 17 When he learned this, he
quickly manned triremes and ships and sent them against
the two ships that were already nearby, being carried by a fa-
vorable wind toward the city, The ships and triremes sailed
against those ships and attacked the Greek one first. It
would have been captured in no time if the Genoeseship
had not turned back to defend it. It attacked the triremes
with all its momentum. The sultan shouted his instructions
to his men from the shore,' and even rode into the sea on
his horse. But the ships escaped in this way and sailed into
the harbor. It was in that situation that the sultan's admiral
Baltoglu was wounded in the eye by his own men, as he him-
self testified later to the sultan, and he asserted that, if he
had not been wounded, he would have captured the ships.
Thus he avoided suffering harm at the hands of the sultan.
But the sultan arrested the men whom he suspected and im-
prisoned them, with the intention of killing them.
When the sultan decided that enough of the walls had 13
been demolished for the janissaries to attack and enter the
city, he ordered the customary fires to be lit throughout
the camp and everything to be made ready for an attack on
the day after next, proclaiming the upcoming plunder and
enslavement to all the camps. The following is also said to
have happened. When the walls were being demolished by
the cannons, Ismail, the son of Isfendiyar who was the lord
of Sinope, opened negotiations with the Greeks regarding a
!
 THE HISTORIES
"EAAYJ<fl 7CEpl <f7COVSWV, AEYWV 't'olilSE. "'A.vSPEo; "EAAYJVEo;,
t7Cl;upou aKfliio; ufllv, 0,0; opihE, 't'a 7CpaYfl(l't'a EO"tYJKE. Ti
OU 7CpE<f~UV 7CEfl7CE't'E 0,0; ~a<rlAEa 7CEpl elp1]vYJO;; "Hv yap
tflol teEAYJ'rE t7Cl't'PEtat, Sla7Cpa;oflat ufllv (f7CovSao;
YEVE<feal 7Capa ~a<flAEWO;, Kal 't'i]v xaplv ouv EU oIS' o'n Ka-
't'ae1]<fE<feE't'<ji S,a7Cpa;aflEv<p ufllv. "Hv S1: flii 't'ou't'o YEVYJ-
't'at ufllv, 1] 7COAlo; E;avSpa7CoSlOu't'at,' Kal ufliio; 7Ca<f<fuSl
~a<rlAEUo; Slaq>eEpEl, Kal YUValKao; Kal 7CalSao; uflwV E;av-
Spa7CoSlOUflEea, Kal <fUflq>oP~ Ka't'a<fXEe1]<fE<feE aVYJKE<f't'<p.
'A.AAa 7CEfl7CE't'E 0,0; 't'aX'<f't'a CtvSpa, DV iiv E7Cl 't'ao; ~a<rlAEWo;
eupao; ayaywv EYW Sla7Cpa;oflat ufllv 't'i]v elp1]vYJV."
'4 Tau't'a l'AEyE 't'010; "EAAYJ<fl ~OUAEUOflEVOlo;. 'ESOKEl So
7CEfl7C't'Ea elvat iiyyEAOV, O<f't'lo; iiv 7CileYJ't'al '<iio; ~a<flAEWO;
YVWflYJo; 7CEpl <fq>iio;, ~o; t<f't'l, Kal oil't'w ~OUAEU<fOV't'at 7CEpl
't'ou <fuvoi<fov't'oo; <fq>i<flV, 0 't'l £(YJ CtflElVOV 7CElpWflEVOlo;.
"E7CEfl7COV Sf. iivSpa OUK t7Ci<fYJflov 0,0; a7C07CElpa<f°flEVOV
'<iio; ~a<rlAEWo; yvwflYJO;. 'E7Ce! S' aq>iKE't'o EO; 't'ao; eupao; ou't'OO;
1]YOUflEVOU 'I<ffla1]AEw, EKEAEUE ~a<flAEUO; SEKa'rEAelV au't'<ji
fluplaSao; 't'ou EVlau't'ou' el So flii 't'ou't'o oIoi 't'E W<fl 7COl-
el<feat, O"XE<feat a7CoAl7Cov't'ao; 't'i]v 7COAlV, a7Coq>EpoflEVOUo;
't'a <fq>E't'Epa au't'wv, EKa<f't'OO; 07COl CtV ~OUAOl't'O a7CEAeelV'
't'au't'a 0,0; aVYJVEXeYJ to; 't'OUO; "EAAYJvao;, E~OUAEUOV't'O fl1:v
Kal tSoKEl aflUVE<feat avaKlvSuvEuov't'ao; fliiAAOV ii ou't'w
aflaXYJ't'l EKAl7Cov't'ao; 't'i]v 7COAlV otxE<feal a7Co7CAEov't'ao;.
'Eflol flEv ouv SOKEl ~a<flAEa 't'au't'a 7Cpo't'Elvat a7C07CElp Wfl E-
VOV '<iio; 'EAA1]VWV YVWflYJO;· Kal 't'a opUYfla't'a flMAOV
au't'wv {2.157} li7CpaK't'a YEvoflEva t7CiiPE Sla7CElpii<feal, 0 't'l
Y'VW<fKO'EV 7CEpl <fq>WV ol "EAAYJVEo;, EhE Exopa e'iYJ au't'olO;
186
BOOK 8
treaty, saying the following: l8 "Greek men, your affairs, as
you can see, are standing upon a razor's edge. Why do you
n~t send an envoy to the sultan to seek peace? If you are
willing to entrust the matter to me, I will negotiate a treaty
for you with the sultan, and I know well that you will feel
grateful to the one who negotiates this for you. If you do not
do thiS, the city will be enslaved; the sultan will kill all of you
together; we Will enslave your women and cbildren; and an
unspeakable disaster will fall upon you. Instead, you should
send ~s qUickly as you can a man whom I will bring to the
sultan s Porte, and I will negotiate peace for you."
. Those were his words to the Greeks, who were deliberat- '4
mg on the matter. They decided to send an envoy who would
ascertam what the sultan's intention was regarding them
and, on t~at basis, they would then deliberate regardin~
therrown mterests and what it would be best for them to at-
tempt. They sent a man of little note to test the sultan's
resoke. When he arrived at the sultan's Porte, being led by
Ismail, the sultan demanded to be paid one hundred thou-
sand coms per year. If they were unable to pay that sum
they:hould leave and abandon the city, taking their own be~
lo~gmgs and each of them going wherever he wanted. When
t~IS was reported to the Greeks, they deliberated and de-
Cided to risk a defense rather than to abandon the city with-
out a fight and sail away. It seems to me that the sultan made
t~s offer to test the Greeks' resolve. As his tunnels had
faded, he was trying to ascertain what the Greeks believed
 THE HISTORIES
't'a 1tpc'Yfla't'a. Ol flev OUV "EAA']v£S ES 't'OO'oii't'ov E;£<pE-
pov't'o, ES iScmv flOl S£S~AW't'at.
'5 BacnA£os St, WS aimil 't'a ES TI]V 1tpOO'~oAi]V 1tap£<YK£U-
a<no, cruYKaAtO'as 't'OOS V£~AoSas £'A£y£ 't'olaS£. "l\vSp£S
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nuwflat, &pl<n£UOV't'£S, E<p' uflTv ~S'] E<ntV aAwVat TI]vS£
TI]v 1tOAlV. "1<nE Se Kat 't'oS£. '01t0't'£ E1t']p o fl']V uflits,
E<paO'K£n aAwO'lfiov elVat 't'i]v 1tOAlV, d floVOV 't'a't'dX'l uflTv
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&pxiJv 1tap£xofl£voS £uSa[flova, Kat &1toSd;w flaKapl~oflE­
vov U1tO 't'WV 't'oii fJfI£'t'tpoo ytvooS &v8pw1twv. "Ov 0' iiv
a'{0'8wflat EV O'K']vaTs &vaO''t'p£<p0fl£vov Kat fli] flaxofl£vOV
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uflTV 1tOAAOii ii;la Ka\ yovaTK£S Kat1taTO£S, Kat1tAoii't'oS EV
't'fi 1tOA£l1tOAUs·"
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Kat 1tponpov, {2.158} WS E1t£odKVO 't'0 't'eTxoS au't'oTs 6
188
BOOK 8
about their position, that is, whether it was secure. The
Greeks' response to this was as I reported.
When his preparations for the attack were complete,!' 15
the sultan assembled the janissaries and spoke as follows:
'Janissaries, my sons! You have always excelled in the most
admirable way wherever I have campaigned. It is up to you
now to take this city. Know the following too: whenever I
asked you, you said that the city can be captured if only I
demolish the walls for you. I have now inspected them and
have been asking you whether the walls have been suffi-
ciently demolished. And indeed it seems that enough of
them have been demolished for your purpose. As it is now
time to make the assault, I propose the following: by bring-
ing glory and fame to our ancestors and to me, you have as-
sisted me in my reign. Know then that of all the prefectures
I have in Asia or Europe, I will give the best to the first one
to climb over the barricade. I will honor him in a fitting way,
reward him, give him a prosperous command, and render
him blessed in the eyes of all people of our race. But whom-
ever I notice turning back to the tents and not fighting at
the walls, not even if he flies away like the birds will he be
able to escape and not suffer a horrible death. Go then now
to this contest, so glorious, so profitable. For you will obtain
valuable slaves, both women and children, and there is much
wealth in the city."
When the sultan spoke those words, his corporals and 16
captains, who earlier, when the sultan had shown them the

THE HISTORIES
~a'JlAe\><; 1teplC1Ywv, et [Kavw<; EXel e,mecrelcrSat ecrw e; -r~v
1taAlV, [Kat} eKEAetJOV Ka-ra~aAAelv, e<; Il eSaKel au-rOl<;
[Kavw<; exelv, Ka\ -ra-re S~ Sappetv ore au-rbv eKeAetJOv, w<;
e<; ~v 1t6AlV afle-racr-rpe1t-ri eC11tecrovv-rat, n-rovv-ro S' ~u-r~v
xaplv SEcrSal cr<p[crl oro\><; /ivSpa<;, oil<; cruvEAa,~~ Sl~ -rOY
vauapxov , ,hl EV u1ta1t-rcp "icrav, w<; e-rpwcrav au-rov e<; -rOY
o<pSaAflav, Xaplcrat-ro au-ro1<;. '0 Se e1telSe-ro Kai a1tEAucre
-roll<; /ivSpa<;, xaplcrafiEvo<; -rol<; ve"iAucrl.
Me-ra Se -rav-ra, w<; eSaKel ainQ 1tpocr~aAelv, E1tefl1tev E<;
'7
orb cr-rpa-ra1teSov 1teplayyEAAwv, w<; ewSev EcrOl-rO "i 1tpocr-
~oA"i, Kai 1tp0'lyapetJe Swpa -rQ aplcr-re~o~-rl' -rQ fI~ ~axo:
flEVCP Se Sava-ro<; e1tEKel-ro S'lflla. Kal SUXlSe<; S'l e; ora
cr-rpa-ra1teSa 1tepLiav-rE<; u1tefllflv'lcrKov ~v vevofllcrflev'lv
cr<plcrl 'tfi -rEAetJ'tfi Sa;av, w<; -rol<; ore flaxofiEVOI<; 6 ijpw<;
E1taYYEAAe-rat euSalflovlav -rol<; -re-rEAetJ-r'lKacrl, Kai ItAAa,
oLa S~ vOfllse-ra'1tap' au-rol<;. O[ flEV ouv "EAA'lve<; /ivSpa
'Iavu'iov a<plKafievov e<; -rlflwplav cr<p[crl crUv v'll ore fley[cr-rn
Kai 61tAl-rat<; w<; -rplaKocr[ol<;, eKEAetJOV -rau'ttl ecr-r'lKa-ra, n
~acrlAe\><; Kai ol ve"iAuSe<; efleAAov e1telC11tecraV-rE<; ~lase­
crSat, w<; ev-ravSa crUv -r01<; 01tA[-ral<; aMov 1tapacrKeuaSOl-ro
afluvecrSal. Ka\ au-ra<; -rE /ifla ~acrlAe\><; 'EAA"iVWV ou ~oAAQ
Sllcr-ra-ro crUv -rol<; afl<p' au-rav, O'Jcr-re e1taflUve,v. Kal Kap-
SlvaALO<; 6 'IcrlSwpo<; :Eapfla-rla<;, ou 1tpa-repov eflv"icrS'lv,
1tapwv -ra-re -rol<; "EAA'lcrlv e-rlflwpe, 1toAefloufiEVOl<;' ~ap­
eYEve-ro yap w<; ;uvoSav ore 1tOl'lcraflevo<; Ka\ SlaAAa;wv
oro\><; "EAA'lva<; -rQ 'Pwflalwv [2.159} apXlepe1. Tav-ra flf.v
ouv oAlycp 1tpa-repov au-rQ e1te1to['l-ro, Ka\ o[ "EAA'lve<; 0'ite
yovv e<; SlaAAanV a<plKov-rO -rol<; 'PwflalOl<;.
BOOK 8
walls during an inspection and had asked them whether
these walls were sufficiently demolished for them to attack
the city, had instructed him to continue destroying them
until they deemed them sufficiently ruined, now urged him
to take heart that they would attack the city without turn-
ing back, but they asked him, as a favor to them, to spare the
men whom he had arrested on behalf of the admiral, those
who were under suspicion of having wounded him in the
eye. 20 He agreed and released the men, as a favor to the
janissaries.
After that, when he decided to attack, he sent a messen- '7
ger around in the camp announcing that the assault would
be at dawn and promising gifts for valor in battle, but the
penalty for anyone who did not fight would be death. The
zahids went around the camp reminding them of their be-
liefs regarding death, namely that the hero [Muhammad}
had promised happiness for those who died fighting, and
of their other beliefs. As for the Greeks, they asked a Geno-
ese man, who had come to their defense with a huge ship
and about three hundred warriors,>! to position himself at
the place where the sultan and the janissaries were about to
force an entrance, and to prepare for defense there with his
men. The king of the Greeks would position himself nearby
with his own men so as to come to his aid. Cardinal Isidoros
of Russia, who was mentioned earlier,22 was also present to
support the Greeks in their fight. He was there to organize
a synod and reconcile the Greeks to the pontiff of the
Romans. He had done this a short while earlier, and so the
Greeks, rather late, had been reconciled to the Romans."
 THE HISTORIES
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BOOK 8
At dawn, the sultan decided that it was time to attack-it I8
was the day of Ares 24 - and he sounded the cymbals; the
flutIsts and trumpeters joined in too. At dawn he attacked
and everywh~re along the city walls the barbarians joined
battle, attacking and fighting fiercely. The Greeks defended
vIgorously along the harbor walls, and repnlsed the Turks.
They held the walls and decapitated those who climbed up
on the ladders. But where the sultan himself made the at-
tack: the janissaries attacked and overpowered the Genoese
soldIers. Longo himself was wounded in the hand by a fire-
arm, and some of the other fighters were wounded too so
they left their posts and the enemy attacked them ~ith
force, routed the Genoese fighters, tracked them down and
killed them. When Longo withdrew, his soldiers followed
hIm With the janissaries in pursuit. When the king of the
Greeks .realIzed that they were leaving their post and yield-
mg, he Im~ediately ran up to them and asked Longo where
he was gomg. Longo responded that God was leading the
Turks, so the king turned to Kantakouzenos and the few
men who were with him and said, "Men, let us attack these
barbarians." This Kantakouzenos died bravely.25 The king of
the Greeks himself was routed, and in the pursuit the Turks
wounded King Konstantinos in the shoulder, and he died.
The rest of the Greeks, when they saw that the janissaries '9
had overrun the great walls and were striking at them from
above with arrows and rocks, and that Longo's men were
193
 THE HISTORIES
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KaAou~Ev'1V, Ka't'aOXE8Ev't'E<; U1t' aAA~Awv au't'ov 't'au't'n
eKELV't'O, Kat £1tLOV't'E<; av8L<; e1tL1t't'oV £<; au't'ou<;, Kai oiJ't'w<;
£1tava~alvov't'a<; O'1tou8fi £1tELyO~EVOU<; 8La~alvELv, O'wpov
~EyLO"t'OV ~WV't'E<; Ka't'et TIJv WA'1V £1tE1tol'1v't'o, a,O"t'E ~'18EVt
~aO'L~a elvat £v't'Eii8EV. Kai OV't'OL ~ev oiJ't'w<;, w<; 1tAEiO''t'OL
£V OU8EVi My'!' ,mwAov't'o, £1tELyo~EvOL <p8fivaL £<; aAA~­
AOU<;, e1tLmOV £<; £KElVO 't'o 8Ea~a, Kat 't'et<; 1tUAa<; KEKAEI0'8aL
O'w~aO'L 1tEpli6v't'wv £1ti 't'wv ·EAA~VWV.
O[ 8£ VE~AU8E<; U1tEp~av't'E<; 't'o ~Eya 't'ElX0<; (Ka't'Eppm't'o
20
yap 't'OL Kai av't'oii ~Eya ~EpO<; \mo 't'oii 't''1AE~6AOU), dO'Ext-
ov't'o't'au-rn £<; 't'fiv 1tOALV Kat8L~p1ta~Ov TIJv 1tOALV, 't'pa1tO~E­
VOL, 01tOL EKaO"t',!, 1tpoxwpol'1' Ot 8£ "EM'1VE<; 1tpw't'ov ~EV,
w<; fi <p~~'1 8LE8pa~Ev, w<; MAW ~ 1tOAL<;, ot ~£V <puyfi a,p-
~'1v't'o t1tl 't'OV AL~Eva £<; 't'et<; vaii<; 't'WV OVEVE't'WV Ka~ 'Ia:
vuTwv, Kal1tOAAOi £<; 't'et 1tAOLapLa £O'~aAAOV't'E<; O'1tou8n Kat
aKOO'~w<; a1tWAOV't'O Ka't'a8uo~EVWV 't'WV 1tAOLaplwv. Kai
tylyvE't'o, ola 8fi ylyvE0'8aL dw8EL £V 't'ol<; 't'OLOU't'OL<; 80pu-
~OL<;, a't'aK't'w<; xwpouv't'wv EKaO"t'wv £<; 't'o 8LaO'w~E0'8at tv
OU8EVt KOO'~,!, Kat OV't'OL ~£V e<p8'1O'av a1to<puyoV't'E<; 't'oil<;
ToupKou<;' ot 8£ 1tuAwpol 't'fj<; 1tOAEW<; ayvw~oO'1lvn KaKO-
8al~ovL xp'1O'a~EvOL, w<; ewpwv 't'oil<; "EAA'1va<; £1tt 't'et<;
vaii<; 't'pa1tO~EvoU<;, <puyfi WP~'1~EVOU<; {z.16I} O'w~E0'8aL £<;
't'et<; vaii<;, ol6~EVOL w<; d £1tLKAeiO'aLEv {t<;} 't'et<; 8upa<;, avay-
Ka0'8EiEv ot "EM'1VE<; t1tlO''t'pa<ptv't'E<; a~uvE0'8aL, Kal Ka't'a
't'Lva XP'1O'~Ov q80 ~vov £V 't'fi 1tOAEL, w<; 't'WV 1toAE~lwv IiXPL
194
BOOK 8
fleeing, turned to flight, with the janissaries in pursuit. Each
of the Greeks who was on the outer walls wanted to be
the first to descend from there so as to save himself When
they reached the so-called Romanos Gate, they collided
into each other and were stuck there; others coming along
crashed into them, and as they were rushing to get over and
through, they made a heap of living bodies by the gate so
that no one could pass inside. Thus most of them perished
there for no good reason, hastening to get ahead of each
other and being reduced to that sad spectacle. The gates
were jammed with the bodies of those trying to go around. 26
The janissaries climbed over the great walls (for a large 20
section had been demolished there by the cannon), poured
into the city at that point, and plundered it, each one turn-
ing in whatever direction presented itself When the news
spread that the city had fallen, the Greeks at first fled to the
harbor and the ships of the Venetians and the Genoese, and
many embarked in haste on small boats and perished chaoti-
cally as the boats sank. What happened then was what usu-
ally happens in such upheavals, as each person tries to save
himself with no discipline or order. Some managed to es-
cape from the Turks. But the guards at the city gates, in their
ill-starred foolishness, saw the Greeks turning to the ships,
rushing in flight to save themselves upon them, and thought
that if they were to close the gates against them, the Greeks
would then be forced to turn back and defend themselves.
They thought this in accordance with an oracle that was go-
ing around in the city to the effect that the enemy would, in
195
 THE HISTORIES
'tov Taupou xwpou 'tfj, :rr6AEW, e:rrlYEvofiEVWV Kat Em-
KElfievwv, 'tov, EV 'tft :rr6AEl O'umpa.pEV'ta, avctyKt] afiu-
VOfiEVOU, eK~aA£1v 'tov, :rrOAEfiiou, Kat ati'tov, '{rrxElV 't~V
:rr6AlV, ev 'tau'tt], oIfial, 'tl9EfiEVOl 'tft S6;t] 'ta, KA£1, llvw
a:rro 'tov 'tELXOU, f;w a:rrtppltav.
21 at Sf liVSpE, 'tE Kat yuvalKE" :rrAfj9o, :rrOAV YEv6fiEVOl
ev'tav9a EmppE6v'twv aiEl O'uxvwv, e-rpa:rrov'to e:rrl 'tov
fiEyimou VEW 'tfj, :rr6AEW" 'tfj, ayia, Locpia, KaAoufitv'l"
Kat ev'tav9a O'UVEAeyov'tO llvSpE, 'tE Kal YUVaLKE, Kat:rraL-
SE,. AU :rrOAA<l' fiEV'tOl UO''tEpOV eaAwO'av 1mo 'tWV TOUpKWV
afi.aX']'ti, Kal avSpwv Olll< "AiyOl ev'to, 'tov VEW SlEcp9ap'l-
O'av v:rro TOUpKWV. :AAAOl S' ao 'tWV 'EAA~VWV liMt] 'tfj,
:rr6AEW, 'tpa:rr6fiEVOl ev a:rropiq 'tE EtXOV'tO, Kat ou :rrOAA<l'
umEpov ot fiEV a:rrWAOV'tO, ot Sf Kal ~AiO'Kov'to. Kat:rroAAot
'tWV 'EAA~VWV llvSp£, YEv6fiEVOl aya90t EfiaXEO'av'tO Kat
a:rrE9avov :rrpo 'tfj, :rra'tpiSo" wO''t£ fi~ emS£1v'ta, yuvalKa,
au'twv Kat 'tov, :rralSa, d, avSpa:rroS'O'fiov Ylyvofieva,.
22 "O'tE Kat 8E6cplAO, 'tov I1aAaLOA6ywv YEVOU, 'tau'tt]
E't£A£U't'lO'EV, avSplKw, aywvlO'afiEvo, 9ava'tou ~vEKa. Kat
'tWV I1aAalOA6ywv ot M£'tOXl'taLOl, il 'tE :rra~p Kat ot
:rralS£, au'tov, fiax6fiEvol a:rrwAov'tO. Kat O'u)("ot 'tWV aficpt
~aO'lAEa 'EM~VWV £0 YEyov6't£, a:rrE9avov, {2.162} fi~
aVEx6fiEVOl EmS£1v O'cpiO'l 't~v :rra'tpiSa SESOUAWfiEV'lV, THv
'tE 'ta 'tfj, :rr6AEW, cmav'taxfi :rrAEW a:rrOAAuv-rWV Kat a:rrOA-
AUfiEVWV Kat SlWK6v'twv 'tE Kat cpwy6v'twv. Kat aficpl 'tov
No'tapilv 'tov ~aO'lAtW, aPfio~v Kat 'OpXav'lV 'tOV Mou-
O'ouAfiav£w urLSovv, w, au'tot ~EYOV ot "EAA'lV£" 't0l6vSE
tyEV£'tO. D, yap E:rruv9avov't0 eaAwKtVal ~v :rr6AlV,
BOOK 8
pursuit, get only as far as the forum ofTauros, whereupon
the citizens would turn around, defend themselves out of
necessity, expel the enemy, and regain control of the city, It
was, I believe, by placing their faith in this oracle that they
threw the keys to the gates over the walls to the outside.
Both men and women, then, turned to the greatest 21
church in the city, which is called Hagia Sophia, and a great
crowdgathered there and more were pouring in all the time,
mcludmg men, women, and children. Shortly afterward they
were captured by the Turks without a fight, and many of
the men mSlde the church were killed by the Turks. Other
Greeks who sought refuge elsewhere in the city were at a
loss what to do, and, shortly afterward, some of them were
killed while others were captured. Many Greek men who
were brave fought and died on behalf of their country rather
than WItness their own wives and children being taken cap-
tive.
That was when Theophilos died, of the Palaiologos fam- 22
ily, fighting in a manly way to the death. Also, the Meto-
chites branch of the Palaiologos family, both the father and
his sons, died fighting. Many of the men following the king
of the Greeks also had good deaths, unable to endure the
sight of their country being enslaved. The city was full of
slayers and the slain, the pursuers and the pursued. The fol-
lowing happened to Notaras, the king's chief official, and
Orhan, the grandson of Siileyman, as the Greeks claimed.
When they learned that the city had fallen, they escaped to
197

THE HISTORIES
breSpacmv t1tt mipyov 'tlva 'tfj~ 1tOAeW~, w~ tv'taG9a ~ov­
Aevcroflevol, 01tOl dv cr<pa~ StOl 'tpa1tecr9al. Kat tv'taG9a
yevoflevol, 'Opxavl]v fll:v paKla afl<plecraflevov Nat;l]palov
'tlVO~ E~aAev £av'tov Ka'ta 'toG mipyov Kat a1tt9avev, Ot S'
afl<pt'tov No'tapav 1tOALOpKI]9tv'te~ £aAwcrav 1tept 1tA~90v­
crav ayopav, au'to~ 'te afla Kat Ot 1tarSe~ au'toG.
23 Ot fll:v ouv ve~AvSe~ au'tlKa 'to cr-rpa't01teSov 'toG ~a-
crlAtw~ tvt1tAl]crav [Kat} yvvalKwv 'te afla Ka\ 1taiSwv 'twv
1tepl<pavecr-ra'twv 'EAA~VWV, Kat ilA~OV 1tOAVV a1to<pepofle-
VOL fleya euSalflove~ tytvov'to. Ka\ ~v tServ 'to cr-rpa't01te-
Sov cmav'taXii 1tAtwV avSpwv 'te Kat yvvalKwv aAA~Aov~
t1tl~owfltvwv Kat 1talSwv tK1te1tAI]Yflevwv 'tau'tT] 'tij crvfl-
<pop~. Kat Xpvcro~ fl£v 1tOAV~ Ka\ dpyvpo~ t<popeho 'tfj~
1tOAeW~ t~ 'to cr-rpa'to1teSov, Ka\ Al9wv eu1topla ~v, Kal
tcr9~'twv 1tav'toSa1twv 1tAtw~ ~ xwpa, wcr'te fll~ ~fltp<;!
fltya S~ ilA~LOV yevtcr9aL 'toG'to 'to cr'tpa'to1teSov a1to 'te
avSpwv 1tepl<pavwv Ka\ 1tAOU'tOV Ka\ 'tfj~ aAAI]~ euSaL-
flovia~, wcr-re 1tOAAOV~ fll:v OUK EXelv 0 'tl Xp~cralv'to 'twv
vel]AUSwv 'tft 1tapou"1] eUSaLflovi<;!. Ka\ [z. I6 3} Al90v~ flev
t!;wvl]craflevol OAlY'1~ 'tlflfj~, a'te fl~ elS6'twv 'twv VeI]AUSwv,
()1tocrov au'ta Seol a1tOSocr9al, fltya ilA~lOl tyevov'to, Kal
xpvcrov, ii Ecr-rlV, av't\ xaAKoG <palvov'taL a1toSofleVol Ot
ve~AvSe~.
24 'Ev'taG9a £aAw Kal 'IO'lSwpo~ KapSlvaALO~ :Ea~lvwv, Kal
w~ fiX91], t~ faAa'tlav a1teS091], Kal to'~a~ t~ vaGv a1ttSpa
t1t\ ~v TIeA01tOvvl]crov. El fll:v ouv au'tov eyvw ~acrlAeu~,
w~ e'il] KapSlvaALO~ 'IO'iSwpo~, averAt 'te dv au'tov Kal
OUK aviel Sla<pvyerv' vGv SI: otoflevo~ au'tov 'te9vavaL OUK
BOOK 8
a certain tower of the city in order to consider where they
should turn. When they arrived there, Orhan donned the
habit of some monk, threw himself off the tower, and died.27
Thos~ with Notaras were besieged and captured, both he
and his sons, around the time when the market would have
been busiest in the morning.
The janissaries filled the sultan's camp with the women 23
and children of the most illustrious Greeks, seized much
wealth, and became very prosperous. One could see the
camp everywhere full of men and women crying out to each
other and children who were dumbstruck at this catastro-
phe. Much gold and silver was conveyed from the city to
the camp, there was an abundance of precious stones, and
the place was filled with garments of every kind, so that in
one day this camp became extremely wealthy with respect
to distinguished men, property, and other types of prosper-
Ity, and many of the janissaries did not know what to do with
their current good fortune. Some bought precious stones at
low prices, seeing as the janissaries did not know their real
worth, and so they became extremely prosperous. It even
seems that the janissaries were selling gold at the price of
bronze.
Isidoros, the cardinal of Sabina, 28 was also captured there. 24
He was taken and sold at Galatas, where he boarded a ship
and escaped to the Peloponnese. If the sultan had identified
h~m as the cardinal Isidoros, he would certainly have killed
him and not let him get away. But as he believed that the
199
 THE HISTORIES
'r.·'
,
bWleho AOYOV ouoeva, Tou [lev,ol ~aOlAew<; 'EAA~VWV
'ti]v Ke<paA~v ,wv ve'lAUOWV 1'l<; [le,a ,au,a 1tapa ~aOlAea
tveyKa[levo<; owpa ,e i:'Aa~e Kat apXfj towp~9'l' "O''l' oe
,P 01t 'l' a1t09aVOl, ouoel<; ~eree,o ,wv ve'lAUOWV <ppaeral.
Ka,a yap 'ti]v 1tVA'lV crUv 1ton01<; linOl<; au,oo w<; 6 1'V-
XWV t,eAeu'I]ere, ~aerlAeuera<; hI] ,pia Kat [lfjva<; 'peT<;.
'EaAwerav oe Kat Oueve,wv livope<; tm<paveT<;, 01 au,oo
,e 1tapfjerav [le1'lov-re<; t[l1topiav, Kat liAAOl ero)("oi, 01 crUv
,aT<; ,pl~peerlv hoxov 6p[llera[levol, Ka,ecrxov 0' au,ou<; ot
"En'lve<; Ka,a ,0 ;0[l[laXlKov, Gler,e a[lovat er<pierlv t<; 'ti]v
1tapooerav avayKI]v, Kat 6 [lev 1tpU,avl<; ,wv Oueve,wv, w<;
~xel] t<; ~aOlAea, a1te9avev, ot 0' liAAOl a1teAuov-ro [le,a
,ao,a, 'Ev tii yap ,ao,a tyeve,o Kat1taV,e<; crxe80v tye-
vov,o -re,pa[l[levol t1tt Olap1tanV, Kat ot ,ou er,OAoo ,ou
~aerlAew<;, at oe ,wv Oueve,wv ,pl~pel<; Aueraeral tK0[l(-
sov,o ola ,ou 'EAA'ler1tOV,oo, Kat ,pl1'aTal a<plKvouV,at t<;
Ei\~Olav Keval aVepW1tWv' ,ou<; yap {z,r641 1tAeLOO<; a1tO-
~l~acrav,e<; ot "EAAI]ve<; t,a;av-ro t<; 'ti]v 'ii<; 1tOAew<; <po-
AaK~v 1tpo<; ,a<; t1taA;el<;, Kat £aAwerav, ot oe Kat a1te9a-
vov, At [lev ouv ,pl~pel<; a<plKo[levat ayyeAAooeri ,e'ti]v
Bosav,ioo t:rIJ[l<popav, Kat1taV,e<; ouoe ~oeerav, 1tOO ,pa-
1twv,at yevo[levol' au,iKa yap ~;elv t<; au,ou<; ,0 OetVOV
tV0[llSOV. Kal at vfjerol at tv ,Q Atyai'l' crxeoov 1'l ;u[l1taerat
Glp[ll]v,o t<; <p0nv, Kat ol ~ye[love<; ,wv 'En~vwv Kat ot
1tep' I1eA01tOvv'lerov er0[l<p0pq 1te1tAI]y[levOl Glp[lYJv,o t1t,
'ti]v eaAaererav, ~l' Ii S~ ;ove~I] u",epov yeveereat ,~v
a1toCT"tao'l'V "twv eVOlKOVVTWV aU-nlv J\A~avwv.
BaerlAeu<; [lev s~, w<; £aAw BoSav,LOv, au,lKa tKeAeoe
zoo
BOOK 8
man had died, he paid him no attention, As for the king of
the Greeks, some janissary later brought his head to the sul-
tan, for which he received gifts and obtained a command,
But as for the manner in which he died, none of the janissar-
ies knew to say. For he died like everyone else there at the
gate along with many others, having reigned three years and
three months,29
Distinguished Venetians who had been there for rea- 25
sons of trade were also captured, along with many others
who happened to have put in with their triremes when the
Greeks detained them in accordance with their alliance, to
help them in their present need, The governor of the Vene-
tians was brought before the sultan and executed,30 but the
others were released after that, While these events were
transpiring and almost everyone was turning to plunder, in-
cluding the crews of the sultan's fleet, the triremes of the
Venetians slipped free and passed through the Hellespont,
On the third day, they reached Euboia empty of their crews,
For the Greeks had disembarked most of them and assigned
them to guard duty on the battlements of the walls, where
they were captured or killed, When the triremes arrived,
they announced the calamity that had struck Byzantion,
and no one knew where to turn to save himself For they be-
lieved that the calamity would strike at them next, and the
inhabitants of the Aegean Islands, almost all of them, turned
to flight, The rulers of the Greeks and those in the Pelopon-
nese were struck by this calamity and rushed to the sea. It
was for this reason that the Albanians who lived in the Pelo-
ponnese later rebelled,31
When he captured Byzantion, the sultan immediately 26
zor
 THE HISTORIES
Zayavov'tov K'1SecrtiJV au'toii 'tPl~pEl<; reA1']pwcraV'ta ItvaL
'tE erel TI]v Ka'taV'tlKpU Bu~av't[ou raAa't[1']V reOAlV, Kal Sla-
KwAvelV [l~ reAtelv erel 'ta<; vau<;, reapayytAAelV 'te 'tol<; ev
'tft reoAel lSpucr9a[ 'te EKa<Y'tOV tv 'tft XWN Kal[l1']Sevl erel-
'tptreelv ecr~a[vElV e<; 'ta<; vau<;. '0 yap 'tfj<; reoAew<; 'tau't1']<;
repoeCY'tw<;, w<; tjcrge'to 'to Bu~av'tLOv eaAwKEval ureo ~a­
crlAtW<;, reeplSe~<; yevo[levo<;, [l~ Kal e<; crcpii<; 6p[lw[levo<;
e;avSpareoS[craL'to TI]v reoAlv, oIa Kal Bu~av'tLOv ESpacre,
Aa~wv 'ta<; 'tfj<; reoAew<; KAel<; Kal acplKo[levo<; e<; ~a<YlAta
reapeS[Sou TI]v reoAlv, w<; au'tQ 'te £rcl'tptreoucrl crcpii<;, a;l-
ouv'te<; reel9w9aL 'tou Aomou au'tQ 0 'tl iiv KeAeUol. To"t"e
[lev ouv'tov Zayavov Eree[lree reapaA1']to[lev6v"t"e TI]v reoAlv
Kal[l1']Sevl e1tl'tpttov"t"a tcr~a[velv t<; 'ta<; vau<;.
27 ot [lev ouv raAa'tlavo[, w<; eTSov "t"a<; 'tpl~pel<; trel TI]v
reoAlv crcpwv wp[l'1[ltva<;, tv"t"au9a S~ &reav"t"e<; rea<YcruSI
wP[l1']v"t"o trel "t"a<; vau<;' ot Sf. ToopKol treeixov au"t"ou<;, Ka[
'tlva<; au"t"wv Slexp~crav"t"o SeSlno[leVOl. 'Ereel Sf. {z.r 65}
acp[Ke"t"o Zayavo<;, ei<YlWV E<; TI]v reoAlv Ka9[cr"t"a "t"e "t"a tv'tn
reoAel, Kal &pxov"t"a tret<Y"t"l]cre "t"oo ~acrlAtw<;, wCY'te [ll~
~[lEN Suolv reoAewv KUpLO<; yevo[levo<; TI]v [lev ~vSpa­
reoS[cra'to, TI]v S' au reapaAa~wv "t"a Ka"t"a TI]v ~reelpov 'telm
Ka9alpeiv 'tou<; tvolKoov"t"a<; repocrt"t"a;ev. 'Ereo[el Se "t"oo"t"o,
w<; ltv [l~ vewv areo "haA[a<; acplKvou[lEVWV areoCY'tacr[v 'tE
~ouAeuolV'to, Ka9np1'][lEVWV "t"wv "t"ElXWV 'tfj<; ~reelpou, Kal
"t"Q ~a<YlAel tcra09l<; ~v tre[n reoAe[lo<;, Ka"t"acrxn EcrlWV t<;
TI]v reOAlv.
28 'EAA~VWV ~v OUV OcrOl [l~ arewAoV'to, 'tou'tou<; areaya-
yov"t"e<; t<; TI]v raAa"t"[1']v, 'tou<; t1tlcpavel<; [laAlcr"t"a au"t"wv.
20Z
BOOK 8
ordered his relative Zaganos to man triremes and go against
the city across from Byzantion, Galatas, to prevent them
{the Genoese} from sailing their ships, to instruct its inhab-
itants to keep to their own quarters, and to allow no one to
embark upon the ships. For when the podesta of this city32
realized that Byzantion had fallen to the sultan, he was filled
with fear that the sultan would march out against them too
and enslave their city, as he had done with Byzantion, and so
he took the keys of the city, went to the sultan, and surren-
dered the city, entrusting its citizens to him and promis-
ing that they would henceforth obey his decrees. That was
when he sent Zaganos to take over the city and allow no one
to embark upon the ships.
When the people of Galatas saw the triremes sailing 27
against their city, all of them together rushed to their ships.
But the Turks restrained them and even killed some to
frighten the rest. When Zaganos arrived, he entered the city
and took charge of it, and installed a lord sent by the sultan.
Thus, in one day Mehmed became the master of two cities
enslaving the one while receiving the other. He ordered th~
inhabitants to pull down the landward walls. He did this to
prevent them from planning a rebellion against him in case
ships arrived from Italy, as the landward walls would now be
demolished; also, if there was war, the sultan could instantly
enter the city and subject it.
The Greeks who were not killed were conveyed over 28
to Galatas, especially the most distinguished among them.
203
 THE HISTORIES
Ked ilAAOl fI£v oil-rw, EAeugepoiiv-ro· No-rapiiv S£ -rov ~a­
O'lAew, <EAA~VWV 'TCpu-ravlv aimS<; -re 0 ~MlAeu, E;WVl]-
O'afl£vo<; Kat rVvaTKa Kat 'TCaTSa" Kat XPl]fla-rlO'a, au-rQ,
ana ~~OUA£-rO O'VVlEval -rWV Eav-roii, Kat -ra 'tij, 'haAla<;
6O'a ijS£l 'TCPOO'S6Klfla, hlfla -re Kat tYVv£reve-ro Xp6vov
-rlva. Kat <EAA~VWV 6O'Ol ~A£vgepwv-ro, O'vveAerOV-rO av9l<;
E,"ti]V Bv~av-rlov 'TC6AlV, -rou<; -r£ 'TCpO~Kov-ra, au-rwv EAeu-
9£poiiv-r£, Kat E'TCl-r'1SeLOV,. Kat ou 'TCOAAQ ilO'npov U'TCO
~MlAeW<; a'TCWAov-rO. 'Ereve-ro S£ &8£. n, aVl]vex9l] E,
~a(nAea 'TCaTSa elVal -roii No-rapii V~'TClOV 8wS£Kae-r~,
i''TC£fI'ite -rwv otvoX6wv au-roii Eva, at-roufl£vo, -rov 'TCaT8a.
'0 8£ W, Ew9£-ro -ra 'TCapa -roii otvoX60v, xaA£1tw<; -re E'l'£P£
K.al £1tOlET-ro SELVOV, 'Atywv, "(5 OLVOXOE, -rav-ra OUK. ava-
"X£-ra EO"rl, ~aO'lAea a'l'alp£lO'9al -rou<; 'TCaT8a<; ~flwv, ou8£v
i'xwv, 0 -rl /lv ~flTv EV -rQ 'TCap6v-rl E'TClfl£fI'itaO'9al, E'TCeL -re
O'vveyvw ~flTv "ti]v aflap-rlav E;wvl]O'aflevo,. Ei SE -raii-ra
oil-rw ~flii, 'TCOLOll] , -rl ou K£A£uel ~flii, au-rou<; KadO'-r,!,
6Ae9p'!' 'TCapa80iival;" Taii-ra -r£ ,,'Aere, Kat OUK E'l''1 EKWV
elval 'TCo-r£ -rov [2.r66} 'TCaT8a avabo<; wv EKSwO'elv. 'E'TCl-
'TCA~nov-rl 8£ -rQ otvoxo,!, Kat 'TCapalVoiiv-rl fI~n Aer£lV
fI~-re 'TCOl£lV oil-rw E<; ~aO'lAea, w<; au-rlKa a'TCoAOuflevov, OUK
E'TC£l9£v.
29
'E'TCel 8£ U'TCoO'-rpe'l'wv a'TC~rr£lAe -rQ ~MlA£T -ra 'TCapa
-rwv <EAA~VWV, au-rlKa EKeAeuO'ev au-r6v -re afla Kat -rou<;
'TCaT8a<;, Kat 8O'Ol au-rQ O'vfl'TCap~O'av, imarar6v-ra Ka-ra-
O''l'a;al. Ol flEV ovv w<; a'l'lKov-rO E, au-rov ot E'TCt -roii-ro
-raxgev-re<;, E8eho au-rwv -rou, 'TCaT8a, Evav-rlov au-roii av-
£A£lV -ra 'TCpw-ra, fle-ra 8£ -raii-ra eav-rov Ka-raxp~O'aO'9al.
20 4
BOOK 8
Some were liberated in this way. But the sultan himself
bought Notaras, the chief official of the king of the Greeks,
along with his wife and children, and discussed with him his
own plans and what he expected would happen with regard
to Italy, and he generally honored him and spent time with
him. The Greeks who were freed gathered again in the city
of Byzantion in order to free their friends and relatives.
Shortly afterward they perished at the sultan's order. It hap-
pened in the following way. When it was announced to the
sultan that Notaras's son was a child of twelve years, he sent
one of his wine pourers to request the child. When he heard
the wine-pourer's request, Notaras grew angry and consid-
ered it an insult, saying, "Wine pourer, it is utterly outra-
geous for the sultan to remove my children when he has
nothing at the present time for which to reproach us, given
that he has forgiven onr offenses by ransoming us himsel£ If
that is what he intends to do with us, why does he not just
order that we be delivered to a horrible death?" That is what
Notaras said, and he said that, as he was himself blameless,
he would never willingly surrender his son. The wine pourer
rebuked him and urged him never to speak or to behave in
such a way toward the sultan, because he would die instantly,
but failed to persuade him.
When the wine pourer returned and announced the 29
Greek's response to the sultan, the latter at once ordered
him to arrest and butcher Notaras, his children, and all who
were present with him. When those charged with this task
came to Notaras, he asked that they kill his children first,
right there in front of him, and only then to execnte him.
20 5
 THE HISTORIES
Ked ot flEV 1taIOe, au-roo Ka-raSelcrav-re, -rOY eava-rov ESE-
ov-ro -roo 1ta-rpo" Kal ocra EVfjV cr<picrl xp~fla-ra EV -rfi 'I-ra-
Ai,>, 1tapaSov-ra, 1tepl1tOlfjcral cr<pit" wcr-re fI~ a1tOeavelv. '0
SE OUK eta, &XX EKEAeue eappoov-ra, lEVal E1tl-rov eava-rov.
Kal -rou-rou, flEv 1tpw-ra aveLAov, fle-ra Se eau-rov 1tapelxe-ro
Slaxp~cracreal. n, SE -roo-rov -re Kal -rou, 1tepl au-rov
aveIAev 6 ~a(YlAeU" au-riKa EKEAeucre Kal -rwv 'EAA~VWV
-rou, aAAouo;, oam 1tapfjcrav EV Bu~av-ri", EAeueepwflEvOl ,
cmayayov-re, Ka1 -rou-rou, imEcr<pa;av. Kal oihw flEV OU-rOl
EV ouSevl AOY", a1twAov-ro' ~acrlAeu, SE E1t1 -roo-rov -rOY
<povov EAacra" Evayov-ro, -rwv 'EAA~VWV -rwv E1tlS~flWV
tvo" ou ~v euya-rEpa ~acrlAeu, cruyyev6f1evo, fjpa -re E1tl-
flalvoflevo, -rfi YUValK(, -rou, -re 1tpO~Kov-ra, au-rfi E<plAO-
<ppovei-ro, U1tO epw-roo; w, flaAlcr-ra <pepoflevo,. Kal -rou-r",
<pacrl1teleOflevov Slaxp~cracreal -rou, "'EAAl]va,.
30 ITepl flEV -rou, -roo Bu~av-riou "'EAAl]va, -rocrao-ra EYE-
ve-ro' SOKer Se ~ ;ufl<popa aihl] fleyicr-rl] -rwv Ka-ra ~v
OlKouflEVI]V yevoflEvwV u1tep~aAtcreal -r", 1taeel, Kal -rfi
-rwv 'IAiou {2.r67} 1tapa1tAl]criav yeyovEVal, SiKI]V yevEcreal
-roo 'IAiou U1tO -rwv ~ap~apwv -ror, "'EAAl]crl mtcrcruSl a1to-
AouflEVOl" Kal ou-rw -rou, 'Pwfla(ou<; olecreal ;ufl~fjVal, ~v
-ricrlV a<pIXeal -ror<; "'EAAl]crl -rfj<; 1taAal 1to-rE yevoflEvl],
'IA(ou ;ufl<popit,. Tao-ra flEV ouv E<; -rocroo-rov tyEve-ro.
3'
XaALAl]v SE tv-raoea -rov M1tpdtflew 1taISa, -rov -roo 0'(-
KOU au-r", ~yeflova, cruAAafl~avel, ~OUAl]eel, flEV Kal1tpo-
-repov a1tOAEcral au-rov, Ka-racr-rav-rwv SE OUKE-rl au-r", {E-rl}
-rwv 1tpaYfla-rwv ~e~aiw<; SeSOlKw, OUK E1tOlei-ro ~v crUA-
AI]VlV. Kal au-rov fiE-v EV 1tESal, EXWV a1tE1teflvev E1t1
206
BOOK 8
His sons, thoroughly frightened of death, begged their fa-
ther to hand over all the money he had in Italy in order
to save them from dying. He did not grant this request,
but urged them to meet their deaths bravely. So they killed
the children first, and then he submitted to his own exe-
cution. When the sultan had killed him and his family, he
then ordered that the other Greeks who had been freed and
were present in Byzantion were also to be arrested, and they
butchered them too. So they perished for no good reason. J3
The sultan decided upon these murders at the instigation
of a Greek who had come there from abroad and with
whose daughter the sultan was sleeping, being madly infaru-
ated with her. He cultivated her relatives, driven by his lust.
And so, they say, Mehmed obeyed this man in killing the
Greeks. 34
That, then, is what happened regarding the Greeks of 30
Byzantion. This calamity seems to be the greatest that ever
took place throughout the world in its excess of suffering,
similar to the fall of Troy; in fact, wholesale destruction was
the penalty that the Greeks suffered at the hands of the bar-
barians for what they did to Troy. At any rate, that is how the
Romans believe it happened, that vengeance caught up with
the Greeks for the calamity that once struck Troy. That,
then, was how those events happened.
The sultan then arrested Halil, the son of ibrairim, who 3'
was the lord of his household. 35 He had wanted to kill him
earlier too, J6 but at that time he was not yet in full control of
the realm and was too apprehensive to make the arrest. He
put him in chains and dispatched him on a wagon to
20 7
 THE HISTORIES
afla;ll<; btl ASplavo{J7COAIV Ka8dp;aL, Kal ou reoAA4> 1\O"T£-
pov -n']v T£ ouO'[av a<pelA£TO, xpuO'ov T£ Kat apyupov, 00'0<;
tvijv aUT4>, ,<yxupOTaTa St XPllflaTwv KTijO'IV reOIIlO'afl£vov
TOU-roV TOV avSpa, Kal fltya I\A~LOV tv T4> TWV ~aO'IAtwv
TWVS£ O'(K4' <Y1JflreaVTWV y£vofltvwv. TauTa SE tytV£TO trel-
KpaTOUV'tO<; TM£ Kat TO KpaTO<; "XOV'tO<; reapa ~a<YlAd
Zayavou TOU KIlS£O'TOU ~aO'IAtw<;, ou -n']v 8uyaTEpa tyyu-
Il[lEVIlV MaXOU[lE't)] T4> Mlxa~AOU reaLS[, W<; otO[l£VO<; n£l
reap' aUTov afla T4> ~a<YlA£l, Kat tpa<r8£l<; W<; t8£a<raTo -n']v
yvvalKa, ~yay£To [ltv aUTo<; TauTllv, T~V St <TEpav ey-
yu~O'aTo aUT4> MaxoU[lE't)] 6 Zayavo<;.
32 Tov [lEV ouv XaALAllv £uSu<; TOT£ KaT£xp~O'aTO, Kat TOU<;
S£pareOVTa<; aUTOU 'Iayourellv Kat M£X[lETIlV, Kal O'UAA~­
~wv Ta xp~[laTa a<p£LA£TO vreEp Ta<; IW fluplaSa<; XpuO'ou.
'EvTauSa [lEV wPfl'1VTO TWV S£pareovTwv aUTou ot reA£lO'TOl
fl£Aavo<p0p£lV Kat TWV eTClTIlSdwv, aT£ avSpo<; ap[<YTou
y£VO[lEVOU. {2.168} Kat w<; TOUTO av~xSIl t<; ~a<rIAta,
K~puYfla ereOl£lTo, 0<; ltv eO'SijTa [lEAaLVaV <p0po[ll, e<; -n']v
v<YT£pa[av reap£lvaL t<; Ta<; ~aO'IAtw<; Supa<;. Kat ouS£l<;
e<pav'1 OUTW<; "xwv ava -n']v reoAlv. Av£S~AOU [lEV T4> avSpt
T4>S£ Kat repOT£poV ~aO'IA£u<;, W<; axSOITO [lev aUT4>
ereLEIKW<; reavu SUO'[l£V£l re£pt eaUTOV, Kat ~ <P~[lll OUTW<;
£lX£, S£LOTEpa ouO'a w<; Ta reoAAa. Ka[ reOT£ aAwre£Ko<; S£-
8£flevll<; ev Tal<; ~a<rIAEW<; SUPaL<; aUTo<; ~a<rIA£U<; ~p£TO,
"w TaAa[rewp£, T[ ou XP~[la<r1 8LErepa;w reapa XaALAn T4>
~fl£TEP4' repuTav£l 8Ia<puY£lv, itAX OUTW KaKw<; repa't't£l<;;"
''ESpa;£ flEVTOI Kat aUTOV XaALAllv ~ <P~flll' Kat wPflllTO w<;
d<; TOV M£X[leT£w Ta<p0v reopdav "KSIl[loV reoIIlO'°fl£vo<;
208
BOOK 8
Adrianople to be held in prison. Shortly afterward he
stripped him of his property and of all the gold and silver
that he had. This man was extremely capable when it came
to making money and was the wealthiest of all in this sul-
tan's household. After his arrest, Zaganos, the sultan's rela-
tive, rose to prominence and held power beside the sultan.
His daughter had been pledged to Malunud, the son of Mi-
chael,37 but she accompanied him once when he went to see
the sultan and the latter fell in love with her at first sight and
married her himself, so Zaganos pledged his other daughter
to Mahmud.
He then immediately executed Halil and his attendants 32
Yakub and Mehmed, and, confiscating Halil's wealth, he
hauled in more than one hundred and twenty thousand gold
pieces in funds. Thereupon most of Halil's attendants and
friends began to wear black, inasmuch as he was a most ex-
cellent man. When this was reported to the sultan, he made
a public announcement that anyone wearing black clothes
should come to the sultan's Porte on the following day. Thus
no one dressed that way throughout the city. It thereby be-
came clear that the sultan had even previously hated this
man greatly and bore him ill will; that, at any rate, was the
rumor, which had circulated widely. One time the sultan
himself had seen a fox bound to the sultan's Porte, and he
asked it, "0 wretched creature, why do you not bribe HaliI,
our vizier, with money to escape, but choose instead to en-
dure this misery?" This was reported to Halil himself and it
troubled him, so he set out with the intention of making the
journey abroad to the tomb of Muhammad in order to give
20 9
 THE HISTORIES
a,(J"te aVeLVal 'toO 8lJ~00 'tov ~a(nAia EO; au'tov. XXI< t!;-
l'j1ta'tel au'tov Xp~~aO'l 8epa1teuwv, Kai 1ton wo; elSe 'te't~­
pay~tvov 'tfi <p~~n, Xp~~a'ta e1tl1tt~tao; tKtAev~ 8~p:e,v
Kat ~~ 1tef8e0'8al 'tolO; xaAe1tOV 'tl il1t08e~tvolO; alJ'tLjJ, ijSe~
0'8al'te tKtAeve. Kat oihw E!;a1ta'tw~evoo; £1te~1te Aiywv 'tLjJ
~a<J'lAeL, "Ji ~aO'lAeO, Ka\ ax8e0'8iivaL ~~ao; Ka\ ij8e0'8a, t1tt
O'oi to''tlV. "Hv oilY KeAeUno; ax8e0'8al ~~ao;, avayKl'j oihw
£Xelv ~~ao;' el Se Kat ail ij8e0'8aL t1tl'taneLo;, Ka8l'jO'o~e8a
1tavlJ 8appoOv'teo;." Oil'too; ~ev oily oihwo; t'teAeu'tl'jO'ev.
BaO'lAeiv 8e el ei1te'to ·~£'"Ca ~v BlJ~av'tlolJ alpeO'lv 'tii
g . r If after the capture ofByzantion the sultan had followed
a~<p' av'tov So!;n t1tlWV a1tav'taXii, ~tya av ~a't,elpya~e'to
ealJ't4i Xwpav 1tpOO'avaK'tw~evoo;. Me'ta Se '"C1'jv [2.I~9}
BlJ~av'tiolJ alpeO'lv O'1tovSao; ~ev t1tOleL'tO 'tolo; ~aO'lAe~o;
BlJ~av'tiolJ aSeA<polO;. ealJ~a~w St, el ~~ 'tovo; XPl'jO'~OlJO;
'tijo; Ll~uAAl'jo; OUK olov'tai 'tlveo; aAl'j8eLO; yeyovtvaL: 61t~'t~
~v tv BlJ~av'tlLjJ xwpav ~v 'twv ~aO'lAtwv ypa<pl'jv, lJ1tO
Atov'too; 'toO O'o<poO, a,o; <paO'l, ~aO'lAiwo;, to; 'toO'tov 'tov
~a<J'lAta E'teAeu'ta ~ ypa<p~, Ka\ to; 'tov apXle!'ta ~ov E~
<l>Awpev-rlq 'tfi TlJPpl'jvwv 'teAelJ~O'av'ta. Tov yap Sl'j
KwvO""Cav-rlvov ~aO'lAta, a'te a1tOAAU~eVov U1tO 'twv ~ap­
~apwv Ka\ ou 'teAev'twv'ta tv 'tfi ~a<J'lAeiq, oll'te 'tov .rp~yo­
plOY 'tov t1t\ 'haAlao; olxo~evov txwpel 6 1tlva!;, e~elv~o;.
XWpOl 8e tve'tt't~l'jv'to tv 't4i ~l~AiLjJ 'twv :e8 e~lJ'to~
~aO'lAtwv to; ~v 'teAev't~v 'toOSe 'toO ~aO'lAe~o; Kal.:OlJ
apXleptwo; ail, ehe 1tAelOVWv ehe S~ Kat EAano,vwv, OO'~l
txwpl'jO'av E1tt ~v apXlepwO'i>vl'jv 'tijo; 1tOAewo;. M::e'tal :,ev
Ka\ 1tOAAa 'toO ~aO'lAtwo; 'toOSe Epya 8au~a'too; a!;la, a'te
S~ ClO''ttpwv Ka\ tvxwv t~1teipOlJ yevo~tvolJ Kat W~lAl'jKO'tOO;
210
BOOK 8
the sultan's anger against him time to subside. But the sultan
deceived him with gifts of money when he saw that he was
troubled by the report. He sent him money and urged him
to take heart and disregard those who inferred that some-
thing bad would happen to him, and he urged him to enjoy
himsel£ Deceived in this way, he sent word to the sultan,
saying, "0 sultan, it is up to you whether to be vexed at us or
to indulge us with enjoyment. If you signal your vexation at
us, we must necessarily endure it. But if you order us to en-
joy ourselves, we will sit back and take heart." And that was
how he died.
JJ
up on the glory that enveloped him on all sides, he would
have achieved a great feat, acquiring more territory for him-
sel£ But after the capture of Byzantion, he made a treaty
with the brothers of the king of Byzantion {Thomas and
Demetrios}. I am amazed that some do not believe that the
prophecies of the Sibyl came true, given that the list of the
kings who ruled over the territory of Byzantion that was
drawn up, as they say, by King Leon the Wise," ends right
before this king and the patriarch who died in Florence, in
Tuscany. That list does not include King Konstantinos, since
he perished at the hands of the barbarians and did not die
while ruling the kingdom, or Gregorios, the one who went
to !taly." Entries were assigned in this book for each king,
one after the next, down to the death of this king, and
for the patriarchs who held the high priesthood of the city,
whether they were more or fewer than the kings. Many
other amazing deeds are attributed to this king {Leon VI},
as he was an expert in the ways of the stars and souls and
2II
 THE HISTORIES
-rfi tKElVWV 8uVaf'El, 8uo 8, Kat -rpia, ,;,V ii!;LOV t:Jn-
f'v']crefjval.
34 Me'rElf'l 8, tq>' oil ~la At!;WV tq>E!;fj, Myou. D, ot
ITEAonovv~crou ~yEf'0VE, wPf'']v-ro f"v q>EUyElV £nt
'haAia" Kat 'EAA~VWV OcrOl £V<!>KOUV -r~v vfjcrov ot £nl-
q>avecr-rEpol, W, 8, crq>icrl crnov8a, 0 ~acrlAEo, £nOl~cra-ro,
OUKt-rl 8lEVOOUV-r0 a1tltvaL, aA).: tf'f'tVOV-rE, nEpltnEcrov
!;uf'q>op~ OU crf'lKP~ -rlVl ou8, £1tl-ruxou<Yl]. D, yap ewpwv
aLhoo, ot AA~avotnapa<YKwasof'tvou, anaipElv, OUKt-rl
~eEAOV nEleECJ'eal, ana cruvicr-rav-ro f"v npo, an~AOU,
Kat cruvwf'VUv-ro W, £1tle']cr0f'EVOl -rft ITEAonovv~cr4'.
"Enpanov 8, [2.170} -rau-ra £vayov-ro, ITt-rpou -rou XWAOU,
av8po, -rov -rpanov OUK aya90u, 8£!;LOU 8, iinw, Kat
Ka9']youf'tvou -rOI, AA~avol, -r~v £~y']crlV -rau-r'], -rfj,
anocr-racrEw,. 'EVfjYE 8, £1tlK£lf'EVO" Wcr-rE aq>icr-racreaL ano
'EAA~VWV Kat crq>icrlV ~Y£f'0va eAtcr9al, ilv iiv au-rot !:'Awv-
-ral. Kat wPf'']v-ro f'Ev W, !;uf'~~crOV-rE, -rol, ~yEf'0<Yl, f'E'ra
8, 8lEKwAu9,]crav. Kat tnEKaAouv-ro f"v Kat 'En~vwv
iiAAOV t, ~v t~y']crlV -rau't']v, £nlcr'ta't']v a!;LOuv-rE,
YEvtcr9al' 'tEAW'tWV'tE, 8, £cr't~crav'to 'Ef'f'avoufjAoV 'tou
Kav'taKouS']valwv ytvou, ~yEf'ava 'tE crq>lcrl, Kat -ra 'twv
'EAA~VWV ~yov Kat ~q>EpOV, Kat 1J1t0SUYla f"v Kats4'a, ocra
elxov ot "EAA']VE" tArflsov'to cr-rpa'tW0f'EVOl.
35 Elcrt 8, -ro ytvo, 'tou'to V0f'a8E, iinav'tE" Kat ou8af'ft
crq>icrl xpoviav 't~v 8la'tpl~~v nOLOuf'EVOl. Tau't!l 8~ 6pf'w-
f'EVOl -rwv naAEwv 'rE i'cr-rlV n,
on']yayov'to, Kat £nEAauvov-
'tE, 'ta, f"v tnoAlapKouv, 'ta, 8, Kat £8i1ouv. Kat 'tau, 'tE
"EAA'1 va, £V av8pano8wv AOY4' nOLOuf'EVOl, Enpacrcrov
212
BOOK 8
familiar with their powers, and two or three of them are
worthy of mention.
I return to the point in my narrative from where I de- 34
anD parted. While the rulers [Thomas and Demetrios} were
rushing to flee from the Peloponnese to Italy along with the
most distinguished of the Greeks who inhabited that island,
the sultan made a treaty with them. So they were no longer
considering their departure and remained, but still they fell
into a great and eKtraordinary misfortune. For when the Al-
banians saw them preparing to depart, they were no longer
willing to obey them but came to an agreement with each
other and formed a conspiracy to attack the Peloponnese.
They did this at the instigation ofPjeter the Lame;o a man
who was not of good character, but otherwise capable. He
was the leader of the Albanians when it came to proposing
this uprising. He suggested and urged upon them that they
should rebel against the Greeks and choose for themselves
whomever they wanted as their ruler. They set out to come
to an agreement regarding their rulers, but encountered dif-
ficulties. They even called in various Greeks for this enter-
prise, asking them to be their leader. Finally they appointed
Manuel, of the Kantakouzenos family,41 as their ruler and
then they proceeded to attack the Greeks far and wide, cam-
paigning and plundering the pack animals and livestock that
the Greeks had.
The Albanians are completely nomadic and they never 35
spend much time in one place. They set out against the cit-
ies there and subjected them, advancing and besieging some
of them while plundering others. They made slaves out of
the Greeks, and they entered into negotiations with the
t,
213
 THE HISTORIES
1:11<; eupa<; 1:oil ~aCflAEw<; E1mpaTC~Val "'plO'l ""V IIE-
AOTCOVV'1O'OV, Kat tTC'1yytAAOV1:0 Kal 0'1:pa1:0V Kat TCOAEl<;
aimii tv 'tft IIEAoTCovv~O'4', Kat <popov tTCE1:ElOV TCoAuv
CI1tCtyElV 1:@ ~aCflAEL Kal ~uvE~anOV1:0 S~ aV1:01<; Kat
KEv1:'1plwv Zaxapla<;, <I ~<; YUVatKO<; aSEA<po<; 1:oil ~a­
CflAEW<; aSEA<poil, Kat AOUKav'1<;, oil<; KaeElp~a<; El<; TCOAlV
KaAoufLev'1v XAOUfLOU1:~l'1v EV 'tft aKpoTCoAEl d<; <puAaK~v
ETCOld1:O Kat tv TCESat<; O'UVE~PEl. Tov yllp ~<; TCOAEW<;
iipxov1:a TCEiO'aV1:E<; O'uva<pEmaval 1:E O'<plO'l Kat ayayEO'eal
1:oil KEV't:'1plwvo<; euya1:Epa, aTCEm'1 1:E, Kat 1:0U<; 1:£ iivSpa<;
fjAEUeepou, Kat tTCoMfLoUV 1:01<; "EAA'1O'l. {2.17r}
36 Kat '1il~E1:0 fLev 1:01<; AA.~avol<; 1:11 TCpctyfLa1:a, Kat E<;
fLEya tXWpEl. Tov fLev oilv KEv"'1plwva 8wfLcl<; <I ~aO'lAEw<;
aSEA<po<; ",SE at1:laO'afLEvo<; O'uveAa~Ev, (\1:E AfLoupa1:'1<; <I
MEXfLE1:EW 1:0V 'IO'efLov KaeEAWV ~AauvEv EV1:0<; IIEAoTCov-
v~O'ou EVeU Axata<;. 'ilPfL'1V1:0 SE aV1:o<; 1:E iifLa Kat MTCoxa-
Al<; <I AEOV1:ap'1<; iipxwv a<plO'1:aO'eal. Kal <I fLEV MTCoxaAl<;
aTCeO'1:'1 EK 1:oil <pavEpoil Kat ETCOAEfLEl, Kat (J'UfL~aAwv
mpa1:'1Y@ 'PaouA 1:oil f]YEfLovo<; MAW Kat t~EKOTC'1 1:W
D<peaAfLw "TCO 1:oil f]YEfLovo<;. Tou1:ou<; fLEV oihw at1:laO'a-
fL EVO <;, tTCEAauvov1:o<; AfLoupa1:EW, AOUK'lv'1V SE Kat VEW,-
1:Epl~ov1:a 1:E TCEpl 1:11 aU1:oil TCpaYfLa1:a Kat ~uvlmafLEVov
1:01<; 1:WV 'En~vwv KatV01:0fLdv ~ouAofLevo,<; O'uvEAa~E 1:E
Kal KaeEip~a<; dXEV tv 'tft aKpOTCOAEl.
37 'EV~yE fLEV 001:0<; Kat TCP01:EPOV tTCl ~uvwfLoO'l", SuvafLlv
a~loxpEW TCEpI1tOLOUfLEVO<;, 1:ou<; 1:E 'EAA~vwv TCEpl<pavd<;
Kat fLE1:11 1:a01:a AA.~avwv 1:ou<; Suva1:w1:a1:ou<;. To01:oV S~
yevou<; I\v1:a ov <pAaupou, TCP0<; SE fLaAlma a<pavoO<;,
214
BOOK 8
sultan's Porte to be entrusted with the Peloponnese. They
promised to give him an army and cities in the Peloponnese,
and to pay a large annnal tribute to the sultan. They were
joined by Centurione Zaccaria, the brother-in-law of the
king's brother,42 and also by Loukanes,4J whom Thomas had
imprisoned in the city called Chlemoutzi, under guard in
the acropolis and in chains. But they persuaded the lord of
the city to join them in rebellion and to marry the daughter
of Centurione. So he rebelled and freed these men, and they
fought against the Greeks.
The power of the Albanians increased and grew quite for- 36
midable. Thomas, the king's brother, had accused and ar-
rested Centurione when Murad, the son of Mehmed, had
torn down the Isthmos fortifications and marched straight
into the Peloponnese against Achai:a. 44 For he, together with
Lord Bochalis Leontaris, had decided to rebel at that time.
As for Bochalis, he rebelled openly and waged war, attack-
ing Raoul, the general of the ruler {Thomas}, but was cap-
tured. His eyes were gouged out by the ruler:5 This is what
he {Thomas} had accused them of and, when Murad was
marching against them, he also arrested Loukanes, who had
rebelled against his rule and conspired with the Greeks
who desired to plot rebellion, and imprisoned him in the
acropolis. .
46
Loukanes had incited a rebellion earlier too and ac- 37
quired a siguificant force of noble Greeks and, after that,
the most powerful Albanians. His family was not base but
21 5

THE HISTORIES
EleoSwpo, {) VeWTepO, T~, :2>ll:apTf], ~yeflwv, <pUo"ew, eil
EXeLV SOKO;;VTa Kat t, Tit iiAAa OUK a;uveTOV, t, TOU, 1tap'
taUTQ 1tpWTeUOVTa, Ta;aflevo, XP~fla<,.( Te E8epa1tEUO'ev.
'Opflwflevo, Se Imo Talhf], ~, TO;; ~yeflovo, euepyeO'(a"
Ep(~WV 1tpO, TOU, TWV 'EAA~VWV E1tl<paveT,. "E1tpaO'O'e Tit
I1eA01tOVVf]O'(WV 1tpO, TOV ~yeflova Sf]flaywywv. 'ETpa1teTO
S£ E1tt TOUTOU, W, S,evex8EVTa, flev Tft YVWfln 1tPO, TOU,
Bu~avT(ou "EAAf]va" Kat SeS'OTa, 1tept O'<p(O'l Te {2.17 2}
aUToT, Kat Tft xwpq Kat VOflOu,,2 W, ~V E1tlKpa~O'wO'l TWV
EV I1eA01tOVV~O''l' 1tpaYflaTwv, OUK E1tlTpE'\tOUO'l O'<p(O'l Tfi
1tapOUrrn EflflEvelV euSalflov(q. Kat ESoKel flev TO flEya
Suva0'8al aUTlKa 1tap' OT'l' O'uO'Ta8elf] TWV ~yeflovwv, uy,e,
Se aUTO;; ouSev ETl ~v EV ToT, 1tpaYflaO'l.
38 TOUTWV flev oilv TWV avSpwv allTf] ~ a1taAAan EYEveTO
,
a1tO ~<; elpK~<;' O'TpaTOV Se E1taYOVTe<; Tfi TO KA(Vn a',<yx -
O'Ta a1tf]AAanOVTO ~nf]8EVTe<;, Kat E<; I1aTpa<; ~<; l\xcita<;
O'TpaTeuO'aflevOl Kat t<; TOV ~yeflova TOV veWTepov KaKW<;
E1tpa;aV, 1tOAAOU<; a1to~aAOVTe<; TWV O'<peTEpwv EVTa;;8a.
Kat tSOKeL flEV oilv W<; Tit I1eA01tOVV~O'OU 1tpaYflaTa
XWP~O'al E1tt TOU<; hl~avou" el fI~ Sla1tpa;aflEvou TO;;
l\O'avew tv TaT<; ~aO'lAEw, 8upal" wO'Te O'TpaTOV O'<plO'lV
t1tlS08~val' O'TpaTOV Te E1tf]yaYOVTO TO;; ~aO'lA£W" ~you­
flEVOU TO;; Toupaxavew, 0<; a<plKoflevo<; <Yi>v TQ O'TpaTQ E1tt
~v I1eA01tOVVf]O'OV, Kat O'Uyyevoflevo<; ToT<; ~yefl0O'lv, t<p'
el> ~ouAeuO'a0'8al 01tW, 1tOl~O'OVTal TOV 1toAeflov, 1tPO,
aUTou<; i:Aeye TOlaSe.
39 "n ~aO'lAEW<; 'EAA~VWV 1taTSe<;, avaY"f] flEVTOl Kat uflwv
Tlva aUTO;; 1tapeTval t<; TOV 1toAeflov. Kat yitp ltv opwvTe<;
216
BOOK 8
not illustrious either. Theodoros {II} the Younger, ruler of
Mistra, had enrolled him in the highest ranks of his retinue
and cultivated his favor with money, as he had good quali-
ties and was not unintelligent in other respects. But he took
advantage of his ruler's beneficence and quarreled with the
most noble Greeks. A demagogue, he supported the Pelo-
ponnesians against their ruler. He turned to them when
they fell out with the Greeks of Byzantion and feared the
laws·7 on behalf of themselves and of their land, because if
law ruled the affairs of the Peloponnese, it would not al-
low them to maintain their present degree of affluence. He
seemed to have great influence over whomever of the rulers
he conferred with, but he did no good to their affairs.
These men, then, effected their escape from prison in 38
that way. They led an army against Kline but they were de-
feated and withdrew in a shameful way. So they marched
against Patras, in Achrua, but fared badly against the youn-
ger ruler too, losing many men there. Still, it seemed that
the affairs of the Peloponnese would have to be ceded to
the Albanians, had Asanes not negotiated with the sultan's
Porte to be given an army. They brought in the sultan's army
~nder the command ofTurahan, who arrived with his army
ill the Peloponnese and joined the rulers so that they could
deliberate on how to wage the war. 48 Turahan said the fol-
lowing to them:
"0 sons of the king of the Greeks, one of you should al- 39
ways be present in this war. For seeing you the enemy will
21 7
 THE HISTORIES
ufla<; Ot nOAtfllol eanov av npOcrxWpOTEV, iSovn<; ouStv
-rl <1'l'low aVfl'<E<1-rOV t<1Oflevov u'l" uflwv. 'Yflwv Se Sla-
'l'0pwv n OV'rwv Kat SeSlO-rWV, aUK av naw -rl pqSlw<;
tetAOlev npocrxwpdv oTa SeLflalvovn<;, Kat ou-re pqSlw<; av
Ka-ropeoT-ro ufIlv -ra npaYfla-ra e<; -ro napov. ToSe fltV-rO'
napaLvw {z.I73} ufIlv, w<; fll')Kt-rl -rou Aomou Slal-r!] Sla-
Xp~<1eaL -rfj au-rfj e<; -rou<; unl')Koou<; uflwv, aAAa -rou<; aya-
eou<; fltV-rO' aflel~e<1eaL Ka-ra -ro Suva-rov, -rou<; Se KaKou<;
-r lfl Wpd<1eal Ka-ra Suvafllv, W<; <1ilv -roT<; ayaeoT<;, eli "<1-re,
eune'rw<; SUV~<1e<1eE KOAaSeLV -rou<; 'l'aUAou<;, Kal fll')Se
avanaAlv enl-rpEnov-re<; -ro nav eeEAl')-re <1uyxwpeTv. Tl av
au-rofla-rov ano~all'); Ll.~Aa yap w<; -rou KaKOU e<; -r~v ~eA­
-rlova floTpav tSpUflEVOU, Kat -rau'rt] pqSlw<; av -rpEnolv-ro
itnav-re<; KaKOt nepl ufla<; yevoflevo" Kat ou-rw em-rpl~ofle­
VOl KaKl<1-ra av i:mOAOl<1ee. Xp~ Se Kat eK -rwv nap'l'Xl')flEVWV
-reKflaipWeaL -ro flEAAOV £<1e<1eal UflTv enl~SeLOv. 'YflTv
yap ou-rw<; £XOU<1l, Kat eepanEUOU<1' -rou<; fI~ UylW<; uflTv
SlaKelflEvou<;, ei<; -rouvav-riov i'Ka<1-ra nEplE<1-rl')' Kat ei fI~ 0
~a<1lAeu<; vuv eli nOlWv ufla<; ~v Xwpav aliel<; anOSW<1Ol
ye, eli oiS' O-rl O'(XOl-r' av UfIlv -ra npaYfla-ra Sla'l'eelpofleva .
D<; oliv -rau'rt] OliK em-rl')Selw<; nOAl-r£UoflEVWV, SEOl av
ufla<; enl ~v tvav-rlav -rpane<1eaL. KaKdvo Se au napaLvw
uflTv, fI~ O"KOl Sla-rpl~ov-ra<; eav ufIlv 'l'epe<1eaL -ra
npaYfla-ra, onol xwpoll') uflTv, aAX emov-ra<; au-rou<;, ijv
-rlva ai<1eavl')<1ee, -rlflwpeT<1eal au-rlKa, fll')Sev flaAaKov
evSlSov-ra<;. Ll.uo yap -rau-ra Kat TOUpKOU<; enoll')<1e fleya
Suva<1eaL, <11tOuSn -re itfla -ro napdval cmav-raxn Ka-raAafl-
~avov-ra<;, o-rou av SEOlV-rO, Kat -rou<; ayaeou<; aflel~e<1eaL
ZI8
BOOK 8
come over to us more quickly, especially when they see that
they will suffer no harm from you. But if you are at odds
with or in fear of each other, then they will be uncertain and
will not easily want to come over to us, and thus your affairs
will not readily be restored for the time being. I urge you to
treat your subjects differently in the future than you have so
far, to reward the good ones as much as possible and punish
the bad ones to the extent of your power; for, as you know
well, with the good ones on your side you will be able to
punish the wicked ones easily and, conversely, you will not
need to permit everything and then forgive it all again. Why
should this cycle happen by itself? For it is clear that once
evil is established in a stronger position, all men who are evil
to you will readily flock to it; you will thus be afflicted by
them, and grievously destroyed. You should also infer from
past events what will be advantageous for you in the future.
For the way things are for you now, that is the way you culti-
vate those who are not well disposed toward you, everything
has the opposite outcome for you. If the sultan had not now
shown favor to you in restoring you to your land, I know
well that your power would have been destroyed and slipped
away. As you have not governed well, it is necessary that you
turn things around. I urge this upon you too, that you not
while away your time at home leaving your affairs to turn
out as chance would have it, but to set out in person if you
perceive an enemy and duly punish him, without yielding to
this softness. Two things have given the Turks great power,
namely the speed with which they attend to and take hold
of matters, wherever necessary, and how they greatly reward
21 9
 THE HISTORIES
t<; 'tit flaAlO''ta, Kat ijv 'tl t<; 'to napov fI~ tnl'tpt'ltf] 'tlflW-
pelO'eal 'tou<; <paUAOU<;, e'(KelV flEV cruyxwpoilv'ta<;, ihou av
StOl, au'tlKa [2.174} St, tnelSitv Ka'tacr'tal'l 'tit npaYfla'tCl,
fI'lKE'tl t1tl'tpEnelv au't4i KClK4i OV'tl t;u~pl!;elv, aA" eueu
bnOVTa CtllUVE<T9at."
40 TClil'ta 't£ OI.eye, Kat tnt 'tou<; AA~Clvou<; napeKaAel 'tOY
vcr'tepov Cl1h4i £neO'em. KCltnpw'tCl flEV ~'lfl~'tpLO<; tAauvwv
afla 'tol<; TOUpKOl<; Ent BopSovlClv Xwpav Epuflv~v, E<; ijv
KCI'tCleEflevol nalSa<; 'te Kat YUValKCI<; ot AA~avot tnt 't4i
O''tOflCl'tl 'te1x0<; 'te EnCjJKoSofl'lO'av Kat nupylov, tv'tailea
a<plKoflevol EnoAlopKOUV afla afl<pw 'tw ~yeflove, KClt
"EAA'lve<; 't£ aflCl KClt ToilpKolnpoO'E~aAAov unopuO'O'ov't£<;
Kal EnelpwV'to £AelV. 'R flEV'tOl vu; tnlyevofllv'l SleKwAu-
O'ev ClU'tOU<; ov'tw EAelv. 'Yno SE ~v VUK'tCl Sla <papayyo<;,
E<; ijv KCle~Kel 'to opo<;, WPfl'lv'to E<; <pu~v. Ot flEV O;;V
ToilpKol CI[O'eoflevol WPfl'lflEVOU<; E<; <pU~V, alJ'tlKCI EnelO'-
neO'ov'te<; ~vSpanoSlO'aV'to avSpa<; 't£ Kal YUVCllKa<; afl<pt
'tou<; fluplou<; yevoflEvoU<;. Me'ta SE 'tClil'tCl E;eAauvov't£<;
a<pIKoV'to E<; ~V 'I9wfl'lV, EvaAAa; EnoflEVou Elwfli'i 'toil
veW'tEpou aSeA<poil 't4i cr'tPCl't4i, KClt Enl nOAlXV'lV l\e'tov
KaAouflEV'lV, np0D'Xwp~O'aO'Clv Kev't'lplwvloAlyCjJ npoO'eev.
Kalnape~O'aV'to flEV'tOl ~V nOAlV, E<p' <!> XlAlCl avSpanoSCI
't4i cr'tpCl'teuflCl'tl KCll 'ta emAa KCll vno!;UYlCl nClpClSlS6vm.
IIpoO'exwp'lO'Clv flEV OUV Clv'tlKCI KCI' ot AOl1tO' 'tWV AA~avwv
'tol<; ~yefl60'l SlanpeO'~eu6f1evol, E<p' <!> EXelV mhou<;, ana
S~ un'lyayov'to, KCI' innou<; KCll vno!;uYlCl, iSO'a eA'ltO'av'to,
fI~ cl1toSlS6vm. 8UVE~'lO'ClV flEV enl 'tOU'tOl<; 't4i ~yeflovl
all'toil £KClO''tO<;. [2.175}
220
BOOK 8
good men. If present circumstances do not allow them to
punish bad men, they yield and are forgiving to whomever
they must, but immediately, when matters are restored, they
no longer allow a wicked person to cause offense and swiftly
move to punish him."
These were his words as he caIled on those behind him 40
to follow against the Albanians. Demetrios was the first
to march with the Turks against the strong position in the
region of Bordonia, where the Albanians had placed their
women and children, having bnilt a wall and tower across its
~arrow entrance. When they arrived both rulers began the
sIege, and Greeks and Turks made joint attacks, undermined
the waIls, and attempted to capture them. But nightfall pre-
vented them from capturing it in this way. During the night,
the Albanians set out to flee through the gorge at the foot of
the mountain. The Turks realized that they were turning to
flight, attacked them, and enslaved both the men and the
women, to the number of about ten thousand. After that
they marched out and went to Ithome, and now it was the
tur~ of Thomas, the younger brother, to follow the army
agamst a town called Aetos, which had gone over to Centu-
rione a short while earlier. They surrendered the city, and
the terms were that it would provide one thousand slaves to
the army, weapons, and pack animals. Thereupon, the rest
of the Albanians sent envoys and went over to the side of
the rulers on the condition that they could keep all that they
had acquired, and that they would not have to return the
horses and pack animals that they had plundered. Each of
them came to an agreement with the ruler on these terms.
221
 THE HISTORIES
4' Tovpaxav'1<; fI£V E~OVA£'tO M8£vij reOlciv '"Ca 1\A~avwv
repa1'fla'"Ca, wer'"C£ '"COU AOlTCOU xpijer8a, a1hol<; ETCl'"C'1 8dw <;
er<pierlv Ere1 '"Co ~vvoier£lv av'"Col<; 80KOUV. 'Ered '"C£ 8ij lfl£AA£V
are£AaVV£lV, a<plKOfl£VO<; aU8l<; E<; A01'OV<; afl<PO'"C£pO'<; '"Col<;
ij1'£flOer,V £'A£y£ '"Cola8£. ":0, ~aerlAci<; 'EAAijvwv, Efl01 fI£V
Ka1 repo'"C£pOV 'tfj8£ ervYY£Vofl£V", £lp'1'"Cal [KaVW<; E<; uflCi<;,
Ct <PPOVWV ,'"Cvyxavw re£p1 '"Ca ufI£npa repaYfla'"Ca. Ka1 vuv
8£ '"Coerov8£ Ctv At1'Ol'"CO, w<; oflovoouerl fI£v repw'"Ca ufllv
EmCtl ii<p80va '"Caya8a, 8l£V£X8cierl 8£ Kal 8iXa 1'£VOfl£VOl<;
'"Cavav'"Cla '"Cov'"Cwv, Ere£l'"Ca 8£ Kal flij ETCl'"Cp£reoverl Ka8' ijerv-
xiav E;v~pi~£lv '"Cou<; vre'1Koov<; E<; uflCi<;, aAAa a<p~'8£~£~
pov KoM~£lV, fI'18£reo'"Ce ijcrvxiav ii1'£lV. :0,<; Ka~o~ fle~ :
apxij, Ka1 ijv <pavAo'"Ca'"C'1 ouera '"Cvyxavn, repOLOvera erel
fI£ya xwpel av'"CiKa u~pew<;, Ka1 reoAAareAaeriwv YlYV Ofl£V'1
au'"Cij i:av'"Cij<; oUKe'"Cl Ka'"CaerX£'tij yiyve'"Cal, w<; 8£ flij a1'a8a'
<piAa yap, E<p' 0 '"Cl CtV '"Cpereol'"Co '"Cl<; Klvovflevo<;, '"COU'"CO w<; '"Cit
reoAAa au~elv Ka1 fI£ya are08dKvver8al, '"Ci CtV ETCl'"C'18euwv
'"Cvyxavel." Tau'"Ca drewv Ka1 8£;lweraflevo<; '"Cou<; ij1'eflova<;
arcijAavve.
42 Ka1 '"COV'"COl<; fI£v E<; '"Couvav'"Ciov Ka'"C£cr'"C'1 Ctreav'"Ca' £1<; yap
'"Co 8epare£ve,v '"Ce'"Cpaflfl£vOl i:Ka'"Cepol, repo<; aAAijAov<; '"C£
yvwfln '"Ca er<pe'"Cepa au'"Cwv 8lev£X8evn<;, Epi~oV'"Ce<; aAAijAol<;
Ewyxavov, 6reonpo<; av flaAler'"Ca eu reolwv <paivol'"Co, wme
80Kciv au'"Coil<; xapi~eer8Ctl. Kal '"ClV£<; '"Cwv reap' au'"Col<; '"Ca
repw'"Ca <pepoflevwv, Eva1'6v'"Cwv '"Ce Ka1 Ere1 ;vvWfloeriav repo-
KaAovflevwv '"Coil<; iiAAOV<;, {2.176} wme 0fl0<Ppovciv,
oU'"Cw KWAuelv 8levoouv'"C0. Au'"Coi '"Ce er<pierl KaK08alflovouv-
'"C£<; Erehpereov '"Ca repa1'fla'"Ca er<pierlv au'"Col<; <p8dpecr8Ctl.
222
BOOK 8
Turahan wanted to weaken the position of the Albanians 4'
so that it would be easier for them {the rulers of the Greeks}
to deal with them in the future in an advantageous way.
When he was about to depart, he spoke with the two rulers
and said the following to them: "0 kings of the Greeks,
when earlier I carne here and met you, I eXplained to you at
length what I think about your affairs. Now I would say this
as well, that, first of all, if you live in harmony you will enjoy
an abundance of good fortune, but if you are at odds wi.th
each other and quarrel you will reap exactly the opposite.
Moreover, do not allow your subjects to offend against you
with impunity but punish them without mercy, so that they
are never at rest. For once an evil has begun, even if it then
happens to be pitifully small, it grows and soon becomes a
great offense, many times the size of its original self, and
then it can no longer be contained, until there is nothing
good left. To whatever one is inclined in his motions, that
he should love", because it will cause him to grow and be-
come great, whatever his interests happen to be." With
these words he bid farewell to the rulers and departed.
They {Thomas and Demetrios} were at odds in every way. 42
Each was susceptible to being courted, they were always fall-
ing out with each other regarding their own interests, and
they competed over their reputation as benefactors, so that
they would seem to be doing many favors. Some of their
leading men even brought in and invited others to form con-
spiracies with the intention of preventing the rulers from
coming to an agreement. III-starred as they themselves
were, they allowed their own affairs to deteriorate. Loukanes
223

THE HISTORIES
AOUlcCtV'l, 'te 0 lleA01tOVV~<1l0" Ka[ 'tlVa, 'tWV Bv~av't[ov
£1Cayo fL evo " <1VV[<1'ta 'te 'tou, lleA01COVV'l<1[OV, 'te &fLa Kal
1\A~avou" £'1" q, <1q>[<1l 'te au'tol" WV EXel £1Cl't'lSdov"
KaAW, 1COAl'teUWaal. Kal WPfL'lv'to fI£v £1C1 A<1av'lv, fleya
Svvaflev6v '"Ce £V lleA01COVV~<14' Kal K6plvaov Kal flo1pav
OUK £Aaxl<1'tl']v 'tij, lleA01COVV~<10V £1Cl'tp01CeUOV'ta. Kal ou
1CpO<1[e'to fI£v ov'to" ouS£ <1vrxwpWv.
43 "Evaa S~ olJ'"Ce, DV t'ta;av'to q>Opov, ;vflq>epofLevwv, OlJ'tE
'twv lleA01Covv'l<1[wv 01he 'twv 1\A~avwv, OUK elxov a1C-
ayelv 't<l' ~a<1lAci. 'Bv S£ au'tol, 6 £1Ct'tEW, q>opo, flUpW'
Kal SlrrxLAlOl XPV<1[ov <1'ta'tijpe,. Ot fltv"EAA'lve, olJ'tw £v
ouSevl AOY4' U1CO <1q>wv au'twv t1Cl'tpl~oflevol Ka'ta ~paxU
iI1CWAAVV'tO. Tov 'te yap q>opov au'to[ 'te ot1\A~avolKal ot
lleA01COVV~<1Wl OUK eq>a<1av a1COSlSOVaL, iiv fI~ 'tl, au'to1,
£1ClSlEAoflevo, 'tijv Xwpav £1C1 'tol, '(<10l, 'te KalofLolol, ;vfI-
~a['l' 1\A"A expfjv fI£v 'tali'ta, ""xn OUK 'tyaan q>epofleva,
'tali't' &pa '{rrxelv <1q>[<1l 't~v 'teAw'tijv, Kal olJ'tw a1CO~~<1E­
<1aal £, 'to fI'lS£v elVaL YEvofieva.
44 Ba<1lAeU, S1: 6 MeXfL£'t'l, 'tijv Sw't£pav E'tl fle'ta 'tijv Bv-
~av't[ov atpE<1lV £<1'"Cpa'teue'to £1C1 Tpl~aAAou, Kal No~o-
1CvpyoV 1COAlV tv'to, 'toli ~a<1lAeW, xwpa, 1Capa 1Co'taflov
Mopa~av KaAoufievov, [2.'77} 0, Kal1Cp6'"Cepov flOl SeS~­
Aw'tal p£wv emo llPl<1'"C[VOV 'tij, ~a<1lAEW, xwpa" Kal £K-
SlSol £, 'tov "I<1'tpov. 'EV'"Caliaa yevoflevo" 'ta <1'"Cpa'teu fl a 'ta
fI£v au't<l' ;ufl1Cav'ta £1CESpaflov 'tijv Tpl~aAAwv xwpav, Kal
aq>l1C1Carrav'to 'tijv xwpav A'l'l<1aflevOl, au'to, S£ £1COAlOPKEl
't~v 1COAlV, 't'lAe~oAol, U1C't[Ol, ~aAAwv 'ta tv'to, 'tii,
1COAEW,. 'E;eup'l'to S£ 't<l' ~a<1lAel 'tou't4' alJ'tl'] ~ 'twv
224
BOOK 8
the Peloponnesian brought in some men from Byzantion
and united the Peloponnesians with the Albanians on the
condition that he would treat well those who were his
friends. They set out against Asanes, who was very influen-
tial in the Peloponnese and Corinth and was governing a
large part of the Peloponnese. But the latter did not let him
approach, nor yielded to him.
As a result, the rulers conld not collect the tribute that 43
had been imposed on the Peloponnesians and the Albanians
and they were unable to deliver it to the sultan. Their an-
nual tribute was now twelve thousand gold staters. Thus the
Greeks, for no good reason, harmed themselves and were
quickly destroyed. For the Albanians and Peloponnesians
claimed that they could not pay the tribute unless someone
were to help them and divide the land between them on fair
and equal terms. But these things had to end in this way,
propelled as they were by an evil fortune, and it brought
about the end for them, their final outcome being extinc-
tion.
In the second year already after the capture of Byzan- 44
tion,50 Sultan Mehmed marched against the Serbs and the
city of Novo Brdo, which is inside the sultan's territory by
the river called Morava. As I mentioned earlier,51 this river
flows from PriStina in the sultan's territory and flows into
the Danube. When he arrived, his entire armies raided the
land of the Serbs and rode back, having plundered the land.
He himself besieged the city, bombing the interior of the
city with his mortars. 52 The construction of these upturned
225
 THE HISTORIES
"'1Ae~OAwv ure'rlwv Ka't'aO'Kw~, Kat Erea<piaO'l floV iivw E<;
't'ov hEpa 't'OV Ai90v, Ka't'a~aivwv So ~aAAel, E<; il 't'l iiv
i9uvOl au't'ov " 't'!']Ae~oAl~<;, O'!,]fleTov KOfll~"flevo<;, Kat
Smfloviw<; 't'urxavel 't'ou O'Koreou E<; 't'OV fl£'t'ewPlO'flov 't'ou
A[90u, Ou't'w flOV OUV TI]V reOAlV -rUmwv Eret ~flEpa<; [Kava<;
~vayKaO'e 't'ou<; EvolKouV't'a<; rep0"XwpijO'al mJ't'<;i, 'Ered 't'e
Sf] repoO'exwp!']O'av, 't'a lrelTCAa Kat 't'a reAdO"t'ou ii~la a<peAO-
flevo<;, Kat floTpav 't'lva areayaywv E<; avSpareoSlO'flov, 't'ou<;
iiAAOU<; <!>KlO'ev au't'ou Ka't'aAlTCWv Sla TI]v fle't'aAAou
EpyaO'iav, ~v flaAlO''t'a Sf] 't'wv 't'au't'n xwp[wv ErelO''t'afl evOl
E-rUrxavov, I1poO'oSo<; So au't'!'] OUK EAaxiO''t'!'] 't'ou ~acrlAEW<;
areo 't'wv Ev't'au9a au't'ou fle't'aAAwv 'tfj<; reoAew<; 't'au't'!']<;,
45 '0 So Tpl~anwv ~yeflwv, w<; jj0'ge't'0 Ere' au't'ov Erelov't'a
~aO'lAta MeXflE't'!']v, <!>Xe't'o flEV Sla~a<; Eret I1aiova<; Kat Eret
Xwvla't'!']v, SeSlw<; fl~ E<; TI]v ~reevSepo~!']v a<plKoflevov
reoALOpKoT't'o Ka't'aO"t'a<;, Kat ESEt't'O flov au't'ou Ereafluvelv
repo~Kov't'[ 't'f Kat ~uyyevEt OV't't. Kat ESOKel flEV KaKdv4'
't'lflWPEtV, Eret So ~reevSepo~!']v lrepacrO'e repo<; ~aO'lAEa
[2,I7 8} yevE0'9m o[ dp~v!']v, Oo't'o<; floV Eree~iw ou reoAA<;i
uO"t'epov, Kat aret9avev, EXWPel So ~ apm repo<; 'EAea~apov
't'ov vew't'epov au't'ou reaTSa, Ol So 't'u<pAot au't'iKa Eret 't'ij
't'fAw't'ij 't'OU ~yeflovo<; xp~fla't'a u<peAOflevol, oO'a EVeXWPel,
a<p[KoV't'o reap a ~aO'lAEa, Kat Xwpav reapexoflEvou 't'ou ~a­
O'lAEW<; [Kav~v TI]v Sim't'av EreoLOuv't'o, BaO'lAeu<; floV ouv
't'ou't'4' EreayoV't'l <popov lKavov, E<; SlO'flupiou<; XpuO'iou
O"t'a't'ijpa<;, O'reovSa<; 't'e Ereol~O'a't'o,
46 Kat E<; 't'o Emov ho<; EO''t'pa't'eue't'o Eret MreeAoypaS!']v
TI]v reoAlv I1movwv, Au't'!'] So ~ reoAl<; <!>KEt't'O, w<; repo't'epov
226
BOOK 8
cannons, was an invention of this sultan, They launch the
rock up Into the air, and as it descends it strikes at whatever
position the artilleryman has directed it, having taken his
al~; they are ,extraordinarily successful at hitting their mark
Wlth hIgh traJectories, By bombarding the city for a number
of days In thIs way, he forced its inhabitants to submit to
h'1m,5JWhen they subnutted,' he stripped them of their ma-
tenal goods and valuables, led a group of them into slavery,
and settled the rest there, leaving them behind to mine met-
als, a skill at which the locals there happen to exceL The in-
come :hat th~ sultan generated from the metal ores pro-
duced In thIS Cltywas substantial,
When the ruler of the Serbs [Duran} learned that Sultan
Mehmed was coming against him, he departed and crossed 45
over to the Hungarians and to Hunyadi, fearing that the sul-
tan nught come to Smederevo and besiege it,54 He asked
Hunyadi, as his friend and relative, to defend him, and he
d~Clded to avenge him, At Smederevo the latter negotiated
Wlth the sultan to achieve peace, The ruler of the Serbs did
not live on much longer,55 and when he die d hi s prInClp
' 'al'Ity
went to Lazar, his youngest son,56 But upon the death of the
ruler, his blind sons filched away as much money as they
c~uld and v:ent to the sultanY The latter provided them
Wlth land SUItable to maintain them, When Lazar paid him a
substantial tribute of twenty thousand gold staters, the sul-
tan made a treaty with him,58
Th: following year Mehmed marched against Belgrade,59 4 6
the CIty of the Hungarians, As I said earlier regarding
227

THE HISTORIES
~Ol S£S~AW'tal btl A~oupa-rew, 'ltapa 'tOY "I,Y'tpov a'l" tvo~
'ltAaylou, a'lto S" E-rtpou e'ltlppeov'to~ :Ea~a 'tOD 'lto'ta~oD
Kat eKS1Sov'tO~ e~ 'tOV "I(Y'tpov a~'l'lppu'to~ ylyv£'tal ~
'ltOA1~ a~'l'0Lv 'toLv 'lto'ta~oLv 'ltapapp£ov'twv. 'E'ltt 'tau'tf]v S"
TIjv M'lt£AoypaSf]v e(Y'tpa't£u£'to M£x~e'tf]~ 0 A~oupa't£w,
Kat 'ltpo-repov e'ltt 'IAAUplou~ O''tpa't£u~a'ta e'ltl'lte~ta~
~you~evou e£pl~£w Kat AAl£w 'tOD M1XaA£W. IIpo~ S" Kat
ev'tfi AO'lq O'Uvij'lt'to au't'" 'ltOA£~O~ 'ltpO~ ~aO"lAea KOAXlSo~
'tij~ Tpa'lt£~oDv'to~. Kat 'tPl~p£l~ e'ltl'lte~ta~ eSnou 't£ 't~v
KOAXlSa Ka't' ~'lt£lpOV Kat Ka'ta 9aAanav ~you~evou 'tOD
Xl't~p£W 'tOD 'tij~ A~aO"la~ u'ltapxou. :o.~ ~ev ouv K~puKa
i!'lt£~'lt£ 'It£playytAAov'ta 'ltape1val au't'" 'ta (Y'tpa't£u~a'ta e~
ASplaVOU'ltOA1V, e;£Aauv£l au'to~ EXWV 'ta~ -re 9upa~ Kat
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:E'lt£vS£po~f]~ ~y£~wv 'tOV 't£ ~aO'lAea Kat 'tou~ ~y£~ova~,
Swpa 'lte~'ltWV w~ ~eylO''ta, 'ltap£O'K£Ua~£'to ~eV'tol Kat
au'to~, f)v M'lt£AoypaSf] aAWO'Ol'tO, au'tlKa Kat au'to~ 'ltOA1-
OpKf]O'O~£vo~.
47 'E'lt£AaO'a~ Se e'ltOA10pK£1 TIjv 'ltOA1V. "EK£l'tO Sla ~eO'ou
'toLV 'lto'ta~oLv to'9~o~, Ema O''taSla ~aAl(Y'ta 'to £upo~.
"Ev9a Si] Ka91(Y'ta~ Kat O''tpa'to'lt£S£uO'a~£vo~ e'ltOA10pK£1
'to ii(Y'tu, Kat E'ltal£ ~"V 'tf]A£~OA01~ 'to 't£LXO~, Kat ot V£~AU­
S£~ 'toL~ O''t£yaO'~aO'lv aYXOD y£VO~£VOl 'tOD 'telxou~
e'to;£uov 't£ 'tou~ IIa[ova~. :E'tpa'to'lt£SOV S" Kat 'tOD'tO
~eya ~aO"lAew~ eytv£'to. 'Evvoou~£vo~ Se 0 ~aO"lA£U~, w~
f)v e'ltlKpa~O'[j 'tOD 'lto'ta~oD Kat ~i] Suva'tot WO'lV ihl'tOD
228
BOOK 8
Murad,60 this city is located by the Danube on one sid b
~n the other sid~ the river Sava flows past it and jOi:~ t:;
. anube; thus, this city is washed on both sides by these two
fivers that flow past it. Mehmed the son of Mur d
marhd . B ' a ,now
c e . agamst elgrade, having first sent armies against
the Illyflans {Bosnians} under the command of p' d
AI'M'hal "1 ITUZ an
6
I I. og U. 1 Moreover, a war had broken out in Asia be-
twee~ him and the king of Kolchis, that is, of Trebizond.
He dispatched tnremes to plunder Kolchis by land and by
sea, und~r the command of HlZlr, the prefect of Amaseia. 62
Meanwhile, he sent a herald around to announce that his
armle~ should assemble at Adrianople, and he too marched
out With the Porte and the janissaries. A full consignment of
bronze for the cannons was conveyed for him by ships and
camels as he marched through the land of the Serbs. The
n:ler of Smederevo 63 provided hospitality for the sultan and
h~s lords, sendmg them magnificent gifts, but he too made
his own preparations: should Belgrade fall, he himself would
then be beSieged.
. hMehmed advanced and besieged the CI' ty.64 . There IS. an 47
1St mos between the two rivers, whose width is about seven
s~ades. He t~ok up his position there, made camp, and be-
~Ieged the CIty, bombarding the walls with cannons. The
prussanes, under their shelters, approached the walls and
shot at the Hungarians. This camp of the sultan was very
large. HIS plan was to gain control of the river and prevent
229
 THE HISTORIES
Aomoli bla~a[VElv ot I1a[ov£, t, 'tf]v 'TC6ALV cmo -rii, av-rL-
m:pav -roli 'TCo-rafloli t'TCafluvElv, pijeov ao-rC;; 'TCpocrxWp~O'£LV
'tf]v 'TCOALV, aAwO'£0'9a[ ot 'tf]v 'TCOALV, t'TCA~POU vau-rLKoV
'TCOAU, 0 Ka-ra 'tf]v 'TCap[O'1CpLOV Xwpav au-roli t;1']p-r6no, KaL
'TCap£O'K£ual;£-ro aflq>L-ra bLaKoO'La 'TCAola, -rali-ra 'TCA1']pwO'a,
-rov n 'TCo-raflov Ka-raO')(l'jO'wv, blaKwAu£LV 'tf]v I1atovwv
ouvaflLv bla~a[v£Lv t, -rl]v 'TCOAlV, KaL -rou, y£ tv 'tfi 'TCOA£L
a'TCOAa~WV tv-ro, -rau't!1 tfl'TCOALOpK~O'£lV. Ta fI£v oi'iv'TCAola
av~yno t, -rOV 'TCo-raflov a'TCO BLo[v1'], -rfi, 'TC6A£W" Ka\
~flEpa, -rLva, tKpa-r£l -roli-ro Ka-ra -rali-ra -ra xwp[a -roli 'TCO-
-rafloli.
48 '0 O£ I1at6vwv ~aO'LA£u, (to'1Cpa-rO'TC£b£U£-ro yap KaL au-
-ro, t, -rl]v Ka-rav-rLKpu xwpav -roli M'TC£Aoypab1'] O'-rpa-r£u-
fla-rL 'TCOAAC;;) 'TCA1']pwO'a, KaL au-ro, 'TCAola -ra Kpa-rLO'-ra, oO'a
t'1tl]v au-rC;; tv -rfi M'TCouOn, Ka-rE~1'] bLa -roli 'TCo-rafloli {2.,80}
w, vauflax[av 'TCOL1']O'ofl£va flna -rwv -roli ~aO'LAEw, 'TCAO[WV.
AVtl£L fI£v KaL -ra ~aO'LAEW, 'TCAola t'TCL 'TCOAU -roli 'TCo-rafloli
Ka-ra -rl]v -rwv I1atovwv xwpav, KaL bnoliv-r£, EKaLOv KaL
tA1']Tl;ov-ro. ME1C' 00 'TCOAU O£ Ka\ " -rwv I1aLovwv O'1COAO,
Ka-rtl£L, KaL tfl~aAov-ra -rol, 'TCAO[OL, -roli ~aO'LAew, Ka-reouO'£
fI£v EO'-rLV ii, £R£ o£ KaL aflq>L-ra, £lKoO'L vali,. KaL ot I1a[o-
v£, oLaXP1']O'afl£voL -rou, iivopa" Ka\ t, -ra, vali, K£va,
ouO'a, -ra O'wfla-ra Ka-ragefl£voL -rwv q>apflaKwv , q>oPfl1']oOV
au-ra -ra;afl£voL, eviiKav q>Ep£0'9at Imo -roli poli t, -ro ~a­
O'LAEW, O'-rpa-ro'TC£Oov. Ka\ Oi'i-rOL fI£v o(J-rw a'TCWAov-rO, at b£
AOL'TCaL Eq>WYOV O''TCoubfi t'TCL-rO -roli ~aO'LAew, 0'-rpa-r6'TC£80v,
KaL t'TCOK£tAav-r£, -ra 'TCAola t, -ro O'1Cpa-ro'TC£80v a'TCE~1']O'av.
23 0
BOOK 8
the Hungarians from being able to cross to the defense of
t~e CIty fr~m the opposite shore; then it would be easy for
him to subject the city to himself and for the city to be cap-
tured by him. So he prepared a large fleet which had been
eqUIpped for him in his territories along the Danube, about
two hundred ships strong. He manned the ships with the in-
tentwn of controlling the river and preventing Hungarian
forc.es from crossing over to the city, so as to cut off the in-
habItants
h' hi of the city and besiege them inside . H e b rougbt
IS S ps up to the river from the city ofVidin and withi
£ d . d na
ew ays game control of this part of the river.
As for the king of the Hungarians 6s - for he too had en- 48
camped across from Belgrade with a large army-he also
manned the most powerful ships that he had in Buda and
brought them down the river with the intention of engag-
mg m a n.aval battle with the sultan's ships. The ships of the
sultan
d h sailed up river far into the land of the H unganans,.
an t ey raided, burned, and plundered. Shortly afterward
the HungarIan fleet arrived and attacked the sultan's shi
sinking some and capturing about twenty.66 The H ps,
kill d . llnganans
e the crews, placed the bodies of the slain victims in the
e.rr'pty ShIPS, arranging the bodies in a crosswise forma-
twn, and let them be conveyed by the current of the river
down to the sultan's camp. That, then, was how they per-
Ished" whde the remaining ships fled in haste back to the
sultan s camp. They grounded the ships and disembarked at
23'
 THE HISTORIES
Tau'ta flEV'tOl au'tlKa 6 ~ao"lAEu<; Evbrp1']o"Ev, w<; liv fI~ btl-
1tAEOV'tE<; au'tC< ot I1alovE<; EAWo"l.
49 Tou flEV OUV 1to'taflou 'to emo 'tOUSE E1tEKpa'tOIJV ot
I1alOVE<;, Kat EKOfllSOV'tO EK -0;<; Ka'taV'tl1ttpav ~1telpOIJ E<;
~V 1tOAlV, E<; 'I'IJAaK~V 'tou 1i0000£O<;, IinOl 'tE Kal S~ Xw-
Vla't1']<; o-UV 'tOl<; 1tEpl au'tov Kal Ka1tlO"'tpavo<; 6 NaS1']palo<;,
0"0'1'0<; 'tE Kal E<; ~v 9p1']O"Kelav av~p 1tapc< 'tOl<; 1tpo<;
EO"1tEpaV i'9VEO"l fltya EUSOKlflwv. ~l' li S~ E1tl 'tou<; EV
BpaYn 'tfi flEyaAn 'tWV Botflwv 1tOAEl E<; ~v 'tou .t\.1tOAAW-
VO<; 'tE'tpaflflEVOIJ<; 9p1']O"Kelav E1t£1tOfl'l'El aiJ'tov 0 apXlE-
pEU<; SElV6v 'tE Qv'ta AtyElV E1tl ~v 'tou 'I1']O"ou 9p1']O"Kdav.
Kal1tonou<; flEV au'tou E<; ~v 'tou 'I1']O"ou flE'ttO"'tl'jo"E So\;av,
1tOAAOU<; SE KaAwv E1tl 'tOu<; ~ap~apoIJ<; 1tOAEfltOIJ<; Qv'ta<;
'tWV 'I1']O"ou, {2.I8I} rEpflavwv 'tE Kat I1atOVWV Kal Botflwv,
E1tElS~ jjEl E<; 'tov 1tOAEflOV 'tou'tov, tlAOU<; Sf. 6v'ta<; 'tou<;
1tAdO"'tolJ<;, ~yE flE9' EaIJ'tou.
50 O;;'tOl flf.V O;;V, w<; fJYYEAAE'tO 'to 'telX0<; 'tou 1i00'tEO<;
Eppl 'l'9al J'jS1'] 1tpo<; 'twv 't1']AE~OAWV Kal KlVSIJVEUElV 't~V
1t6AlV aAWVat, O;;'tOl flf.V OUV, W<; E1tEKpa'tOIJV 'tou 1tOPOIJ,
Ka9' f]O"IJxtav 1tOn~V tKofllSov'to E<; ~V 1tOAlV, ou 1tavIJ
Ka'ta'l'pOVElV Ylyv6f1EVOl 'tli> ~ao"lAEW<; O"'tpa'tli>. BaO"lAEU<;
St, W<; tKavw<; 'tC< 'tdXl'] 'tou 1i00'tEO<; Ka'ta~E~A1']'tO Kal J'jS1']
~ao-lfla ~V, 1tapEO"K£lJaSE'tO W<; 1tpOO"~OA~V 1tOl1']O"OflEVO<;
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1']O"aflEVOl 'tfi vO"'tEpal,. 1tapEO"KEIJasov'to, 'ta<; 'tE fl1']Xav c<<;
1tPM'I'tpOV'tE<; Kal O"'tEyao-fla'ta, W<; E\;EAOUV't£<; ~V 1tOAlV.
'Ev'tau9a 0 -0;<; Eupw1t1']<; O"'tpa't1']y0<; Kapasl1']<;, av~p
YEv6f1EVO<; IiplO"'tO<; 'twv tv 'tal<; ~ao"lAtw<; 9upal<;, 'tEA£IJ'tq
23 2
BOOK 8
the camp. The sultan immediately set fire to them to pre-
vent the Hungarians from sailing against them and captur-
ingthem.
From that point on the Hungarians held the river and 49
were able to make conveyances from the opposite shore to
the city, to strengthen its defenses. Present were Hunyadi
and his men as well as the monk Capistrano, a wise man held
in great religious esteem by the western peoples." Because
of his reputation the pontiff had sent him to the inhabitants
of Prague, the great city of the Bohemians, who worshipped
the religion of Apollo, for he was a persuasive preacher of
the religion of Jesus. He converted many people there to
belief in Jesus," and he roused many, including Germans,
Hungarians, and Bohemians, to fight against the barbarians,
who were the enemies ofJesus. When he came to this war
he brought them with him, but most of them were light!;
armed.
When it was announced that the city walls had been de- 50
molished by the cannons and the city was at risk of being
captured, these men then crossed over to the city-at their
leisure, since they controlled the crossing - but they did not
despise the sultan's army. As for the sultan, when the city
walls had been torn down sufficiently and could be scaled,
he prepared to make an attack that would enslave the city.
The Turks lit the cnstomary fires on the next day and made
their preparations, bringing up their engines and shelters
in order to capture the city. It was there that Karaja, the
general of Europe and a most excellent man of the sultan's
233

THE HISTORIES
U1tO'tWV emo 't* 1tOAEW<; 't'lAE~OAWV. Kat 0 ~a<1IAEv<; ~ufl­
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5'
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av'tov<; lona<; 0pofl4' Ka'taAafl~avElv -ri]v Eau'tou xwpav
eKa<1'to<;, Kat &1tEIA'lflfltvOI<; Xpij<1eal 'tOL<; VE~AU<1IV, 0 'tl av
~oUAwv'tal.
Ol fltV'tOl VE~AUOEo; eWeEV w<; 1tpO<1E~aAOV, av't[Ka t1t-
EI<11tE<10V-re<;, OVOEVO<; <1<j>[<1IV Efl1tOOWV DV'tO<; (U1tE~EKE­
XWp~KE<1aV ~0'l ol I1a[ovE<;, w<; 'to crVve'lfla), Kal vOfl[<1av-
-re<; 1tE<j>euytval d<1EXtoV'tO, wo; to'lAOU'tO fl OI , t<; -ri]v 1tOAIV,
Kat 'tpa1t6flEVOI linoo; liAAn OL~ p1ta~OV -ri]v 1tOALV. 'E1te( O£
'to crVve'lfla to[oo'to Kal 1) <1UA1tlY~ t~flatVEV, ol fl£v 1tEpt
'ta 'telX'11tpo-repov OV'tE<; aVe,<; eeeov t<; 'ta<; E1taA~EI<; Kat
&1tEAafl~avov E'(<1W 'tov<; vE1)Auoa<;, ol O£ 1tEpl XWVIU't'lV
'(EV'tO OflO<1E t1tt 'tovo; VE~AuOa<;. OV'tOL fl£v OVV w<; Ka'tdOov
234
BOOK 8
Porte, was killed by the cannons in the city. The sultan took
the death ofKaraja to heart, and mourned him greatly.
When the sultan decided to make the attack, he sounded 5'
the assault at dawn with trumpets, cymbals, and flutes." He
led the janissaries and attacked the walls. The janissaries im-
mediately scaled the. walls, climbed down from them, and
poured into the city. As they attacked the city. they believed
that they had already taken it. But the inhabitants of the
city and those with Hunyadi were prepared and waiting for
the janissaries to enter. For those stationed on the acropolis
had arranged for a signal so that when the trumpet sounded
it, they should engage with the janissaries. Those on the bat-
tlements and the walls had withdrawn, for they had been in-
structed to do so by Hunyadi, so as to allow the janissaries
to freely enter the city. And when the trumpeter sounded
the signal on his trumpet, each of them was to race back
and take his assigned position; having cut the janissaries off,
they would have them at their mercy.
So when the janissaries made their attack at dawn, they 52
immediately entered the city with no one opposing them-
the Hungarians had already withdrawn from there, awaiting
the signal- and they believed that the enemy had fled. As
I already said, they poured into the city and each of them
turned in a different direction in order to plunder it. Then
the signal was given and the trumpet sounded, and those
who were previously on the walls ran to the battlements and
cut the janissaries off inside, while those with Hunyadi
engaged with the janissaries. When the janissaries saw the
235
 THE HISTORIES
'rOUs a1tO 'r~s aKp01tOAEWS IIalovas cr<plOW e1tlOnas,
aVEXWPOIJV e1tt 'r0 'rETxoS' avaxwpOUert 8e aV'roTs ot IIa[o-
VES e1teKElV'ro xaAE1tWS Kat 8,t<peE,pOV 1tOAV 'rl 1tA~eOS
av'rwv. Ot 8e itAAOl, WS es 'r0 'rETxoS OIPfl'lv'rO Kat EWPWV
Kat enauea 'rOUS IIalovas es 'ras em,A!;ElS, e~la~ov'ro 'rE
'rOUS IIa[ovas Kat U1tEpetoV'rES ~yOV'rO es TIJV 'ra<ppov.
O"'rW flev ovv 'rO'rE ot IIa[ovES £!;Ewcrano 'rous VE~AIJ8as
Kai U1tEpE~a[vov'ro 'rOus ~ap~apoIJS.
53 ME'ra 8e E!;080v KOlV~V 1tol'lcraflEvol ot 1tEpi {2.r83} Ka-
m""pavov Kai ot llAAOl IIalovES 1tpOS 'rous £V 'roTs 'r'lAE-
~OAOlS 'rOU ~acrlAtws, Kal flaXEcraflEvol hpt'irano av'rous
Kal e1tEKpa'rOIJV 'rwv 'r'lAE~OAWV. BacrlAEuS 8e wS Ewpa U1tO
'rwv IIatovwv exofltvolJS 'rOUS 'r'lAE~OAOIJS, 8ElVOV 1tOl'lcra-
flEVOS crIJV£~aAE flev 'rav"l1 Kal eflaxecra'ro tcrxIJPWS, Kai
ov8' WS ~8IJv~e'l e!;wcracreat a1to 'rWV 'r'lAE~OAWV 'rOUS
IIa[ovas, aAN a1t£'rpa1tE'ro. Ot flev 8~ IIa[ov£s eV'rauea
~8'l £1t'lIJAl~OV'rO, Kai 'rOVS 'r£ 'r'lAE~OAOIJS 'rPE'irafl£vOl £S
'ro ~acrlAews cr'rpa'r01t£80v £1ta<p[Ecrav. 'E1tel 8e fl£"'1fl~pla
~v TIJS ~fltpas, Kal 'rouS y'yvoflevolJS 'rP01tOIJS Kat 'ra
YlyvoflEva £1t'lrYeAAE'rO a""oTs 'roTs Ka'rav'rlKpu IIa[ocrlv,
eKofll~ono ~8'l £v'rauea vau'rat OVK OAlYOl av'rwv dS TIJv
1tOAlV flev oVKe'rl, aAN es 'r" ""pa'ro1tE80v. Kai e1tE!;~AeOV
fl£nOl Kat ot 'rou llcr'rEOS Kal eKa'repWeEV ~aAAoV'rES flE'ra
£1tapcrEws £S 'ro 'rou ~acrlMws cr'rpa'ro1t£80v Kal eflaxono,
Kal crK'lvas ;:""'V iis Ka're~aAAov 'rou cr'rpa'r01tt80IJ =xvaS,
Kal 8l~p1ta~Ov ot a~am8ES TIJv ayopav. Kal ~acrlA£us
flEv'rOl £~oa, WS U1t£!;eAOlv'ro 'ras Kopas av'rwv, av'r"S 8£
crUv 'roTS 1tEpl av'rov =ve~aAE [-lEv, Kat hpe'irav'ro 'rOUS
BOOK 8
Huugarians from the acropolis comiug against them, they
withdrew to the wall. In this retreat, the Hungarians pressed
upon them fiercely and killed a large number of them. But
the rest of the Turks, as they rushed to the walls and saw the
Hungarians there too on the battlements, forced their way
through the Hungarians, ran over the walls, and reached the
moat. In this way, then, did the Hungarians repel the janis-
saries and overcome the barbarians.
Then the men with Capistrano and the other Hungarians 53
made a joint sally against the men at the sultan's cannons,
fought them, routed them, and took control of the can-
nons. When the sultan saw that his cannons were now in
the hands of the Hungarians, he was distressed and attacked
there and fought fiercely, but was unable to dislodge the
Hungarians from the cannons, and was routed. The Hungar-
ians had already encamped there and turned the cannons
to fire into the sultan's camp. It was about the middle of
the day and the events and turns of the battle had been re-
ported to the Hungarians across the river, whereupon many
of their sailors now crossed over not to the city but to the
camp. Those in the city came out too and, in elation, they
attacked the sultan's camp from both sides and fought. They
tore down many of the tents in the camp while the azaps
were plundering the camp market. But the sultan shouted
that he would tear their eyes out. Then he and his men made
an attack and routed the Hungarians. He personally killed a
237
 THE HISTORIES
ITalova/;. Kai aino<; ,e iivSpa ITalova aVeAWV ",pWJKe-
,at e<; ,OV fI'lpov, OU fltV'Ol ye e'pa:n:no. Me,it St, w<; e<;
,ou<; ''lAe~OAOU<; e:n:d;lwv ytVOl1'O, ailel<; Ot ITalove<; JU-
J,pa<ptv1'E<; e:n:tKelV1'O ,Ot<; ~ap~apOl<;, Kai hpt:n:oV1'o ,ou<;
afl<pi ~aJlAtW<; iiXPl ,00 J'pa,o:n:tSou. Kai ,ou,ou e<; ,pi<;
yevofltvou S£lVOV e:n:olci,o 6 ~aJlAeu<;, olhe ve'lAUSWV
:n:apoV1'wv au,';> e<; ,~v {2.r84} flaX']v, Kai ,wv iiAAWV ,00
J,pa,o:n:tSou e:n:i ,it<; vOflit<; Kai ,it e:n:m'iSela a<plKoflevwv.
54 KaAeJa<; Sf. ev ,.;> eopu~,!, ,au,'!' ,ov iipxov,a ,wv
ve'lAUSWV, XaJav'lv ,oilvofla Exov,a, e'Aeye ,0 laSe. '''fl
KaKlJ,e avepw:n:wv, :n:oo S~ ~fltV otXOV,at Ot ve~AuSe<;i
ITw<; St JOl :n:apeytvov,o e<; ~v flaX'lVi "H OUK OrJea, olov
Dv,a olov iipxov,a e:n:ol'lJafl'lVi 'AAX Wl, w<;, d fI~ a:n:o-
eavolfll, dJoflevo<; ~v SlK'lv e1tle~JW, ~v iiv <patev
ii:n:av,e<; SlKaw,a,'lv yevtJeal." XaJav'l<; Sf. u:n:oAa~wv
e'Ad;ev, "w ~aJlAeO, ve~AuSt<; dJl flEV ,e,pwflevol Ot :n:oA-
Aoi au,wv, Ot Sf. iiAAol OUK eetAOUJlV u:n:aKou£lv. 'Eyw Sf.
,0ufloV :n:apexoflevo<; JOl, ave' wv iiXe!] flOl, 5'it£l fie ev
fltJ,!, ,wv ITatovwv flaxoflevov ,eA£U~JaV,a U:n:Ep ,wv
JWV :n:paYfla,wv." Tao,' d:n:wv Kai efl~aAwv e<; fltJou<;
,ou<; ITalova<;, av~p ,e ayaeo<; yevoflevo<; evav,lov ,00
~aJlAtw<;, u:n:o ITalovwv a:n:teave. Kal "ve<; ,wv ee-
pa:n:ov,wv au,oii heAeu''lJav ev,aiiea.
55 11<; flEV ,.;> "'pa,o:n:tS'!' ,pe'itaflevol ,OU<; ToupKou<;
e:n:tKelV1'O Ot ITalove<;, :n:Atov EX0V1'e<; ev 'tfi flaX!], :n:apa-
Ylvov,at t:n::n:oSpOflOl ,oii ~aJlAtw<; d<; e;aKl"XlA(OU<;, ou<;
:n:p01'EPOV e:n:e:n:ofl<p£l e:n:i <puAaK~v 1'fj<; :n:apl",p(oU au,oii
xwpa<;, <puAa;ov,a<; 1'E 01 ~JOUJl JUv ,at<; vauJiv Ot
BOOK 8
Hungarian, but was wounded in the thigh; yet he would not
retreat. Later, as he was about to take back the cannons, the
Hungarians regrouped and pressed hard against the barbar-
ians, and turned the sultan's men back, all the way to the
camp. When this happened for the third time, the sultan
was distressed, as he did not have the janissaries present in
this battle, and other elements of his camp had gone out to
forage and gather supplies.
In the midst of this furor, the sultan summoned the lord 54
of the janissaries, who was named Hasan, and said the fol-
lowing: "You evil man, where have our janissaries.gone? Why
are they not here with you, for the battle? Or don't you re-
member what sort of person you were when I appointed you
to such a high command? Come then, if I survive I will exact
a punishment which all will say was most just." Hasan said in
response: "0 sultan, most of the janissaries are wounded,
while the rest are unwilling to obey. But I am here at your
disposal. Instead of being angry at me, watch me now fight-
ing in the midst of the Hungarians and dying on your be-
half" With those words he threw himself into the midst
of the Hungarians, proving his valor before the sultan, and
died at the hands of the Hungarians. Some ofhis attendants
also died there.
When the Hungarians had routed the Turks back to their 55
camp and were pressing hard upon them, having prevailed
in the battle, about six thousand of the sultan's cavalry raid-
ers arrived. He had previously sent them to guard his Danu-
bian lands, specifically to guard places where the Hungarians
239
 THE HISTORIES
I1alove<;, Kat SLaKWAveLV 'te av'tov<;, «I<ne fI~ a1tO~alveLV.
I1apayevoflevOL Sf. OO'tOL E<; 'tOV eopu~OV 'tou'tOV Kat E<;
~V flaX!]V EV flEO"4' 'te E1tOL~O"av'tO 'tou<; I1alova<;, Kat
O"uxvou<; av'twv EV'taUea SLE<peeLpav, fle'ta Sf. 'tpetafleVOL
E!;ewO"ano 'tou<; I1alova<; a1to 'tou <npa't01tESOU t<; 'tou<;
(2.,85} 't!]Ae~oAou<;. Kat OU'tW tnauea ~ flax!] t'teAev'ta
1tpo<; t<Y1tEpaV ~S!].
56 BaO"LAeu<; Sf. w<; av't<!' 'ta 1tpaYfla'ta ijSeL 1tOV!]PW<;
EXOV'ta, 'tOU<; 'te ve~AuSa<; 'tE'tPWflEVOU<; Kat t<; <po~OV
Ka9L<naflEVOU<;, 'ta <npa'tEufla'ta ati't<!, SpaO"fI<!, 'te E1tEXeL-
pEL. NUK'tO<; Sf. yevoflEV!]<; 1tapayyelAa<; E<; 'ta <npa't01tESa
o"uo"Keua~EO"eal Kat1tpo"lEvaL, fi av av'to<; t!;!]YOl'tO, C(1tEXW-
pEL U1tO ~V VVK'ta, Kat t!;EAavvwv ESeSleL, fI~ oi I1alovE<;
't<!' AOL1t<!' O"'tpa'tEvfla'tL SLa~av'te<; E1tLKeOLV'tO, Kat O"<plo"L
xaAE1t~ YEVOL'tO ~ a1taAAan Kat ~ E1t' OtKOU au'twv KOflLS~.
Kat SOKEl av flOL Kat 'tou<; I1alova<; Ka'ta vw'tou YEVEO"em
't<!' ~ao"LAEw<; <npa't<!', ei fI~ 6 Xwvla'tl]<; a1to'tpe1tOflEvo<;
OUK e'ia E1tlSLWKeLV, E1tlO"'taflevo<; 'tOU<; TovpKou<;, E1teLSaV
O"<plo"L KlvSuvo<; E1tLo"'tU, 'to'te 1tOAA<!' 't<!' flEO"4' O"<pwv au'twv
ylyve0"9aL afleivou<; aid Kal aVExoflEvOU<; ylyveO"eaL. ~o­
Kd Sf. Kat U1tO 'tou AOLflou, 8<; E1tEyevE'to 'tol<; I1aloO"Lv E<;
'to <npa't01tESOV Kat E1tlE~eV au'tou<; 1taVU, «I<ne fI!]Sf. ava-
1tVEUO"at E1tt O"uXVov 'tLva XPOVOV.
57 'IwaVV!]<; Sf. au'to<; 'te E'tpWe!] EV'taUea, Kat ou 1tOAA<!'
U<nEpOV a1tEeave. ~oKd Se flOL Kat 'tou'tO flaAL<na a'l'tLOv
YEVEO"em 'tol<; I1aloO"L 'tou fI~ E1tlSLw!;aL 'tov ~ao"LAEw<;
O"'tpa'tov. 'IwaVV!]<; flf.V a1teAavvov'to<; ~ao"LMw<; E1tL~LOU<;
ou 1tOAVV 'tLva Xpovov fle'ta 'tau'ta E'tEAEv't!]O"ev, av~p
24 0
BOOK 8
might land with their ships and hinder them from making
those landings. They came upon this scene of furor and bat-
tle, surrouuded the Hungarians, and killed many of them.
Then they routed the Hungarians and expelled them from
the camp back to the cannons. That was where the battle
drew to a close, as it was already evening.
The sultan realized that this had been a disaster for him, 56
with the janissaries wounded and terrified and his armies at-
tempting to desert him. During the night he instructed the
camp to pack up and follow wherever he might lead them.
He left at night and advanced in fear that the Hungarians
might cross over with the rest of their army and press hard
upon him, and then his withdrawal and retuIU home would
become difficult. It seems to me that the Hungarians would
indeed have followed the sultan's army closely had Hunyadi
not discouraged and forbidden them to do it, as he knew
well that Turks always become stronger by a wide margiu
and hold up better whenever they are threatened with dan-
ger. It seems also that it may have been due to the plague
that had broken out in the Hungarian camp and was weigh-
ing them down, so that they did not recover from it for a
longtime.
Janko himself was wounded there and died shortly after- 57
ward.'o It seems to me that this was the chief reason why the
Hungarians did not pursue the sultan's army. Janko did not
survive for long after the sultan departed, and he died soon
24'
 THE HISTORIES
yevoflevo<; iipLmo<; t<; -ra :n:av-ra, Kat cmo flLKpOU -rLVO<; t<;
floya Suvaflew<;, fleyaAa -re cmoSeL;aflevo<; "pya :n:po<; -re
-rou<; rEpflavou<; Kat BOEflou<;, Kat t:n:t -ra ITaLovwv
:n:paYfla-ra aq>LKOflEVO<; flEya EUSOKLflwV SLEytVE-rO. ITpo<;
Se Kat t<; -rou<; TOUPKOU<; OUK oAlya {2.I86} a:n:oSeL;aflEvo<;
"pya, El fI~ SLa -ro :n:AfjeO<; -re Kat apE~V au-rwv OUK eSOKeL
iiv :n:O-rE :n:epLyevt<rem -rfj<; ~a(J"lAtw<; Suvaflew<;, Kat au-ro<;
£~ iifla tXELpw<ra-ro -ra -rwv ITmovwv mpa-reufla-ra.
A.Xeofltvwv Se au-rQ -rwv AOL:n:WV -rfj<; ITaLOvla<; Suva-rwv,
Kat OUK a;LOuv-rwV u:n:' au-rou iipXe<reaL, oflW<; t:n:EKpa'tEL 'tE
-rwv :n:paYfla-rwv, ;UVOfloAoyoUV-rwv ~S'] KaKElvwv, Kat OUK
tXOv-rwv, a:n:w<; fI~ =yxWPW<rLV avSpt EUSOKLflouV-rL -rE
a:n:av-raXfi, Kat -njv -re ap~v t:n:t -ro Kpa-rLmov -re Kat
a<rq>aAtmEpov SLt:n:OV'tL. ,6.0KU Se oli-ro<; av~p <r:n:ouSft -ra
:n:av-ra Ka-repya~e<reaL, Kat tv StOv-rL xpfj<rem -roT<; :n:paYfla-
<rLV au-rlKa, a:n:oL av StOL, :n:apaYEvoflEVOV. Atye-raL Se Kat
u:n:o AOLflOU a:n:evExetv-ra a:n:oeavuv.
58 ITEpt Se Ka:n:Lmpavou -rO<rOVSE tmmaflEvo<; flv~fI,]v
:n:OL~<r0flaL, w<; BepvapSlvou -rou KavLAlou yevoflEvo<;
o:n:aSo<;, flEyaAa t<; ~v -rou Kuplou 'I']<rou ep']<rKElav
SLSa;av-ro<;, Kat au-ro<; t:n:t fleya So;']<; -re Kat KAeou<;
txwp']<rev ava :n:iX<rav <yxESOV -rL ~v E<r:n:Epav, t<; -ra :n:pw-ra
aV~KWV croq>la<; -re iifla Kat eewpla<;. Kat -rQ flev S~ BEp-
vapSlv~ 'tEAw-nj<rav-rL Ot :n:Ept -r~v 'I-raAlav avayou<r[ -rE
-rLfla<; w<; ~pw'i Kat vaou<; aVOLKoSOflou<rL, Kat tEpwfleva
tcr-rtv au-rQ OUK oAlya ava -r~v 'I-raAlav ayaAfla-ra w<; avSpt
Euayu -re Kat SaLflovl~ yEvofltv~. Mye-raL Se Kat eaufla-
-ro<; ii;La -rou avSpo<; -rouSe a:n:oSeSeLYfltva. Tou-rou Se (,
BOOK 8
after that. He was a man excellent in all respects, having
risen from insignificance to a position of great power, per-
forming great deeds against the Germans and Bohemians,
and was held in great esteem while he was managing the af-
fairs of the Hungarians. His achievements against the Turks
were also numerous. And it does not seem that he would
have prevailed over the sultan's power, if it were not for the
number and valor of his feats, when the sultan, attacking at
dawn, overcame the Hungarian forces.71 He was hated by
the other powerful men of Hungary, who did not want to be
ruled by him; nevertheless, he mastered the situation and
obtained their consent as they were in no position to resist
a man held in such universal esteem, who strengthened the
realm and made it much more secure. This man seems to
have accomplished everything with ardor, and he handled
all situations properly by being present wherever he was re-
quired. It is also said that he was carried off by the plague
and died that way.
Regarding Capistrano, I will record for posterity what I 58
know. He was a follower of Bernardino of Siena,72 a great
preacher in the religion of Lord Jesus, and he himself at-
tained great fame and glory throughout almost the entire
west, reaching the highest degrees of wisdom and contem-
plation. When Bernardino died, the Italians bestowed on
him the honors of a hero and built shrines for him. There
are many statues of him throughout Italy that are sanctified
as to a holy and supernatural man. It is said also that the
man performed verifiable miracles. Giovanni Capistrano,
243
 THE HISTORIES
Kanl<Yrpi'ivo<; 'Iwavv'l<; YEVOflEVO<; onaSo<;, w<; E'lp'l'ral, Ka1
non~v ~v xwpav enEA'lAV8w<; nEplt'JEl S'lfl0<Y(q SlSMKWV
'rn 'rE IiAA!], ,t<plKE'ro S~ Ka1 e<; Boeflov<; SOKoona<; alpE<Ylv,
~v 'rOO nvpo<; 8p'l=dav 'rE {2.187} t<; 'ra flaAl<Y'ra, Ka1
fI'lSafl oo ~n <Yvv'rl8E<Y8al 'rft 'rWV AOl?tWV 'ral)'r!] 8P'l<YKElq,
aAA: aAAO(W<; cppOVOOV'ra<; 'rE Ka1 fI~ nEl80fltvov<; 'rot<; AOl-
not<; ava ~V BOEfI(av aSpavfj. 'Enl 'rou'rov<; aCPlKOflEVO<; 6
Kam<Y'rpi'ivo<; t<; 'ro 'rWV AOlnwv Botflwv SOYfla Ka'rE<Yr'1<YE.
Ka1 fltya EUSOKlflwV tn1 <Yocp(q 'rE Ka1 <YVve<YEl tnl'r'1 Sdw <;
'rE ~rrxE 'rWV IIaloVWV ~a<YlAea, Kal Sla 'roo'ro <YVVEnEAa~nO
Ka1 'roo npo<; 'ro\><; ToupKov<; nOAeflov, w<; S~ npo'rEpoV flOl
SES~AW'rat.
59 Ba<YlAEa S~ 'rOO'rOV 01 IIaiovE<; tn'1yayov'ro ano rEp-
flav[a<;, aSEACPlSOOV YEvoflEVOV 'roo ~lYl<YflouvSoV ~a<Yl­
AtW<;. Too'rov yap ncaSa hl iSv'ra flE'ra ~v tv Bapv!] 'rE-
AEV~V 'roo ~a<YlAew<; 'roo AaSl<YAaov, tnpE<Y~Euono npo<;
lU~ep'rov 'rOV ~lYl<YflouvSoV 'roo ~a<rlAew<; aSEACPOV, 0<;
enE'rPOnEVE 'roo nalSo<; Kal nEplaywV t<; ~v 'haAlav dXE
flE8' eav'roo. Kal yap 'rOl Ka1 61U~ep'ro<; O1)'rO<; ~a<rlAE\><;
'rfj<; rEpflavia<;, aCPlKOflEVO<; en1 'rov 'Pwflaiwv aPXlEpta
aU'rOKpa'rWP 'rE anESElX8'l iJno NlKoAEw 'roo aPXlEptW<;,
Ka1 anlWV enl ~v apmv au'roo wPfl'l'ro tn1 ToupKov<;
<Y'rpa'rEuE<Y8al. Oi)'ro<; St fleya ilA~lO<; WV, li'rE aU'rOKpa'rOpa
'Pwflaiwv YEvoflEVOV unESt!;av'ro 01 ev 'rn 'haAlq Kal
fI£yaAw<; t'rifl'l<Yav. IIapa 'rou'r'l' fey} 'r", ~a<rlAd Blevv'l<;
Sla'rpi~ov'ra 'rOV ncaSa tl'roov'rO 01 IIaiovE<;' Kal w<; E'rl
ncaSa'rE ilv'ra, Kal S£lflaivwv nEp1 au'r"', OUK tS(Sov 6 ~a­
<YlAEU<;. Ka1 Ka'ra<YraV'rE<; tnoAeflovv au'r'" ol IIa(ovE<; tnl
244
BOOK 8
then, was his follower, as I said, and he traversed many lands
and went around preaching in public. Among other places,
he came also to the Bohemians who believed in a heretical
cult, in that they mostly worshipped fire; they still did not
at all accept the religion of the others in that region as they
had different beliefs, and they were not persuaded by the
others who lived in the weak parts ofBohemia.'3 Capistrano
came to them and brought them over to the doctrines of the
rest of the Bohemians. He was greatly esteemed for wisdom
and pru.dence and was on close terms with the king of the
Hu~garlans {Ladlslaus V}, which is why he joined the war
against the Turks, as I said earlier.'4
The Hungarians had brought this king in from Germany, 59
a nephew of King Sigismund.'5 He was still a child when
King Wladislaus died at Varna,76 and they sent an envoy to
Albert, the brother of King Sigismund, who was the child's
guardian and had taken him to Italy with him In fact this
Albert was king of Germany and he went to the pont:ff of
the Romans and was made emperor by Nicolaus, the pon-
tiff77 He returned to his principality and set out to cam-
paign against the Turks. 78 He was extremely wealthy and
as he became emperor of the Romans, he was well received
and greatly honored by the Italians. The Hungarians re-
quested the child while he was residing with this king at Vi-
enna. But as he was still a child, the king was concerned for
him and did not hand him over.79 So the Hungarians were in
245
 THE HISTORIES
cruxv ov 'nva Xpovov, Ka1 S~ Katnptcr~£lI; tnt 'tOV 'pw~']<;
apXLEpta nt~noV'tE<; ~!;[OUV mp[crl 'tOV ~acrlAta anoS[So-
creat, el St ~~, I:mov'ta<; ~~ avdvat nOAE~ouV'ta<; 'tE {2,I88}
Kat Snouv'ta<; ~V xwpav, 1:<; 0 av imaywv'tal mp[crlv 1>no-
XelpLOV, 'EVES[SOU ~£V'tOl ucr'tEpOV, Kat 'tOV 'tE muSa an-
tnE~i'EV I:n1 't~V ~aCYlAelav,
60 "'0<; acplKo~EVO<; 1:<; Mno1>S']v, Kat ano MnEAoypaS']<;
'tov ~aCYlAtw<; cr'tpa'tov anwcra~Evo<; Sux 'tou Xwvla'tou,
~E'ta 'tau'ta ou nOAuv 'tlva Xpovov ~LOU<; l:'tEAEU't,]crE. AtyE-
'tat ~tV'tOl Kal 1>no 'tlVO<; AaupEv't[OU XESpExa~apEw 'tou
av'tEnapxou KWVELOV t~mov'ta an08avETv. l\yO~EVO<; St
'tou KEA'tWV ~amAtw<; 8uya'ttpa OUK ~cp8'] 'tOV ya~ov
nOl~cracr8at. t'tEAEU't1']crE yap nplv ~ acplKtcr8at ~v yu-
vaTKa au'tQ 1:<; 'ta ~acrlAEla. TEAeu~crav'to<; ~tv oov 'tOU'tou
Sl']vtx8']crav ot ITalovwv npw'tol 1:<; aAA~Aou<;, Kat 1:<; Sla-
cpopav acplKo~tvwv au'twv I:nEKpa't']crav ot 'tou XWVla'tou
naTSE<;. ''OpAlXOV yap ~yE~ova 'rij<; ITatOVWV xwpa<; ou
cpauA']<;, Ka1 £xoV'ta avw~aAw<; npo<; 'tov Xwvla't']v £'tl
nEplov'ta, w<; I:'tEAEU't']crEV, ~!;[ou, w<; avSpt yEVO~£V'l'
crcpiCYlv ai'ti'l' ~EyaAwv cru~cpopwv 1:<; 'tou<; TOUPKOU<;, ~~'tE
'tou<; muSa<; Sla 'tl~ij<; KEK'rijcr8all:v 'tft cruYKA~'t'l', I:Kdvov
'tE avocrlw'ta'tov ~you~evou<; 'tou<; naTSa<; I:!;EAauvElv I:K
'rij<; apm<;. 'EV'tau8a 'tou<; Xwvla'tou naTSa<; I:v 'tft
KA~'t'l' I:nm']S~crav'ta<; 'tQ 'GpA[X'l' Kat ano'ta~ov'ta<; ~v
KEcpaA~v au'tQ 0'{xecr8al. Tou'to xaAEnw'ta'ta ~tv S~ I:VEy-
KOV'tE<; ol ITa[ove<; 'tov 'tE naTSa 'tou Xwvla'tou Ka8dp!;av
1:<; 't~v MnEAoypaS']v' ~d ou nOAu St ao8l<; SlEnpa!;a'to,
Ka11:!;EA8wv Ka'ttCY't'] 1:<; ~v ~aCYlAelav ITalovwv, ~acrlAEU<;
BOOK 8
a state of war with him for a long time and even sent envoys
to the pontiff of Rome demanding that he be given to them
as th~ir ki~g. If not, they would not let up in attacking him,
fightmg him, and plundering his land, until they had sub-
Jected It to themselves. Later he relented and sent the child
to be crowued king. 80
Ladislaus arrived at Buda and, through Hunyadi, repelled 60
the s:ltan's army from Belgrade. He did not live long after
that. It IS also said that he died when he was given hem-
lock to drink by the deputy governor, a certain Laurentius
Hedervari. He was engaged to the daughter of the king of
the French, but he did not manage to marry her: as he died
before she arrived at the palace. 82 When he died, the Hun-
ganans fell out first with each other, and the sons of Hun-
yadl prevailed in the ensuing struggle. Ulrich was the ruler
of a significant part of Hungarian territory and he was not
on good terms with Hunyadi when the latter was still alive.83
When he died, as Ulrich regarded him as a man who had
caused their people great misfortunes at the hands of the
Turks, he demanded that his sons receive no positions of
honor from the senate and that they should be expelled
from the kmgdom for considering him a most unholy man.
Thereupon the sons of Hunyadi jumped upon Ulrich in the
senate, cut off his head, and fled,84 The Hungarians consid-
ered this a horrible offense and they imprisoned one f
cruy- H unyad"I s sons at Be1grade 85 But soon afterward he made 0
some deals, was freed, and ascended to the throne of the
247
 THE HISTORIES
8e clTCe8elxe1'] rruvalpO'tJflEVWV aUT'iJ TWV TO'U 1taTpO<; e1tlT1']-
8elwv. tJ.01Cel 8e Kal xp~flaO'l 1tO'AAO'l<; 8la1tpa;aflevO'<; Kal
aVaKTWflevO'<;, O'TpaT6v [2.189} -re W<; flEY'O'TO'V TWV KaTa
'ri]V I1m6vwv xwpav TPE'l'WV, E1tl 'ri]v ~aO'lAelav I1movwv
xwpfjO'al. 'IAOK1']<; flev Kal1tpwTa XWVlaTt] 8la'l'ep o fl ev O'<;,
Kal umepO'v T'iJ 1tal8! aUTO'U e<; 'ri]V ~aO'lAelav 1tapeA1']-
AtJeOTl 8,eveXeel<; OUK £O'aKOUelV ou8e 1teleeO'em ~eeAe,
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8Yj £1tl TOV XWVlaTotJ 1ta18a, e<; TOV vewTepov 1tepleA~AtJeev
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TOV £1tOA£flel, fleyaAa a1t08elKvuflevo<; fpya, Kal Bpayav
Te Kal BotflotJ<; u1t1']yayeTo, wme otllfl'l'w Ta<; Yjyeflov[a<;
v1t1']K60tJ<; yeVEO'eal.
6, 'D.pfl1']TO 8Yj oliv, W<; Ka! 1tp6-repov flOl 8e8YjAwTm, I>
aVTOKpaTWp OUTO'<; 1U~epTO<; e1t! ToupKotJ<; Kal MeXfI£-r1']v
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xwpa<; aUTwv, Kal ayopav 1taptXeO'em aUT'iJ TO\><; I1a[ova<;
1tpoayopeuwv. Ot 8, tmAeyofievol £V O''l'[O'lV athol<;, w<;, fjv
£1tlKpa-rYjO'WO'l Tii<; ElpQ:K1']<; Kal £1tl flEya xwpYjO't] 8tJvaflew<;,
£1taVlWV KaTaO'Tpto/eTal O''l'a<;, OUK f'l'aO'av 8l80vm aUT'iJ
£KovTe<; elvm 8,e;,Eva, 8,a -rfj<; xwpa<;. Ot flev 8Yj OUTW
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8£ TWV 1tpEO'~ewv V1telO'avTe<; llv8pa<; KaTa 'ri]v 1>86v, ii
EfleAAov 8le;ltvm, aveAelv aUTo\><; 111tav-ra<;, Kal OUTW Tpa-
1t0fl£vOtJ TOU aUToKpaTop0<; 'Pwfla[wv £<; 'ri]v TWV 1tp£O'~ewv
Epwvav alie,<; £<; 1toAeflov KaTamav-ra<; 'l'Epelv aAA~AotJ<;.
BOOK 8
Hungarians, being appointed their king with the assistance
O'f sO'me O'f his father's friends. 86 It seems that he bribed
many peO'ple with mO'ney and wO'n them O'ver to' his side
maintained the largest ar~y in the land O'f the Hungarians:
and gamed the kingship. Ujlaki, whO' had previO'usly been at
O'dds with Hunyadi,87 nO'w fell O'ut with his sO'n, whO' had
gained the throne, and did nO't want to' listen to' him O'r O'bey
him. But after that they came to' an agreement O'n terms and
he O'beyed him. Thus the rule O'f the Hungarians came to' the
yO'ungest sO'n O'f Hunyadi. He waged war against Albert,
the king O'f the RO'mans, perfO'rming great deeds, and he
subjected Prague and the BO'hemians SO' that bO'th principal-
ities became subject to' him.88
Anyway, as I said earlier, this emperor Albert set O'ut to' 6,
campaign against the Turks and Mehmed. 89 He prepared an
army and sent envO'ys to' the Hungarians, asking to' be per-
mitted passage througb their lands and requesting that the
Hungarians provide markets fO'r him. But they thO'ught this
O'ver amO'ng themselves and cO'nsidered that, if he were to'
talce cO'ntrol O'fThrace and gain such great PO'wer, he WO'uld
cO'me back and O'verthrow them, and SO' they said that they
were nO't willing to' allO'W him passage thrO'ugb their lands.
SO'me say that is hO'W it happened. 90 Others again say that
the Hungarians replied in reasO'nable terms to' his embassy;
yet while the envO'ys were O'n their way back, sO'me men set
an ambush fO'r them O'n the road alO'ng which they were to'
pass, and killed them all. The emperor O'f the RO'mans made
an investigatiO'n regarding his envO'ys and this led to' a state
249
 THE HISTORIES
TaUTa fI£v S~ {2.I90} OUTW y£veO'9at AeY£Tat emo TWV TIal-
OVWV t<; TOU<; r£Pflavou<; 1'£ Kat aUTOV ~aO'lA£a 'l\A~£pTOV.
TaUTa fI£V tv {T£O'l mivo oAlyOl<; tY£V£TO.
62 bu, S~ TaUT'1V ~V Sla'{>OpaV Y£V£O'9al T~V tv Mavw!]
TOU 'Pwflalwv apXl£p£W<; SlatTaV :n:pOO'KaA£O'afltvoo TOU<;
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flavwv Kal TIatOVWV Kat TWV KaTa ~V 'haAlav ~Y£flOVlWV
Kat :n:OAlT£lWV. Kat t:n:£~£A9wv a:n:o -cfj<; 'Pwfl'1<; t<; Mavw'1v
T~V crVvoSov t:n:OlEtTO, ii S~ O'0V£AeyovTo a:n:av1'£<; ot TWV
t<1:Jt£plwv ~MlAewv Te Kal ~yeflovwv :n:p£O'~el<;. TIpo£geTo
:n:ept Tii<; MeXfI£Tew ~aO'lAtw<; TOUpKWV Ka9atp£O'ew<;, Kat
tK£Aeoe yvwfl'1V a:n:0,{>alveO'9al ~va ~Ka<1TOV TWV :n:apovTwv
:n:p£O'~ewv u:n:o TWV O''{>eT£pWV ~aO'lAeWV 1'£ Kal ~yeflovwv.
Kat u:n:eO'XOVTO S~ EVTau9a ot flEv aUTwv Xp~flaTa ot Se
Kat avSpa<; O'0fl~aA£O'9at E<; TOV :n:oAeflov TOvSe. "Ev9a S~
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:n:aVTWV TWV et<; ~V tepaTelav TeAOUVTWV, Kat aTTa S' av
TWV XP'1f1aTWV O'0Va9pOlO'9fj, E<; TOV :n:oAeflov TOUTOV a:n:o-
TaneO'9at, Kat OUTW avSpa<; E<; Ta TOlaUTa ETa~aVTO. MeTa
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'{>epoflevov, B'1O'O'aplwva KapSlVaALOV TOV a:n:o Tpa:n:e-
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Te<; O'0fl~aA£O'9al E<; TOV E:n:t TOU<; ~ap~apoo<; :n:6Aeflov.
{2.I9I}
63 TaUTa f't\v-rOl T<!> TIL,!, apXlepEt E:n:e:n:ol'1To afllAAwfI£v'!'
BOOK 8
of war berween them. And that is what is said to have been
done by the Hungarians to the Germans and to King Albert
himsel£ These events took place during the course of only a
few years.
On account of this dispute, the pontiff of the Romans 62
called for a conference at Mantua and he invited the kings
and rulers of the Castilians, French, Germans, and Hungari-
ans, and the leaders of the principalities and republics of It-
aly.9! He then proceeded from Rome to Mantua" and con-
vened the synod, where envoys from all the kings and rulers
of the west assembled. The topic that he proposed for dis-
cussion was the destruction of Mehmed, sultan of the Turks,
and he urged each of the ambassadors present to express
the opinion of his own king or ruler. Thereupon some of
them promised to contribute money to this war and some to
contribute men. It was agreed that one tenth of the reve-
nue that was gathered in common to support all the clergy
would be set aside for this war along with whatever other
funds were collected, and they appointed men to oversee
this. Then they decided to reconcile the Germans with the
Hungarians, and they sent a man most esteemed among
them for his learning, Cardinal Bessarion of Trebizond, as
envoy to both sides, to reconcile them to each other and re-
solve their differences. 9J And they dispatched other envoys
to various places regarding present business, to ask them to
contribute to the war against the barbarians.
These things were done by the pontiff Pius in emulation 63
 THE HI STORIES
E<; -rOU<; repo-repoo<; au-rov aPXLeper<;. Kal yap -rOL Kal 6
NLK6Aew<; aAouO'1')<; 'rij<; Bo~av-rloo reoAew<; <rUvoSov EreOL-
er-ro, repo-rpere6fLevo<; -rou<; repo<; EO'TCEpaV "yefLova<; Erel -rov
~ap~apov, Kal Myov O'tlXVOV reOLoufLevo<; reapeKaAeL. Ou
reoAAcjJ Se ()<r-repov E-reAeu-r1')O'ev, a-reAfj Ka-raALTCwv -rau-r1')v
au-rcjJ -rf]v areoSeL;Lv. Tov SE EuO'e~loo apXLepEw<; fLe-ra
NLKoAew -rf]v "yefLovlav reapaAa~ov-ro<;, OpKOV reoL"O'a-
O'SaL l<rX0po-ra-rov, Kal EV ypa<pfi reapaSLSov-ra, apweO'SaL
fL1:v vao-rLKoV area Neare6Aew<;. Tov yap -rOL l\A<povO'ov
<r-rpa-r1')yov <AEO'SaL E<; -rov Erel -rou<; ~ap~apoo<; reoAefLov.
Kal -rau-r1')v aveAofLEvoO -rov IlapSevoTC1')<; ~aO'LAEw<;,
EKreEfLtaL -rpn'lpeL<; SeKa Erel-rf]v -rwv ~ap~apwv xwpav, w<;
-re apxtJv reoLOufLevo<; 'rij<; E;6Soo. Tau-ra<; fLEV-rOL -ra<; vav<;,
Kal ouSev ()O'-repov reAeioo<;, ;OVE~1') a<pLKEO'SaL E<; 'PoSov,
Kal -rau'tJ] 6pfLLO'afLEva<; Ev-revSev wPfLfjO'SaL Erel -rf]v ~a­
O'LAeW<; xwpav, -rf]v 'rij<; 1\O'la<; reapaALOV, Kal SnwO'aL fL1:v
DAlya ana 'rij<; ~a<rLAEW<; xwpa<;, treLTCAEov-ra<; Se Ka-ra-
<r-rPEta<rSaL -rf]v AfjfLvov, gxov-ro<; -rau'r1'jv -rov ~aO'LAew<;,
fLe-ra Se -rav-ra "IfL~poV Kal-ra<; AOLTCa<; -rwv -rau'tJ] v~O'wv EV
-rcjJ Alyalw -r~v yap -rOL ~KVpOV Kal ~KoreeAov Kal -ra<;
aAAa<;, w<; EaAw Bo~av-rLov ureo ~a<rLAEW<;, Erel Oueve-rou<;
hpareov-ro, Kal E<rX0V -rau-ra<;. 'EvLao-rov Se reepLTCAeOv-re<;
-ro Alyalov au-raL al -rpL~peL<; OUSEV -rL {2.192} a;LOv A6yoo
areeSelKvov-ro. Kal w<; ouS£v £-rL EreEreAeL area 'haAla<;,
auSL<; EreEreAeov Erel 'haAla<;, O'KeSaO'SEv-re<; -rau'tJ] ava -ra<;
reoAeL<;. Kal EuO'e~l'l' fLEv -rcjJ apXLepci E<; -roSe EnAeu-ra "
reapaO'Keo~.
64 Me-ra S1: Illo<; 6 aPXLepeu<; w<; Erel -rf]v ~yefLov[av
BOOK 8
of his predecessors in the papacy. For when the city of Byz-
antion fell, Nicolaus had also convened a synod where he
roused the rulers of the west against the barbarian, and he
often used to. speak and make appeals about this. Shortly af-
t~rward he dIed, leaVIng this project unfinished. 94 The pon-
tlf~ Eusebms succeeded Nicolaus and took a powerful oath,
which he put in writing, that he would outfit a fleet to sail
from Naples. 95 Alfonso {V} was chosen general in command
of the ,,:ar against the barbarians. So the king of Parthenope
took this matter up and sent ten triremes against the land
of the barbarians to launch this expedition. 96 It happened
that these ten ships-and no more after them-arrived at
Rhodes: They put in there and, using it as a base, they set
out agamst the sultan's territory, the coast of Asia, and they
plundered a small part of it; then they sailed on and con-
quered Lemnos, which was held by the sultan, and after that
Imbros and the rest of the Aegean Islands in that region. For
Skyros, Skopelos, and the rest had turned to the Venetians
when Byzantion was captured by the sultan, and they held
these islands. 97 So for a year these triremes sailed around
the Aegean, accomplishing nothing worthwhile. As no more
ships were coming to join them from Italy, they then sailed
back to Italy and dispersed among its cities. And that was
the end of the expedition organized by the pontiffEusebius.
Later, when the pontiff Pius ascended the throne", he 64
253
 THE HISTORIES
a<pLKe'to, TIjv ev Mavwt] SLm'tav enOl~Oa'tO a'te S~ Ka'ta-
o'tao[v -re Kat oUAAOYOV nept 'twv KaeI]KOV'tWV au't'"
npay~a'twv £, 'tOY ent ~aolA£a Mex~t'tl]v nOAe~ov. Bl]o-
oapLwv ~ev S~ tnt llaLova, a<plKo~evo, Kat t, rep~avou,
'ta 'te aAAa SteAtxel], Kat TIjv npo, aAA~Aou, Sla<popav
Ka'taAuetV netpw~evo" oux 010, -re tytve'to t, 'tau'to a~<pw
;uvayaywv SlaAAa;aL. AAAa anpaK'to, ~Ev anexwpet,
tSOKet S' au'toT, ana 'haALa, wP~I]~£VOl, 'tovSe o<pC!, apa-
Oeal 'tOY nOAe~ov ana 'tfj, ~ndpou. Tau'ta ~f.V t, 'tooou'tov
ty£ve'to Ka'ta 't~v tv Mavwt] SLm'tav.
65 El~l Se tn' tKeLVO 'tou AOYOU, ileev tnl 'tooou'tov e'tpa-
nO~l]v, t, 'tooou'tov Ste;IWV 'tOY AOyOV. Tou yap 'tOl tnlyl-
vOfl£vOU e£pou, an£XPI] flev 't", ~aolAeL MeXfI£'tD, KaKw,
npal;av'tl £, TIjv tnt lla[ova, i!AeuOlV, ~ouXLav ayetv,
O'tpa'teu~a'ta Sf. "ne~nev aAAt] 'te Kal tnt LKevStpl]v 'tOY
'I~avew naTSa, t<p' (Iv S~ Kat " naTIj p O'tpa'teuoa~evo,
Ka'tao'tp"Vaoem ouX 010, 'te ty£ve'to. 'Il]oouv Sf. 'tOY
Bpev£~ew naTSa antSet;e o'tpa'tl]yov, napaSou, 'to 'te ana
<l>eppwv O'tpa'teufla Kat 'to napa Al;IOV Kal 'to ana 0e't-
'taALa,. 'HyoufI£vOU Sf. 'Il]oou 'tou Bpevt~ew tot~aAAe
npo, 'tOY 'IovLOV [2.193} 'tfj, MaKeSovLa, xwpov, Kal tS!'iou
'ta noAAa au'tfj,.
66 LKevStpl], Sf. OU'to, Slanpeo~euoaflevo, npo, 'tOY
'Pwfll], 'te apXtepta Kat npo, ~aolA£a AA<povoov 'tOY llap-
eevonl], (tm'tl]Sdw, 'te "oxe Kat ouv~ew, 't", ~aolAeL
'tou't4'), Sl' a S~ Kat 'tOY npo, ~aolAta nOAeflov 'tfjv 'te
Kpoul]v naptSwKe 'tou't4' 't", ~aolAeL Kal ~l;[ou au't'"
U~KOOV dvm. "Evea S~ Kat o'tpa'tov ne~ov lKavov
254
BOOK 8
called the conference of Mantua to bring together and orga-
nize what was required for his war against Sultan Mehmed. 99
Bessarion went to the Hungarians and the Germans and
discussed many matters with them, and, in particular, he
tried to resolve their differences. But he was unable to rec-
oncile them to each other and bring them to an agree-
ment. IOO He departed without accomplishing anything, and
so they decided to set out and launch this war from Italy,
over land. That, then, was what happened at the conference
of Mantua.
I return now to that point of my narrative from where 65
I have for so long digressed, and pick up the thread there.
The following summer,lOi Sultan Mehmed, who had fared
so poorly in his attack against the Hungarian"" should have
been content to remain at peace, but he dispatched his
armies against various enemies and especially against Skan-
derbeg, the son of Gjon, against whom his father had also
campaigned, but he had been unable to subdue him. He ap-
pointed as general Isa, the son of Evrenos,102 and he gave
him the armies that were stationed at Serres, by the Axios
River, and Thessaly. Under th~ command of Isa, the son of
Evrenos, these armies invaded the region of Macedonia by
the Adriatic Sea and plundered a great part of it.lO)
But this Skanderbeg sent envoys to the pontiff of Rome 66
and to King Alfonso of Parthenope-for he was on close
and friendly terms with this king-and through them he
transferred both this war against Mehmed along with Kruje
itself to that king and asked to be his subject. 104 Thus the
255
 THE HISTORIES
Sla1tOp 9 f1 EU <1a<; 6 IIap9Evo1tl]<; ou-ro<; ~a<Y1AEU<; emo 'Ia1tu-
yia<; E<; 'E1tiSaflvov Kalltpxona -rWV 1tap' i:au-r<;i EAAoyiflwv
Eva <1-rpa-rl]yov E1tl -n'Jv ~a<11Aew<; eAI]'t~ov-ro xwpav. ME-ra
Sf Ka-ra<Y't:av-rE<; E1tOA10PKOUV 1toAiXVI]V L<PE-ril]v KaAoufle-
vl]v, e;EAElv ~oUAOflEVOl. 'Ev-ra09a 1tu90flEVO<; 1tapa -rWV
<1<pE-repwv '11]<100<; 0 BpEve~Ew, Kal1tapaAa~wv -rou<; e<; -rov
l\;lOV l1t1toSpoflou<; Kal IIEppat~wV <Y't:pa-rov, Kat -n'JV
-raxi<1't:1]v E1tElyoflEVO<; ItAAI]V ~ at)-rol e<pVAanov o[ 'haAoi,
Kal E1tEl<Y1tE<1WV It<pvw SlE<p9ElpE <rVfl1tav-ra<; -rou<; 'haAou<;.
67 LKEvSepl]<; flev-rOl (E-ruXE yap cmwv "CO"CE) ouS' O-rlOOV
1ta9wv SE1VOV, "Y <Y't:EpOV flev-rOl ou 1tOAA<;i LKEVSEPI]<; Sla-
~a<; e<; 'haAiav a<plKE"CO e<; "Cov IIap9Evo1tl]<; ~a<11AEa. Kal
au"Cov u1toSE;aflEVo<; "Ca "CE ItAAa e"Clfll]<1E, Kat E<; "COV 'PWfll]<;
apX1Epea a1tE1tEflYE <plAO<ppOvl]<1aflEvo<;. ME"Ca Si: "Cao-ra
xp~fla"Ca [KaVa 1tapExoflEVO<; au"C<;i a1te1tEfl1tEV e1tl "C~V
apmv ao"Coo. Ou"Co<; fleV"COl £1taV1WV E1t1 TIj<; xwpa<; au"Coo
E1tEflEVEV emona "Cov ~a<11AEw<; <1-rpa"Cov, Kal £PUflV~V
oU<1av -n'JV xwpav Ka-rE1XEv, EXWV 't'E <1"Cpa"Cov flE9' eau"Coo
-rOV a1to TIj<; xwpa<; SlilEl Sla "CWV 6pEWV 1tEpt'(WV"C<;i <Y't:pa"C<;i,
Kal "Ca<; "CE yuvalKa<; Kal1talSa<; E<; "Cil epUflva {2.194} e[<1-
EVEYKaflEVO<; ao"Co<; 1tEplilEl, EXWV 1tEpl -n'JV <pUAaK~V TIj<;
xwpa<;, 01tOl 8EOl, 1tapaYEvoflEVO<;. Kal 6 fli:v <Y't:pa-ro<; Kal
o[ l1t1toSpOflOl E1teSpaflov "C~v xwpav' Kal il1tO~uyla AI]-
'(<1aflEvo<; Kal Xpovov "C1Va <1UXVOV Sla"Cplya<; e1tiJEl1t<X<1av
"C~v xwpav Efl1tl1tPWV Kal Sla<p9eipwv. D<; Si: lKavw<; elXEV
au"C<;i e<; -n'Jv TIj<; xwpa<; Sla<p90pav, 6 <Y't:pa-ro<; a~AauvEv,
ouSev "Cl 1tAEOV Sla1tpa;aflEVO<;.
68 '0 f"V ouv LKEVSEPI]<; ou-ro<; ItKpav -n'JV E<; "COV'IOVlOV
25 6
BOOK 8
~ng of Parthenope ferried a large infantry army from Apu-
lia over to Durres and appointed as general one of his most
distinguished lords, who ravaged the territory of the sultan.
Then they invested and besieged the town called Svetigrad
WIth the intention of capturing it.IOS isa, the son ofEvrenos
learned of this from one of his own men, and he took th~
cavalry raiders of the Axios region and the army of the Per-
raiboi. He rushed as quickly as he could by a road that was
not being guarded by the Italians and, by attacking them
suddenly, he killed all the Italians. .
But Skanderbeg, who happened to be absent then, did 67
not suffer any harm at all. Shortly afterward, he crossed over
into Italy and went to the king of Parthenope. The latter re-
ceived him with honor and, after treating him with much
solicitude, sent him on to the pontiff of Rome. After that,
he gave him a sizable amount of money and sent him back
to h'1S realm. 106 When he returned to his own land he re-
sisted the sultan's army that was coming against him. He
could h~ld the land, as it was rugged, and he had a local army
WIth wh1ch he was patrolling the mountains. He placed the
women and children in fortified locations while he himself
went on patrol, guarding the land and being present wher-
ever he was needed. Meanwhile, the sultan's army and cav-
alry raiders were raiding the land, plundering pack animals
and spending much time in attacking every region, burning
and destroying it. When they had extensively ravaged the
land, the army marched back, having accomplished nothing
more.107
Skanderbeg then fortified a peak by the Adriatic Sea, 68
257
 THE HISTORIES
1tEpi 'E1t[oaflvov c!>KOSOflEl' XEPpOV'1O"O<; 0' to"·r[, Kai [0"8f10 <;
~paxU<; afl'1't "l"p[a O""l"aOla. Tou"l"oV "l"Elx[O"a<; to"c!>KlSEV t<; "l"~V
xwpav "l"aU"l"'1v OUK OA[YOU<; "l"WV AA~avwv, Kat tKpa"l"UVE
~V 1tOAlV, W<; iiV"l"l VEW"l"EpOV Ka"l"aAafl~avn aU"l"OV a1tO "l"WV
~aO"lAtw<; O""l"pa"l"WV, W<; tmwv 1tOAlOPKOho tv "l"au"l"TI "l"fi
Xwpq, t1tElOaV Sf: fI~ aV"l"tXElV oTo<; "l"'ii, to"~'1o"0flEVO<; t<;
"l"~V 8aAaO"O"av Kai a1t01tAEUO"OUflEVO<;, ii S~ 1tPOXWpo['1' '0
flEv OUV O""l"pa"l"o<; a'1'lKOflEVO<; t<; "l"OV XwpOV "l"OU"l"OV Kai1tEl-
PaO"aflEVO <;, W<; ouSev O"'1'[O"l1tPOEXWPEl ~ "l"ii<; 1tOAEW<; aLpE-
O"l<;, a~AaUVEV t1t' OLKOU, Kat "l"<!> ~"l"El "l"OU"l"4' ouStv "l"l1tAtOV
tytVE"l"O ~ao"lAta MEXfl£"l"'1V t<; tKO""l"pa"l"£laV '1'tpOV.
69 Tou S' bnYEvofltvou 8tpou<; t1tE1tOfl'1'El flf:V Kat "l"WV
8upwv aU"l"OU iivopa<; t1tlAtK"l"OU<; t1tt "l"OU<; u1tO"l"EA£1<; .aU"l"OU
~yEflova<; "l"E Kai ~ao"lAET<;, tmKaAouflEVO<; t<; "l"~V "l"WV 1ta[-
OWV athou Ka8apO"lV, flE"l"E1ttfl1tE"l"O of: Kai "l"OU<; "l"fj<; apxfj<;
athou iipXoV"l"a<; "l"WV 1toAEWV Kat U1tapxou<; Kat "l"OU<; "l"E
O""l"pa"l"'1You<; Kat O""l"pa"l"lW"l"a<;, 00"0l t1tt flt0"8<!> O""l"pa"l"EUOV"l"at
afla "l"<!> ~aO"lA£T. D<; oe 1tapfjv aU"l"<!> "l"a O""l"pa"l"Eufla"l"a t<;
AoplaVOIJ1tOAlV, ~v "l"E 1tEPl"l"Ofl~V, fjv S~ {2.195} vOfl[SOUO"l
Ka8apO"lv, E1tOlEl"l"O "l"WV 1ta[Swv aU"l"OU, Kat Swpa 1tpOrriJEl
aU"l"<!> flEyaAa U1tO "l"E "l"WV apXOV"l"WV Kat "l"WV ~yEfloVWV. '0
fltV"l"Ol O"11AAOyO<; tyEyOVEl tK"l"O<; "l"fj<; 1tOAEW<; tv "l"<!> 1tEO[4'
Ka"l"a "l"~V vfjO"ov, lJ1ta(8pLOl oe SlE"l"eAOUV 1tA~V ~ao"lAtw<; "l"E
Ka\ ~yEfloVWV.
70 '0 Sf: yaflo<; OU"l"O<; VOfl[SE"l"at flev Kpa"l"lO""l"O<; "l"WV t<; "l"OV
~(OV 0"'1'(O"l1tEPl'1K6V"l"WV, Kat1tatOlav Ka8lO""l"iiO"lV tV"l"OU"l"4'
Ka"l"a ouvafllV ~KaO""l"O<;. Ka8[0""l"av"l"0 of: Ka\ E<; "l"fjv "l"WV ~a­
o"lAtW<; 1taiSwv 1tEPl"l"0fl~V Ka\ yaflov "l"OVOE 1talOlaV, iiAAa
BOOK 8
near DUffes. This was on a promontory with a narrow isth-
mos, about three stades wide.10 8 He built a wall across it and
settled many Albanians in this place. He strengthened the
CIty, so that if another attempt was made against him b th
sult' . d y e
an s armies an he was besieged in that place, and if he
found that he was unable to resist, he could then take to the
sea and sail away, to wherever was most advantageous. As it
happened, the army came to this place and made an attempt
to take it, but as they made no progress toward capturing
the CIty, they departed back home. That year, nothing else
happened that would have induced Sultan Mehmed to go to
war.
The . following summer' 109 Mehmed sent Ch osen men 69
f~om h~s Porte to the kings and rulers who were subject to
him to mVlte them to his sons' purificatl'on .110 H esummone d
also the governors. of the cities within his realm, prerects,
r
generals, and soldiers who are paid to campaign with the sul-
tan.tWhen . the armies had come to him at Adrranop . Ie, h e
per orn:ed the circumcision of his sons, which they regard
as a punficatlOn, and he received magnificent gifts from his
gove~nors and lords. The gathering took place outside the
City III the plain by the island. III Except for the sultan and
the lords, everyone was positioned ontside.
This "wedding''il2 is considered by them the most impor-
tant of all the events of one's life cycle , and they organ1ze. 70
~musements to celebrate it, each to the best of his abil-
Ity. They also have amusements at the circumcision and
259

THE HISTORIES
-rE OVK oAlya Kal S~ Kal aVSpE<; opeol btl 11t1tWV, ava Kpa-
-ro<; tAavvov-rE<; t<; -rov SpofloV -rov<; 11motJ<; Kal ovSaflw<;
btt<rxov-rE<;, bCElSav etwOlV. 'EKElvo fltV-rOl 7ta pf]O'w, -r~v
OXolvo~a-rwv, w<; (mep -ra aAAa ytv'l ToupKol SElV~l ElO'l
~v -rtXV'lv -rav-r'lv, wO'-rE Kal 7tE7tES'lfltvOtJ<;, 7tOPEtJEO'e~l
t7tl-rwv OXOlVIWV, Kat-roi><; o'l'eaAfloi><; {moS'lO'av-ra<; eElV
t7tt -rou-rwv w<; iiv Suvwv-rat lOXtJpo-ra-ra, Kat t7tl -rou-rwv
fltJp[a tpya~ofltvotJ<; eaofla-ro<; a;la, t7t1 ;l'l'WV St'iov-ra<; -rE
Kat U7toO'-rPE'l'OflEVOtJ<;. Tau-ra flEV-rOl Kae' EKaO"r1']v t<; ~v
TaK-raAKaAi'j ayopav KaAotJfltv'lV '(SOL av -rl<; YlyvoflEva,
Kal-roi><; OXolvo~a-ra<; (YEVO<; St to"rl -rou-ro 7tap' av-rol<; Ka-
AOOflEVOV T~afl7ta~lv) flE-rlov-ra<; ~v -rtXV'lv -rao-r'lv. Kal
7tapa7tAf]O'la -rOOWl<; 'iSOl av -rl<; Kat aAAotJ<; tpya~oflE~otJ<;
t<; -rao-r'lv ~v ayopav, Evea -ra YtJflvMla VOfl[~E-rat -ratJ"'1:
-rfj<; 7tOAEW<;. To Se 07tO yfjv ea7t-rElv -rov 7talSa, tK, -r~tJ
KaKcleEV StaAEyoflEVOtJ<;, O'tJVlEval -rE av, 0 -rl Epol-ro atJ-roV
{2.19 6} Kat a7tOKplvaO'eat, 7tW<; OOK tv eaofla-r, 7tOL01-r0 av
-rl<; -rOlau-ra KaeOpWV; lUAa -ra flev aAAa 07tO StJvaflEw<;
-rlVO<; flEl~ovo<; a7to-rEAouflEva tAaO'O'w to"r1 -rwv St'iov-rwv
Spofl'l' t7tl-rwv OXOlV[wv. , , ' his gifts, including the kings and lords of the Porte. This
7' 'EYEVOV-ro flEV-rOl Kal aAAat 7tatSlal Ka-ra "'1v 7tEPl-ro fl'lv
-rao-r'lv, tv iJ MaXfloo-r'l<; <I wu O'(KOtJ "YEflWV Kal a~a-rfj<;
Evpw7t'l<; O"rpa-r'lY0<; -rol<; SWpOl<; V7tEp~aAAEO'eat 7tav-ra<;,
-rOO<; -rE ~aO'lAcl<; afla Kal "YEflova<; -rwv etJpWv. OO~O<; ~e
<I MaXfloo-r'l<; 7tal<; Mlxaf]AOtJ YEvoflEVO<;, Tpl~an~<; \~v
to'-rl -ra fI'l-rpOeEV, "EAA'lV Se -ra 7ta-rpOeEV. Kal 7talSa E-rl
(lv-ra, oVv 'tft fI'l-rpl lov-ra a7to No~o7tUpyotJ t<; :E7tEV~
SEpO~'lV, 01 l7t7toSpOflO' -rou ~aolAEW<; Ka-raAa~6v-rE<; tv -rn
260
BOOK 8
wedding of the sultan's sons, including, among others, men
standing upright on horses and galloping on them at full
speed along the course, without at all checking their speed.
I will pass by the tightrope walkers, an art at which the Turks
excel above all other peoples, so much so that they can ad-
vance along the ropes when they are shackled or run along
them at full speed with their eyes blindfolded. They per-
form countless other amazing tricks on them, such as pass-
ing through swords or twirling about. One can see these
things being done every day in the marketplace called
TalItakale,ll3 where the tightrope walkers practice their art
(they call this group cambaz)Y4 One can also see others do-
ing similar things in this marketplace, where the city's exer-
cise grounds are. When they bury a child beneath the earth,
converse with him from there, and get him to answer any
question that they may have, how could you see this and not
be amazed? But these other things, accomplished through
some higher power, are less impressive than the men who
run around on the ropes.
There were also other amusements at this circumcision, 71
where MalImud, the lord of the household and, simulta-
neously, general of Europe, surpassed all the others with
MalImud was the son of Michael, a Serb on his mother's side
and a Greek on his father's.1l5 When he was still a child and
going with his mother from Novo Brdo to Smederevo, the
sultan's cavalry raiders captured {...} on the road {...} and
 THE HISTORIES
6S<ji [... J ~youl'evou a1t~yayov 1taVolKt-rOU-rOU<; 1tapa ~a­
(YlAea. Aa~wvSe -rOY 1taTSa E<; -rOY KOl-rWVa au-rov ~ao"lAEiJ<;
l'tyav -rE a1teSEl~EV tv aKapET, Kat l1t1tOKOl'OV tv ~paX£l
1tOll]O"al'EVo<; l'E-ra -rav-ra ~yEl'ova -rwv Supwv a1teSEl~Ev.
'E1tEl-rE l'EV otiv Zcqavov -rOY eau-rov K!]SEo"~V t~~Aao"EV
tK 'tfj<; -rlflfj<;, -ra mxv-ra oti-ro<; tyeVE-ro, tyEyOVEl Se 010<;
ovSEl<; 1tW 1tpO-rEpOV t<; -rOVSE -rWV t1tt -raT<; 'O-roul'avlSwv
Supal<; ~yEl'0VWV l'EyaAwv AEY0l'tvwv YEveO"SaL. AeYE-raL
l'ev yap Kal Xapa'i'tfjvl]v Kat i\All]V -rOY 1taTSa l'EyaAOU<;
YEVtcrSaL EV -rE -raT<; Al'0Upa-rEW -rov 'OPXaVEW Kat IIaL-
a1;~-rEw -rov 1taLSo<; av-rov SUpaL<;' £lAX ovSEl<; 1tW t<; 'tfjVSE
~v Suval"V Kat ~V xwpav -rou-rou aq>lKE-rO. Oti-ro<; l'ev
otiv -ra 1tpw-ra -rwv ~YEl'0VWV q>EpOl'EVO<; t<; -ra<; ~ao"lAew<;
Supa<;, O"-rpa-rov T£ [2.197J OtK£lOV -rpeq>ElV lKavw-ra-rov Kat
SEpa1tOV-ra<; EXElV t1tt l'tya SUVal'EW<; ~Kov-ra<;.
7' 'EAAI]VlKot l'ev 1taTSE<; a1tO Bu!;av-rlou, oil, dXEV 1tap'
Eau-r<ji ~a<YlAEU<;, t<; l'eya txwpl]O"av SUVal'EW<;. Tou-rwv Se
Moupa-rl]<; -rov IIaAaLOMywv yevou<; -rwv 'EAA~VWV 1tEpl-
q>avov<;, Kal MEXl'e-r!]<; 0 MavSp0l'I]vov 1taT<; l'E-ra yE
-rov-rov, 0<; il1tapx0<; 1tpw-ra l'ev AyKupa<;, E1tEl-ra St 'tfj<;
IIlO"lSla<; cmESElxSI]. BouAE-raL Se Moupa-r!]<; E1tlSul'lav,
i\Al!]<; St -rOY 'RAlav 'EAAI]VlO'Tt Aeyol-r' /tv, Kat 'EO"e<; -roy
'II]O"ovv Kat 'El'1tpdtl'!]<; -roy A~paa Kat LOUAdil'avl]<; -rOY
LOAOl'wv-ra Kat'Iayou1tl]<; <-rOV 'IaKW~OV Kat'IouO"ouq>I]<;>
-rOY 'Iw~q>, LKEvSepl]v Se i\Ae~avSpov ~OUAOV-raL AtYElV.
Kat-rav-ra l'ev Sfj 'EAAI]VlKW<; AtyOl-r' av oil-rw. Oil-rw<; Kat
'EAEe!;!]V -rOY ll.!]l'~-rpLOV Kat Xl'tfjP!]V -rOY rEWpyLOV
AeyouO"l. Ta Se AOl1ta -rWV 6vol'a-rwv a1tO -rE -rwv 6pvewv
262
BOOK 8
brought the entire group to the sultan. The sultan took the
child to his bedchamber and soon appointed him to a posi-
tLOn of great power: he soon made him his groom and after
that the lord of the Porte. When he expelled Zaganos, his
relative, from that position ofhonor,'16 this man became ev-
erything for him. In fact, he became more powerful than
any of the others who have previously been said to be pow-
erful at the Ottoman Porte. For it is said that Hayreddin and
his son Ali became powerful at the Porte of Murad, the son
of Orhan, and then of his son Bayezid. ll7 But no one ever at-
.tained his power and position. Holding the first place among
the lords at the sultan's Porte, Mahmud maintained his own,
most sizable private army and had attendants who wielded
enormous power.
Greek children from Byzantion, whom the sultan kept 7'
beside him, also reached positions of great power. Among
them were Murad, of the illustrious Greek family of the
Palaiologoi, and after him Mehmed, the son of Man-
dromenes, who was first appointed prefect of Ankara and
then of Pisidia. Murad means "desire," whereas Ali one
might in Greek render as Elias; isa they might render as Je-
sus; Ibralrim as Abralram; Siileyman as Solomon; Yakub <as
Iakobos; Yusuf as> Ioseph; and Skender as Alexandros. Thus
one might render these names into Greek. Likewise, they
convert Ilyas into Demetrios and H,Zlf into Georgios.u s
II'
The rest of their names are from birds. The following four
 THE HISTORIES
Kat LKU9wv -ra -rEererapa -raD-ra <paivov-ral dvat, olov I1at-
as~-rt]<;, 'OpXavt]<;, 'Op90ypoVAt]<; Kal TSUfllCfK~<;, Kat -ra
:reapa:reA~erla. "Exouerl fl1:v Kat-roSe, w<; -roT<; 6voflaerl Xpwv-
-ral:reoT fl1:v tAanOert, :reoT S1: Kat -rlfllW-rtpOl<;, w<; -rov Mou-
er-ra<pliv Mouer:reAaxaeri-rt]v, Xl~ Pt]v Xapa·(~vt]v. I1apa-
:reAt]er[w<; S' /tv AEYOl-rO Kat -ra Aoma -rwv 6vofla-rwv t<;
-rOD-rOV -rov -rpo:reov.
73 "Y:reapxol Sf -rurxavouerlv iSv-re<; Ka-ra fl1:v -r~v Evpw:ret]v
-rplaKov-ra Katll;. Tov-rwv S' ot flelsou<; {xouerl :repoeroSov
v:reo {2.198} -rOD ~acrlAtW<; xpueriou cr-ra-r~pa<; E<; Slerflupiou<;,
ot S' tAanou<; -rov-rwv t<; flupiou<;, t:ret fleTSoV -re -rov-rwv Kat
E:re' lAanov, ava S1: ~v Aeriav ert]flaTai-re av-r<;i -rurxavou-
erlV overal, Kat u:reapxol E<p' EKacr-rt]<; -reererapaKov-ra. I1apa
-rov-rou<; SE derl -rwv :reoAewv IlPX0v-re<; fleyaAwv, ola ~
SEPflt], ~ -rwv LKo:reiwv :reOAl<;, ~ <PlAm:reo:reoAl<;, Kal at
:reapa:reA~erlal, OV-rOl E<; CYt]flaia<; -reAoDerlv o[ Ilpxov-re<; E<;
-rov -r~<; Evpw1Ct]<; er-rpa'rtjyov -rov flEyav, w<; ot ~<; Aer[a<;
:repo<; -rov ~<; Aeria<; er-rpa-rt]yov v:reo-re-raxa-rat IlPX0v-rE<; -re
Kat ~yeflove<;, Kat ii /tv U<pt]ywv-rat OV-rOl, E:reOV-rat ot ~<;
Evpw:ret]<; -re Kal Aeria<; u:reapXOl. 'Y:reapx'l' 8' £Kacr-r'l' :repo-
ayov-rl Kat El;t]youflEV'l' E:rei -rlva :reoAeflov ot -rwv :reoAewv
Ilpxov-r£<; E:reov-ral Ka-ra -ra t:reecr-raAfiEva er<pierlV v:reo -rOD
u:reapxou. To 81: Kpa-ro<; {xouerl:reliv ot flEYlcr-rOl cr-rpa-rt]yot
-rOD ~aerlAtw<;. "Ecr-rl 81: :repoero8o<; -rov-rwv v:reo ~aerlAEw<;
fley[er'rtj, Kal -raxV flEya OA~lOl yevoflevol u:reo -re -rwv
v:reapxwv Kat -rwv apxov-rwv -rwv E:ret -raT<; :reoAeerlv.
74 'E:rel 81: -rwv 9upwv ot ~yeflove<; {xouerl -ro Kpa-ro<;,
ayyeAla<po pOl -r£ ov-re<; Kal E<pecr-rw-re<; -r<;i ~aerlAeT Kat
BOOK 8
appear to be Skythian: Bayezid, Orhan, Ertogrul, and Tzy-
mlskes {I.e., Cern}, as well as others like them. They also
have the custom of using names that are either diminutives
or more formal versions, such as Mustafa Mousplachasites
and H1Z1r Hayreddin. One can explain the rest of their
names in a similar manner.
There are thirty-six prefects in Europe. 12o The greatest of 73
them receive a salary from the sultan of twenty thousand
gold staters, while the lesser receive ten thousand, and those
are the two extremes of more and less. In Asia the sultan has
forty standards, and a prefect for each one. Under them are
the governors of the largest cities, such as Thessalonike, the
city of Skopje, Philippopolis, and the like. These governors
follow the standards of the supreme general of Europe, just
as the governors and rulers of Asia are subordinate to the
general ofAsia, and wherever the generals lead, the prefects
of Europe and Asia follow. 121 Each of the governors of the
other cities l22 follows his prefect when the latter sets out
and leads them into war according to the instructions he
has sent them. Absolute power is wielded by the sultan's su-
preme generals. Their income from the sultan is huge, and
they quickly become rich from the prefects and the city
governors.
It is the lords who hold power at the Porte, and they are 74
ministers,123 stand by the sultan, and advise him on affairs of
 THE HISTORIES
mJfI~OUAOl e<; 'ta 7CpaYfla'ta 'til<; apxij<;' e<; 'tou'tou<; yap ~
SloiK,]crt<; 'twv 7CpOO'OOWV, Kal Aoyl~oV'tal ye Kat 'tou<; e,]-
O'aupou<; 'tou ~aO'lAEW<; O'<ppayTSl 'tii OlKelq E7CLO'KE7C'toV'tal.
Me'ta 'tou'tOU<; flEV'tOl eO"ttV 0 ypaflfla't£u<;, ayxo'ta'tw
iSpUflEVO<; e<; 'tou'tOU<;, Kat 'tou<; AOYlO'flou<; u7CoSexo fl evo <;
U7CO 'tWV e<; 'ta<; 7CpOO'OSOU<; Kat eLO'7Cpa;el<; [2.199} 't£-
'taYfLEVWV, Kat 'tou <popou. Kat oii'to<; fLev a7CoAoyl~e'tal 't£
7CpOO'OOOU<; Kat e<; 'tou<; ~yefLova<; 'te Kat au'tov ~aO'lAEa
ava<pEpel' anOl S£ ypafLfLa'teT<; e<; 'ta<; ypa<pa<; 'te Kat E7Cl-
'taYfLa'ta 'tou ~aO'lAEW<;.
75 "EO"tl S' 0 <popo<; aim;> 7CPOO'lWV fLev cmo 'til<; Eupw7Cl]<;
t<; evev~KoV'ta fLup,aSa<; (T'ta't~pwv. Tov Se <popov 'tou'tOV
eLO'7Cpane'taL fL£v OUK a7Co 'tou yEVOU<; 'tWV TOUpKWV, aA):
a7Co 'tWV ano<pVAWV O'<plO'lV' ou yap vOfLl~e'taL 'tou<; ofLo-
<pVAOU<; xp~fLa'ta eLCmpCtO'O'elv, aA): au'tou<; O'UV 'tcii ~aO'lAe1
7Capa O'<plcrt VOfLl~e'taL O"tpa'teueCfeaL e<; 'tou<; 7COAEfLou<;, O'UV
'toT<; 07CAOl<; 'te Kat l7C7COl<; au'twv E7COfLEVOU<; t<; 'tou<; 7CoAE-
flOU<;. Tijv SeKa't']V O£ 'tWV EPYWV ot fLev 7CpO 'tou ~aO'lAEW<;
'touSe ouStv 'tl eL<l'E7CpaO'O'ov 'tou<; TOUPKOU<;, <hl fLij 'tou<;
aAAO<puAOU<;' oii'to<; S' I> ~acrtAeu<; 'tijv SeKa't']V 'te eLO'7Cpanel
Ka\ ayel, 07COl ilv Cf'tpa'teu']'tal. Tijv fLev oilv SeKa't']V Kat
7Capa'tov <popov, ~oO''tlvav oiJ'tW KaAoufLEV,]V, cmO<pEpov-
'te<; ot 'twv 7CoAewv aPXOV'tE<; 'te Ka\ iJ7CapxOl Kat Cf'tpa'tlw'taL
'tovSe <popov t<; 'ta<; eupa<;.
76 N0fll~£'taL Kat7Cpo~a'tWv 'tijv VOfL~V' OCf']V a7CoolSoV'taL,
t<; 'ta<; ~aO'lAEW<; eupa<; a7CayeCfeal. Tau'ta fLEV'tOl 'tau't!1
'thaK'taL t<; 'ta<; 7CpOO'OSOU<; 'tWV 'te apxov'tWV Kat 'tou ~a­
O'lAEW<;. IIapa Oe 'tOV <popov SaO'fLol eLO'lV ava 'tijv Eupw7Cl]v
266
BOOK 8
state. For they manage the revenues, draw up the accounts
and inspect the treasuries of the sultan with their own seal:
After them is the secretary, although he is very close to them
in rank, and he receives the accounts from those who are ap-
pointed over income and revenue, and also of the tribute.
He calculates the amount of income and malees a report to
the lords and to the sultan himself Other secretaries handle
the sultan's documents and decrees.
He receives in tribute from Europe about nine hundred 75
thousand staters. He collects this tribute not from the race
of the Turks but from other peoples. 12' For it is not lawful
for them to collect money from their own race; rather, their
laws requi~e them to go on campaign along with the sultan,
to follow him to war with their weapons and horses. The sul-
tans before this one did not collect the tithe of one tenth
upon income from the Turks, only from the other peoples.
But the present sultan does collect the tenth from them and
he leads them out whenever he goes on campaign. Beyond
the tribute and this tenth, the governors of the cities, pre-
fects, and soldiers bring in to the Porte the tax called the
bcqtina. 125
. :rhe tax on sheep pasturage, however much they pay for 76
It, IS also aSSigned to the sultan's Porte. It falls under the in-
come of the lords and the sultan. Beyond the tribute, there
are many special fees that are assigned to the sultan through-
 THE HISTORIES
-re Kal Aer,av areo-re-raY!!EVOl -r<ii ~aertAeL OUK 6A'YOl, areo -re
-rwv rrerewv Kal Ka!!~AWV Kal ~ !!lOVWV Kal ~owv' Kal £er-rlv
au-rl] repoeroSo<; a!!q>l -ra<; -rplaKOv-ra !!UplaSa<;. 'Erel -rOU-rOl<;
S" ~ -rwv EVO'KWV repoeroSo<; !!eyaAI] -rUyxaVel overa -r<ii ~a­
ertAeL, EV reEV-re Kal e'(Koert !!UplaerlV. [2.200} AreD S" -rWV -roil
~acrlA£W<; q>Op~WV -re Kal Ka!!~AWV Kal ~!!lOVWV, areav-raXfj
-rij<; xwpa<; ETClVe!!O!!EVWV au-roT<;, elerlv a!!q>l -ra<; reEv-re
!!UplaSa<;. Areo -re -r~<; -rWV ilAAWV repoeroSou repoer,ol ltv
au-r<ii E<; erKoerl !!UplaSa<;. Kal areD -rWV E!!reOp'WV Kal -roil
reop9!!oil Kal !!e-raAAWV Kal6pu~l]<; Kal xaAKoil Kal er-rure-rl]-
plWV Kalreev-ra!!olp,a<; -rwv avSpareoSwv !!ey'cr'tI] itv AOYl-
~O!!£VOl<; eup,erKol-ro ~ repoeroSo<;. Arc" !!EV-rOl -roil reop9!!oil
Kal areD SlOSOU E<; e'(Koerl !!UplaSa<; eup'crKW avareuv9a-
vo!!evo<;. Twv S" !!e-raAAWV OUK 6A'Yl] au-r<ii Erely,ve-raL
repoeroSo<; E<; SEKa !!UplaSa<;. AreD S" 6pu~l]<; Kal -rwv ilAAWV
-rwv E<; -ra<; 9upa<; -re-raY!!EVWV repoeroSwv -roil ~aertAew<;, it<;
S~ xaerla reoLOilv-raL o[ -rWV 9upwv, E<; e'(Koerl !!UplaSa<; AO-
yl~O!!evo<; OUK areo'tUyxaVOl!!' itv -roil elK6-rO<;' xaerla yap
ava -rijv Aer,av -re Kal Eupwrel]v au-r<ii w<; reAeTer-ra -re Kal
°
ilplcr'ta. Tou-rol<; S' Ereecr'tlV au-r<ii -rWV ~ye!!OVWV -re Kal
~aerlAeWV q>opo<; -rWV -re O!!Oq>UAWV Kal aAAoq>UAWV erq>,erlV,
ErelyeVO!!evo<; e<; SEKa !!UplaSa<;. Ou-rw S" YEVOl-r' itv ~
rep6croSo<; -r<ii ~aertAeT, iI"'1reapay,ve-ral au-r<ii e<; -ra<; 9upa<;
Kal E<; -rDv xacrvav KaAOU!!eVOV -roil ~aerlAEW<;, a!!q>l -ra<;
-re-rpaKoer,a<; !!UplaSa<; xpuer,ou er-ra-rijpwv.
77 "Ecr'tl Sf. reap a -rau-ra<; repoeroSo<; llAAI] ~aerlAEw<; areo
-rWV apxov-rwv, Eapo<; ETClYlVO!!EVOU, EreelSaV tl;eAauVn
~aertAeiJ<; er-rpa1:I]Aa1:WV, ureo 1:e 1:WV ureapxwv 1:e Kal
268
BOOK 8
out Europe and Asia, generated by horses, camels, mules,
and oxen. This income is worth about three hundred thou-
sand gold pieces. In addition, the sultan generates substan-
tial income from his tenants, to the sum of two hundred
and fifty thousand. The sultan's herds of horses, camels, and
mules, which are pastured throughout his realm, generate
about fifty thousand. Other revenues could well bring him
another two hundred thousand. From trade, ferries, metals,
rice, copper, alum, and the one-fifth tax on slaves, one would
find, making the calculation, that the income is enormous.
From ferries and road tolls I have ascertained that it is about
two hundred thousand. From metals his income is also large,
about a hundred thousand. From rice and the sultan's other
regular revenues assigned to the Porte, which the men of the
Porte convert into has,l26 I do not believe I would be wrong
to calculate about two hundred thousand. For they have
very many and excellent has in both Asia and Europe. On
top of those he has the tribute set on the rulers and kings,
on both those of the same and of different race, and this
comes to about a hundred thousand. Thus, the income of
the sultan, both that which accrues to him through the
Porte and to the so-called bazine of the sultan, is about four
million gold staters.
In addition to this, the sultan generates more income 77
from his lords: with the arrival of spring, whenever the
sultan marches out on a campaign, it is customary for the
 THE HISTORIES
<npa-r'1Ywv Kal ~yEfl6vwv Kalapxov-rwV Swpa VOfll~6flEva
Ka-ril -r~v EKao--rOU :n:p6rroSov -r<iJ ~ao-lAEl E<; ~V E;tAa<rLV.
Kal E<nl fltv -rolau"CfJ :n:poo-oSo<; ou [2.20I} -rE-raYflev'1,
aAAiI o--roxa~oflevol<; E<; £"lKOo-l flupuiSa<; ytVOl-r' av au-r<iJ
Xp~ fla-ra. Ta\ha flev-rOl E<; -rOY XMvilv -rou ~a<rLAtw<; Xp~­
fla-ra :n:apaylvE-rat, a<p' ';;v fll0-90u-rat -rou<; -rE vE~AuSa<; Kal
-rou<; -rwv 9upwv KaplmSa<;, o-lAlK-raplSa<;, aAo<pa-r~lSa<; -rE
Kal <r:n:axlSw; KaAoufltvou<;, Kal E<; -rou<; Aomou<;, 60-0l -rwv
9upwv 6v-rE<; -rplfl'1valov Aafl~avouo-l -rOY fll0-96v.
78 l\vw St -rau-r'1<; -rou ~a<rLAtw<; :n:poo-oSou, ol avil -r~v
ap~v il:n:apxol -rE Kal apxov-rE<; Kal o--rpa-r'1yol Kal -rlfla-
pa-rol KaAouflEvOl flEylo-"CfJv a:n:o<pepouo-l ~v :n:p60-0Sov
a:n:o -r~<; ~ao-lAew<; xwpa<;. Kal Aoyl~E0-9at fltv ou :n:avu
{>4SLOV, :n:A~V -rwv -rou ~MlAtW<; ypaflfla-rlo--rwv, n S~
E:n:u90fl'1v' ytVOl-rO S' av <rVfl:n:ao-a ail-r'1 ~ :n:p6rroSo<; -rwv
avSpwv, 60-0l fll0-90v Aafl~avouo-lv a:n:o ~<; -rou ~MlAtW<;
xwpa<;, E<; EvvaKoo-la<; fluplaSa<; Xpuo-lou. 'Evoufltv'1 St
ail-r'1 ~ :n:p60-0So<; -rft :n:po-rtpq, ~-rl<; E<; -ril<; ~ao-lAtw<; :n:apa-
ylvE-ral 9upa<;, ytVOl-r' av <rVfl:n:Ma ~ -r~<; ~ao-lAtw<; xwpa<;
:n:p60-0So" D<rfJ E, -rou, lipxov-ra, au-rou a<plKVEl-ral Kal
60-'1 E, -ril, 9upa" E, XlAla, -rE Kal -rE-rpaKo<rla, fluplaSa,
Xpuo-lou, <na~ pa, -rwv OUEVE-rWV. Ail"CfJ fltv :n:poo-oSo<;,
Do-a yE E, ~ fla, dStval, :n:apaylvE-rat -r<iJ ~ao-lA£l Kal -rOl,
U:n:'1K6ol<; au-rou.
BOOK 8
prefects, generals, rulers, and lords to give gifts to the sul-
tan, as he is marching out, in proportion to their individual
revenues. This form of income is not fixed, but one can
speculate that it generates money for him to the tune of
about two hundred thousand. This money accrues to the ba-
zine of the sultan, from which they pay the janissaries and
the garips, silabdars, ulufecis, and sipabis of the Porte, as they
are called,127 and all the other members of the Porte who re-
ceive their salaries every three months.
Apart from these revenues of the sultan, the prefects, 78
lords, generals, and officials called timar eril28 throughout the
realm generate enormous revenues from the sultan's territo-
ries. It is not easy for anyone to calculate them, except for
the sultan's accountants, of whom I have made inquiries.
So, then, the entire revenue of the men who obtain their
salaries from the territory of the sultan would come to nine
million in gold. Adding this amount of income to the previ-
ous one, that which accrues to the sultan's Porte, the entire
income from the lands of the sultan-that is, all that goes to
his lords and all that goes to the Porte - comes to fourteen
million in gold, calculated in Venetian staters. This, then, is
the income, to the best of my knowledge, that accrues to
the sultan and his subordinates.
 8'
[2.202} n~ Se btl IIEAonovv'1<ToV nEflnwv iivSpa~ TWV
Supwv MEXfleT'1, 6 l\floup4nw ~;[ou TOV <popov oi
4noSiSocrSat, <pOITWVTE, Se TOV ~acrIAew, iiVSpE~ ouSev
UYI1:, EUPIOlCOV TWV 'EAA~VWV, Kal OUTE Toi>~ .l\A~avoi>~
KEAEvoVTa, etcr<pepEcrSal E, TOV <popov OUTE TOi>~ IIEAo-
novv'1cr[OU" Kal aUToi>, Se lSi .. TOi>, ~YEfl6va, Sla<pE-
pOflevou, cr<p[crIV E~ Ta np4YflaTa KaKOSatflOVaV, cruv-
EXWPEI flev TOV EniTplToV <popov Cl1t4yovTa, '(crxEIV aUT';;
etp~v'1V, W, S1: Kal ~fleAOUV ayvwflocrUvn XPWflEVOI Kal
OlCat(\T'1TI, WPfl'1TO Enl IIEAonovv'1crov <TTpaTEvEcrSal.
2 Kal MaXflovT'1V flev TOV Mlxa~Aou nalSa, ~YEflova TE
ilfla TWV Supwv Kal <TTpaT'1Yov Tij~ Eupwn'1" {nEfltEv Enl
TOV "IcrTpov, w~ ilv, d Tl vEwnpov ano IIalovwv KaTa-
Aafl~avn, uno<TTai'1 TE aVTlwcroflEvo, Kal SlaKwAVn TOV-
TOU~ ~v xwpav ~Aannlv ~v tauTov EnIOVTa~. aUTO, flev
napaAa~wv TO Tij~ Eupwn'1' <TTpaTEVfla, E~ OKTW flUpl-
aSa" ijAauvEv Enl Tpl~aAAoi>, TOi>, napa TOV "I<TTpoV
xwpav VEfloflEVOU,. 'OPflwflEVO, Se EVTEVSEV w, ouSev
EnuvSavETo VEWTEPOV ano IIatovwv, KancrTpe<pETo ~v
'IAAuPIWV xwpav, Kal nOAicrflaTa fl1:v e<TTIV it tAwv KaTa
KpaTo, ~vSpanoSicraTO. METa S1: w~ EneSpaflE T~V 'IAAu-
plWV xwpav, Slhpl~EV aUTov Tav-rn napa TOV "IcrTpov
27 2
Book 9
Mehmed, the son of Murad, sent men from his Porte
to the Peloponnese demanding that the tribute be paid to
him.' The sultan's men came to the region and found that
the Greeks were in a thoroughly rotten state. They had or-
dered neither the Albanians nor the Peloponnesians to pay
the tribute, and the rulers themselves [Thomas and Deme-
trios} had fallen out with each other in private so that their
affairs were in a bad state. Mehmed made a concession that
peace with him could continue if they brought him a third
of the tribute, 2 but when they neglected to do this too be-
cause of their clumsy foolishness, he set out to campaign
against the Peloponnese. 3
He also sent Mahmud, the son of Michael, lord of the 2
Porte and also general of Europe, to the Danube. Were he to
discover that the Hungarians were trying to stir things up
there, he was to block their advance and hinder them from
attacking his own territory and causing it harm. So Mahmud
took the army of Europe, about eighty thousand men, and
marched to the Serbs who inhabit the lands by the Danube.
Setting forth from there when he learned that the Hungari-
ans were not planning anything, he subdued some land of
the Illyrians [Bosnians}, seizing some towns by force and
enslaving them. After raiding the land of the Illyrians, he
273
 THE HISTORIES
~Xwv {2.203} af',!,l 'tfi '!'UAaKft 'tWV nOAeWV. OU'tO~ f'Ev OUV
af',!,l'tau'ta EXWV Sleytve'to.
3 BaJlAeiJ~ S1: napaAa~WV 'to 'te AJlaVOV J'tpa't£uf'a Kat
e<!lOv Kat Eupwn'l~ 'to ano ee't'taAla~ 't£ Kat MaKeSovla~,
Kat ~XWV Kat 'ta~ 8upa~, tJ'tpa'teue'to Ent I1eAonOvv'lJOV.
n~ 8e eLJt~aAe Kat EV'tO~ 'tou 'IJ8f'ou Eytve'tO, EneAavvwv
av'tlKa 1:YJv KOplV80v EnoAlOpKel. I1epliwv Se EneO"KOnel
w~ ltv 'to 't£tXO~ Ka8eAWv 't'lAe~OAOl~ EJ1t£Jet'tal E~ 't~v
nOAlv ltf'a 't<!l J'tpa't<!l. Kal 't'lAe~OAOU~ f'£v au'tou nOl-
etJ8al Ka'ttAl1te, Kat'tov e<!lOv J'tpa'tov neplKa8~f'evov 't~v
nOAlv nOAlOpKetV (ESOKel yap au't<!l 'toiJ~ 'tI]Ae~OAOU~
au'touev'tau8a nOletJ8al, Kat 1:YJv nOAlv ilf'a EKnOAlOp-
K'l8~JeJ8al Alf'<!l), all'to~ Se EV'tO~ 'tfj~ I1eAonOVV~JOU
yev0f'evo~ Slit ¢AlOUV'tO~ Enopeve'to. 'E~ Se 't~v KOplV80v
ol "EAA'lve~ ou'te EJeKof'lJav'to 'tov dhov 01:[ f'~ oAlyov
(AOUKav'l, yitp ~v apf'0rr'tYJ~ 6 AaKeSalf'0vlO~ anov'to,
'tou AJavew), OU't£ E~ 1:YJv ,!,UAaK~v 'tfj~ nOAew~ Su\8eV't0
tKaVw~, a,J'te itV'tExelv Ent Xpovov 't<!l ~aJlAEW~ J'tpa't<!l.
AJav'l~ f'ev ouv ou nOAA<!l UJ't£pov, w~ Enuv8ave't0 1:YJv
nOAlv nOAlOpKetJ8al uno 'tou AJlaVOU J'tpa'tonESou, EXWV
nept au'tov avSpa~ tKaVOv~, 6pf'wf'evo~ ano N aUnAtOU
'tfj~ Oueve'twv nOAew~, Kat Slit 8aAaJJ'l~ Ent 'tov Key-
xpewv Alf'Eva a,!,lKof'evo~ VUK'tO~, Aa8wv 'tov J'tpa'tov 'tou
~aJlAEW~ EJfjA8ev t~ 't~v nOAlv au'to~ 'te Kat ot af''!'' au'tov,
Ka[ 1:[va ~paxuv Jhov eLJeKof'lJav'to.
4 BaJlAeiJ~ f'EV ouv E~ ¢AlOuv'ta a,!,lK0f'evo~ TapJov 'te
1:YJv nOA1XV'lv EnOAlOpKel' ~o;l'l~ {2.204} Se " 'tfj~ ¢Al-
ouv'tO~ 'twv AA~avwv npoeJ'tw~, 'tov~ 'te un' av't<!l oV'ta~
274
BOOK 9
spent some time there by the Danube garrisoning the cities.
And that is what he was doing. 4
Meanwhile, the sultan took the eastern army of Asia and 3
the European army from Thessaly and Macedonia, along
with the Porte, and marched against the Peloponnese.
When he invaded and crossed the Isthmos,5 he immediately
advanced to Corinth and besieged it. He surveyed the area
all around to see whether he could bring the walls down with
cannons and then attack the city with his army. He left in-
structions to make the cannons and the eastern army there
to continue the siege - for he had decided to make the
cannons on the spot and to starve the city out-while he
himself went into the Peloponnese and advanced through
Phlious. In Corinth the Greeks had not stored up enough
grain to avoid a scarcity-for Loukanes the Lakedaimonian
was in charge while Asanes was absent' - nor was the garri-
son of the city sufficient to resist the sultan's army for a long
time. Shortly afterward, when Asanes learned that the city
was being besieged by the Asian army, he set out from Nau-
plion, the city of the Venetians, with a large body of men,
crossed the sea, and arrived at night at the harbor of Ken-
chreai. He evaded detection by the sultan's army and en-
tered the city, both he and his men, bringing with them a
modest amount of grain provisions.
Meanwhile, the sultan arrived in Phlious and besieged 4
the town ofTarsos. But Doxas, the chief of the Albanians of
Phlious, took the men under his authority and the men of
275
 THE HISTORIES
~ , ' ~r 'tl
!Cal TOU<; Tij<; <PALOUVTO<; iivopa<; £l<1£vey!Caf'evo<; 0,
tpuf'vov t<; Ta f'aAurra xwp(ov, 1tapeo!CwaSeTo w<; af'uvou-
f'evo<;. Tov yap TOl Tapoov 0 ~aolAeu<; 1tapeon'joaTo of'o-
AOY(Q:, !Cal 1tarSa<; Aa~wv w<; Tpla!Coo(ou<; !Cal iiPxoVTa
tmon'joa<; -roT<; tV"tfi 1tOAel1tpOnel Sla -rf]<; f'eooya(ou. llo-
pwof'evo<; Se Tpe1teTaL t1t1 -rfJv 1tOAlV, ~ !CelTaL t1t1 opou<;
utrl AOU Te !Cal tpuf'vou, t<; ~v 1tOAAo( Te TWV 'EAA~vwv iif'a
!Cal AA.~avwv oUAAeyof'evOl 1tape01CWa~ovTo w<; 1tOALOP-
!C'loof'evol. Kal uSaTl f'ev oU!C tXpijTO aq>90v'll ~ 1tOAl<;, OTl
f'~ t!CTO<; -rf]<; 1tOAew<;, aq>' ou uSpeueo9aL 4\OVTO !Cal f'~
aq>aLpe9~oeo9al U1tO TWV 1tOAef'(wv, oUf'~aAAof'EvOU TOU
xwp(ou t<; TO af'uvao9aL iO)(1JpoTaTa tv-reugev.
'0 f'ev ouv ~aolAeu<; ,meAaoa<; oilv ToT<; ve~Auol TOU Te
5 said that its people killed their own pack animals in order to
uSaTo<; t1te!CpaT'loe, !Cal t;e1tOAlop!Cel T~V 1tOAlV. MyeTaL
Se tVTau9a TOU<; tv Tn 1tOAel !CTelvoVTa<; Ta imosuyla T'li
alf'aTl q>upelV T£ Ta iiAq>lTa !Cal "telv TOV iipTOV. Xl<; Se
S(tel ouoxe9EvTe<; tv "mop'll tY(YVOVTO, hpa1tOVTO f'ev
tnl 0f'0Aoy(av !Cal 1tpEO~el<; E1tef'1tOV t1t1 0f'0AOY(Q:·
'EvTau9a oAlyWpOUv-rwv TWV tv "tfi 1tOAel 1tepl TWV q>u-
Aa!Cwv -rf]<; 1tOAew<; Sla TOU<; 1tpEO~el<;, !CeAeuovT£<; ot
ve~AuSe<; eiOE1t£OOV !Cal eioexeovTo e<; -rfJv 1tOAlV !Cal !CaT-
toxov !Cal n'jv Te 1tOAlV !CaTa !CpaTo<; t;eAOv-re<; t;'lvSpa-
1tOS(oavTo. MeTa Se TauTa aq>l!Cof'evOl t1tIl\!Cw~~v 1tOAlV,
!CaITau"tt]lJ1tooTavTwv TWV tv"tfi 1toAel!Cal oU!C t!CAl1tOVTWV,
t1teA9ov-re<; ot ve~AuSe<; t"';~'l0av Te TOU Tdxou<; !Cal elAov,
tAOvTe<; SE ~vSpa1tOS(oavTo !Cal TauT'lV, {2. 20 5}
6 MeTa SE TauTa tAauvwv aq>(!CeTo t<; 'POU1tEA'lV -rf]<;
<PAlao(a<; 1tOA(XV'lV, t<; ~v AA.~avo( Te !Cal "EAA'lve<;
BOOK 9
Phlious and installed them in a strongly fortified location
where he prepared to defend himself The sultan took Tar-
sos, which surrendered on terms. He took three hundred
children and appointed a lord over the people of the city. He
then advanced inland. Along his march he turned against
that citadel, which is situated on a high and inaccessible
mountain, where many of the Greeks and Albanians had as-
sembled and were preparing for a siege. The citadel did not
have an abundance of water, except for a supply outside it,
from where they expected to draw their water on the as-
sumption that it would not be taken by the enemy, as the
site itself would virtually ensure its own defense.
But the sultan stormed it with the janissaries and took 5
control of the water supply. He then besieged the city. It is
mix their blood with barley and bake their bread in that way.
But as they were pressed by thirst and had no options, they
decided to surrender on terms and sent envoys for that pur-
pose. Yet the inhabitants of the city neglected the defense
of the place on account of sending the envoys, and the jan-
issaries urged each other to attack it. They poured into the
city. captured it, and as they had seized that city by force,
they enslaved it. After that the Turks arrived at the city of
Akova. Here too the people of the city resisted them and
did not abandon it. The janissaries came against them,
scaled the walls, and caprured it, enslaving this city too.
Mehmed then marched on and arrived at Roupele, a town 6
of Phliasia, where Albanians and Greeks had sought refuge
277
 THE HISTORIES
Ka-raqlUyov-re, Slecrw~ovm au-rol n afla Kat at yuvalKe,.
I1porre~aAAe flev tv-rauSa Kat -rfi nponpal.,: Kat -rfi urr-re-
pal.,:, Kat W, OUK ~Svva-ro EAciv, nerrov-rwv tv-rauSa OUK
oAlywv -rwv ~a<rLAew" Kat rruxvwv -rwv -rou rr-rpa-roneSou
-rnpwflevwv, a~yaye -rov rr-rpa-rov W, amwv. 'End Se
rruv£(J"Keua~e-ro W, anlwv, ev-rauSa nporrE'I'epov AOYOU, -r<!i
~acrlAci, ~ufl~ijval -re eSeAov-re, KatnapaSlSOVaL -r~v nOAlv.
'0 St w, napeAa~e -r~v nOAlxv'1v, olhe avSpanoSlrraflevo<;
ou-re fJ.AAo aElKe, tpyarraf'evo" rrUv yuvaL~l n afla Kat
naLrrLv t, Bu~av-rlov Ka-renefl'ite Ka-rolK~rrov-ra,. Twv -re
AA~avwv -rwv tv -r<!i Taprr<!i napaSeSwKo-rwV rr'l'ii, Kat ev-
-rauSa Sev-repov auSl, an0'l'uyov-rwv, ;uv-ruXl.,: -rlvi XP'1-
rraflevwv OUK ayaSfi, Aa~wv -rolhou, -rou, -re noSa, Kat
x£1pa, EKAarre, Kat ou-rw avciAE KaKlrr-r", oAeSp", napa-
Sou, afl'l't -rou, e'iKorrlV.
7 'Ev-reuSev tAauvwv Sla Mav-rlveia, xwpa, a'l'[Ke-ro tnt
I1a~ev[K'1v nOAlv, Kat EnEflnE Kav-raKou~'1vOV, ilv non ot
AA~avot ~yeflova EAoflevol trr-rpa-reuov-ro tnt-rou, "E:\:\'1-
va,' napijv yap -rO-rE tv -r<!i rr-rpa-roneS", fle-ranEfln-ro, uno
~acrlAew" wrr-re tmAa~ErrSal au-r<!i t, -rou, tv -rfi I1eAo-
novv~rr", AA~avou<;, flnlov-ra -re Kat AOYOU, tnmeflnov-ra
nept npoSorr[a,. :0., St ev-rauSa nef'nwv tKeAeuE nporr-
'I'epElv -rol, tv -rfi nOAEl, Wrr-rE nporrxwpijrraL' napijrrav St
afla aih<!i Ka[ -rIVE, -rou ~arrlAEw" al-rlarraflevOlnapa ~a­
rrlAci, W, Sl' tKcivov rr'l'[rrl veufla-rl XP'1rraflevov ou napeSw-
Kav rr'l'ii" axSerrSijva[ -re rruve~'1 -rov ~arrlAea, Kat {2.206}
npo',wv anlEval <hI -raXlrr-ra tK -rou rr-rpa-roneSou t;~Aarrev.
:0., Se aSuva-ra npo<r~aAciv -r<!i tpufla-rl (tKAEAomon, yap
BOOK 9
to save themselves and their women. He made an attack
here on the first day and on the second, but was unable to
take it and many of the sultan's men fell there. Many in his
camp sustained wounds, and so he led his army away and de-
parted. When he was preparing to depart, they entered into
negotiations with the sultan, claiming that they wanted to
reach an agreement to surrender the city. When he received
the town, he neither enslaved it nor did any other injury to
it, but sent them instead to settle in Byzantion with their
women and children. Some of the Albanians who had sur-
rendered themselves at Tarsos tried to evade him here a sec-
ond time, but it did not turn out well for them as he cap-
tured them, broke their arms and legs, and thereby killed
them, delivering about twenty of them over to a most
wretched death.
Mehmed advanced from there through the land of Man- 7
tineia and arrived at the city of Pazeniki. He dispatched
Kantakouzenos, whom the Albanians had once chosen to be
their leader in attacking the Greeks'? For this man was then
present in his camp, having been ordered by the sultan to
attend him and assist him with the Albanians in the Pelo-
ponnese. He was to approach them and enter into negotia-
tions for their surrender. So he sent him with instructions to
make an offer to those in the city, so that they would go over
to his side. But some of the sultan's men went with him, and
they subsequently accused him before the sultan that the
people did not surrender because he had given them the sig-
nal. This made the sultan angry and so Kantakouzenos pre-
emptively fled the camp as quickly as he could and rode off
As it was impossible to attack that fortified location-for
the people of the city had fled to a defensive location that
279
 THE HISTORIES
ot ev 'tfi 1tOAEL epufla aUToii TaUT!], OTL eYYUTClTW DV,
KaTEAa~ov TE Kat 8LE<1W~OVTO), <1U<1Keua<1<lflEvo<; emilEL ev-
TEii8EV.
8 Kat Tn U<1TEpaL" hEAE<1EV e<; TOV TEYEctT1p xwpOV Kat
e1t1']uAL<1aTO. 'EvTaii8a e~ouAEuETO e1t' aflcpoTEpa, E'{ TE e<;
~1t<ipT'1V eAaUVOL Kat 'E1tL8aupov. 6.ELVO<; yap aUTOV e<1iJEL
1to80<;, t8Elv TE 'E1tL8aupov Kat 1tapa<1T~<1a<18aL 1tOALV
epuflv~v 1ta<1WV 8~ 1tOAEWV, WV ~ flu<; !<1flEV, e<; TauT'1 v
KaTacpuywv " i!TEpO<; TWV ~yEflovwv, Toii hEpou e<; ~V
Mav-rLvELav Tij<; AaKwvLKi'j<; 1tpo<; 'tfi 8aAaTTt] oU<1av KaTa-
cpuyoVTO<; <1UV 'tfi yuvaLKL Kal1tuv8avoflEvo<; ~v xwpav
TpaXElav TE oU<1av Kal xaAE~v 8La1t0pEuE<18aL, e1tE<1XE flEV
TauT'1v 1t0PEUE<18aL, <1V<1TpacpEl<; 8f hpa1tETo e1tl MOUXA~V
Tij<; TEyE'1<; 1tOALV. I1pOEL~KEL 8f aUTi'j<; A<1av'1<; " 6.'1-
fl~TPLO<;. 'EvTaii8a <1TpaTo1tE8euoflEvo<; ev XWP'¥ XaAE1t<iJ
TE Kat 8u<1~aT,¥ (avEXEL yap ~ 1tOAL<; e1tl "xupoii TE iSpou<;
Kat epuflvoii <i>K'1fltv'1), 1tapE<1KEUa~ETo fl'1xava<; TE Kat
KALflaKa<; w<; 'tfi 1tOAEL 1tP0<10L<10flEVO<;, Kal aUT(Ka flEV Toii
u8aTo<; e1tEKpaT'1<1EV, (\ EXTO<; ~V Tij<; 1tOAEW<;, e1tt XWPLOU
epuflvoii 1t<ivu, Kat w<; OUK eLXOV ot Tij<; 1tOAEW<; u8pEu<1a-
<18aL, xaAE1tw<; ~8'1 ecpEpov ~v 1tOALOpKLav, fl'18E a1to
cppEaTWV Kat TWV ev Tn 1tOAEL OUK e;EytvETO <1cpL<1LV acp8ov,¥
TQ u8aTL xpi'j<18aL 8Let TO 1tAi'j80<; TWV TE av8pw1twv afla
Kal U1tO~UyLWV. 'E1tEl 8E e1tEAL1tEv aUTou<; ~8'1 TO u8wp Kat
1tptv ~ 1tpO<Y~aAAElV TQ Te(XEL, e1tEK'1 PUKEUETO "Tij<; 1tOAEW<;
apxwv, Kal ;UVE~aLVEV ecp' 4i 1tapa8L8ovaL ~v 1tOALV Kal
aUTou<; fl'18fv 1ta8Elv. (2.207}
9 Ba<1LAEu<; flfV e8wp~<1aTO AE08wpLK!1 TOV 1tar8a aUToii,
280
BOOK 9
was very close, and they occupied it to save themselves-he
assembled his army, packed up, aud departed from there.
On the following day Mehmed reached the region ofTe- 8
gea aud made camp. There he deliberated between two op-
tions, whether to advance on Mistra or Monemvasia. For he
was seized by a powerful longing to see Monemvasia aud to
capture a city that was the most strongly fortified of all cit-
ies we know. One of the rulers of the Greeks (Demetrios}
had fled there, while the other (Thomas} had fled with his
wife to Lakoniau Mantineia by the sea. But Mehmed ascer-
tained that the land was rugged and difficult to traverse, so
he refrained from marching through it aud turned instead
against Mouchli, the city of Tegea. 8 Demetrios Asaues was
in charge of it.' Here Mehmed made camp at a site that was
rough aud inaccessible, for the city was located on a pro-
tected aud craggy mountain. He prepared engines and lad-
ders against the city, aud took control of the water supply,
which was outside the city in a very protected place. As the
people of the city now had no water, they suffered terribly
because of the siege, nor could they draw up enough water
from the wells inside the city on account of the multitude of
people and pack animals. They ran out of water even before
an attack had been made on the walls, aud so the lord of the
city sent out a herald to reach an agreement by which they
could surrender the city and suffer no harm.
The sultau gave Leodorikes his son back and drove him 9
28r
 THE HISTORIES
Kat E;EAWV a{,-rov Cl1ti> tij<; 1t6AEW<; ~AaVVEV E1tt K6pLv90v
Kat E1tt -ri> i\Lnavi>v O'-rpa-r61tESoV' ~S1'] yap -ra E<; -rou<;
-r1']AE~OAOV<; au-rQ 1tapEO'KEuatr-rO Kat Al90v<; -rE a1to tij<;
1taAmii<; 1tOAEW<; tij<; Koplv90v EupaflEVOL ol-rov ~atrLAEW<;
tVE-raflvov-ro [Kavou<;. :0.<; Sf. E1tEAaO'a<; Etr-rpa-r01tESEUE-rD,
1tPOO'E'l'EPE flf.V au-rlKa AOYOV<; -rQ i\O'aVn " ~atrLAEU<;, Kat
1tEflta, 11']O'OVV -rOV -rov BpEVE~EW 1taTSa, EAMYLflOV Dv-ra
I
EV -rQ tr-rpa-r01tES", Kat i:pfl1']VEa -rE afla au-rQ, EKEAWE
1tapaSOVvaL TI]V 1tOALV. 11']O'OV, flf.V a'l'LKOflEVO, i!AEYE -rOL-
aSE' "i\O'av1'] Kat O[ 1tapov-rE, "EAA1']VE<;, ~aO'LAEu<; -raSE
1tEfl1tWV ~flii, MYEL, w<; trU E, -rou, "EAA1']va, ~KEL<; E, -ra
1tpw-ra O'VVEO'EW" Kat 'EAA~VWV flaALtr-ra S~ £fl1tELpO, d
-rWV ~a(l'lAEW, 9vpwv. OTO'9a Sf. Kat trU fliiAAOV -rWV aAAwv,
010, wv 0 ~aO'LAEU, ou-ro<;, Kat -rov 'O-rovflavlSwv YEVOV"
Kat ii av a'l'lK1']-raL, OUK a1tavltr-ra-rm, 1tptV /tv EK1tOp9~rrn
TI]V 1tOALV. IIapEXEL ouv O'OL tv -rQ -rOLQSE KaAALtr-ra Ka-ra-
AVO'aflEV", 1tpi><; ~aO'LAEa ~V -rE 1tOALV ~VSE 1tapaSLSovm,
Kat xwpav, ~V /tv uflET, t'AoLO'9E, Aa~ETv 1tapa ~a(l'lMw<;
aAAa;aflEvov<;. Kat ~v -rov-ro 1tOL~rrn<;, E1tL-r~SEL6v -rE S~
VOflLET ~aO'LAEU<;, Kat ;EVOV 1tOLET-rm S~, «Itr-rE E<; UO'-rEPOV
Ka-ra9ETO'9m xapLV au-rQ O'ol -rE Kat -roT, 1taLO'lv. "Hv Sf. fl~
1tapaSQ<;, oIO'9a flf.V au-ro<;, v~ TI]v ~atrLAEW<; tvrnv, w,
~v -rE 1tOALV E;aVSpa1tOSLET-rm Kal S~ -rou<; 1tEpL!; KaKltr-r",
1tapaSWO'EL QAE9p",."
IO Tav-ra flEv 11']O'ov<; e'AEYE SL' i:Pfl1']VEW<;, i\O'av1'], Se U1tO-
Aa~wv £'l'1'], "w 1taT BpEVE~EW, a1taYYELAaL S~ -rQ ~aO'LAET,
w<; ~V -rE tv~v au-rov YO'flEV 1tOV {z.zo8} yEvvmo-ra-r1']v
OuO'av 1tav-rwv -rWV 1tpO-rEpOV YEVOflEVWV a1ti> -rWV
BOOK 9
out of the city.1O He marched back to Corinth and the Asian
campY The sultan's men there had already prepared the
cannons, had found stones in the ancient city of Corinth,
and had cut ample amounts of them to shape. When the
sultan arrived, he made camp and began to negotiate with
{Matthaios} Asanes, dispatching isa, the son of Evrenos, an
esteemed man in his army, along with an interpreter, to urge
him to surrender the city. isa arrived and said the following:
"0 Asanes and Greeks who are present: the sultan has sent
us to tell you that you are first among the Greeks in wisdom
and of all the Greeks you have the most experience of the
sultan's Porte. Thus you know better than the others what
kind of a sultan this is, of the family of the Ottomans, and
also that wherever he may arrive he does not desist until he
has captured the city. He is now providing you with a most
excellent opportunity to resolve your differences with him
and surrender this city. Whatever land you all should choose,
the sultan will give it to you in exchange. If you yourself
do this, the sultan will regard you as a friend and make you
his ally, so that later both you and your offspring will know
his favor. But if you do not surrender the city, you yourself
know, by the sultan's soul, that he will enslave it and deliver
the people who live all around to the most horrible death."
That is what isa said through an interpreter, to which IO
Asanes responded as follows: "0 son ofEvrenos, tell the sul-
tan that we know his soul to be the most noble of all who
have previously been sultans among the Ottoman family,
 THE HISTORIES
'O'tovf'avwv ~acnAewv, Kal 't~V 'tE 8uvaf'lv f'Eylenl]v 'tE
overav 'tWV tv 'tft OtKOVf'eVU, 1tav'tl 1tOV 'tWV EV £i8o'twv 'to.
~aerlAeW, 1tpaYf'a'ta Ka'ta81]Aov. Kal'tau'ta f'EV ~VV0f'0AO­
youf'ev 'tE au'tol 't<li ~acnAET, W, f'eYler'ta n £Tval. Kal
'tau'tl]v f'EV OVV 't~V 1tOAlV Opa'tE 81'] 1tOV W, tv 6xvp<li 1tOV
4\KI]'taL 1ta<YWV 8~ f'aAlena 1tCAEWV, WV ~ f'£l, 'ierf'Ev. Kal
au'tol oilmo 'tou 'O'tovf'avov ~aerlA£l" Kal au'to, 8E ~aerl­
AEU" E~ ,hov yE E, 't~v ~aerlAdav Ka'teenl], 'toulv8E 1tOAlV
OU'tE 1tOALOPKWV t~ErAE Ka'to. Kpa'to" aX/( oun E~EyeVE'to
t1tl 'tolav8E 1tOAlV EAaUVElV. 'Opan yap, w, KUKA4' ~ 1tOAl,
tpvf'V~ 'tE overa E, 'to. f'aAler'ta 'tau-rn f'OVOV 1tOl£l'taL ~V
e'ier080v, 'te'te,x,erf'evI]v 'tplerl n af'a 't£Lxeerlv 6xvpw'ta'tol,
Kal 'tp,erlwAa". "Hv f'EV OVV 't~v f'lav E~eAI]'te 'tl]Ae~oAol"
~v n £-repay 1tW, ltv U1tep~aAAOlereej "Hv 8E Kal 'tau'tl]v
U1tep~aAAI]eree, U1tOA£L1te'taL aVe" ~ tcrxvpo'tepa 'toU'tWV.
'0., OVV 'tau-rn 8lavoovf'evwv Kal 1tapaCYKeuasof'evwv, £i
8eOl o.1tOA£lereaL, wer'te af'uveereaL, oihw a1tayyelAa'tE 't<li
~acnA£l, w, f'a'tl]v ltv e'il]f'EV w8e EAeOne, E, 'llUAaK~v-rij,
1tOAEW" £i f'I]8' O'tLOUV xaAE1tOV E1tl8ovn, ~v 1tCAlV 1tapa-
801l]f'ev."
n Tau'ta £i1tov'to, 'tou AeravEw, W, u1toenpbJra, 'II]erou,
a1t~yyelAe 't<li ~aerlA£l, au'ttKa Ka'te~l~aere 'tou, 'tI]AE~O­
AOV, E, 'to., 1tVAa, -rij, 1tOAeW" Ii 8~ ~ t, ~v 1tOAlV der080,
er'tevw'ta'tl] ylV0f'tVI]1tpi>, au~v 'te 1tOl£l'tal ~v e'ier080v,
Kal 't£LXI] 'tpta aAA~Awv ou 1tOAU 8leenl]Ko'ta E, 't~v der-
080v 'tav-rn 1taptXE'tal. {2.209} Kal 'to f'EV 'teAev'taTov
't£lXO, o.ereeVE, ov Kal ou 1tavv EXVpOV Ka'tecrxev AeravI]"
wene 'tpl~elv 'te 'tOY -rij, 1tOALOpKta, Xpovov Kal 'tou,
BOOK 9
and his power to be the greatest in the world. The achieve-
ments of this sultan are clearly known to all who are well in-
formed. We are in agreement with the sultan that in these
matters he is, indeed, great. But you see that this city is lo-
cated in by far the most secure location of all the cities we
know. The Ottoman sultans themselves, and this sultan too
ever since he came to the throne, have never taken such a
city through a siege or by force, nor has it happened that
he has made war against such a place. For you see that the
city is highly fortified all around and has only one entrance,
which is protected by a triple line of the strongest walls and
by three gates. If you take one with your cannons, how will
you overcome the second? And even if you overcome that
one, then there remains the strongest one of all. These
things we have considered and are prepared to make a de-
fense, should there be need for us to perish. So tell the fol-
lowing to the sultan, that we would have come here in vain
to protect the city if we were to surrender it now, without
having dealt any blow whatsoever."
When Asanes said this, Isa returned and reported it to n
the sultan, who immediately brought his cannons to bear on
the city gates, at the place where the approach to the city
becomes the most narrow and allows ingress to it, and where
the three walls virtually converge and provide an entrance.
The outermost wall was weak and not well fortified, so
Asanes took his stand there, to prolong the siege and wear
 THE HISTORIES
't'1AE~OAOV'· fiSEl fLEV'tOl, w, 'tEAroV EV'taii9a OUX U1t0fLEVEI
'ta'tdX'1 U1tO 'tWV 't'1AE~OAWV, CtAAa 1tE<TEI'tat au'tIKa fLCtAa.
'E1tOIEl St, W, 'tp(~ElV 'tOY 1tOAEfLOV. 'E1td Se 1ta(OV'tE, oi
't'lAE~OAOl Ka'tE~aAAOV E1tl ~ fLEpa, 'tlVa, 'to EK'tO, 'tEIXO"
EV aT, E~lOV'tE, ot "EAA'1VE, EfLaxov'to 't01, TovpKol, Kai
'tlva, athoii 'tav-rn SlE<p9Elpav, Ct1tOAl1tOV'tE" 'to SEV'tEPOV
'tEIXO, Ka'ttxoV'tE" EXVpOV 'tE DV AWOL, fLEYCtAOl" EKpa'tovv
'to 'tEIXO, E1tl ~fLEpa, iKaVa, CtfLvvofLEVOl. Ot fLEV'tOl 't'1-
AE~OAOl Kal 'toii'to 'to 'tEIXO, E1tl ~fLEpa, tKaVa, ~1taLOV, Kal
Ka'tt~aAAov fLtpo, OUK OA(yOV. "Ev9a S~ Ct1to'tvxwv 'toii
'tEIXOV, 6 A190, <PEpofLEVO, ~1tE<TEV E, 'to Ctp'tOK01tEIOV Kal
<TVVE'tpl'\tE. ME'ta1tE<TWV SE " A190, Ev'tEii9EV, Kal EupafLE-
VO, av9pw1tov 'tlva Ct1tEvEYKa'to fLE'tEwp(<Ta, ~v <T<ipKa 'tE
Kal'ta O<T'ta, <TVVE'tPl'\tt 'tE d, EACtXl<T'ta fLtp'1 fLvpla Kal oIa
1t'tEpoI, opvl90, dKaOat ouS' at'J't~v E1tlYVWVat ~v <TCtpKa
1tapdXE'to. TOlav't'1 yap ~ <popa 'toii AI90v Kal SatfLovla 'tl,
oil<Ta 9aiifLa 1tapEXE'tat, E1td Kal Ct1to'tvxwv 'toii 'tdxov, Kal
fLE'tEWpl<T9d, Kal SlE~lWV ~v 1tOALV E, 'to E1t(VELOV -rii,
Kopiv90v EVEX9el, ~1tE<TE, <T'taS(ov, fLCtAlo'ta 1tOV E, 'tE<T<Ta-
pE<TKa(SEKa 1tapafLEl'\tafLEvo,. ElAKE Se 6 A190, e1t'ta 'tCt-
AaV'ta. Oihw fLEV oilv 't~v 1tOAlV £'tV1t'tEV E1tl ov)("a,
~fLEpa,.
12 Kal oi EV 'tfi 1tOAEl E1tlAd1tov'to, 'tOD <TI'tOV xaAE1tW, ~<PE-
pov, Kal A6yov, ESISO<TaV CtAA~AOl" Ct<plKOfLEVOl E, 'tov-rii,
1tOAEW, CtpXlEpEa. A<Tav'1, fLEV oilv Ka'tElXE 'to 1tA~90"
W<T'tE CtVEXE<T9at, CtPXlEPEO, SE 't~, 1tOAEW, avSpa 'tWV -rii,
1t6AEW, Ct1tO<T'tELAa, w, ~a<TlAta E~fLatvt {2.2IO} 'tE au'tQ
~v ~vSElav, Kal W, <Tl'tla 1tCtVV oAlya u1toAd1tOl'tO, W<T'tE
286
BOOK 9
out the cannons. He knew that the walls there would not
withstand the cannons to the end, but would fall rather
soon. Still, he did this in order to prolong the battle. The
cannons struck the outer walls and brought them down
within a few days, during which time the Greeks would sally
out and fight the Turks, killing some of them there; then
they pulled back, taking a stand at the second wall. This was
more strongly built with larger stones, and they held this
wall for many days, defending themselves. But the cannons
struck at this wall too for many days and brought down a
large part of it. Whereupon a rock missed the wall, fell on
the bakery, and destroyed it. When the rock, by accident,
fell there, it hit a man and flung his flesh and bones into the
air, crushing them into thousands of tioy bits, rendering his
body unrecognizable, so far as one could conjecture from
the wings of a birdY For such was the force of the rock,
so extraordinarily amazing was it, that when it missed the
wall it rose up in the air, passed over the city, and struck the
port of Corinth, haviog traversed almost fourteen stades.
The rock weighed seven talents. In this way he bombarded
the city for many days.
The people inside ran out of wheat and were hard 12
pressed. They conferred among themselves and went to the
bishop of the city. Asanes restraioed the crowd, urging them
to hold out, but the bishop of the city sent one of the city's
men to the sultan to reveal the scarcity to him, namely that
they had too few supplies left to continue to hold out. When
 THE HISTORIES
aV,£X£LV. Ta;;.a 1t1JeOflevo<; 6 ~acnAeu<; AOyoV<; aVel<;
npoCYE'l'epe, Atywv .0IaSe. "'Eflot napa .Wv ev '"Cfi noAel
euvoouv.wv anayyEAAe.at oAiywv navv ~ flepwv uno-
Adnweat UflLV .a CYl'"Cia. Tl ovv KaKoSalflova.e Kat ou
napaSlSo.e ~V nOAlV;" 'Ev.a;;ea, w<; nvveavofl£vov l\mOt-
vew i!Aeyov ot .0;; ~aCYlA£w<; .a Kae~Kov.a, e~ovAeuov.o
KOlVij, £'i.e napaSWCYOlev ~v nOAlv, £'i.e avexoflevol aflu-
VOlV'O. D<; SE c(1teCY'"Cpaflfl£VOV<; ewpa .OU<; ev'"Cfi noA£L Kat
xaAenw<; 'l'Epov-ca<;, tJ1tocynovSol.e e;ijAeOV au.o<;.e Acya-
V1']<; Kat 6 AaKeSatflovlO<; AovKav1']<;. A'l'IKOflEVWV O£ e<;
AOyoV<; .<ji ~aCYlA£l, CY1tovoa<; .e e'l" <l> at.ovflEVWV, i:'Aeyev
au.oL<; .aoe.
"Anayyd)"a.e .<ji ufle'£P4J ~yeflovl, w<; CY1tovoa<; nOl-
eLcyeat hOlflo<; elfll, e'l" <l> ~v xwpav, DCY1']V (\ CY'"Cpa.o<; nap-
e;!'Jel, £fI~v .e dvat, Kat 'l'0POV anayelv Ola ~v AO(1t~V
xwpav nev-caKocylov<; cy.a-cijpa<;, .<ji O£ ~yeflovl, £'l" <l> .0 .e
AXylOV Kat I1'hpa<; Kal ~V nepiOlKOV napaOlSovat ~flLv.
Et OE fI~, au.iKa /ifla £nlov-ca fie YlVWCYKOV.WV." Tau.a w<;
tv£'"C£AAe.o au.oL<;, Kat e<; .OU<; ~yeflova<; a'l'iKov-co nepl.o
Tai'iye.ov .ij<; AaKwvlKij<; ola.pi~ov.a<;, a~yyenov '"C£
.a napa ~acnA£w,. Kat au.iKa eooKel, wCY'"Ce fI~ CY'£pecyeat
~01'] ;vflnaCY1']<; -cij<; xwpa<;, np£cy~el, .e nEflnelV Kat £flne-
OOUV CY'l'lCYl .a<; CY1tovoa<;, £'l" ot<; npoe.dve.o ~aCYlAeu<;.
I1£fltav-ce<; OE np£cy~el, .a, .e cynovoa<; tnol~cyav.o, Kal
.~v xwpav an£OwKe .<ji ~aCYlAtw, unapX4J 'Oflapn (-cij,
{2.2II} 8eTIaAia<; unapx0<; ~v), .0 .e AXyIOV, KaAa~pl.1']v,
I1a.pa<; Kat ~V neplolKoV .au'n -cij<; Axata, xwpa,.
288
BOOK 9
the sultan learned this he offered to negotiate, saying the
following: "It has been reported to me by my friends within
the city that you have supplies left for only a few more days.
Why are yon snffering so and not surrendering the city?"
Therenpon, when Asanes learned that the sultan's men were
well informed, they deliberated in common whether they
should surrender the city or hold out in defense. When he
saw that the people of the city had changed their minds and
were hard pressed, Asanes himself and Loukanes the Lake-
daimonian came out under a truce. They spoke with the sul-
tan and requested a treaty, whereupon he said this to them:
"Tell your ruler that I am ready to make a treaty, on condi- '3
tion that the land over which my army has marched is to be
mine and that he is to pay, in exchange for keeping the rest
of the land, a tribute of five hundred staters. Tell the ruler
of Aigion, Patras, and their environs that he is to deliver
them to me. Otherwise, they will see me coming against
them." That is what he urged them, and they {Asanes and
Loukanes} went to their rulers {Demetrios and Thomas},
who were residing by Mount Taygetos in Lakonia, and re-
ported what the sultan had said. The rulers immediately de-
cided to send envoys and ratity the treaty on the terms pro-
posed by the sultan, so that they would not be deprived of
all their land. So they sent the envoys and made the treaty,
and Mehmed gave the land to his prefect Orner (he was the
prefect ofThessaly), namely Aigion, Kalavryta, Patras, and
the surrounding territory in AchaIa.13
 THE HISTORIES
14 :0, S, napeAa~£ Tit<; nOA£I<; Kat v£~AuSa<; Ka9[cn'l £v
Tal<; nOA£<Yl, Tit !'£v cnpaT£u!'aTa aUT£ij SI~K£V £n' O'lKOU
Ko!,[~£cr9at, aUTO<; S£ Tpano!,£vo, £nt T* ATIlK~<; Kat £nt
~<; A91']vwv nOA£w<; n£p'n£' crKonwv TOV T£ I1£lpatiX Kat
TOV<; Al!'tva<;, c<1C£Se;aTo T£ T~V 'O!'ap£w avSpaya9[av.
T~v T£ nOAlv TaUT'lV Kat aKponoAlv nuv9avo!'at ~acrlA£l
!,aAlcrTa TWV tv 'tfi XWN aUTou nOA£wv £V yvw!'tl y£vecr9at,
Kat T~V T£ naAatav ~<; nOA£w<; !'£yaAonpen£lav Kat KaTa-
crK£U~V ayacr9~vat, £n£l1CovTa, "no<T1'] S~ xapl<; ocpdA£Tal
£V T£ij ~!,£Tep~ vO!,~ 'O!'aptl T£ij Toupaxav£w." T~v yap
nOAlv TaUT'lV Kat aKponoAlv nap£cn~craTo 'O!,ap!']<; OUTO<;
Tpon~ TOl£ijS£.
15 :0<; yap N eplO<; £T£AEUT'lcr£, KaTtcrxE ~v -rupavv[Sa ~
yuv~ aUTOU nalSa "xoucra V~1[lOV, Kat Slanp£cr~£uo!'tv!'] E<;
~acrlAta xp~!,acr[ T£ £~Epan£U£ Tit<; ~acrlAtw<; 9upa" Kat
au~ SleTpl~E nEpt ~v ap~v. Xpov~ s, ou nOAA£ij ucrTE-
pov v£av[ou TlVI><; TWV OU£V£TWV £!'nop[a<; EV£Ka A9~va~£
acplKofievou, ~<; cruyKA~Tou S, avSpo<;, ~pacr9'l' Kat £pa-
cr9£lcra £<; AOyoU<; T£ acp[K£Tal T£ij veav[ .., w<; £v natS,al<; Ta
nOAAa cruvSlaTp[~wv T£ij veav[ .. , w<; aUT£ij d<; yuvalKa
xwp~crat /lfla ~v apmv EnlTpei'at ~<; nOA£w<; ETOlflo<; e'i'l'
TauTa Sf. elVat aUT£ij, ~v anonEfli'afl£vo<; ~v yuvalKa
aUTou Tpon~, ot~ SUV'lTat, £naveA9tl A9~va~£. "Hv S£ 6
veav[a<; I1plaflou nat<;, TOU NaunAlov EnlT£Tpaflfltvou
napa OU£V£TWV. Anlwv Sf. " {2.212} veav[a<; Kat KaTacrx£-
eel<; T£ij "PWTl, Kat £An[cra<; ~v ~<; nOAEw<; apmv KaTa-
crx£lV, Slacpedpa<; Sf. Kat ~v YUValKa aUTOU, ytvou<; oucrav
BOOK 9
When Mehmed received the cities and established janis- 14
saries in them, he sent his army back home. But he himself
turned to Attica and toured the city of Athens, observing
the Peiraieus and its harbor,!4 and approved Orner's noble
deed. I have learned that the sultan thought more highly
of this city and its acropolis than any other in his territory,
and that he greatly admired its ancient magnificence and its
buildings. He even remarked, "How great a debt is owed, ac-
cording to our customs, to Orner, the son ofTurahan!" For
this Orner had taken this city and its acropolis in the follow-
ingway.
When Nerio {II} died,15 his widow, who had an infant 15
son,16 held the tyranny. She sent envoys to the sultan and lav-
ished gifts of money upon the sultan's Porte and so she
maintained control of the principality. Shortly afterward, a
young Venetian, a senator,17 came to Athens on business, and
she fell in love with him. Being infatuated with the young
man, she spoke with him and spent much time with him
playing a game, proclaiming that she was ready to entrust
him with command of the city and become his wife, that is,
if he could find some way to get rid of his own wife and re-
turn to Athens. The young man was the son of Priamo,!8
whom the Venetians had entrusted with Nauplion. He went
away, likewise infatuated and in love and hoping to take
command of the city. So he killed his wife, who was also of a
291
 THE HISTORIES
Kal au-r~v aUyKA1']-rLKOU, 8La<peEipa, 8£ -rau-r1']v, w,e'ip1']-rat,
btaV~Kev Ae~val;e Kat -r~v Nepiou yuvalKa ~yayev.
I6 A<pLKo[.levo, 8£ t, ~v ~, :reaAew, ap7O'lv oLe~A~e'1 u:reo
Ae1']vaiwv tv -rat, eUpal<; -rou ~aaLAtw,. "Ya-repov [.Iev-roL,
w, ~Xeov-ro au-rt;i oi Ae'1valoL, tm-rpo:reeueLv -re -rou :reatOO,
£'I'aO"Ke Kat ou :reoAAt;i i\anpov Aa~wv -rov :realoa a<piKe-ro
:reapa ~a<1lAea. '0 yap -rOL <Ppayyo" Nepiou a8eA<pL80u"
avetLo, O£ -rou :reaLoa" oLa-rpi~wv tv -ral, ~aaLAew, eUpaL,
e:ree[.leve KatpOV au-rt;i :reapit ~aaLAeW, a<pi;eaeat e, ~v -rwv
AS'1vwv :reaALv. BaO"LAeu, oe w, e:reuvSave-ro -rit a[.l<pt -rOY
i!pw-ra -r~, yuVatKa" e:ree-rpete <Ppayy"" -rt;i Av-rwviou
:reaLoi, ~v :reaALv, Kal :ree[.l:rewv tKeAwe 8exeaSat au-rov -rou,
AS'1vaiou,' OL O£ 1'-rOL[.IOI ov-re, tot;av-ro. '0 0' w, -rupav-
vioa a<piKe-ro ~, :reaAew" -r~v [.ItV-rOL yuvalKa <1UAAa~wv
Kaee1p;ev ev MeyapoL" Kal ou :reOAAt;i ua-repov OLit -rOY
ya[.lov -rou veaviou oLe<pSeLpev, o-r", [.lev -rpa:re"" ouod,
tjaSe-ro.
'7 ~L' Ii o~ tYKaAouv-ro, tv -ral, -rou ~aaLAtw, Supat, -rou
veaviou, oeLvav n t:reOleho ~v i\~PLV -rou <Ppayyou " ~a­
<1IAeu" Kat :ree[.l:rewv 'O[.Iap'1v -rov Toupaxavew :realoa aUv
a-rpa-reu[.la-rL -r~, 8eTIaAia, tKeAwe tmevat. rrapaAa~wv
oe -rov~, 8eTIaAia, a-rpa-rov 'O[.lap'1' "Toupaxavew Kat
t:reeAaaa, '(axeL [.lev au-riKa ~v AS'1vwv :reaALv, [.Ie-rit o£
TIjv -re aKpa:reoALv t:reoALopKeL t:ret auxvov xpavov :repoO"Ka-
eel;a[.levo,. Kat t:reetpti-ro [.lev OLit -rwv :repoa'1Kav-rwv -rwv
tv -rft aKpo:reoAeL avopwv. TI, 0' ouo£v au-rt;i :repoexwpeL,
AOYou, :repoat<pepe {2.2I3} -rolOua8e' "eli :real Av-rwviou, aU
oIaSa -rov ~aaLAtw, oIKov, w, TIjv8e ~v :reaALv t:ree-rpetev
BOOK 9
senatorial family. Anyway, he killed her, as I said, returned to
Athens, and married Nerio's widow."
When he became the ruler of the city, the Athenians I6
brought a charge against him at the sultan's Porte. Later the
Athenians came to hate him, while he claimed that he was
only a regent for the child; shortly afterward, he took the
child and went to the sultan's Porte. For Franco, who was
Nerio's nephew and so the child's cousin,2° was residing at
the sultan's Porte and was long waiting for the opportunity
to be given leave by the sultan to return to the city of Ath-
ens. When the sultan learned about this business of the
woman's affair, he entrusted Franco, the son ofAntonio {II},
with the city,2L and dispatched him there with orders for the
Athenians to receive him. They were ready to do so, and
received him. When he took over the tyranny of the city,
he arrested the woman and imprisoned her in Megara, and
shortly afterward he killed her because of her marriage to
the young man, but no one knew the manner of her death.
On account of these events the young man was accused '7
at the sultan's Porte. The sultan was uoubled by Franco's
high-handed manner, and sent Orner, the son of Turahan,
with the army of Thessaly and orders to attack him. 22 So
Orner, the son of Turahan, took the army of Thessaly,
marched out, and immediately took over the city of Athens.
Then he invested and besieged the acropolis for a long time.
He made an attempt through men in the acropolis who were
on his side, but as he made no progress, he negotiated as fol-
lows: "0 son of Antonio, you are familiar with the sultan's
household. He entrusted you with this city for a long time.
293
 THE HISTORIES
btl IKavov Xpovov. Kai brei ~a<rlAeue; aVe'e; {napa}KeAevet
napaSLS6val au'tLji 'tf]v nOALv, OUK oISa ilnwe; ltv 'tau'tl']v
ItKOV'tOe; ~a<rlAEwe; Ka'tEXOle;' ouSe yap 1t<tvv noAuv SLa-
flelvat. Nuv ovv napExet erOL ~aerlAeue; flaAler'ta Sll']A-
AaYflEv4l 01 XW pav 'te 't~v Bo Lw'tlav EXetV Kal 'tf]v Ell'] ~wv
nOAlv, ano<pep6flevov Se 'tov 'tfie; aKponoAeWe; 8A~OV Kai
'ta erav'tou anLEVat, Ka'taAmov'ta 'tLji ~aerlAel 'tf]v aKpo-
1t"O/UV."
,8 Tau'ta aKouerae; 0 veavlae; J1'tel'to 'tE nler'tlv, E<p' '" Eflne-
Swerat au'tLji napa ~aerLAEwe; 'tf]v BOLw'tlav. t",anpa!;aflEvov
8e tv 'tale; e6pate; 'tou 'Oflapew OU'tw S~ <ppaeraflevoe; lm-
e!;~Aee 't~e; aKponoAewe;, Kal 't~v Ell']~wv nOAlv crVv 'tfi
AOlnft BOLW'tl" Ka'tEcrxe 8ov'toe; au'tLji ~a(TLAEwe;. OU'tw flev
8~ Ae~vat uno ~aO"LAel tYEVOV'tO napaCT't'leraflEvov
'Oflapew. To'te S~ neplLWv 0 ~aerLAeue; Kai 'tijv 'te aKpo-
nOAlv eewflevoe; tv eaUfla'tl tnoLEl'to, Kai 'tf]v A't'tLK~V
nepL"Lwv terKOnet ,e 'toue; AlflEvae;, we; e!P'l'tat.
'9 Toue; flEV'tOL 5pKOVe; Eneflne iiv8pa 'twv evpwv au'tou
napaA'lvoflevov 'twv ~e; I1eAonovv~erov ~yeflovwv, a[-
'tovflevoe; Se Kal 'tf]v evya'tEpa ,OU ~e; Lnap't'le; ~yeflovoe;.
Toue; flEV'tOL OpKOVe; tn£1tob1v'to ol ~yeflovee;. Elwfl~ 8e 'tLji
vewn:P4l aSeA<pLji flE"l"EfleAe, Kai anoer,aerlv 'te at"lKa t~ov­
Aeve'to ano ~aerlAEwe;. Kai npEer~vv flev Eneflnev te; ,ae;
~aO"LAEWe; evpae;, 5v"l"lva S~ aAwvat crvVE~'l tv I1a'tpate; Kal
te; 'tf]v aKp6noAlv, ~v {2.214} Ka'tExoverlv ol ,ou ~aerLAEwe;
ve~AvSee; Kal iiAAoL nepl<paVele; 'twv TovpKwv. Kai au'toi
fle'ta ,au'ta tnoALopKouv'to uno ,wv 'tou Elwflii CT'tpa'tl-
w'twv. T~v flEV,OL anOCT'taerlV t~ovAe6e'to neteOflevoe; iifla
294
BOOK 9
When the sultan then demands that the city be returned to
him, I don't see how you can hold it against his wishes. You
cannot hold out for long. The sultan is now offering you
Boiotia and the city of Thebes in exchange, and you may
take with you all your wealth and property from the acropo-
lis and depart, but leave the acropolis to the sultan."
When the young man heard this, he demanded pledges 18
by which the sultan would confirm his possession of Boio-
tia. Orner referred the matter to the Porte, and, when he
had received assurances, Franco came down from the acrop-
olis and held the city of Thebes and the rest of Boiotia
with the permission of the sultan.23 Thus it was that Orner
brought Athens under the authority of the sultan. At that
time, then, as was said,24 the sultan toured it, beheld the
acropolis and was amazed by it, and he toured Attica too,
observing the harbors.
Mehmed dispatched a man of his Porte to obtain the '9
oaths of the rulers of the Peloponnese, and requested the
daughter of the ruler of Mistra. 25 The rulers gave their oaths.
But Thomas, the younger brother, changed his mind and
was planning to rebel against the sultan. He sent to the
sultan's Porte an envoy, who, it turned out, was captured at
Patras, in the acropolis, which the sultan's janissaries and
other distinguished Turks were occupying. They were later
besieged by Thomas's soldiers. He was planning rebellion,
295
 THE HISTORIES
'I"<j) AaKeSm[-lovl<!, AOUKaVn <pa[-ltv<!, W<; ;uv9£[-levo<; 1!pO-
Socrlav '1"01<; tv Koplv9<!" eXelV tA1!lSa 1!apacm'Jcrecr9al 'l"e
aU'I"<j) TIjv 1!OAlV Kal 'l"iiAAa Sla1!pa;ecr9m w<; ~tA'I"lCY'l"a ou-
I
'1"0<; 'I"~V Aom~v xwpav.
20 'E1!e! Se imtcr'l"!'] 'l"e tK 'l"OU <paVepOU Ka! t1!OAE[-lel 'l"aI,
~acrlAtw, aKpo1!OAecrt, 1!elpW[-leVO<; £AelV Ka'l"a Kpa'l"O<;,
1!pOeXWpet [-lev ouSev aU'I"<j), WV £1!eVOet, cruva<plCY'l"!'] [-ltV'I"Ol
Ka! 'l"OU, Aomou<; au'I"wv TIeA01!Ovv!,]crlou" AA~avwv 'l"e
ii[-la Ka! <EAA~vwv, Kal £1!OA£[-let 'l"e ii[-la 'I"<j) aSeA<p<j), 1!apa-
KaAwv £1!! 'l"av 1!OAeflOV, Kal £1!OAlOpKel [-lEV Kal 'l"lVa 'l"WV
'l"OU aSeA<pOU 1!oAlcrfla'l"wv. Tau'I"!']v flEV S~ TIjv a1!ocr'l"acrtv
'O[-lapeW <pacrl 'l"lVe, Sla1!pa;acr9al. 'E1!eL 'l"e 'l"aX'CY'l"a
£1!iJge'l"0 ~acrlAeu" 1!t[-lva, £, TIeA01!OVV!,]crov iipxov'I"a
u1!apxov 1!aucroflevov '0 [-lap!']v TIj, apm, Ka! mhav 1!apa-
A!,]V0[-lEvovTIjv apx~v au'l"ou. Ka! S,a 'l"m'm']V 'I"~V aL'I"lav
a<pEAtcr9a, ~acrlAta '0 [-lap!']v 'I"~V EleTIaAla, apmv.
21 BacrlAEu, SE t1!! 'I"~V LK01!lwv a<plKoflEVO<; 1!OAlV S'£'I"P'-
~eV, ~v 'l"l VEW'I"epOV a1!a TImovwv £1!lytv!']'I"m. TIalove,
yap flna TIjv Maxou[-lolhEW Sla'l"pl~~V cruAAeX9£V'l"E, Ka!
'l"av "ICY'l"poV Sla~aV'l"e, ~Aacrav £1!1 TIjv 'l"OU MaXOu[-lOlhew
<puAaK~v, Kal crufl~aAoV'I"e, hptvav'I"o, Ka! £<pgelpav ou
1!OAAO"" EaAwcrav St 'l"lVe, au'l"wv Kal a1!~x9!']crav 1!apa
~acrlA£a. BacrlAeu, [-l£V'I"Ol W, £1!iJge'l"0 Elwfliiv 'l"av VeW'I"e-
pov aSeA<pav 1!apa~aV'l"a 'l"OU, IIpKOU, 1!OALOPKelV t"'OV'l"a
'l"OU, £v 'l"al, aKpo1!oAEcrl ~acrtAEw, ve~AuSa" E1!efl1!e
{2. 21 5} cr'l"pa'l"EU[-la £1!1 TIeA01!OVV!,]crov, '1"0 'l"e Ele'l"'I"aAla,
Ka! Ai'l"wAla" Ka! cr'l"pa'l"!']yav a1!tSet;E Xa[-lou~iiv, 'l"av
lepaKo<popoV £1!lKA!']v. Ka! 3, Aa~wv AX[-la'l"!']v 'l"av TIj,
BOOK 9
also trusting in Loukanes the Lakedaimonian, who claimed
that he had arranged that those in Corinth would betray it
to him. Thus he hoped to subject the city and to prevail in
an advantageous way over the rest of the region."
When Thomas was in open rebellion and fighting against 20
the citadels controlled by the sultan, attempting to take
them by force, he had no success in implementing his plans.
He had rebelled along with the rest of the Peloponnesians,
Albanians as well as Greeks, and he was also fighting against
his brother {Demetrios}, inciting him to the war and besieg-
ing some of his settlements. Some say that Omer abetted
this revolt. As soon as the sultan learned this, he sent an-
other lord prefect to the Peloponnese to depose Omer from
his position and take over in his place. For this reason also,
the sultan removed Omer from the command ofThessaly.
The sultan went to the city of Skopje and took up resi- 21
dence there, in case the Hungarians should attempt to stir
things up. For after MalImud had resided there, the Hun-
garians assembled their forces, crossed the Danube, and
marched against the territory guarded by MalImud.27 They28
attacked and routed them, killing a few but also capturing
some of them, whom they brought back to their king {sul-
tan?}. But when the sultan learned that Thomas, the youn-
ger brother, had broken his oaths and was besieging the
janissaries in the citadels that belonged to him, he sent the
army of Thessaly and Aitolia against the Peloponnese and
appointed as its general Hamza, the one who was also
known as the Falconer." He took Ahmed, the prefect of the
297
 THE HISTORIES
IIEAo1toVV~<10U V1tapxOV Kat 'Oflapt]v 'tOY ToupaxavEw,
Kat yafl~pov YEVOflEVOV ot t1tt'tfi euya'tp[, 'tOU'tOUl; Aa~wv
t<1t~aAEV E, -ri]v IIEAo1tOVVt]<10V, Kat t, IIa'tpa, flEV'tOl-rfj,
Axata , a'1'[KE'to, Kat-ri]v aKp61tOAlV ~AEUeepW<1EV. at yap
"EAAt]VE, W, fi<1eov'to 'toii ~a<1lAeW, <1'tpa'tov Em6v'ta,
t1tave<1'tt]<1aV'tE EK -rfj, 1tOALOpK[a" Kat t, -ri]v MEyaA01tO-
AlV, 'to viiv AEy6flEVOV AeoV'tapLOV, <1UVEAEYOV'tO t1tt 'tOY
~yEflova W, -ri]v flaXt]v 1tOlt]<1oflEVOl.
22 '0 flev oov <1'tpa'to, SlnEl Sla -rfj, "H)"So, xwpav -ri]v
1tapaA[av, Kat t1tt 't~V 'Iewflt]V a'1'lKOflEVO, aVnEl t, AEOV-
'taplov. 'Ev'taiiea 8Wfl", <1uvaepo[<1a, 'tou, 'tE AA~avoil,
Kat "EAAt]va, 'toil, <1UVa'1'E<1'tw'ta, 1tapE'ta<1<1E-ro W, d,
flaXt]v. "Evea S~ 01 ToiipKol t1tEAauvov'tE" w, elSov 'to
'tWV 'EAA~VWV <1'tpa'tEUfla 1tapa'ta<1<10flEVOV E1tt 'toL, AO'1'Ol,
't~, 1t6AEW" t~ouAEUOV'tO flEV, EhE <1'tpa't01tESEU<1Wv'tal,
e'i'tE Kat SlEAaUVW<1lV /i1tanE" W, fXOU<1lV, [eil -rfj, TEyet],
t1tt MOUXA~v. 'Iovou~t], Sf. 'twv t1t1tOSpOflWV /ipxwv [Swv
'toil, "EAAt]va, 'ta, 'ta;El, t, ~aeo, 1tE1tOlt] flEVOU, aVEKpa-
YEV, "& '1'rAOl ToiipKol, ~TIt]nal ot "EAAt]VE'· OU yap olov
'tE, w, <1UvE'ta;ano, flaXE<1a<1em au'tou" aAAa SW<1ElV
au't[Ka /ifla 1tana" 'tWV u<1'ta'twv t, '1'unv 'tpE1toflevwv.
au yap Ka'ta 'toil, SaKWAou, aAA~AOl, {2.216} tm~ot]­
eOiiv'ta,1tapE'ta;av'to, <iA'i.: t, ~aeo, 'ta, 'ta;El, 1tolt]<1aflE-
VOl1tapE<1KEUa~ov'to aflUVE<1eal."
23 Taii'ta 'tE aVE~6t]<1EV 6 'Iovou~t]" Kat Aa~wv 'toil, t1t1tO-
Spoflou, feEL t1tt 'toil, "EAAt]va,. at SE V<1'ta'tol tSe;av'to
flEV 'toil, 1tpw'tou" flE'ta SE, W, tmYlvoflEVWV 'twv ToupKwv
ad 1tAelOVWV, t, '1'unv WPflt]V'to. at 'tEAEU'taLol SE
BOOK 9
Peloponnese, and Orner, the son of Turahan, who was also
his son-in-law; taking them, then, he invaded the Pelopon-
nese, arrived at Patras, in AchaIa, and liberated the acropo-
lis. For when the Greeks realized that the sultan's army was
coming against them, they lifted the siege and assembled
around their ruler in Megalopolis, which today is called Le-
ontarion, in order to prepare for battle.
The army crossed through the coastal territory of Elis, 22
reached Ithome, and advanced to Leontarion. Thereupon
Thomas assembled his Albanian and Greek fellow rebels
and deployed them for battle, When the Turks arrived, they
saw that the army of the Greeks was deployed on the hills by
the city, and so they deliberated whether they should make
camp there or, all of them, continue with their advance, just
as they were, and go straight to Mouchli, at Tegea. When
Yuaus, the lord of the cavalry raiders, saw the Greeks in
a deep formation, he yelled out: "0 Turkish friends, the
Greeks are already defeated. For they will not be able to
fight in the way that they are deployed; rather, all of them
will immediately yield when the first row turus to flee. They
have not deployed so as to help each other flexibly,JO but
have made their columns deep to prepare for defense."
That is what Yunus called out and, taking the cavalry 23
raiders, he charged against the Greeks. Their front rank
withstood the first attackers, but afterward, when more and
more Turks kept coming on, they rushed into flight. The
299
 THE HISTORIES
'EAA~VWV <pEUyOVTE~ E~ TOiJ~ o"<pET£pOU~ aV£rel1tTOV Kal
TOUTOU~ "!,a t~ <puyi]v KaTEO"T'lO"aV' Kal OUTW at Ta~Et~ !,u;l
poren KatpOU ETpareOVTO E~ <puyi]v, tij~ TEAEUTala~ ~ta-
1;o!,ev'l~' avaYK'l yap ~V ~TT']!,EV'l~ aUTlKa !,aAa Kal Ta~
IIAAa~ TOUTO re£LO"EO"eat Ta~Et~, aAA~Aat~ O"u!,rel1tToUO"a~.
"EAA'lVE~ !'Ev oov ava KpaTO~ ~<pEUyOV E, tijv reoAtV, ol SE
ToupKot EretOVTE~ KpaUrft TE Kal StaKEAEUO"!'<Ii StE<peEtpOV
E~ StaKoO"lou~, Kal EreeAaO"aVTE~ EreOAtOpKOUV TOV Te ~yE­
!'ova Kal T~V reOAtV Erel At!'<Ii Kal AOt!'<Ii' EmE!;ETO yap 6
o"TpaTo~, Eree! EYEVETO aUTOU, areo TWV avSpareoSwv TWV
areo 1'* i\xcita~, Kal are~Aauvev aUTa EVTeUeEV Erel
MOUXA~V. Tov !,EVTDt 'IOVOU!;'lV KaTEAl1tOV crVv L\,'l!''lTpl",
T<Ii ~yE!,6vt. '0 !'EV oov ew!,a~ aOet~, w~ arcnEt 6 O"TpaTO~,
EreEAauvwv EreOAtOpKEt TOiJ~ TOU ~aO"tA£W~ vE~AuSa~ EV
Tal~ aKporeOAeO"t.
24 BaO"tAeiJ~ SE ~AaUVE TO eEpO~ TOUTO Erel LreEvSEpo~'lV
Kal tijv TWV Tpt~aAAwv xwpav. T~v SE &aO"tV EreoteLTO St'
alTlav tijVSE. n~ yap ETeAEUT'lO"ev 'EAea1;apo~ 6 TOU
BotlAKOU real~, KaTEA£AEl1tTO ~ yuv~ aUTou Erel euyaTpl E~
T~V ap~v. Kal T~V !'Ev aKp6reoAtV tij~ LreevSEpo~'l~ KaT-
ciXev aUT'l' Kal Eretya!'(av reotOu!'Ev'l Erel TOV 'IAAUptWV
~aO"tA£W~ realSa {Ere\} Tft euyaTpl SteVOciTo tijv {2. 2I 7}
apm v autij ~O"etv tij~ reoAew~. Ot !'Ev oov Tpt~aAAol
WP!,'lVTO Erel TOV Maxou!'OUTEW aSEA<pov TOV MtXafjAOV,
o~ reapa T<Ii Tpt~aAAwv ~ye!,ovt St£Tpt~e, Kal O"<plO"tv
~yE!,6va tAO!'EVDt KaelO"TaO"av TE aUTov Kal EreETpEreov Ta
tij~ re6AEw~ repay!'aTa. "HTE yuv~ !,eTaree!,reo!,Ev'l TOUTOV
E~ T~V aKp6reoAtV Erel ~EV(o"Et O"UvEAa~£ TE aUTov Kal
300
BOOK 9
front rank of the Greeks fell back upon their own men in
their flight and caused them to flee too; thus all the ranks
were routed in but one turn of the moment, with the fore-
most one pressing back upon the others. For it was inevita-
ble that, once one rank had been defeated, the other ranks
would suffer the same fate as they collided with each other.
So the Greeks fled with all their might to the city, and the
Turks pursued them with shouts, encouraging each other.
They killed about two hundred and advanced to besiege the
ruler {Thomas} and the city with hunger and disease. For
the Turks' army was hard-pressed by the time it had reached
that point, by the multitude of slaves they had taken in
AchaTa. So they led them away from there to Mouchli. They
left behind Yunus with Demetrios, the ruler. But then, when
the army departed, Thomas marched out and besieged the
sultan's janissaries in the citadels.
That summer the sultan marched to Smederevo and the 24
land of the Serbs. He embarked on this campaign for the
following reason. When Lazar, the son of Vuk, died,3! his
wife, as the guardian of his daughter, was left in charge of
the principality, and she held the citadel of Smederevo."
She made a marriage alliance by giving her daughter to the
son of the king of the IIIyrians {Bosnians} and intended to
retain command of the city herself33 But the Serbs ap-
proached Michael, the brother of Mabmud,34 who had been
attending upon the ruler of the Serbs, and chose him to be
their ruler, appointed him, and entrusted him with the af-
fairs of the city. The woman summoned him to the citadel to
offer hospitality, but then she arrested him,35 and sent him
3ar
 THE HISTORIES
<1uv8~<1a, C(:TCeTCefttev e, -rOU, IIalova,. Tov ftev-rol M,-
xaijAov ot IIalove, Aa~ovn, KaSeTp~av. Kat oi Tpl~aUot
'"Pft'lno ailSl, eTCt ~a<1lA.ea, Kat fte-raTCeftTCoftevol afta -rft
-rou ~yeft0vo, YUVaLKt £TCpa<1<10V -r~v -rij, TCoAew, TCapa80-
<1m '0 ftEV oily ~a<1lAeu" OUTCW Ka-ra<1-rav-rwv e, -r08e aimil
-rwv TCpayfta-rwv, TCapa<1KWa<1aftevo, ~Aauvev eTCt ~TCev-
8epo~'lv w, e~eAwv Ka-ra Kpa-ro,. Ot 8' ev -rft TCOAeL ~TCev-
8epD~n TCuvSavDftevol ~a<1lA.ea eTClov-ra <1<pi<1lv u~nwv
au-r<ii, -ra, KAeT, <pepone, Ka-ra ~v 680v. Ba<rlAeu, ftEV 8~
-rou, n Tpl~aUou, eSepaTCeU<1e, xwpal, 8wp'l<1aftevo, Kat
xp~fta<rl -rou, TCOUOU" Kat ~v -rou 'EAea~apou yuvaTKa
UTCo<1TCov80v a<pijKev aTCo<pepe<1Sm -rov TCAou-rov au"'ii,
oixoftev'lV, Kat ~v -re <ppoupav <rUv au-r<ii TCapeAa~e.
25 Kat w, au-r<ii TCp0<1exwp'l<1ev ~ TCoAl" '"Pft'l-ro ftev e,
IIeAoTCoVv'l<10V <1-rpa-reUe<1Sal, fte-ra 8e a<plKoftevo, e,
Bu~av-rLOv Kal e, ~v A<1iav 8la~a, ~Aauvev eTCt 'Afta<r-rplv
-r~v 'Iavu"twv TCDALV, eTCt -r<ii Eu;elv", TCOV-r",. Oi yap 'Iavu"(ol
TCpe<1~W; TCefttane, tl-rouv-ro -r~v faAa-ri'lv TCoAlv oil<1av
<1<pwv, ou8ev ~8lK'lKo-re" Kat <1TCov8a, exov-rwv au-r<ii. Kat
et TCpO<1eXWp'l<1e 8e Ka-ra ~v Bu~av-riou aAw<1lv, ~;iouv
ailSl, <1<pi<1lv aTC080Sijvm. Ba<1lAeu, {2.2I8} ftev oily aTC-
eKpiva-ro, W, oiJ-re au-ro, a8lKoi'l, ou-re eAa<1a, !:'AOl ~v
TCoAlv, aXX ol -rij.; TCoAew, apxov-re, a<plKoftevol w, au-rov
TCape8wKav -re <1<pii" a;LOuvn, eil TCaO-XeLV UTCO ~a<1lA.eW"
Kat -rau-rn TCapaAa~wv -r~v TCoAlv ou8eva ~8lK'lKW, e'l'l' L'l.,a
-rau-ra 8~ -rov TCDAeftov aTCayyeAAov-rwv -rwv 'Iavu"twv -ro-re,
~Aauvev tTCt 'Afta<1-rplv TCDAlv tTCt -r<ii Eu~elv", TCOV-r",.
'EAauvwv 8e e<pepe-ro ftEv xaAKov aTCAe-rov tTCt -rwv
302
BOOK 9
in chains to the Hungarians. The Hungarians imprisoned
Michael when he arrived. The Serbs then approached the
sultan, being summoned by him, and negotiated for the sur-
render of the city together with the ruler's wife. But the sul-
tan, with matters in this state, prepared to march against
Smederevo and capture it by force. When the people of
Smederevo learned that the sultan was coming against
them, they came out to greet him, bringing the keys to the
city along with them. 36 The sultan was gracious to the Serbs,
gave many of them gifts of land and money, and allowed
Lazar's widow to depart under a truce with her wealth, but
took over the garrison.
When the city went over to Mehmed, he then turned to 25
campaign in the Peloponnese. Mterward,37 he went to Byz-
antion, crossed over to Asia, and marched against Amastris,
the city of the Genoese on the Black Sea. For the Genoese
had sent envoys asking to be given the city of Galatas, which
was theirs, as they had done him no wrong and their treaty
was still valid. Even though it had surrendered at the time
of the capture of Byzantion, they asked for it to be given
back. 38 The sultan replied that he had not done them any
wrong either or taken the city by force, but that its lords had
come to him and surrendered themselves, expecting to be
treated well by him. That was how he had obtained the city,
not by committing injustice against anyone. For this reason
the Genoese had declared war at that time, and he marched
to the city ofAmastris on the Black Sea.
He brought with him abundant amounts of bronze upon 26
30 3
 THE HISTORIES
Kaf!~Awv Kat ureo~vy[wv, ~y£'to So Kal -rOY areo ~<; Acr[a<;
mpa-rov. D<; SE a<plKOf!evo<; treoAlopKeL -r~v reoAlv, repocr-
exwpl]crev ~ reoAl<; aimii Kae' 0f!0Aoy[av. rrapaAa~wv So
~v reoAlv, -ro f!ov -rp[-rov f!EpO<; au-rov Ka-raAl1Cwv tv -rft
re6Ael, -ra<; Suo f'0(pa<; ayaywv -r~<; reoAew<; t<; Bv~av-rLOv
Ka-r<!>Klcre, Ka[ -rlva<; -rwv rea(Swv au-rov ~<; reoAew<; t;eAo-
f'evo<; tav-r';; tKof'(~e-ro tre' OtKOV. "Evea S~ au-r';; ~yyEA­
Ae-ro -ra Xacravew repayf'a-ra xwpeTv trel f'Eya Svvaf'ew<;
Kal 'Ep-r~lyyavl]v -ra Apf'ev(wv ~acro..eLa. l\AACi -rav-ra f'EV
ucr-repov -r';; {-rel -rOu-r'll tyEve-ro.
27 BacrlAeT f'EV-rOl t;eAauvov-rl areo rreAoreovv~crov £<; -ra<;
8upa<; a<p[Ke-ro " ~acrlAEw<; aSeA<po<; Tparee~ovv-ro<; ~a~[S,
-rov -re <popov areaywv Kat -ra<; <Y1CovSa<; tf'reeSwv. ot yap
KOAX[So<; ~acrlAeT<; :\tyov-rm f'EV yevEcreal repo-repov Bv-
~av-r[ov ~acrlAeT<;, -r~<; KOf'vl]vwv oLK[a<;, -rou-rov<; S' w<; £K-
reecreTv ~<; ~acrlAda<;, 'IcraaKlov -rov reaTSa -rov ~acrlAEw<;
Sla<pvyov-ra, -reA£v~crav-ro<; ureo S~f'0v -rov rea-rpo<; au-rov
Sla -ro "Xeo<; -ro repo<; au-rov, otxecrem trel ~v KOAx[Sa
xwpav Kat trel-r~v Tparee~ovv-ra. A<plKOf'evov So £v-ravea
{2. 21 9} Ka-racr~val ureo -rwv trelXwp(wv tret ~v -r~<; KOA-
X[So<; ~yef!0v[av, Kat -r~v ~acrlAe[av f'e-reveYKeTv tret ~v
Tparee~ovv-ra -r~<; KoAX(So<;. Kat areo -rovSe ~acrlAeuelv
tv-ravea eme t<p' ~f!a<; Slayevof'EvoV<;, "EAAI]va<; -re ov-ra<;
-ro yEVO<;, Kat -ra ~el] -re Ilf'a Kal -r~v <pwv~v repo'ief'Evov<;
·EAAI]vlK~v. Kat trelyaf'[a<; f!ov reOlelcrem repo<; -re -rov<;
of'opov<; ~ap~apov<; -rov<; A£vKov<; A<Y1Cporepo~a-rav-ra<;
KaAovf'Evov<; Kat S~ Katrepo<; Tef!~pew viYSov<; -rov<; areo
T~OK(I] Kat Kapa'icrou<pew reaTSa<;, OIme f'~ repaYf!a-ra
BOOK 9
camels and pack animals, and led also the army of Asia."
When he arrived he besieged the city, and it surrendered to
him on terms. He received the city, leaving behind one third
of its people there, in the city, while leading the other two
thirds back to Byzantion, to settle there. He also selected
for himself some of the boys of the city and took them to
his household. At this point it was anoounced to him that
Hasan had attained great power and Erzinjan, the royal cap-
ital of the Armenians. 40 But those events happened in the
following year.
As the sultan was returning from his campaign in the 27
Peloponnese,41 David, the brother of the king ofTrebizond
{loannes IV}, came to the Porte to deliver the tribute and
confirm the treaty.42 The kings ofTrebizond are said to have
formerly been kings ofByzantion, of the house of the Kom-
nenoi, and when they fell from power, Isaakios, the king's
son, escaped when his father was killed by the populace be-
cause of their great hatred for him." He went to the land of
Kolchis and to Trebizond. When he arrived there he was ap-
pointed by the locals to rule Kolchis,44 and so he transferred
the throne ofKolchis to Trebizond. They have reigned there
from that time up to this day. They are Greeks by race and
their customs and language too are Greek. They have made
marriage alliances with the neighboring barbarians, the so-
called White Sheep and the grandsons ofTimur, the sons of
]uki and Kara Yusuf, so that they have no trouble from them
 THE HISTORIES BOOK 9

"xelV SlloufLtv!,], 't'fj, xwpa, intO -r01J-rWV. Kal1tpo, -re -rou,
"EAA!']va, Bu~av-r[ou E1tlyafL[a, 1tolelcr9al, -ra -re iiAAa, Kal
TIJV 9uya-rtpa EKSeSWKO-rO, AAe;[ou ~acrlAtw, KOfLv!,]voii
'Iwavvll -r<li ~acrlAel BuSav-r[ou.
28 [(Me't'Cc. Sf: 't'av't'a l'eyoVEvaL 't'l Kat 't'OlOV't'OV. Di) yCc.p EV vn0'o/{q yevo!J.Ev4l
't'@ ~acnAd 'Iwavvn nepl 't'fji) l-'-'1't'p0i) av't'ov, Wi) 't'ov npw-ro~eo"nap{ou
vop.f.vou -rft l-'-'1't'pl av't'ov -rft Kav't'aKou~'1vft, Katnaoxov't'L Ka't'et 8u!'ov 't'ov't'ou
EveKa, lme1crEtVe 't'e 'tov npw'to~E(,..napLov, Kat 'tov nan:pa av'tov Kat !''1'ttpa
(breKAeLcrev &!!<pw ev't4i av't4i KOl'tWvl, ~OUAO!!eVOi) aVeAelV Kat 't1)v ~'1't'tpa.
plundering their land. 45 They have also made marriage alli-
ances with the Greeks of Byzantion, including, among oth-
ers, a daughter given by KingAIexios {IV} Komnenos to 10-
annes {VIII}, the king of Byzantion. 46
[{After47 that, the following is said to have happened. King Ioannes [IV] 28
suspected his mother, who was a Kantakouzene, of having an affair with the
cruyye- protovestiarios. 48 He was infuriated by this, killed the protovestiarios, and con-
fined his own mother and father [Alexios IV] together in one chamber, even
intending to kill his mother. But the lords of the city begged Ioannes not to do
this, and they sent him off to the regions of Iberia, regarding him with aver-

Ot Setv 'tft 1tOAel dpxov't'ei), !Ke'tevov'tei) -r4i 'Iwavvn, tva ~~ 'tov'to yev'1-ral, sion. Because of Ioannes's evil disposition, King Alexios then made his second

cmem:!!'o/av -rov-rov di) 't'et !!ep'1 't'fji) 'I~'1plae;, Sucrwnf)uav'tee; av'tov. Tft KaKlq son king, the one called Skantarios, and married him to the daughter of Gatti-
lusio, the ruler of Mytilene, sending him to Mytilene. 49 King Ioannes went off
St: 't'ov 'Iwavvou 1tenof'1Kev 6 ~acrLAeue; i\At~LOe; -rov utov av'tou 'tov Sev't'epov
to Iberia and took as his wife the daughter ofKingAJek'sandre.50 After that he
~acnAta, 't'ov :EKav-raptov AeYO(!eVov, Kat vnavSpeucrev alhov !!e'tCc. 't'~v 8u-
went to Caffa,51 searching for someone who had a ship so that he could go to
ya't'tpa 't'OV Yjye~6voe; Mu-rLArlv'1e; ra'taAtoV~Ou, ov CmEne(!'o/ev av't'ou tv 't'ft
Trebizond and wage war against his own father Alenos. He found a Genoese
MU'tLAf)Vn. '0 Sf: ~acnAEue; 'IwCc:vv'1e; cmeA8wv tv 'I~'1p{q EOXe yuvaTKa 't'~v
man who had a large ship bearing all manner of weapons, and the ship was
-rou ~a(:nMwe; AAe;avSpou 8vya-rtpa. Me-ret 8t 't'av't'a Cc:n~A8ev EV -r4i Ka<pq, named [. ..]. He appointed this manprotostratOr. 52 They equipped the ship well
ava~'1't'wv tKeTO"e 't'Lva 'tov ExoV't'a Kapa~toV, Kat EA8eTv tv [2.220] -r~ Tpane- with everything that they would need and came to Trebizond against King
~ouv . tlnOAel-'-lKWe; Ka't'Cc. 't'OV [SLov 1ra-rpoe; AAe~{ou. Eiipe Sf: EKeTcre'Iavut"t'1v Alenos, his father.
&v8pw1tov Exov't'a Kapa~toV ~tya, 01rAa 1tav"toTa <ptpov, 't'o Aey6~Evov [. .. J They disembarked on dry land at the site of Saint Phokas, and set up their 29

ov Kat EXelpo"tovfjcra't'o 1rpw-rOCT"rpa.'topa. Ap(!a"twcrav't'ee; ouv 'to Kapa~toV tents in the monastery there, having the Kabasitanai as their facilitators and, as
it were, secret accomplices; for some of them had decided to betray the king.53
KaAWI) "te Kat we; EXP~V, ijX80v ev Tpa1re~ouv-rl Ka"ta ~acrlMwe; AAe~{ou 't'OV
For they were entrusted with guarding KingAlexios in the suburb ofAchantos,
na'tpoe; alhov.
where he had encamped with his chariots and military gear, ranged against
29 'E~eA8ov'tee; ouv E~W tv."t'fj ~'1pq, tv "t'fi 't'01r08ecr{q "tOV ayfou <l>WKCi Kat

tv 'tfj ~ovft av't'ou ECTK.'1vwcrav-ro av"to8l, oxov'tee; SlCc. p.f.crou Kat ~0'190ue;
KpUcp{We; 1tWe; 't'oue; Ka~acrl'tavae;, 0'( -rwee; alYrOV 1tpOSeSWKaO"lV. ~Exov"t'ee; yap
OV-rOl n)v lPuAaK~v 't'ou ~acnAeWi) Ee; "tOV AXav"tou 1tpoaCT"refou, 'tOV ~acrlAEwe;
AAe~fou EKeTcre Kat av't'ou CTK.'1vwcrav't'oe; (!e"t'et ap~a.'t'wv 't'e Kal 1tOAe[.UKWv,
Ka'tCc. "tou 'Iwavvou cruveKa't'tgev't'0, 1rctpaxwpf)crav"tee; 't1)v Ka't'Cc. AAe~{ou

306 30 7
 THE HISTORIES BOOK 9

EA£1.l0'lV, ov Ked evpovTf<; ot -rou 'Iwavvou lipxov't'e<; tv't'ft O'ICI'}Vft Ctvllnon't'w<;, Ioannes. They allowed access ta Alexios, and so loannes's lords caught him un-
Kat ~e't'Ct ~(a~ ctnEK't'etVaV at)"t'ov tv t:Jpq. ~eO'oVV1C't'[oll. '0 yap ~aO'tAeu<; suspecting in his own tent, and they killed him violently around midnight. Still,

'Iwavv'1~ OUK ebr£v OAW~ K't'elVat -rov na't'Epa, MAa ~ovov ~wyp~O'at Kat Els King Ioannes had not said that they should go so far as to kill his father, only
that they should take him alive and bring him to him. But they did not follow
au't'ov ayaYEiv. 'EKelVOL 't'ou't'o f1~ !pl.lM:;av't'ES, aAI( anoK't'£[vav't'£s ~aAAOV
these instructions and so killed him, thinking perhaps that they would thereby
-r@ ~aO'LAEi 'IwCtvvtl 't'et npos XaptV nenOL~KaO'L SOKOUV't'ES rO'ws. ons 6 ~aO't­
earn King Ioannes's gratitude. 54 King Ioannes later blinded one of them and
AEU<; 'IwCtvvy)s vcrTEpov 't'ov f1Ev t-r6IPAwO'e, 't'ov Sf. tXE1POK01O'}0'£, ~~ 9EAWV
cut the other's hands off, as he had not wanted them to do this, only to bring
-rou-ro oihw nOL~O'cu, aAAa npos au-rov ~ovov ayayeiv. '0 'IwCtvv'1S 't'o[vvv Kat
his father to him. Thus Ioannes ascended the throne and honored his father
av£St;a-ro -rt)v ~aO'tAe(av, 't'l~~O'as 't'ov na't'tpa au't'ou -raiS npoO'rjKouO'atS 't't- with all due respect at his burial. He laid him to rest in the monastery of the
~ais, 't'fl 't'aIPft, &v Kat Ka't'E9£'t'o tv 't'ft tiis 8£0O'KEnCtcr-r01.l ftovft, e( Kat vcr-r£- Theoskepastos, although later he brought him to the capital.
pov ~IP£P£ 't'oihov tv 'tft ft'1't'ponoA£l. A few years later, a sheikh named Ardabil marched against Trebizond,55 as- 30
)0 ME't'Ct SE 't'lvaS XPOVOVS EO''t'pa-r£vO'£ Ka[ 'tlS ~uXl1S 6vofta'tt Ap'ta~C\Y)s sembling an army together from all the regions of the east and south, from Sa-

Ka't'a Tpan£~ouV't'oS, O'vva;as anav't'axou ano -r£ ava't'oA~S Kat ft£(J''1ft~p[a~, mion56 and various other cities, and he came againstTrebizond desiring to cap-
ture it and destroy it. King Ioannes also assembled an army and came, by land
cr-rpa't'ov, ano 't'£ Laf1Lov Kat E; aAAwv {2.22I) -rtvWV nOA£WV, Kat ~A9£ Ka'"
and by sea, to the monastery of Saint Phokas called Kordyles; with him were
autiis ~OllA0ftEVO<; tAEiv Kat nop9~O'at 't'av-rllv. '0 Sf. ~aO'tA£US 'Iwetvv'1S
the pansebastos and his men, for the pansebastos had assembled both his own men
Cf1Jva;as Kat CtlYros O''tpa'tov Sla 't£ ;'1paS Kat Sta 9aACtO'O'rjS afta 't'@ nav-
and those of the king. 57 He advanced wanting to attack the sheikh with his
O'£~aO'-r<g Kat'tois au'tou ~A9£v ewS 'tou ayiov <PWKa 't'fl ~ovft 't'fl Aeyof1EVn
naval forces, wherever he might find him. The sheikh Ardabil had occupied
KOpSVAY). Lvva;as -ro(vvv 6 navO'E~acr-ros 'tovs 'tE [S[OVS Kal-rou ~aO'tAEWS, the place called Meliares, taking control in advance of this pass of Melia res, the
St~PX£'t'o afta 't'fl -rou cr-rpa't'ou ~OVA0ft£VOS 9aAaO'O'fI etO'~aAEiv Ka'tet -rou so-called Kapanion. So the men of the pansebastos came and found that the
~vXl1, anol llv £vP'1't'at -rou't'ov' 6 yap ~uXl1S Ap'ta~C\'1S Ka'tEcrxE 't~v 'tou M£- sheikh had taken prior control of the pass of Kapanion. They charged against
Alapy) AEYOf1EV'1V -ron09£0'[av, npoAa~0ft£voS 't'~v KA£lO'oupav 'tau't'1v 'tou the sheikh hoping for assistance from the fleet, as the fleet had likewise been
Me'Atetpt), 'to Kanavtov A£yOf1£vov. 'EA90v't'ES 't'o[vvv ot -rou navO'£~aO''tov prepared by the pamebastos to resist the sheikh. But the weather was against

Kal au-rol EVpOV -rov ~vXl1v npoKa't'Exov't'a -rt)v KAE10'0upav 'tou Kanav[o1.1. Oi them; a violent wind blowing at sea prevented the sailors from sailing out to
assist the army. Strong winds were blowing from every !;lirection and prevented
Ka16pft~O'aV't'ES Ka'ta 'tou ~uXl1 en' E'AnlSt 't'ou vau't'lKOU cr-rpa't'ou a~a, tn£lS~
the fleet from sailing out.
Kal ov'tos 6 va1.1'ttKo<; 0''t6AOs ~v napEO'KE1.1aO'f1Evos f1£'t'a 't'ou navO'£~aO''t'o1.1
SWO'ElV 't@ ~uXt1, OUK ~crxov KatpOV fYKatpov, aAI( aVEftOV ~la(01.1 nvEuO'av't'os
tv 'tft 9aAaO'cm OUK t;~ASav ~;w ot va1.1't1Ko1 et<; ~O~SEttXV 't'au cr-rpa't'ou, aAX
aAA08Ev noS£v D"KAt)plas y£VO[-tEVt)S fcrxov KWA1.1fta -rau E;eA.9£iv 'tov va1.1-
-rlKOV cr-rpa't'ov {-ra nAoia YEv0[-t£va).

308 30 9
 THE HISTORIES BOOK 9

31 Kal To-n: SYj 6p~~crav'n:~ ot 'tou ~uxrt KIXTet 'tou 1tavcrE~C{(rTOU Kal 'tau The sheikh's men then charged against the pansebastos and the army and 31
they killed the pansebastos himself, his son, and about thirty others. The rest
crrpa'tou SutrpSeLpav 'te aimJv 1tavcrt~a(Yt'ov Kat 'tov u[ov av'tou Ked ttEpOU~
fled and came to King Ioannes, who himself fled and came by ship to Trebizond
wcrei 'tpLaKov'ta. Kal ot &epol 1terpevy6't'e~ ~ASOV 1tpO~ 'tov ~acnAta 'Iwavvl1v,
along with the rest, some fleeing by land and others by sea. The sheikh made
o~ qlVyet~ Kal av'to~ yEVO~EVO~ ~e'tet 1tAO{OU ~Aeev tv Tpa1te~ouv'tl cr6va~a
camp at the monastery of Saint Phokas, where King Ioannes had previously
Kat 'tort; ttepOLt;, ot ~ev Sla ;'1piit;, ot Se Sla SaAacrG'1t; 1!eq>euyo'te~, Ka'ta-
encamped. The sheikh also captured many of the enemy. Some of them he
GKl1vwcrav't'ot; 'tau ~vx'1 EV -rft ~ovft 'tou ay{ou tDwKii, el~ i)v ~v Ka'teGK'1- killed, but he captured alive the man known as Mavrokostas, who was a cell-
VW~EVO~ 6 ~aGLAeilt; 'Iwavv'1~' 'E~wyp'1G£ SE Kat1toAAoil~ 6 ~uXl1t;. 060"t'1Vat; mate of the king and his master of expenses, and the sheikh killed him before
q>ovEucrat; E; av'twv, exwv KaL TOV MaupoKwvcrrav A£YO~£vov ~wv't'a, K£AIW- the city. He spent three days there and then departed in order to fight at the
't'1v ov'ta Kal e;OSlaG't~v 'tou ~acnAtwt;, OV KaL cmeueLVEV 6 ~vX'1t; E[.mpo0'gev Mesochaldion,58 which had been held by the pansebastos.

-ri]t; 1tOAEWt;. El'ta 1tOLf)crat; £Ke(cre ~~tpat; 'rpe(~ cm~Agev Wt; 1tOAE~f)O'WV tv 'r@ The following also happened at Trebizond, when the sheikh was at the peak 32

MEO'OXa'AS{'Y, w~ 'tou 1tavO'E~a(Yt'ou 'romo tx0v'rOt;. of his attack, at the monastery of Kordyles. It was the night when the sheikh
arrived. An Armenian woman was afraid that the sheikh would take the outer
32 L.uve~'1 Se Kat 'tOIOU'tOV ev Tpa1te~oov'rl aK~Yjv 6v'to~ 'rOO ~uX'1, tv -rft
fort, and so she transferred her wealth to the larger fortress ofTrebizond in
!!ovft 'tOO KopSuAl1. 'Ev -rft vtllcrl eKe{Vn [2.222] fJA9£V 6 ~uX'1t;· tv atYrfj yuv~
order to guard it there. So she gathered her possessions and was transporting
"n~ 'twv Ap~ev{wv q>o~11gerO'a ~f)1to't£ 6 ~vX'1~ bcLAa~l1'tat 'to e;WKaCT't'pOV,
them to the fortress during the night. She did not notice, however, that a fire
~e-ri]pe 'tov ~[ov aV-ri]t; Et; TO ~tya KaO''rpov -ri]t; TpIX1te~ouv'tot; Wt; rpuAa~ouO'a broke out in her yarn skeins. She was in the large fortress and did not know
EKELcre. Toivvv 61to'rav e'Aa~~ave 'tov ~{ov av't~t; Kal £Ko~l~e 'rou't'ov tv 't@ what had happened. A great fire broke out in her house and spread from it to
Ka(Yt'p~ VUK'rOt; oikr'1t;. AeA'1eO'rW~ av~ta'ro 1riJp tv 'tOL~ KpOK{Olt; av-ri]~. all the buildings nearby, around the hour of midnight. The people of the city
Au'r'1 S' ~v tv 't4i ~eyaA~ Ka(Yt'p~, ~~ elSvra 'ro crU~1!'tw~a. AVfjVE 'te ~Eya thought that they had been betrayed from inside by those who favored the
tv 't4i 'rat',..rl1~ o[K~~a'rl, Kat f.~ f.Ke{vov Kat 'ret crUveyyut; 1tav'ta, tv ~pq: ~eO'o­ sheikh, and they all fled, the rulers along with the ruled, leaving King Ioannes

VV1CT[OU. Ot S' tv -rft 1tOAEl vo~[O'av'te~ elva! 1tpoSocr{av cmo 'twv t:v't6~, 'tet alone with only a few of his men, about fifty of them. Through the whole night,
then, the king patrolled the city walls and the gates.
1tpOt; XaptV 'tou ~vX'1, £rpevyov cma;cmav'te~, apxov'tt~ 'te 6~ou Kal apx6~e­
In the morning the sheikh arrived, as was said, with the intention of taking 33
VOt, tYKa'taM:tq>Sev'tot; ~6vou 'rou ~IXcrIAEW~ 'Iwavvov ~E'ta KaL 'rIVWV ~e­
Trebizond quickly. Yet he departed without success, passing through Meso-
PIKWV, wcrei 1tevnlKovia. .l.\l~pxe'ro youv 6 ~aO'LAEil~ Sla 1taClll~ -ri]~ VV1CTo~
chaldioi. All the lords fled, some by ship and some by land, and they went to
'ta Te{X'1 -ri]t; 1tOAeWt; Kat 'tat; miAat; av-ri]~.
Iberia. They returned to Trebizond after the sheikh had passed through and
33 'lUSe 'ro{vuv tv T@ 1tpwt Ka16 ~UXllt;, w~ dp't)'tat, el~ TO Taxa bclAf)ve0'9al
'r~v Tpa1te~OuvTa' a~ Kal &:1tfjA8ev a1tpa1CTO~, Slepx6~evo~ EV ToT~ Mecro-
XaXS{OIt;. ~Erpvyov youv cma;cmav'rE~ apXOVTE~, ot ~Ev Stet 1tAolWV ot SE Stet
;'1pa~, bc' eAevcrEl Tf)t; 'I~'1p{a~' ot Kai tA96v'tet; u(Yt'epov, SLa~avTo~ 'tou

310 3II
 THE HISTORIES BOOK 9

~ux.rl, tv Tpane~ouv-rl wvelSl~ov-ro napa -rou ~a(JlAew~, yvvaucw-rou~ ano- they were reproached by the king, who called them effeminate cowards and

KaAWV au-rou~ Kat avavSpov~ Kal1[poS6-ra~ ttj~ na-rpiSo~ au-rwv. Kal -rau-ra traitors to their country. That, then, was what happened at Trebizond.]}

~ev ytyovev tv Tpa1te~ouv-rl.]}

34 '0 Sf. -rij<; Aflacrla<; ihrapx0<;, Xl't11P'1<; 6vOfla'tl, (l"tepa-
'twcnlflevo<; Kat il<pvw e:rewmeerwv tv Tpa:ree~ouv'tl, 'tov<; 'te
ev 'tfi ayopij. Kat ev XWpat<;, 'tou<; ev -rfi :reOAel OUK &lyov<;
ervvtAa~Ev, e<; SlcrxlAlov<; 'tou<; :reana<; yevoflEvoV<;, Kat
ep~flov ~S'1 01\<1'1<; -rij<; :reoAew<; 'tfi 'tOU AOlfloU ~l", Kat
:repoerSoKlflov aAwereereal, Sla:repa;aflevo<; XP~flacrlV 6 -rij<;
:reoAew<; ~aerlAeu<; 'lwavv'1<;, wO"te t'J1Co<popov gxelv TI]v
:reOAlV MeXflE't!] 't<l> ~acrlA£l 'tOU AOl1COU, 'tov<; 'te atXflaAw-
'tov<;, ou<; i:'Aa~e Xmpfl:reE'1<;, a:reoSoefjval oi, Kat au'tov
~ervx[av ilyelv [2,223} a:reayov'ta 't<l> ~aerlA£l <popov, Sler-
XlAlov<; xpver(vov<;, "Y O"tepov flEnol Kat 6 ~aerlAEu<; 'lwav-
v'1<; im£O"tElAe'tov au'tov aSeA<pov ~a~tS Seer:reo't'1v w<; 'tov
~aerlAta, Kat ~;[ov 'te 'tOU'tov efl:reESouV 'tet<; cr:rcovSa<;, (\ Kat
YEYOVEV, e:ret <popov xpver(vov<; 'tplerXlA[ov<;,
35 {rH Se 'I~l1p(a 1tpo(Jexr1~ eO"'t"l 1fI1i'J~ KOAX1So~ xwpq" Kal ot ~aO'lAeT~
-rou-rwv OUK ayevel~. dl~Kel St. 1) xwpa ano -rou Ba9u Aeyo[1tvou Kat ano
<Da0'l80~ 1to-ra~ou ew~ XaA-r~lxi, 1) -rou ropyoupov augev-reta Kat Koplou Kal
The prefect of Amaseia, HlZlr by name, marched out and 34
suddenly attacked Trebizond,59 and he captured many peo-
ple in the marketplace, fields, and city itself, altogether
about two thousand, The city was already deserted because
of a violent pestilence and the expectation of its imminent
falL Paying sums of money, King loannes negotiated to keep
the city henceforth as tributary to Sultan Mehmed and to
have returned to him the captives whom H1Zlr Bey had
taken; he would be at peace and pay a tribute of two thou-
sand gold coins to the sultan, Later King loannes sent his
brother, the despot David, to the sultan, asking that he con-
firm the treaty, which indeed was granted, for a tribute of
three thousand gold coins,"
{{Iberia61 is adjacent to the land of Kolchis, and its kings are not igno- 35
ble. The land extends from the place called Bathys62 and the Phasis River to
Axalc'ixe,63 and this is the lordship of Gorgouros, 64 and to Gori,65 Kakheti,66
and Tbilisi. These cities are near Shemakha, which is inhabited and ruled sepa-
rately by the Turks to the south of the city ofKakheti; and also Sebastopolis of
the Mingrelians in the coastal lordship of Dadiani,67 Mamia,68 Samandavle,69
and Guria,70 as well as the other coastal cities. The cities of upper Iberia have

Kaxer[ov Kal TvcpAlO'lov, m)veyyv~ ooO'al al n6Ael~ av-ral -rou ~a~ax[ov, as neighbors the Alans, Huns, and Emboi. 71 The Alans seem to extend along
and beneath the Caucasus Mountains. These men are regarded as especially
TOUpKWV otKOUV-rWV tv au-re;; Kat tX6v-rwv xwpl~ Ka-rwgev -rou Kaxe-r{ou
fierce in war, and they fashion the most extraordinary corslets. They adhere to
1t6AeW~ -rou tv napa9aAacrcr[q, Kal1i'J~ ~e~a(J-ron6Aew~ MlYKpeAlWV -rou da-
Slawov augev-retq, Kat Ma~[a Kal ~a[1av-raUAa Kal rovp[a~ Kal -rwv aAAWv
-rwv napa9aAacrcrlwv nOAewv. AnD yap -rwv nOAEWv 1i'J~ avw9Ev 'I~l1pia~ etcri
Kai OL AAavol O~OpOl Kal OUVOl Kat 'E~~oL Ot SeAAavol SOKOU(JlV eIVat uno
-rov KauKaO'ov napcnE[vov-rE~. Oo-rOt Kat i:~ -ra ~aAlO"'t"a liVSpE~ VO[1l~O~EVOl
-ra noAt~ua Kpa't'lO"'t"OL, nOlOVv-re~ AwplKla i:;alpE-ra. IIoAl-rEuov-ral St. OO-rOl

3'2 313
 THE HISTORIES
E~UJV -roil K1'p(ov ~~wv '11']O'ov XPL(Yt'OV ep1']01Ce(aV, SLaxPWVtCU S£ 'flwvfi tSfq:
-co 1tapanav, Kal onAa E1tL't1']8euo1'o'LV emo Xal\-KOV, -ra AAaVLKa KaAou~eva.
"I~l1pe~ 8£ Kal av-col o8ev ~EV btl UJv xwpav -c~vSe arpLKov-cO, e'L-ce
'1~~pwv -rwv npo~ e01fEpav, OUK txw SLacrlwiivcu' 801COV(Jl Se au-rol btl ~ya
xwpfjO'aL 8vval-'ew~, (2.224} Kal 6A~OV 1cr'1O'al-'eVOL Kal1t((Yt'LV EK KwvO"t'av-
-c{vo1' 1t6AeW~ 1tapa ~ua~ yvvalKo~ EKelO'e SLarpOl"'w'"1~ 1t[(Yt'eW~ eVO'e~OV~
EveKa -cfj~ eU(Je~e(Yt'a-clW ~-CL~ Kal 8a1'l-'a-ro1'py{at~ -rou~ "I~l1pa~ Ka-ra-
1tA~!;a<Ta ~e-r'1AAa!;a-ro tii~ aO'e~ov~ au-cwv 1t[O'-CeW~, Kal XptO"t'tavou~
a7rerp~va-co -rti 0l-'0AOy[q au-rwv. ME-ca Se Xp6vov~ 1't"OAAOU~ ot ~KUeaL ot
Ol-'OPOL au-cwv 1t6Ae~OV ~pav-ro Ka-c' au-cwv, Kal -ra~ xwpa~ -cwv '1~f)pwv 8L-
epX0(.teVOL E8001'V Kat1tav-reAW~ ~rpavl~ov, Kal avSpa7r08l<Ta[.teVOt Ka-rtcrxov
au-rou~, Ka-ra'flvy6v-cwv -rwv ~a(JlAiwv E~ -ca ltKpa -rwv optwv. "yO"t'epov 8'
otxo~tvwv -rwv ~K1'8wv E1tt -ra~ crrpe-rtpa~ 8la-rpL~a~ t7rLKa-ra~iiva{ -ce E~ nlv
xwpav, Kal 8a<T[.tov 'fltpov-ca~ -r~ ~acnAeT ~lw8wv yevtcr8cu tv auTfj ~a(1l­
AeUOv-ca~. Me-ra 8e -rav-ca ou 1toU~ VO"t'epOV 1tp6~ -re -rou~ AAavou~ ~a­
xe<Ta~eVOl, OOvov~ Kal La<TOV~ [ ... J-rocrov8e E1tlO"t'a~evo~ t1tL(.tV~<TO[.taL 1tepl
au-cwv.)}
37 :0., flev OUV acplKOflEVOtJ A<TaVEW 7tapa ~a<TlAeW,
EmJeE-rO -ra Ka-ra -ri]v I1EA07tOVV'l<TOV, E7ttJVeavE'to 8£ Kat
7tap' AXfla-rEW -r05 'tij, I1EA07tOVV~<TotJ imapX0tJ dv Ko-
pive,!, 8la-rpl~ov'to" tJ.'lfl~-rpLOV -rOV ~yEflova acpE<T't'l-
Ko'ta> EKOV-rW, -r05 a8EAcp05 au-r05 Ka'ta xwpav flEVElV,
7tOAEflOUflEVOV Kal au-rov U7tO -r05 a8EAcp05, E8wp~<Ta-ro
fI£v aU'tiKa au'tov -ral, tv -r<li Alyal,!, V~<TOl" A~flv,!, 'tE Kat
"IfI~P'!' Kat 8M,!, Kat LafloepQ:Kll. Tau-ra, flev'tOl7tPO-rE-
pov, flE-ra -ri]v {2.225} BtJ~av-r(otJ atpE<TlV, 7tapdxE'to 'tij,
Ae<T~otJ -r<li ~yEfloVl {8a<TovF Kat AfjflvOV Kat AlvotJ' 't<li
I1aAafl~811 8e -rtJpavv'!' "IfI~pov {Kat LafloepaK'lv}.3:o., 8e
314
BOOK 9
the religion of our LordJesus Christ, they all speak the same language, and use
bronze weapons of the so-called Alanic type.
ana As for the Iberians, I cannot say from where they came to this land, that is 36
whether they came from the Iberians in the west. 72 They appear to have ad-
vanced to a position ofgreat power, have much wealth, and received their faith
from the city of Constantine at the hands of a most pious woman who came
and spent time there because of her most pious faith. She astonished the Iberi-
ans with her miracles, converted them from their impious faith, and so
she made them into Christians by their own consent. 73 After many years, the
neighboring Skythians waged war against them and they passed through the
lands of the Iberians,74 raiding them and destroying them utterly. They en-
slaved and occupied them, while their king fled to the mountain peaks. Later
the Skythians departed for their own haunts and so the Iberians came back
down to the lowlands and took up their thrones again by paying a tribute to the
king of the Skythians. Shortly after that they fought against the Alans, Huns,
and Sasoi {...}. 75 That is what I know and will record about them.}}
At any rate, when Asanes went to the sultan, the latter 37
learned about the situation in the Peloponnese,76 and he
also learned from Ahmed, the prefect of the Peloponnese
who was <stationed at Corinth, that Demetrios the ruler
had broken off> willingly from his brother {Thomas} and re-
mained within his own territory, while being attacked by his
brother. So he gave to Demetrios the islands of the Aegean,
namely Lemnos, Imbros, Thasos, and Samothrace. 77 Previ-
ously, after the capture of Byzantion, he had given them to
the ruler of Lesbos, {that is Thasos} and Lemnos, while he
gave {Samothrace and} Imbros to the tyrant of Ainos,
315
 THE HISTORIES
elA£ 't£ -rl]V Alvov, a1tOeavov-ro, -rOO rraAafl~oou Kat -roo
1taLOO<; au-roo N-rop(ou -r~v 1tbAlV 1tapaAa~ov-ro<;, £1teAacra<;
6 ~acrtAeil<; eTAE -re -rl]v Alvov, 1tpocrxwp'1crav-rwv au-r4' -rwv
£v -rtj 1tbAel au-rlKa. "E1tefl1t£ -re 'IovouS'1v -rov 'tij<; KaA-
ALOureoAew, u1tapxov, 1tapaA'1'itoflevo<; -ra<; v~crou<;. 'H flEV
"IfI~p0<; au-r(Ka repocrexwp'1cre Kat ~ Afiflvo<; Kat '1'poupa
~acrIA£w<; a'1'(Ke-ro £<; -ra<; v~crou<;.
38 Me-ra oe reueOflevol ol TOOPKOI -rov a1to 'tij<; 'I-raA(a<;
cr-rOAOV afla -r4' KapolvaAel a'1'IKoflevov, 1tpocrooKlfloV OE
Kat aAAov a'1'(;ecreaL areo 'I-raAla<;, ~ flEV '1'poupa avexw-
P'1cre, TOOPKOI oe avope<; £1te-rporeeuov -ra<; v~crou<;. Afiflvo<;
flEV, w, £1tE1tAeucre cr'1'lcrlV 6 cr-rOAO<;, 1tpocrexwp'1cre, Kat ~
"IfI~po<; £1to(et reapa1tA'1cr(w" Kat ~ eacro<; f-rl Kat ~aflo­
ep~K'1' ou 1tOAA4' OE ucr-repov otxofl£vOU -roo cr-rOAOU £<;
'Pooov, 'Icrfla~A'1' ureapx0<; Ka-racr-ra<; (mo ~acrIA£w<; ap-rl,
£rel1tAeucra<; -r~v -re "IfI~pov Kat AfiflvOV reapecr-rl]cra-ro, Kat
-roil<; £V au-rtj avopa<; -rwv 'I-raAwv cruAAa~wv a1tEreefl'itev
w<; ~acrtAEa. Oli-rOI flEV oliv w<; a~Xe'1crav, olexp~cra-ro
1tav-ra<; ~acrtAeu<;, ola-rpt~wv £v <PIAl1t1t01tbAel' u1te!;exwpel
yap £K -rwv ~acrtAe[wv Ola -rov AOlflOV -ro-re £1tlYlvoflevov
flEyav. eacro, OE Kat ~aflOep~K'1 ou 1tpocrexwp'1crav,
ayvwflocrUvn XP'1craflevaL. Kat w<; ou 1tOAA4' ucr-repov
Zayavo, a~AAa!;E -re 'Icrfla~A'1v Kat Ka-recr""1 £<; -rl]v KaA-
ALOureOAew<; ap~v, £1tl1tAeucra<; ~aflOep~K'1V 't£ Kat eacrov
£!;eAwv ~vopa1too(cra-ro. Kat -rou-rou<; flEV Ka-rci>Klcre [2.226}
~acrtAeil<; t, -ro Busav-rLOv' -ra, OE v~crou<;, Kat ilcrOI £<; -ra
aKpa -rwv OpEWV OIE'1'UYOV fI~ avopareoolcrewcrl [...}
39 Acrav'1<; OE Aa~wv -rov cr-rpa-rov W<; tcrE~aAev £<; -rl]v
BOOK 9
Palamede. 78 Mehmed took Ainos when Palamede had died
and his son Dorino had received the city. 79 The snltan then
marched and took Ainos when the people of the city went
over to his side. 80 He dispatched Yunus, the prefect of Gal-
lipoli, to take possession of the islands. Imbros and Lemnos
immediately went over to him, and a garrison of the sultan
arrived on the islands.
Later the Turks learned that the fleet was coming from 38
Italy under the cardinal,81 and it was expected that another
fleet would also be coming from Italy, so the garrison with-
drew, but Turks still governed the islands. When the fleet
sailed to Lemnos it went over to their side, and Imbros ,
Thasos, and Samothrace did likewise. Shortly afterward
when the fleet departed for Rhodes, ismail, who had re-
cently been appointed as prefect by the sultan, sailed against
Imbros and Lemnos and retook them, arresting the Italians
he found there and sending them on to the sultan. When
they were brought to the sultan, he killed them all; this was
while the sultan was residing at Philippopolis. He had with-
drawn from the palace on account of a major outbreak of
plague. But Thasos and Samothrace foolishly did not go
over to his side. Shortly afterward," Zaganos relieved ismail
and took command of Gallipoli, and he sailed against Tha-
sos and Samothrace, captured them, and enslaved them.
The captives were settled by the sultan in Byzantion. The
islands, and those who had fled to the mountain tops to
avoid enslavement [ ...}
Asanes took the army and invaded the Peloponnese. 83 He 39
 THE HISTORIES
I1eAOltovv'1<10V, Kal Elwfli'iv ltepl AeOVTaplOV eTpttaTo Te
" <1TpaTO<;, Kal <nJveAa<1a<; eltOAlopK'1<1e fl1:v eltl ~paxV'
ltld;Oflevo<; S1: aVeXWpel, aVel<; aVilel ltapa ~aO"IAta, £m-
KOUp(a<; Seoflevo<;. Buv'1vtXe'1 S1: Kal fleTa 'Oflapew TOU
ElenaA[a<; tmapxou, <1't'ama<1aVTO<; SlaSlaq>OpaV, aq> IK6 fle-
vov ava~ijva[ Te ltapa ~amAta, Kal OU ltoAAa<; U<1TepOV
~ fltpa<; 'Oflap'1v ~aO"lAta aq>eAOflevov ~V apmv eltlTpttal
Zayav~ TQ TOTe KaAALOult6Aew<; Ultapx~. Zayav~ S1:
T01JT~, avSpl euSOKlflij<1aVTI {v Te IlAAOI<; Kal Mopel;[v'1v,
TOV e<; ~V Kae' ~fli'i<; eaAaO"<1av Ta ltpWTa TWV An<1't'WV
q>ep6f1evov, tA6nl aUTOV Te Kal TijV TPlijp'1, eytveTO aUTQ
OUX ijKI<1't'a Te ev TOUT~ {ev TQSe} eUSOKlflij<1al. OUTO<; fl1:v
ouv w<; ltaptAa~e ~V ElenaA[av Kal I1eAOltovv'1<10V 1mo
~aO"IAtW<;, ei<1t~aAev £<; TijV Axa1av.
40 Kal cmaV[<1TaTO TO 'EAA'1VIKOV <1TpaTElJfla eltIOVTO<; TOU
Zayavou, w<; eltOAIOpKel ~V aKpOltOAIV. Kal 'haAwv St,
OU<; fleTEltefitaTo Elwfli'i<;, ltapij<1av aUTOU Tlflwpoune<;
Tol<; "EAA'1<1IV, alto MeSLOAavou ltapayev6f1evol e<; <1Ufl-
flax[av Tol<; "EAA'1<1lv. O[ flEV ouv "EAA'1ve<; ltapa<1Keua-
<1av't'E<; "'1Ae~6Aov EltaLOV ~v aKp6ltOAIV, OUSEV fltvTol
SleltpanOVTo, oihe T'1Ae~oAI<1't'OU ltapOvTo<; <1q>[<1IV aya-
eOU OUTe ltapa<1KElJij<; e<; ~v ltoALOpK[av. O[ flEV ovv
AXaLol lipane<; alto TIi<; ltoAew<; £<; NaUltaKTOV eVTaUea
S,,\'t'pl~OV, Elwflii<; S' " ~yeflwv EltIWV ~v AaKwvlKijV KaT-
e<1Tpeq>eTo Kal KaAaflaT'1v {2.227} lt6AlV ~v /:v Mecrijvu.
MaVT[velav eltOAl6pKel, Kal ouS1:v aUTQ ltpOEXWpel e<; ~v
Tij<; ltOAEw<; a!pE<1IV, ltpE<1~e[av S1: lttflltWV w<; ~aO"lAta
eltelpi'iTo Tij<; ~a<1IAtw<; yvwfl'1<;, ei eipijv'1v aUTQ lt01ij<1aLTO.
BOOK 9
routed Thomas near Leontarion, and theu advanced and
besieged it, but only for a short time, as he withdrew un-
der pressure. Asanes went back to the sultan, seeking help.
It happened that Asanes went up to the sultan and arrived
when Orner, the prefect of Thessaly, had rebelled on ac-
count of a certain grievance, B4 and not many days later the
sultan had stripped Orner of his command and entrusted it
to Zaganos, who was then prefect of Gallipoli. This Zaganos
was a man who had distinguished himself in many matters,
including that of Morezini, who was the leading pirate sail-
ing in our sea {the Aegean}. Zaganos captured him and his
trireme, and this more than anything brought him great re-
nown. So he received Thessaly and the Peloponnese from
the sultan and invaded Achala.
At Zaganos's approach,85 the Greek army besieging the 40
citadel withdrew. 86 The Italians, whom Thomas had sum-
moned, were there fighting for the Greeks, having come
from Milan to join in an alliance with the Greeks." The
Greeks had prepared a cannon and were bombarding the
citadel but were achieving nothing, as they had no skilled ar-
tilleryman on their side nor the equipment necessary for a
siege. The Achalans left the city and settled at Naupaktos,88
while Thomas the ruler advanced against Lakonia and took
also the city of Kalamata in Mesene. He besieged Mantineia
but, as he was making no progress toward taking the city,
he sent an envoy to the sultan to ascertain his disposition,
whether he would make peace with him. Whereupon the
319

THE HISTORIES
"Ev8a S~ ~aO'lA£u<;, OJ<; aYYEA(a a<plKvEh:o aiJT<ji ano 'tij<;
AO'(a<; nEpl XaO'avEw 'L'OU flaKpou, wPfll'j'L'O flev e<; O'1tovSa<;
't'<ji ~yEfloVl 't'ou't'4', wO''t'£ ent XaO'avl'jv O"t'pa't'£uE0'8al Kat
ent 'IO'fla~Al'jv 't'ov Llvwn'1<; ~Y£flova, enl't'l'jS£lw<; ~xona
npo<; XaO'avl'jv 't'ov flaKpov, e1t1']YY£AA£'t'O Se O'1tovSa<; e<p'
<!J anaYElv 't'ov O''t'pa't'ov ano 't'WV ~aO'lA£w<; aKponOAEWV,
Kat anoSouva( 01, oO'a a<p£lA£'t'o 't'WV nOAlO'fla't'wv, <popov
SI: anaY£lv au't'(Ka e<; 't'P'O"X'A(OtJ<; O''t'a't'iipa<;, napElvaL Se
eno<; ~fI£pwV dKOO'lV, enetv e<; Koplv80v napaYEv'1't'aL 't'ou
~aO'lA£w<; 6 np£O'~tJ<;.
4' Tau't'a OJ<; ~YY£A8l'j 't'<ji ~Y£fl6vl, nap£O'Kwa~£'t'o [£VaL e<;
't'et napaYYEAAoflEva uno ~aO'lA£w<;. 'EnElS~ Se ayvwflo-
crUvn XPl'jO'afl£vwv 't'WV unl'jKowv OUK dX£ 't'ou<; XPtJO'[votJ<;
anayayciv, ~v 't'E ev't'au8a 6 ~aO'lAEU<; flEyaAw<; 't'£8tJ-
flwfI£vo<;. T~v fI£V't'Ol e<; AO'(av £'AaO'lv ent XaO'avl'jv av£~aA­
A£'t'O e<; 't'o enlov ho<;, au't'o<; Se eO''t'£AA£'t'O enl I1EAonovvl'j-
O'ov. 'End Se e<; Koplv80v nap£ytv£'t'o eO'~aAwv, napiiv
AO'avl'j<; ano ~l'jfll'j't'P(otJ 't'ou ~yEflovo<;, ent 't'ou<; nOAEfI(otJ<;
ana;wv 't'ov ~aO'lAtw<; O''t'pa't'ov. n<; Se e<; TEy£av a<p(KE't'o,
ev't'au8a 't'ov flev AO'avl'jv e<; <ptJAaK~v enol~O'a't'o, Kat
't'ou<; 't'wv 'EAA~VWV 8Epanov't'a<;, Kat 80'0l au't'<ji £lnov't'o,
S£O'fI(otJ<; ~XOV't'E<; an~AatJvov ent Lnap't'l'jv.
42 I1pw't'a fI£V MaX0tJflou't'l'j<; ~Xwv 't'ou<; 't'E InnoSpoflotJ <;
flE8' tamou Kat 't'o 't'ii<; Eupwn'1<; O"t'pa't'wfla iiAatJvE Ka't'et
Kpa't'o<; enl ~v Lnap't'l'jv. 'Ev't'au8a a<plK6f1EVO<; 'tijv 't'E
nOAlv au't'(Ka nOALOpKl'jO'aflEvo<; {2.228} untAa~Ev ev't'o<;
't'ov ~Y£flova. '0 fI£v oov ~yEflwv ano 'tij<; e<; ~aO'lAta
eAn(So<; Ka't'a~A'18£l<; enoAlopK£l't'O. Kat wPfl'1't'o fI£v OJ<;
320
BOOK 9
sultan, when he received the news from Asia regarding
Hasan the Tall, agreed to make a treaty with this ruler, so
that he could campaign against Hasan and Ismail, the ruler
of Sinope, who was allied with Hasan the Tall. The terms
that he proposed for the treaty were that Thomas should
withdraw his army from the sultan's citadels; restore to
him all the towns he had captured; and pay him a tribute
of three thousand staters; he was also to present himself
within twenty days, when the sultan's envoy would arrive at
Corinth.
When this was reported to the ruler {Thomas}, he pre- 4'
pared to carry out the sultan's instructions. But because of
his subjects' foolishness he did not have the gold staters to
pay, and thereupon the sultan became exceedingly furious.
He postponed the Asian campaign against Hasan to the fol-
lowing year, and he prepared to go to the Peloponnese. 89
When he reached Corinth and entered the city, Asanes was
present there, having been sent to the sultan by the ruler
Demetrios in order to lead his armies against the enemy
{Thomas}. But when Mehmed came to Tegea, he placed
Asanes under guard along with those who served the inter-
ests of the Greeks and all who followed Asanes; they were
placed in fetters and marched off to Mistra.'o
Mahmud rode ahead, taking the cavalry raiders with him 42
and the army of Europe, and he advanced with all his might
against Mistra. When he arrived there he immediately be-
sieged the city, suspecting that the ruler {Demetrios} was
inside. As for the latter, he was besieged and had lost all
hope in the sultan. He first set out to climb to the city's
32I
 THE HISTORIES
OLit 'ti]V -rij~ :rrOAEW~ aKpO:rrOALV ava~1']o"0fLEVO~' fLE't'it ot, w~
tweE't'O tv <pUAaKft iSv't'a 't'ov yUVaLKO~ aOEA<pOV 1\0"av1']v
(mo ~aO"LAEW~, (mEXWPeL 't'ij~ :rrOAEW~, Kal t~ 't'O O"'t'pa't'o-
:rrEOOV a<pLKOfLEVO~ t~ ch/tLV a<p(KE't'O 't'4i ~aO"LAei. Kal aim\v
't'E fLEyaAw~ t't'(fL1']O"E ~aO"LAEU~, Kal:rrapEfLUeEl't'O W~ ouoi:v
a1']oe~ to"aUeL~ <O"OL't'O OLit 't'au't'a, aAA1']V oe xwpav iKav~v
ElloaifLova U:rrEcrxE't'O OWO"ELV au't'4i av't'l -rij~ Lmip't'1']~.
Olloev fLEV't'OL ~'t"t'OV elXEV au't'ov tv <pUAaKft [t:rroulO"a't'o}.
43 'E:rri 't'E fLev oilv 't'~v L:rrap't'1']v, t~ 'ti]v v:rrwpELav 't'ou Ta-
iiyE't'OU, 4\K1']'t'aL :rrOAL~ 'EAA1']VLK~ Euoa(fLwv, OLEXeL oe a:rro
-rij~ :rraAaLa~ :rrOAEW~ Kal 't'ou Evpw't'a O"'t'aoiou~ wO"ei OK't'W-
KaioEKa. Tau't'1']v fLev ollv I> ~ao"LAEi>~ :rrpoO":rrapeLA~<pEL,
<ppoupav 't'E <<paLvEv tv 't'ft fL1']'t'PO:rrOAEL, Kal apxov't'a
t:rrEO"'t'1']o"E XafLou~iiv 't'ov ZEvE~iO"av, MaxoUfLou't'EW eEpa-
:rrov-ra. All't'o~ oe tAauvwv t:rrl KaO"'t'pi1']v :rrOALV, OLExouO"av
afL<pl 't'it 6yoo~Kov't'a O"'t'aOLa a:rro -rij~ vuv :rrOAEW~, E:rrOAL-
OpKEL 't'au't'1']v' ot yitp avopE~ 't'E Kal yuvalKE~ <ppa;afLEvoL
i:v oxup<ii :rraw, Kal eappouv't'E~ 't'ft xaAE:rrO't'1']'t'L 't'ou xwpiou,
:rrapEo"Keua~ov't'o afLuVEO"eaL 't'oi>~ t:rrLov't'a~ O"<p(O"L :rroAEfLElv,
't'ov ~ao"LAtw~ O"'t'pa't'ov. Ot fLev oilv VE~AUOE~, w~ to"1']fLai-
VE't'O au't'ol~ ~ :rrpoO"~OA~, :rrpoO"t~aAAov 't'E au't'(Ka, Kal 't'o
tK't'O~ 't'EIXO~ v:rrEpE~aAAov't'o Kal 't'ou~ 't'E avopa~ Kal yuval-
Ka~ ~vopa:rrooiO"av't'o, t;EAOV't'E~ 't'O xwpiov 't'ou't'o.
44 'EA6v't'E~ oe 'ti]v :rrOALV aviJEO"av t:rrl 'ti]v [2.229} aKpo-
:rrOALV, fLE't'twpoV 't'E ouO"av Kal aVExouO"av t~ ih/to~ WO"El
O"'t'aoiou~ 't'EO"O"apa~. 'H Se avooo~ O"'t'EV~ 't'E ~v Kal xaAE:rr~
ava~fjvaL 't'ft 't'E Sucrxwpiq: Kal:rrpOO"av't'1']~ Kal aVWfLaAo~ t~
't'it fLaALO"'t'a, Kal OLaKwAuov't'WV 't'wv avSpwv XaAE:rrit ~v
322
BOOK 9
acropolis. But later, when he learned that his wife's brother
Asanes had been placed under guard by the sultan, he left
the city and came to the camp, into the presence of the sul-
tan.9L The sultan honored him greatly and consoled him by
saying that he would henceforth suffer no harm on account
of what had happened. He promised to give him another
prosperous land, sufficient for his needs, in exchange for
Mistra. But still, he kept him under guard.
The prosperous Greek city that is settled at Mistra, in 43
the foothills of Mount Taygetos, lies at a distance of about
eighteen stades from the ancient city [Sparta} and the Euro-
tas River. The sultan took over the city, installed a garrison
in the citadel, and appointed Hamza Zenebishi, the servant
of Mahmud, as its lord. He himself marched off to the city
of Kastritsi, which is about eighty stades distant from the
present city, and besieged it. The men and women were se-
curely protected and trnsted in the inaccessibility of the lo-
cation, and they prepared to defend themselves against
those who were coming against them to do battle, the sul-
tan's army. But the janissaries attacked as soon as they were
given the signal; they scaled the outer walls and enslaved the
men and women, capturing this place.
After taking the city, they then went up to the citadel, 44
which was very elevated, reaching a height of about four
stades. The ascent was narrow and difficult to climb because
the terrain there was broken, steep, and extremely uneven,
and the defenders were fiercely resisting their ascent, and
323
 THE HISTORIES
il1rep~;jvm Kal e<; TIjv aKp01tOAlV a<plKECT9m. 'Ev-rau9a
t~la~ov 't~v livoSov, aAA~AOll<; i)']t£p~alvov't£<;. IloAAot Sf.
t<; 't~v livoSov 'tatl't''1v <popq imo<pepofl£vol im' aAA~Awv
~l" t<; 'tov KP'1flvOV £ytvov-ro, Kat a1tWAov-ro 'twv V£'1AVSWV
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aKp01tOA£l Kal1tpoCTt~aAAov. Ot Se "EAA'1V£<; Xpovov ~S'1
1tOAUV flaxofl£vOl OUK ~Svvav'to ot aflvv£CT9m 1tpO<; liAAOll<;
Kat liAAOll<; 'twv ~""lA£W<;. A1tel1tov S~, 1tPO(T(l>K'1CTav Sf. £<;
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CT'tpa't01t£S£1l CTa fl£vo<;, W<; £7tllv9ave't0 7tav'ta<; elCT£v£YKa-
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'to7teS£ve'to. Kal 't'fi uCT't£pal" 7tpoCTt~aAA£ flf.V a7to 't;j<;
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a~Cl1tlSa<; £K£Aeue Ka'ta 'tou'to 't';j<; 7tOA£W<; 7tpOCT~ClAA£lV, Ii
~acrlfla ~v au'toT<; U1t£p~;jval. Kat ol flev a~Cl7tlS£<;
dCT7t£CTOv-r£<; au'tlKa U7t£pt~'1CTav 'tou<; "EAA'1va<; Kat
t'tpttav-ro, <p£POfl£VOl Se lifla au'toT<; dCTt~aAAov t<; TIjv
7tOAlV, Kat £<poveuov a<p£lStCT't'a'ta, [2.230} 7tapaYY£LAav-
'to<;, Kat livSpa<; Kat YllvaTKa<; Kat U7tO~vyla Kal K't~V'1,
ouS£vo<; <P£lSofl£VOl. Au'tLKa Kat o[ £v 'tft aKp01tOA£[
7taptSwKav CT<piX<;, £<; OfloAoylav xwp~CTav't'£<;. M1tOXClA'1<;
S' ~v 0 ~<; 7tOA£W<; lipxwv, Kat ot1tpOCT~KOV't£<; au't<\>.
46 'Ev'tau9a K~pllYfla 1tOl'1CTClfl£vo<; 0 ~""lA£U<; £<; 'to
32 4
BOOK 9
preventing them from reaching the citadel. But they forced
the ascent by climbing on top of each other. During this as-
cent many of them were pushed by the others in the violent
press and fell off the cliff; thus many of the janissaries per-
ished. But the rest made it to the top, reached the citadel,
and attacked. The Greeks had already been fighting for a
long time and could not defend themselves against yet more
of the sultan's men. They gave up and submitted to the sul-
tan under an agreement. When he received the citadel, he
led them all to one place where he butchered them, a to-
tal of three hundred, and on the following day he had their
lord's body cut into pieces!'
From there the sultan marched past the city of Leon- 45
tarion and made camp when he learned that all the men,
women, and children had shut themselves inside a fortified
city called Gardiki; and so after immediately attacking it, he
made camp. On the following day he made attacks on the
citadel side and fought at the walls together with the janis-
saries, while he ordered the azaps to attack those points of
the city which they were able to scale. The azaps attacked
them, overpowered the Greeks, and routed them. Follow-
ing them closely, they stormed into the city, killing without
mercy, as the sultan had instructed them, the men, women,
pack animals, and livestock, sparing none. Thereupon those
in the citadel surrendered themselves, and offered terms.
Bochales was the lord of the city, and his followers were with
him."
The sultan then proclaimed throughout the camp that 46
32 5
 THE HISTORIES
o"rpa-r01tESOV, avSpa1toSOV O<ITIS am']yE-rO, ltv ~~ aV-r[Ka
~Kn itywv, -rO ~1:v avSpcmoSov KEAEUcrEl aVEA£lV -rOV
SECT1tO-r'lV, ~E-ra S1: avalp~crEl Kat -ro avSpcmoSov. ME-ra S£
-rail-ra ouS£v CT1taVlw-rEpOV ~v EV -r<li cr-rpa-ro1teS'!' avSpa-
1tOSWV -rwv -n;S 1tOAEWS -rau"'1S' OlJvam']x9'lcrav yap ES
XIA[OUS ~aAlcr-ra Kat SlaKocr[ouS. Tou-rouS S1: crU~1tav-ras
a1t<lywv ES Eva xwpov av-roil -rau-rn SlExp~cra-ro, W<ITE ~'lS­
eva -rwv -n;s 1tOAEWS AEOv-rap[ou 1tpocrov-rwv AElCp9ijvat,
~~n itvSpa ~~-rE YUValKa. 'E1tu90~'lv St ~E-ra -rail-ra -rwv
1tEplO[KWV YEvecr9at -r" crw~a-ra a~<pt -r" t;aKlcrxLAla,
V1tO ~uyla S1: 1toAAa1tMcrla.
47 Tail-ra yEvo~Eva U1tO ~acrlMws WS l:1tuv9avE-ro Kat -r"
Aom" -n;S ITEA01tOVV~crou, av-r[Ka 1tPOcrEXWP'lcrEV 61to Se-
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e1tE~1tEV ES ~v Bu~av-r[ou xwpav I:S -r" 1tpoacrnla wS
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itXPI 1tpocroSou 1tEpIEAauvwv. "E1tE~1tE Se, cruvatvoilv-roS
Kat av-roil -roil ~yE~OVOS, 'I'lcroilv -rov 'IcraaK[ou 1tap aA'lYo-
~EVOV -rE ~v 'E1t[Saupov Kat a;ov-ra ~v -rE ~yE~OVOS
YUValKa Kat 9uya-repa, ~v £<pacrKEv ayayecr9at I:S [Z.Z3 I }
yuvaTKa tau-r<li ~acrIAEus. "E1tE~1tt -rE Kat apX0v-ra -rwv
tau-roil 6 ~yE~wV -rwv 'EAA~VWV, 1tElcrov-ra ~£v -roilS EV 'tfi
BOOK 9
whoever had taken a captive slave had to return him imme-
diately or else the slave would be ordered to kill his mas-
ter, and then the slave too would be killed. After that there
was nothing more scarce in the camp than slaves from that
city. For more than one thousand and two hundred had been
taken away. He led them all to one place there and killed
them, so that not a single inhabitant of the city of Leontar-
ion was left alive, whether man or woman. Later I learned
that the bodies of the slain inhabitants were about six thou-
sand, and many times that number for the pack animals.
When the rest of the Peloponnese learned what the sul- 47
tan had done, people were filled with terror and went over
to his side, sending envoys to the sultan. Among them were
Salvarion and Kyparissia, the harbor of the region there,
which is located near Pylos, a city in a most secure posi-
tion. The sultan received them and placed under guard all
the men and women of the two cities, a crowd of about ten
thousand, and he intended to kill them; but later he sent
them to the territory of Byzantion, to settle in its suburbs.
He led the ruler Demetrios around with him, until they ap-
proached there. And, with the consent of that ruler he sent
. '
Isa, the son of Ishak, to receive Monemvasia and bring back
the ruler's wife and daughter,94 the latter ofwhom the sultan
said that he wanted to marry. The ruler of the Greeks sent
one of his own lords too to persuade those in Monemvasia
 THE HISTORIES
'ETtlSaup<!' 1tapaSLSOVaL 't~V 1tO/uv, Kat ~v yvvaTKa atJ-rau
ct1ta;av'ta Kat ~v Suya't£pa.
48 'I1']O'auS ftev 1tapaAa~wv 'tavs "EAA1']vaS ~AauvEv ES 'E1tL-
Saupav· WS Se a<pLKE'ta E1tt ~v 1tOALV, Ev'tauSa 6 'tfjs 1tO-
AEWS iipxwv, Evayov-rwv iifta Kat 'twv EV'tfi 1tOAet, a<pLO''t1']
a1to 'tau ~yEftovas, Kat aUK E<p1'] 1tap' au't41 SLSOVaL ~v
1tOALV. T~v ft£V'tOL ~yEft0vas 'EAA~VWV yuvaTKa 'tE iifta Kat
Suya't£pa E1tt'tPE'itEV E;L£vat. Kal 'tau'tas ftEv-raL, WS E;-
iiASav 'tiis 1tOAEWS, 1tapaAa~ov'tES ~Aauvav ES 'to O''tpa'to-
1tESav. BaO'1AEvs Se 1tuS6ftEvaS WS EKaO''ta Ey£vE'ta 'ta 1tEpt
'E1tLSaUpav, 't~v ftev yuvaTKa 'tau ~yEftovas Kat Suya'ttpa
EK 'tiis rrEAa1taVv~O'au EUSV BaLw'tLas imayetv EK£AWO'EV,
ETtl~O'as Euvauxav 'tfi Suya'tpt 'tau ~yEft6vas' ftE'ta Se
'tau'ta, aU1taAA41 uO''tEpav, Kat au'tov 'tov ~YEftova imayetv
E;W rrEAa1taVv~O'au E1t£'ta;E 1tapa ~v yvvaTKa. Au'toS Se
~AauvE ftEv au'tLKa, ftE'ta ~v rapSLKL1']S atpEO'1V, E1tt 'tas
OUEVE'tWV 1tOAetS, Kal Kapwv1']v a<pLKE'ta o'itoftEvaS. Kat 6
ftev aft<pt 'tau'ta eIXE.
49 Zayavas Se 6 'tiis rrEAa1tavv~O'au u1tapxas, WS ~v 'tE
AxaTav E1tE't£'tpama Ka'taO''tp£<pEO'SaL Kat "HALSas ~v
1tAeLaVa xwpav Kal ~v 'tau'tl] ftEO'oyaLOv, 1tapaAa~wv 'to
8ETIaALas O''tpa'twfta Kalt1t1taSpoftauS 'tau ~aO'LAtws, 't~v
'tE KaAa~pL'twv 1tOALV tJ1t1']yayE'ta, 1tapaSov-ras !l.a;LEw
iipxav'tas, 'twv Ev 'taTs AA~avoTs ETtl<pavwv 'ta 1tpw'ta <pE-
paftEvau. Kal au'tos ftev au'tLKa 1tpaO'exwp1']O'av Kat at
1tpa~Kav'tES, 't41 Zayav<!, [2.232} 1tapa86v'tES ~v 1tOALV'
ails ;uft1tav-ras 'tau'taus uO"tEpav ~aO'LAtws ETtl'ta;av'tas
8Lexp~O'a'ta. 'EAauvwv Se E1tl rpE~EVOV oxupav 1tOALV,
328
BOOK 9
to' surrender the city and then to bring back his wife and
daughter.
Isa took the Greeks and went to Monemvasia. When he 48
arrived at the city, its 10rd,95 instigated by the inhabitants,
defected from the ruler and said that he had no authority to
surrender the city. But he did allow the wife and daughter
of the ruler of the Greeks to depart. They came out of the
city, were received, and taken to the camp. When the sultan
learned everything that had happened at Monemvasia, he
ordered that the ruler's wife and daughter be taken from the
Peloponnese straight to Boiotia, and he appointed a eunuch
to watch over the daughter. Shortly afterward, he had the
ruler himself escorted out of the Peloponnese and united
him with his wife. After the capture of Gardiki, Mehmed
himself advanced toward the cities of the Venetians and
went to see Korone. And that was what he was doing.
Zaganos, meanwhile, the prefect of the Peloponnese, was 49
entrusted with the conquest of AchaIa, most ofElis, and the
inland regions there. He took the army ofThessaly and the
sultan's cavalry raiders and subjected the city ofKalavryta; it
was in fact surrendered by its lord, Doxas, the most distin-
guished leader of the Albanians. He and his followers snb-
mitted and surrendered the city to Zaganos. Later, on the
snltan's instructions, Zaganos killed them all. He advanced
 THE HISTORIES
'tau't'']V flEV 1tpoo"E~aAA£ 'tE, Kat t;EKpouO'91') 'ii xaAE1to't1')"
'tou Xwp[OV.
50 A1t01tElpaV SE 1tOlOUfiEVO, 'twv aAAwv Xwp[WV, ~av'ta-
flEplOV 1tOAlV, E, ~V W, 1tAETO"tol 'twv 'tau'Y] 1tEplO[KWV
OA~lOl Ka'te9EV'to 'tov 1tAou'tOV Kat 't~V aAA1')v EUSatflov(av,
W, au'tov EV'tau9a '«P'KOfiEVO' SlEO'W~OV'tO, 1tP0O'<pEPOV'tE,
Myov, 't<li Zayav,!, 1tEpt ;Vfl~l~MEW" <Y1tovSa, 'tE t1tOl-
OUV'to Kat ~V aKpo1toAlV 1tapES[SoO'av. Tau't1')v Se w,
1tapEAa~E, SOA,!, t;a1ta't~O'a" 'ii uO"tEpa[", flEVOV'twv 'tWV
tv 'ii 1tOAEl Ka'ta xwpav E1ta<p£l, 'tOV O"tpa'tov ~vSpa-
1toS[O'a'to, Kat1toAAOU, au'tou 'tau'Y] SlE<p9ElpE. Tau'ta W,
~yyeAAE'to Kat E, 'ta, aAAa, 1tOAEl" w, OUSEV O'<p[O'lV hl
1'fl1tESOV £'(1') 'tWV 1tpO, ~aO'lAEa 1tpaYfla'twv, wPfl1')v'to
afluvEO'9al w, eKaO"tOl EV 'taT, eav'twv 1tOAEO'l, Kat ouSev
1'" 'tWV 1tOAlO'fla'twV ij9EAE 1tp0a-xwpETv. Kal 6 flEV Zaya-
YO, oihw 1tpa;a, 'ta flev 'tou ~av'taflEp[ov ESVO''''X'lO'EV ou
1tOAA<Ii UO"tEPOV Kal a1te~aAE ~v apmv.
5' BaO'lAEu, flev S~ a1to Kopwv1'), E, ITuAov a<plKofiEVO,
EV'tau9a EO''tpa't01tESEiJE'tO, tl1tEp Kat 6 8wflfr, a-Uv'ii v1')l'
E, ~v EfI~a, Kat avayofiEvo, EKapaSoKEl, tl XWP~O'£l 'ta
ITEA01tOVV~O'ov 1tpaYfla'ta. Tou't'!' flEV E1tl1tA£ovO'al VfjE,
'twv OUEVE'tWV 1tp01')YOPEVOV EV'tEU9EV a1taAAanEO'9al,
fl1')Se Evav't[ov ~aO'lAew, aVEXElv4 E1tt 'tou O'<pE'tEPOV Alfle-
vo,. 06'to, flEV, W, ~a"'AEu, EO''tpa't01tESEUE'tO, a1t1')AAa't-
'tE'tO avayofiEvo, t, 'to 1teAayo,' ot SE OUEVE'tWV 1tPEO'~El,
a<plKofiEVOl EV'tau9a 1tapa ~aO'lA£a 'ta, 'tE O'1tovSa, E1tEKU-
povv O'<p[O'l Kat ~V ;Ev(av 'tE Kal {2.233} Euvolav EVESEl-
KVVV'tO ~aO'lAET. ot flev ovv t1t1tOSpOfiOl oflw, t, ~v
330
BOOK 9
to the fortified city of Grevenon, and attacked it, but was
repelled by the rongh terrain.
Zaganos made attempts on other places too, including 50
the city of Santamerion," where most of the rich inhabi-
tants of that area had deposited their wealth and the rest of
their goods, in order to save it by moving there. They began
negotiations with Zaganos to reach an agreement, made a
treaty, and surrendered the citadel. But when he received
it, it became apparent that he had deceived them, for on
the following day he allowed his army to enslave all who re-
mained in their place in the city, and he killed many there.
When this was reported to the other cities, namely that
there was nothing firm in their dealings with the sultan, they
all rushed to defend themselves in their own cities, and none
of the towns was any longer willing to submit. Shortly after
that, Zaganos, who committed these acts at Santamerion,
fell into disfavor and lost his command.
The sultan arrived at Pylos from Korone and encamped 5'
there, where Thomas also was on board his ship. He had em-
barked on it and was waiting there to see how matters in the
Peloponnese would develop. Ships of the Venetians sailed
out to him and ordered him to leave from there and not to
resist the sultan from within their own harbor. As the sul-
tan had encamped there, Thomas left and set sail for the
open sea. The Venetian envoys came into the sultan's pres-
ence and confirmed the treaty between them, their alliance,
and they proclaimed their goodwill to the sultan. But the
331
 THE HISTORIES
IIUAOV btlSpaflov-w; 'twa, OVK oAiyotJ<; Ev'tau9a 'twv
'tau'tu AA~avwv 'twv 1tepLOiKwv CADv'te<; S'£<p9elpov.
'EMcrav'to, Sf. 11t1((I' 'tou ~acrlA£W<; E1t\ Me9wv'lv Ka\ 9ea-
craflEvotJ, 'tlVf.<; 'twv 't~<; 1toAew, E1te~~A90v w<; E1t\ cr1tOV-
Sal<;, Kai'tlve<; av'twv Sle<p9ap'lcrav V1tO 'twv ~acrlA£w<;.
52 BacrlAeo<; SI: emo IIUAOtJ crtJcrKwacraflevo<; 'tov fI£V'tOl
'EAA~VWV ~yeflova EKtAwe 't~v flecroyaLOv (mayov-ra ev90
BOlw'tia<; EAauvelv, w<; 1tponpov flOl SeS~Aw'tal' av'to, Sf.
e1t\ ?'xaTSo<; yevoflevo<;, Ka\'ta 'tau-rn xwpia 1tapaAa~wv
1tapaSov-rwv 'twv apxov'twv, 1tapey£ve'to E<; Axa'lav, 1tep'-
aywv Ka\ Acrav'lv 'tov 'tou ~yeflovo<; YVValKO<; aSeA<pov.
'Ev'tau9a Sf. a<plKoflevo<;, w, E7tUge'to 'ta 1tep\ Lav-rafl£pLOv
yevofleva, ExaA£1talve 't';; Zayav,!, Ka\ ~xge'to, ihl S,a ~v
EKdvotJ 1tapa~acrlv E<; 'too<; "EAA'lva, xaAe1tw<; iiv av't';;
1tpocrxwp~crele 'ta Aoma 'twv 1toAlcrfla'twv. K~PtJYfla Si:
E1tOle11"O ava 'to cr'tpa'to1teSov, wO"'te a<pl£Val 'ta a1to Lav-
'taflepiotJ avSpa1toSa. 'Ev'tau9a, ilcra ~v, ~Awgepouv'to, 'ta
fI£v'tol1tAeiw £<p9'lcrav Sla~av-ra E, ~v Ai'twAiav a1to 't~,
AXcila,' Zayavo, Si: 'ta 1tAelw Sle~i~acrev a1tayoflevo<;
01KaSe.
53 T~v fI£v onv rpe~evou 1tOAlV 1t£fI",a, 'I'lcrouv 'twv LKO-
1tiwv iJ1tapxov 1tapecr't~cra'to' Ka\'tou'twv 't~v 'tp('t'lv floTpav
e',
avSpa1toS,craflevo<;, Ka\ E1((Ae~aflevo, 'tl KaAbv ~v av-
Spa1toSov EV'tft 1tOAel, a<palpci'to. Ka\1tponpov flf.V 6 ~<;
IIa'tpwv 1toAew, iipxwv 'IcraKaA'l<; 'toiJvofla 1tapecr~cra'to
£vla'twv 1tepLOiKwv av'tou 1toAlcrfla'twv. ot yap "EAA'lve,
W, i\cr90v'to ~acrlA£a Ka'tacr'tpe"'aflevov ~v flecroYalov Kat
Sla<p9elpav-ra iivSpa<; w<; {2.234} 1tAelcr'totJ<; 'twv 1toAewv,
33 2
BOOK 9
cavalry raiders made raids against Pylos and captured and
killed many of the Albanians who lived in the vicinity. When
the sultan rode on horseback to Methone and observed it ,
some of its inhabitants came out as if under a treaty and
some of them were killed by the sultan's men.
The sultan prepared to leave Pylos and he ordered the 52
ruler of the Greeks to take the inland route and go directly
to Boiotia, as I said earlier." Mehmed himself reached
Achrua and received the villages there, which were surren-
dered by their lords. He stayed in Achala, taking around
with him Asanes, the brother of the ruler's wife. But when
he arrived there and learned what had happened at San-
tamerion, he was angry and disappointed with Zaganos,
since the rest of the towns would now submit to him more
reluctantly because of his transgression against the Greeks.
He made a proclamation throughout the camp to release
the slaves taken at Santamerion. All who remained were
then freed, and most of them managed to cross over into
Aitolia from Achala. Zaganos ferried most of them across
on his way back home.
Mehmed subjected the city of Grevenon by sending Isa, 53
the prefect of Skopje, and then enslaved one third of its in-
habitants: he picked out any who would make good slaves
from the city and took them away for himsel£ Earlier, the
lord of the city ofPatras, Ishak-Ali by name, had taken over
some of the towns in the vicinity. For when the Greeks real-
ized that the sultan had conquered the inland regions and
killed as many men of the cities as he could, each of them
333
 THE HISTORIES
a,P!,'1V-rO !'ev au-ro<; -rl<; 1'KaO'-rO<; <pe~Val ~ovA6!,evo<; 1tapa-
oovvat eT<pit<;, 1tplv ~ a<plKO!'eVOV -rOV ~aeTlAEa E~eAeTv
eT<pit<;, -rit flev avOpa1tOOleTa!'evov, -rit oe Kal E1tleT<pa~av-ra.
Ot oe TovpKol1tapeAa!,~avov !'ev -rit<; 1tOAel<;, a1tpolKov<;
!'ev oily, E1tlAeyo!'evOl oe -rit KaAAleT-ra -rwv 1tOAeWV avopa-
1tOoa a<pn povv-ro. Kal -rit !'ev au-rol ~vopa1tool~ov-ro, -rit
!,lKpit -rwv 1tOAleT!'a-rwv, -rit oe !'eyaAa 1tapeAa!,~avov, E1tl-
Aeyo!'evOl -rit KaU,eT-ra -rwv 1tOAeWV eT<pleTlV. D<; oe AUKOl
E1t1 1tpo~a-ra VO!'EWV Ep'1!,a EeT~aA6v-re<; au-rapKW<; OUOE-
1to-re KOPEVVVV-rat -rov <pOVOV, EAeelvw<; oe 1taOXOVeTlV a1tO
-rwv e'1P[Wv -rOu-rwv -rwv AUKWV, ou-rw O~ Kal ~ I1eA01tOvv'1-
eTO<; EV -r<l' -rOl<l'Oe KaKlcr-ra a1tWAAv-rO, Ola<peelpO!'Ev'1 U1tO
-rwv ~aO'lAEW<; avopwv, oinpo-ra-ra /iUwv /iUn a1tOA-
AV!'EVWV.
54 BaeTlAeu<; !'ev ouv a<plKo!'evo<; E<; I1a-rpa<; ~<; Axata<;
Ecr-rpa-r01teoeue-ro, -ro -re KaeT-rp'!'EVOV 1tOAleT!,a 1tPOeTexwp'1-
eTev au-r<l'. Kal1tpo<; LaA!'ev[K'1v 1tE!'1tWV K~pVKa EKEAevev
au-rou<; 1tapaOOVval ~v 1tOAlV. Ot oe OUK E<paeTaV £Kov-re<;
elval eT<pit<; 1tapaoouvat, doMe<; w<; o!'ola 1teleTov-rat -roT<;
/iUOl<; "EAA'1eTl. Tau-ra !'ev w<; av~Xe'1 E<; ~aO'lAEa, eTVCTKW-
aeTa!'evo<; -rfi ueT-repa[\! a<plKe-ro E1t1 ~v LaA!'ev[K'1v. "EeT-rl
oe ~ 1tOAl<; aih'1 EV /iKpn, Kae~KOVeTa emo 6pEWV '''V'1-
Ao-ra-rwv, EPV!,V~ !'ev E<; -rit !,aAlcr-ra, aKp01tOAl<; 0' aVEXet
E1tl1toAU -rou KP'1!,VOV ava-relvoveTa. 'E<; -rau"'1v -rwv 1tep'-
O[KWV 'EAA~VWV -re Kal AA~avwv ot 1tAeTeT-rol OlaeTW~ov-re<;
au-ro[ -re Kal at yvvaTKe<; Kal -rit 1tatola. BaeTlAeu<; oov w<;
E1tEAaeTeV, E1tOAlOPKEl ~v 1tOAlV, -r'1Ae~OAOl<; -rE 1ta[wv -ro
-reTx0<; ~<; {2.235} 1tOAEW<;, EPV!'VOV DV Kal au-ro 1tavv. Kal
334
BOOK 9
wanted to rush and surrender himself before the sultan
could arrive and capture them, enslaving some and slaugh-
tering the rest. So the Turks received the cities, without
their dowries, we might say, and they selected the best slaves
from among the cities and removed them. They enslaved
the small towns wholesale, but when they took over the
larger ones, they picked out the leading people from within
them for themselves. Like wolves attacking defenseless
flocks of sheep, they never have their fill of murder. The
people there suffer piteously at the hands of these beastly
wolves, and so the Peloponnese was horribly destroyed,
ruined by the sultan's men, with people dying everywhere in
horrendous ways.
The sultan arrived at Patras, in Achala, and made camp. 54
The town of Kastrimenon submitted to him, and he sent a
herald to Salmeniki bidding the inhabitants to surrender the
city. They said that they were unwilling to surrender, as they
knew that they would suffer the same fate as the rest of the
Greeks. When this was reported to the sultan, he set out on
the next day and came to Salmeniki. This city is located on a
peak, rising up among the highest mountains, and extremely
well fortified as the citadel is lofty and perched atop a cliff
Most of the Greeks and Albanians who lived in the vicinity
sought refuge there, both they and their women and chil-
dren. When the sultan marched there, he besieged the city
and bombarded its walls with cannons, but it too was ex-
tremely strong. The janissaries attacked close to the wall,
335
 THE HISTORIES
oi V£~AUS£<; 7tpocrE~aAAoV fltv tyyU'ta'ta 'tou 't£lXOU<;, Kat
t7t£lpWV'tO Kat aAAn, !i 7tPO£XWP£l' ou flEnol 7tpO£XWp£l
au'tol<; OU't£ ~ 'tij<; 7tOA£W<; alp£crl<; OU't£ 'taAAa a;lw<; -rij<;
7tapatJ"Kwij<;.
55 T'1A£~oAlcrKol<; flEV'tOl hl'tpwtJ"KOV OUK oAlyou<; 'twv tv
-rfi 7tOA£l. 'HflEpa<; St E7t'ta 7tOALOpKWV, Kat 'to uSwp 'tou
7to'tafLou Ka'tarrxov'twv 'twv V£'1AUSWV, ou 7tOAA<\> utJ"'t£pov
ol tv -rfi 7t6A£l tv a7top", Ka9£cr't'1Ko't£<;, w<; Shlt£l tJ"Uvel-
xov'to a7taucr't"', 7tapESWKav cr<pii<; 't<\> ~acrlA£l. Tou'tou<;
fLEV, afL<pt 'tou<; E;aKltJ"XlAlou<; Dv'ta<;, t<; avSpa7toSa Sl£AO-
fL£vo<; 'tol<; aplcr'tol<; Ka'ta 'to tJ"'tpa'to7t£SOV, t7tlA£;afL£vo<;
7talSa<; wcrel tvvaKocrlou<; £1<; 'tou<; v£~AuSa<;, 'tou<; aAAou<;
a7tESo'to tv 'tft ayop~. '0 fLEnol EV -rfi aKp07tOA£l 'tWV
'EAA~VWV (IIaAaLoA6yo<; ijv 'touvofla) A6you<; 't£ t7tOlel'tO,
t<p' <P 7tapaSol'1 't~v aKp07tOAlV, ltv fLEV'tOl crucrKwacrafL£-
vo<; cr'ta9fLov eva a7tlWV cr'tpa'to7t£S£UOl'tO. BacrlA£u<; Sf:
7tpocrl£'to 't£ 'tou<; AOyOU<;, Kat 0fL~ pou<; Aa~wv a7tavEcr't'1
tv't£u9£v, Ka'tlWV St t<; 'to AIyLOV tcr'tpa'to7t£S£U£'to.
56 Ka'taAl7twv au'tou XafLou1;iiv 'tOV rr£A07tOVV~crou 't£ Kat
0£naAla<; u7tapxov' 'tou'tOV yap tmcr't~cra<; a<p£LA£'to ~v
apmv Zayavou Sla 't~v ~av'tafL£plou a7to'tuxlav. Oiho<;
flEV'tOl w<; Ka't£A£A£l7t'tO au'tou, t<p' <P 7tapaAa~elV ~v
7tOAlV, SlIhpl~£ -rfi ucr't£palq. Kat 01 fLf:V "EAA'1V£<; a7t07t£l-
pav 7tOlOUfL£vOl t;EAl7t6v 'tlva<; 'twv tv'tft aKP07tOA£l, '"cr't£
amEVaL a7t0<P£POfLEVOU<; 'ta E7tl7tAa cr<pwv t<; ~v av'tl7tEpaV
'tij<; rr£A07tOVv~crou ij7t£lpOV, 01 Sl£voouno Sla~ijVaL t7tt
'tou<; Ou£v£'tou<;' t<; 'tou'to yap cr<plcrlV t7t£7tol'1v'to al cr7tOV-
SaL Tou'tou<; fLEV'tOl t;lov'ta<; {z.z36} tK -rij<; 7tOA£W<; Kat
BOOK 9
and they made an attempt elsewhere, where they might gain
access. But they made no progress toward capturing the city,
nor did they accomplish anything worthy of their prepara-
tions.
Still, the cannons killed many within the city. The sultan 55
besieged the place for seven days, and the janissaries took
control of the river water so that soon the people in the city
did not kn~wwhat to do as they were pressed byunquench-
able thirst, and so they surrendered themselves to the sul-
tan. They were about six thousand, and he enslaved and dis-
tributed them to the leading men in his camp, selecting
about nine hundred boys to give to the janissaries, while the
rest he sold in the market. The leader of the Greeks in the
citadel-his name was Palaiologos 98 -began negotiations
over the terms on which he would surrender the citadel: he
would do so if the sultan packed up and encamped one stath-
mos away." The sultan agreed to the terms, took hostages,
and departed from there, going down to Aigion and making
his camp there.
He left Hamza in charge there, the prefect of the Pelo- 56
ponnese and Thessaly. When he had stripped Zaganos of
his command on account of his failure at Santamerion,'oo he
had given it to Hamza. So he was left behind there, to re-
ceive the city, and waited until the next day. The Greeks
then made an attempt and they left behind some of their
men in the citadel, so that they could depart and convey
their possessions to the mainland opposite the Pelopon-
nese, for their intention was to cross over to the Venetians.
That was the purpose for which they had made the treaty.
337

THE HISTORIES
1tapaITKeval;0fltvov, altLEvaL o"VAAafl~aVEL () xaflovl;a"
Kal Ei, avSpa1t6Swv A6yov 1tOLI]O"aflEVO, e1t£"XE 'rou, ev 'tij
aKpo1t6AEL 1tapaSLS6vm TIJV aKp61tOALV. rpaflfla'ta Sf. 1t£fl-
1tOV'tE, W, ~aO"LA£a a1t~yyEAAOV TIJV 'tOU U1tapxOV ayvw-
fl0o"uVI]V, Kat W, aV'tlKa 1tapa~all] 'ta, ~aO"LAew, O"1tovSa,.
IIvv9av6flEvo, Se £KaO"'ta 'tev fl£V'tOL Xaflovl;av e;£AaO"EV
a1te -rij, apx*, Zayavov Se au9L, a1t£SEL;E 8E't'taAla, 'tE
iifla Kat IIEAo1tovv~O"ov iipxoV'ta 'tE Kal u1tapxov. 'E1tL-
'tP£Va , Se av't<\i iiflq>w 'tw xwpa, mho, ~AavvE SLa 'tOU
<DEVEOU.
57 'Ev'tau9a OUV aq>LK6flEVO, E1tEfl1tE K~pvKa e, 'ta 1t0-
A[O"fla'ta, W, ~aO"LAEU, av'toT, 'tWV 1tapEAI]Av96'twv O"vy-
YVWfll]V 'tE l"XOL, Kat KEAEVOL Ka'tL6v'ta, a1to 'tWV 1tOALO"fla-
'tWV ayopav 1tap£XELV 't<\i ~aO"LA£W, O"'tpa't<\i. Oi flf.V OUV
'tLVE, av'twv e1tEl90v't0, Kat Ka'tL6v'tE, e, 'to 0"'tpa't61tESOV
O"VVtflLI1YOV 'toT, ToupKoL,. BaO"LAEu, Sf. O"vvayaywv 'tou,
'tE 'twv 9vpwv Kat i1t1toSp6flWV, OO"OL 1tapijO"av, ~q>lEL E1tt
'tou, 1\A~avou, W, avap1taO"ofltvov,. OV'tOL flev ovv OO"OL
e1td90V't0 't<\i MYqJ, e;a1ta'tl]9tv'tE, ou'tw a1tWAoV'to. Kal
'ta 'tE U1tOl;uYLa Kat K-rijVI] -rij, xwpa, e;EAauVOV'tE, eKofll-
l;ov'to E1tt K6pLv90v.
58 'E1tl MyqJ 'tOL<\iSE e1t£SpaflE 'ta <DALOUV'tO, xwp[a. O[
yap ev 'tOU'tOL, Ka'tqJKI] fl£VOL 'twv 1\A~avwv, ii'tE ev 6xvp<\i
1tavv c;,KI]fl£vOL, ~yov Kat i'q>EpOV 'ta <En~vwv 1tpaYfla'ta,
Kal 'tou, AOL1tOU, 'tOUO"SE e, 'ta K(l'tW xwpla 'tij, IIEAo-
1tovv~O"ov dxov E1t0fl£vov, O"q>lo"LV, t'i iiv OV'tOL uq>I]~­
O"aLV'to e1tl 'tov 1t6AEflOV, WO"'tE a0"9Evij i'yvw 1tOLijO"aL SETv
'ta xwp[a 'tau'ta, Kal wPfll]fl£vov, Ev'tEU9EV 'tou, 1\A~avou,
BOOK 9
But Hamza arrested them when they were leaving the city
and preparing to depart. He made them slaves, and told
those in the citadel to surrender it. They sent letters to the
sultan reporting the prefect's evil disposition, and that he
was violating the sultan's treaty. When the sultan heard this
from both sides, he stripped Hamza of his position and re-
appointed Zaganos as the lord and prefect of Thessaly and
the Peloponnese. He entrusted both lands to him, and he
himself set out byway ofPheneos.
When Mehmed arrived there, he sent a herald to the 57
towns saying that he would forgive all past offenses, and he
urged them to come down from their towns and provide a
market for the sultan's army. Some of them obeyed and they
came down to the camp and mixed with the Turks. The sul-
tan assembled all the men of the Porte and the cavalry raid-
ers who were there, and loosed them against the Albanians
in order to take them by storm. Thus those who trusted
in his word perished through his deceit. They also drove the
pack animals and the livestock out of the region and con-
veyed them to Corinth.
He raided the villages in Phlious for the following reason. 58
The Albanians who inhabited them, inasmuch as they lived
in a very secure location, were severely disrupting the af-
fairs of the Greeks, and the rest of those who lived in
the lower regions of the Peloponnese followed them, that is
to whatever war the others led them. Therefore the sul-
tan decided that these villages had to be weakened, as the
Albanians were setting out from them to disrupt his
339
 THE HISTORIES
VEW'tEp(/;£lV t<; {2.237} TI]V ~a(nAEW<; xwpav. Kal 'to yE
nAtov TIj<; CmO~aerEW<; OU'tOl tAtyOV'tO nOlEIer9at, KalIlY£lV
'tov<; AOmOU<;, onol Ilv E~'1yiJeralV'tO. Tau'ta fLev f.<; TI]v
ITEAonovv~erov IlAwerlv E<; 'toerou'tov EyEVE'tO.
59 BaerlAEV<; Se A9~va/;E a<plKOfLEVO<; nEp'LWV £nEerKon£l
TIjv 'to naAalav noAlV Kal 'tOV<; AlfLtva<;. 'E~'1yovfLEVWV SE
ot 'tWV EV '<ii aKponOAEl VE'1AUSWV w<; A9'1va[wv 'tlVe<;
ervv9tfLEVOl npoSoer[av <1>payK~ TIj<; BOlw't[a<; IlPXOV'tl,
npO'tEpoV yEvofLtv~ A9'1va[wv 'tvpavv~, t<; K[VSVVOV
a<p(Kov'tO au'to[ 'tE Kal ~ nOAl<;, tv'tau9a avan£ler9El<; ~aerl­
AEV<; erUAAafL~aV£l SEKa 'tWV acr'tWV, IlvSpa<; 'tOV<; 6A~l­
w'ttpou<;, Kat anayaywv 'tou'tou<; Ka't<l>KlerEV E<; Bu/;av'tLOv.
KOfLl/;OfLEvo<; fLtV'tOl tn' O'(KOU KalntfLnwv K~pUKa<; EKtAEUE
'tOY ~yEfLova tJ.'1fL~'tpLOV tmaYElV npoer9EV crUv'<ii YUVatK[,
Kal au'to<; erxoAfi EnopEUE'tO. Tiii fLEV'tOl ~yEfLoVl EnE'tpEtEV
Alvov noAlV Kal npoeroSov anD TIj<; all-rou 'tau't1] aAlK~<;
Kal ano 'tWV 9upwv, E<; e~~KoV'ta fLuplaSa<; apyup[ou. Tov
fLev ouv <1>paY"ov 'tou Av'twv[ou naTSa, nalSlKa 'tE au'tou
YEvofLEVOV, w<; AtYE'tal, Kal napaSov'ta TI]v A9'1va [wv
aKponoAlv, nEfLnwv Zayav~ 'tiii TIj<; ITEAonovv~erou un-
apx~ eKtAEUev aVEAEIv. Zayavo<; Se E<; 't~v ""'1v~v eruy-
KaAtera<; au'tov e<; 0fLlA(av Ka9(er'ta'to IlXPl VUK'tO<;, fLe'ta SE,
w<; anlwv wPfL'1'to Enl 't~v eau'toD ""'1v~v, KeAeuerav'to<; S~
au'tou 'tau't1] an£K't£lvav. Tou'tou fLEV ~ 'teAEUTI] oihw<;
eerxe.
60 BaerlAev<; Se KOfLl/;ofLevo<; tn' O'(KOU crxOAft tnopEue'to,
Kal enl <1>eppa<; a<plKOfLevo<; ~fLtpa<; 'te Slt'tPltEV au'tou'
~yy£AAE'tO yap ano ITatovwv cr-rpa'tov f.AaUV£lV emov'ta
34 0
BOOK 9
territories. These Albanians were claiming that they would
bring about the best possible outcome and that they would
lead the others wherever they had decided. And that, in
sum, was how the conquest of the Peloponnese took place.
The sultan arrived at Athens and went around touring the 59
ancient city and the harbors. The janissaries in the acropolis
revealed to him that some Athenians had agreed to betray
the city to Franco, the lord of Boiotia who had previously
been the tyrant of Athens,lOl and that the city, and they
themselves, were at risk. The sultan was persuaded and ar-
rested ten of the wealthiest townsmen, and took them away
to settle them in Byzantion. As he was returning home, he
sent heralds to order the ruler Demetrios to precede him
there with his wife, while he himself made the journey at his
leisure. He entrusted Ainos to that ruler along with an in-
come from its salt pans and from the Porte,!02 amounting to
six hundred thousand silver coins. As for Franco, the son of
Antonio {II}, who, it is said, had been the sultan's lover, and
who had surrendered the acropolis of the Athenians, he sent
Zaganos, the prefect of the Peloponnese, with orders to kill
him. Zaganos summoned Franco to his tent for a conference
and they talked into the night, but afterward, when he de-
parted to go back to his own tent, he was killed there on
Zaganos's orders. And that is how he died.
The sultan returned home at leisure, and when he arrived 60
at Serres he spent some days there. For it was reported that
an army of Hungarians had set out and was advancing to the
34'
 THE HISTORIES
Eret 't'OV "Irr't'pov. :0, Se {2.238} Ka't'aSI]Aa EyeVE't'o ouStv
Dv't'a, reap~v E, ASp,avoureoA'v ou reoAA@ V<Y't'£pov, afla
aywv Kat 't'WV 'EAA~vwv ~arrlAtw, aSEAq>ov L',.l]fl~'t'plOV Kat
yuvalKa. 'E, fl€'v ouv 't'a ~arro..Ela aq>lKofl£vo" reefl"'a, 't'ov
't'E EUVOUXov a~yayEv area ~, 't'ou ~Y£flovo, 9IJya't'po,.
6. Zayavo, SE Ka't'aAElq>9el, EV ITEAoreovv~rr4', ~XWV fl£9'
eaIJ't'ou Kat 't'o ~, ElETIaAla, rr't'pa't'EIJfla aVEIJ 't'WV lrereo-
Spo flwv, Ka9lrr't'l] re£pl(wv 't'a ~,ITEAoreovv~rrolJ repaYfla't'a,
Kat flEyaAa Cl1Ce,!,EpE KEpSI], au't'o, 't'£ Kat ot 't'~, ITEAo-
reovv~rrolJ apxov't'E" areo 't'E avSpareoSwv, a Kpu'!'a areo-
q>EPofl£vOlSl£~l~a!;ov E, ElETIaAlav, KatSwpaeirrrcpaTIoflE-
vo, 't'ou, EV -rfi ITEAoreovv~rr4'. Kat LaAflEvlKI]V EreEAauvwv
EreoAlopK£l, AOYOIJ, 't'E reporrq>epwv ETClElKEl, ei, -ri]v reap a-
Sorrlv. Olhol flev OUK Ere£teov't'o, <Y\Jvt~1] SE v<Y't'£pov arrlv~
6reE~£A9£Iv EK~, aKporeoAEw, 't'au't'I], 'EAA~VWV apxov't'a,
EVlaIJ't'ov ETClfleivav't'a, YEVVato't'a't'a ureorr't'av't'a 't'ov repo,
~a<YlAEa reoAEflov, wrr't'E MaxolJflO1J-rI]V, 't'ov 't'OU ~a<YlAeW,
O"lKOIJ ~Y£flova q>avat Eret 't'ou't'4' 't'avSpl, w, e, ITEAoreovvl]-
rrov 't'orrau't'l]v xwpav aq>lKofl£vo, avSpareoSa flEV reoAAa
EVpOl't'O, avSpa Se ouSeva on fl~ 't'OU't'ov.
62 BarrlAEu, flEV 't'o't'£ aflq>t 't'ol, ~arrlAeiol, ~v. Elwflii, SE
i:K~a, EK 't'* ITEAoreovv~rrolJ, Kat 'ErelSaIJpov reapaAa~wv,
aq>lKE't'o Eret KepKIJpav, Kat EK~aAwv yvvaTKa, 't'E Kat
reaTSa, ~reAEl Eret'haAlav reapa 't'ov 'Pwflalwv apX'Epta, Kat
reperr~IJv area K£pKupa, W, ~arrlAEa ~reEflreE, reElpWflEVO"
ei Kat au't'@ xwpav {2.239} ErelS@ 6reolavouv ~, Eupwrel],
reapaAlOv, w<Y't'£ -ri]v 'ErelSaIJpov reapaSouvat 't'@ ~arrlA£T.
Tov flEv ouv reperr~IJv rrIJAAa~WV EV reeSat, 't'E Ereol~rra't'o,
342
BOOK 9
Danube. When it was revealed that this was not true, he
went to Adrianople shortly afterward, taking with him the
brother of the king of the Greeks, Demetrios, and his wife.
When he arrived at the palace, he dismissed the eunuch
who was guarding the ruler's daughter. 103
Zaganos was left behind in the Peloponnese, having with 6,
him the army of Thessaly, but without the cavalry raiders.
He settled down to survey the affairs of the Peloponnese
and generated huge profits, for both himself and the lords
of the Peloponnese, from the slaves that they were secretly
exporting and conveying to Thessaly; he also exacted gifts
from the Peloponnesians. He marched against Salmeniki
and besieged it, offering generous terms for a surrender. But
they did not trust him, and eventually the lord of the Greeks
even managed to depart from this citadel unharmed. He
had withstood him for a full year and waged this war against
the sultan so bravely that Mahmud, the lord of the sultan's
household, said regarding this man that when he himself
had come to the Peloponnese, no small place, he had found
many slaves but no men, except for that one.104
The sultan, then, returned to his palace. But Thomas left 62
the Peloponnese, received the lordship of Monemvasia, and
went to Kerkyra where he left the women and children be-
fore sailing on to Italy to the pontiff of the Romans.105 He
sent an envoy to the sultan from Kerkyra to see if he was
inclined to give him a coastal land anywhere in Europe and
in exchange he would give Monemvasia to the sultan. But
the sultan had the envoy arrested and thrown in chains,
343
 THE HISTORIES
Ked ou reoAA<;i ,,,,-repov a<pijKEv a~Aa~ij alCLtval" a<pLKoflE-
vo<; St 8WfliX<; 0 ~YEflWV reapa 'rav apXLEpta 'r~V S[m'rav
dXEV tK 'rou'rotJ, e;aKL"XLA[OtJ<; XptJO'[otJ 'rou hotJ<; O''ra'rij-
pa<;.
63 Tou S' tlCLYLyvofltvotJ etpotJ<;, w<; 'ra Eap treEyevE'ro,
to''rpa'rEuE'ro MEXflt'rl]<; trei'rov KaO''raflov[I]<; 'rE Kal ~LVW­
rel]<; ~yEfiova, at'rLaO'aflEvo<;, O'rL XaO'avt] 'r<;i flaKp<;i EreL-
'r~SELo<; 'rE ~v, Kai tSOKEL iiv fle.-aO'''iivm fie.-' au'rou trei ~v
MEXflt'rEW xwpav, ElCLov.-a iifla EKElVC;J O''rpa-reuEO'em.
AtyE'rm floV S~ Kai /ina, w<; 6 AfiapAEw aSEA<po<; SLa-
'rp[~wv BV 'raT<; ~a<YLAtw<; eUpaL<; O'tJVE~OUAEtJE ~a<YLAET
O''rpa'rEUEO'eaL Erei'rav aSEA<pov. ffil]pwO'a<; So vau<;, reAoTa
'rE Kal 'rPL~ pEL<;, afl<pl 'ra reEv~Kov.-a Kal eKa'rav Ka'rll
eaAaO'O'av, Kal au'r"<; SLa~lI<; E<; 'r~v AO'lav, tKofl[~E'rO reE~fi
SLII "ii<; ~reElpotJ, Kai 6 O''rOAO<; aU'r<;i SLII eaAcX<Y<YI]<; EV xp<;i
reapaAa~wv ~v AO'[av, E<; 0 a<p[KE'ro Erei ~Lvwrel]v. Kai 6
~aO'LAEu<; <Y-rpa'rEtJO'aflEvo<; SLII "ii<; Ka<Y-raflovl]<; reoAEw<;
SLEAauvwv a<p[KE'ro Erei ~Lvwrel]v.
64 "E<Y-rL S' ~ reOAL<; aU'rl] repoKELfltvl] reEpi 'rov EU;ELVOV
reov.-ov, SLa'relvEL St XEPpOVl]O'o<; ouO'a E<; ~V eaAaO'O'uv
Erei <Y-raSlotJ<; dKO<YL Kal ere'ra, Kaireapll 'r<;i [O'efl<;i 4\KI]'rm
~ reOAL<;, E<p' f.Ka-repa £X0tJO'a ~v eaAaO'O'av Kai ALfltva
aU'ro<ptJij. 'H So EretKELva "ii<; reOAEW<; £O'w SLa-relvotJO'a
XEPpOVl]O'o<; SL~KEL Erei O''raS[otJ<; E'iKOO'LV, EfireAEW<; St EO''rL
reapaSElO'wv 'rE Kai StvSpwv reav'roSarewv, ~fltpwv 'rE Kai
ayp[wv, IIopSarea<; (Z.Z40} 6vofla~ofltvl], ExotJO'a'rE Ev.-O<;
SopKaSLa, Aaywou<; 'rE Kai aA).; /ina KtJVl]ytO'Lfia. 'H So
reOAL<; EPtJflv~ fltv EO''rLV E<p' f.Ka'rEpa "ii<; eaAaO'O'I]<; E<; 'rll
344
BOOK 9
although shortly afterward he allowed him to depart un-
harmed. 106 When Thomas the ruler came to the pontiff, he
was maintained by him, with an annual pension of six thou-
sand gold staters.
The following summer, that is in the spring,!07 Mehmed 63
campaigned against the ruler of Kastamonu and Sinope, ac-
cusing him of being an ally of Hasan the Tall and of deciding
to move against Mehmed's territory by invading it and cam-
paigning together with Hasan. Other things are also alleged,
namely that the brother of Amarles, who was residing at
the sultan's Porte, advised the sultan to campaign against his
brother. lOB So Mehmed manned about one hundred and fifty
ships, both triremes and ships with sails, to go by sea while
he himself crossed over into Asia and made the journey on
foot across the land. The fleet sailed close to the coast of
Asia and took it over, until it arrived at Sinope. The sultan
marched past the city of Kastamonu and advanced until he
reached Sinope.
This city lies by the Black Sea, on a peninsula that ex- 64
tends into the sea a distance of twenty-seven stades, and the
city itself is located by the isthmos. It has the sea on both
sides and a natural harbor. Beyond the city the peninsula ex-
tends into the sea a distance of twenty stades and is full of
parks and all kinds of trees, both domesticated and wild. It
is called Pordapas and contains deer, hares, and other game
for hunting. The city is strongly protected by the sea on
345
 THE HISTORIES
!laAl<T"ra, reep'KaAA£<T"ra't'1 'te Kat wpa[a' areo 8E tije; ~re£[pou
avexet !lEV ~ reoAle; tret aKtijv 'tlva. 'R 8E el1Co tije; Xep-
pov~erou xwpa tije; reoAewe; ree8etv~ n Kat ota repoer~aAAtlv
't4' n[xet we; Ner'ta.
65 MaXou!l0lJ-r'1e; !lev ouv tMerae; tret tijv reoAlv, reptv ~ ~a-
CYlAta a<plKeereal ee; 'to <T"rpa'tore£80v, repoere<pepe MyouC; 't4'
'Ier!la~AI1, Aeywv 'tola8e. '~n reaL LKev8epew, aU !lEv yivoue;
er'twv ToupKwv trel<pavOVe;, Kat 'tov ye ~aerlAea olerea we;
'tov yevoue; 'tou'tou ';'v repoe; 'te 'toue; reoAe!l[oue; 'tov
MeX!le't£w ~pwoe; ou reau£'tat 8,areoAe!lwv. T[ ovv DUX ~eru­
XraY Ilywv, Kat 'ta8eA<p4' 't4' er4' tijv ~!l[eretav apmv t1Cl-
'tperewv, te; 'to ~!l'CYU ~aerlAeuetV teeAete;, aA/( a<peA0!l£voe;
'tov a8eA<pov 'tOY erav aU!lreacrav ~8'1 tijv apmv 8,treete;,
tvan[a ~aerlAtwe; <p£p0!l£voe;; Nvv ovv, orewe; 'ta8£ eret'to
~eA'tlov Ka'taO"'tfi, '{ere" t;lWV o..e£ we; ~aerlAta, erau'tov trel-
'tpttwv 't£ Il!la Kat tijv ~ye!l0v[av. Kat ou'tw era<pwe; '(ere,
we; ou8Ev Ilxapl reeter0!levoe; repae; ~aerlAewe;, ou8E 'to ure£p-
~aAeTv xaplv 'tolav8e au't4' Ka'taee!l£voe;. Kat <er'tat erOl
xwpa OUK tAanwv tijer8£ 't* crfje; xwpae;, Katll!la tv aer<pa-
I.e[ .. ~lO't£UWV £u8at!l0v[av !lEv IlAureov ~;etc;, repaY!la'ta 8E
oun repoc; 'twv reoAe!l[wv ~!lTv 'te Kat erot E<T"rat 'tov AOl1Cov,
ou't£ repoC; 'tov a8eA<pov tremee!leVOU erot ad Kat te; tijv
apx~v trel~ouAeuov'toc;. "Ie, ovv, au'tae; t;'1Yov, "reo[av erOl
tv 'til Eupw1CI] apmv S'1'teTe; reapa ~aerlAewe;, we; ltv 8la-
repa;w!lat re£pt autije; te; 'tOY [2.24I} ~aerlAea." Tav'ta !lEV
Maxou!l0u't'1C; " Mlxa~Aou ~ye!lwv e'Aeyev.
66 'Ier!la~A'1e; 8' ureoAa~wv e'A£yev' "aA/( txpfjv !lev, wMa-
xou!l0u't'1, te; 'toue; ~pwoe; reoAe!l[oue; er'tpa'tw0!levov 'tov
BOOK 9
both sides, and is most beautiful and pleasant. On the main-
land side the city juts out onto a promontory. The terrain of
the city on the peninsula side is Bat and here the walls can
be attacked very easily.
Mahmud marched to the city before the sultan arrived at 65
the camp, and he offered terms to ismail, saying the follow-
ing: "0 son of isfendiyar, you come from a distinguished
Turkish family, and you know that the sultan comes from
the same family!09 and has never ceased to fight against the
enemies of our hero Muhammad. Why are you unwilling to
keep the peace, granting to your brother half the realm and
keeping the other half over which to reign yourself? Rather,
by stripping your brother of his realm, you are setting your-
self against the sultan. But now, so that it all turns out for
the best, come out, approach the sultan, and entrust your-
self and your realm to him. And know well that you will not
suffer any ingratitude from the sultan, nor can you lay up
too large a store of gratitude with him. You will receive a
land no smaller than the very one that you have now, and
you will live in prosperity, security, and freedom from care;
both you and we will then have no trouble from enemies
from now on, not even from your brother who is always
attacking you and plotting against your realm. Come now,
you yourself tell us which command in Europe you request
from the sultan, so that I may negotiate over it with the sul-
tan." Those were the words of the lord Malrmud, the son of
Michael.
ismail said this in response: '1illd yet, 0 Malrmud, it 66
was incumbent upon the sultan to march out against the
347
 THE HISTORIES
~ao"lAea EAC!1\VelV, Kat OlJK E1tt TOU<; 0fl0<PUAOV<; Kal OflO-
1tlmov<;' ou yap eEfll<; avSpa OflO<PVAOV Kal U1tlJO"1tOVSOV,
fl~ U1tllp;av-ra aSlKla<;, 1tpOTepOV KaTaAUelV EAeOVTa.
'Hflel<; Se 01he aSlKov Tl E<; ~ao"lAEa E1tpa;aflev, oUTe Ta<;
<Y1tovSa<; 1tapa~alvoflev. Et Se TaiiTa flev OUV Kat aUTO<;
EVTeeUfl1']Tm ~ao"lAeu<;, 1tpo<; Se XaO"av1']v TOV 1toAeflov
Tau"'1v ot ~v xwpav EetAel yevtO"em, <ptpe EmSoTw ~fl1v
<PlAl1t1t01tOAlV av-rl T~O"Se ~<; xwpa<;, ",me fl~ U1to<popov
EXelv, aAA: a-reA~, Kal Xwp~o"0flev w<; ~ao"lAta, 1tlO"Teuov-re<;
aUToii -rfi EmelKel<j:. 'OpaTe ouv ~v 1tOAlV, w<; EV oxvp<ji
1taw <l>K1']flEV1'] Kat KeKOO"fl1']flEV1'] 01tAOl<;. TeTpaKoO"lov<;
flEV T1']Ae~oAov<;, T1']Ae~oAlO"Kov<; Se afl<pl TOU<; SlO-XlAlov<;
Kal avSpa<; u1tep TOU<; flvplov<; 1taptxel, w<; Cto-<paAeO"TaTa
flEV ~flTv Te aUToT<; aflUVeO"eal, Kal ToT<; 1toAefllOl<; w<; Em-
1;~flla."
67 TaiiTa aKOUO"a<; 0 MaXovflOUT1']<;, Kat ~O"eel<; 1tavv ToT<;
'IO"fla~Aew :\6yOl<;, 1tpO~Aavvev E1tt ~aO"lAta w<; E1tt -rfi
;vfl~aO"el ~<; 1tOAew<; O"vV1']O"e1']O"oflevo<; ~aO"lAel. BaO"lAeu<;
flEV w<; E7tt\eeTo eKama Ta a1tO 'IO"fla~Aew, eTOlflo<; ~V
0"1ttvSe0"9al, E<p' oI<; 1tpo'to-xeTO 'IO"fla~A1']<; a[TWV, Kat ~V Te
<PlAl1t1t01tOAlV 1tapelxeTo. Kat 'IO"fla~A1']<; ;Ufl1taVTa TOV
oA~ov a1to<Pepoflevo<; u1te;eXWpel EK ~<; 1toAew<;, E<; ~v
Eupw1t1']v SlaKofll1;oflevo<; E1tl ~v xwpav, ~v aUT<ji 1tapto-xe
~ao-lAeu<;. 'EvTaii9a w<; 1tapEAa~e 're ~v 1tOAlV 0 ~ao"lAeu<;,
Kat 'IO"fla~A1']v {2.242} Te E1tefl1tev E<; ~v Eupw1t1']v, Ta -re
aAAa, oO"a E<; ~v apmv aUToii Sle-rtAel, 1tpoO"exwp1']O"ev
aVTlKa T<ji ~ao"lAeT, Kal S~ Kat Kao-Taflwv1'] 1toAl<;euSalflwv
BOOK 9
enemies of the hero and not against those who are of the
same race and faith. It is not right that he {Mehmed} should
want to take preemptive action against a man who is of the
same race and with whom there is a treaty, who has commit-
ted no prior injustice. We have done no wrong against the
sultan nor have we violated the treaty. If the sultan himself is
well aware of these facts, but wants this land to join him in
the war against Hasan, come, let him give us Philippopolis
in exchange for this land, but not so that it is tributary to
him; it must be free of tax. Then we will join him, recognize
him as sultan, and trust in his sense of justice. You see this
city, how it is located in a defensible position and is adorned
with many weapons. It has four hundred cannons, about
two thousand firearms, and over ten thousand men, and
with these we can securely defend ourselves and cause great
harm to an enemy."
Mahmud heard this and was very pleased with Ismail's 67
proposal. He went to the sultan in order to finalize llO a treaty
for the city with him. When the sultan heard each of Ismail's
proposals, he was prepared to make the treaty on the terms
that Ismail had set, and he granted him Philippopolis. So
Ismail took his entire wealth and departed from the city,
transferring himself over to Europe, to the land which the
sultan had granted him. Whereupon the sultan received the
city of Sinope and sent Ismail to Europe. All of the latter's
territory now passed to the sultan immediately, including
Kastamonu, a prosperous and extremely well fortified city
349
 THE HISTORIES
EPUflV~ 'TE E<; 'Tet flaAlO.,-a, E<; ~V yuvaTKa 'TE Kal 1taToa<;
u1te~£ge'T0 Kal mho<; 1tapeerKeua~e'TO EV LlVW1tn 1tOALOP-
Kl]eroflEVO<;.
68 'H 00 xwpa aV'Tl] 'TOli 'Ierfla~AeW apxe'Tat flOV a1to 'Tij<; e<;
'TOV I10V'TOV 'HpaKAela<; 1tOAew<; 'Toli ~aCTlA£W<;, Ola'Telvel
00 Olet 'Toli I1oV'TOU E<; 'T1'JV I1a<pAayovwv xwpav Kal E1tl'T1'Jv
Toupyou'Tew xwpav, 6A~lW'Ta'Tl] 00 overa 1tpoerOOOv EXel E<;
'Tet<; dKOCTl flUplaoa<; xpueriou 'Toli E'TOU<; er'Ta'Tijpa<;. XaAKov
oe, w<; Kal aAA09, flOl 'Toli AOYOU, <pepel ~ xwpa aV'Tl] floVl]
'TWV tv 'Tij Aeri", xaAKov 00 KaAAler'TOV fle'Ta ye 'TOV 'I~l]pia<;
Xahov, et<p' OU o~ 1tpocriJel 'T<ii ~aerlAeT E1t£'T£LO<; <popo<;
xpueriou 1t£V'Te fluplaoe<; CT'Ta'T~pwv.
69 moTa o£ E1tfjV EV 'T<ii Alflevl 'Tfj<; LlVW1tl]<; aAAa 'Te Kal
vali<; er'TpoyyUAl], ~v evau1tl]nera'To 'Ierfla~Al]<;, EvaKoeriwv
1ti9wv. Tau'Tl]v floV oily E<; BU~aV'TLOV E1teflte, n o~ Kal
~aerlAeu<; EVaU1tl]yET'To valiv fleyier'Tl]v o~ 'TWV 1tW1tO'Te ye-
vOflevwv vewv fle'Ta ye 'T~V OUeVE'TWV Kal ~aerlA£w<; 'Toli
TapaKwvl]eriwv AA<poverou. AA<povero<; yetp o~ 1tPW'To<;
valiv EVaU1t'1nera'To 1ti9wv w<; 'Te'TpaK,erX'Aiwv' Kal ver'Tepov
'Te ~ Oueve'Twv 1tOAl<;, E1tel 'Te etp~v'1 EY£VE'TO er<piCTl 1tpo<;
'TOV Alyupia<; wpavvov Kal TapaKwvwv, EVaU1tl]n erav'To
Kal aU'Tol vali<; ouo, flEyier'Ta<; o~ cmaerwv 'TWV yevoflevwv
VEWV. Ai flEv O~ 'Toli TapaKWvwv ~aerlA£w<; vfje<; U1tO
fleye90u<; er<piCTlv aU'TaT<; Efl1teerolierat ole<p9apl]erav EV 'T<ii
Alflevl, [2.243} Kal OUK E<p9l]erav EK1tAelierai 1tOl E<; 1teAayo<;
yevoflEval. BaerlAeu<; 00 Kal au'To<; 1tuv9avoflevo<; 'Tali'Ta
Evau1tl]yd'To valiv W<; 'Tp,erX'Aiwv 1ti9wv' Kal ou 1tOAA<ii
vCT'Tepov U1tO fleye90u<; 'Toli [er'Toli CmWAe'TO, o'Te, KaeO'Tl E<;
35 0
BOOK 9
in which ismail had placed his wife and children while he
himself was preparing to defend Sinope against a siege.
This territory of ismail begins at the Herakleia that is on 68
the Black Sea, a city of the snltan, and extends along the
Pontos to the land of the Paphlagonians and that ofTurgnt.
It is very wealthy and yields an income of two hundred thou-
sand gold staters per year. As I stated earlier in my narra-
tive, 111 this is the only region of Asia that produces copper,
whose quality is second only to that of Iberia, and this gen-
erated for the sultan an annual tribute of gold amounting to
fifty thousand staters.
There were many ships in the harbor of Sinope, including 69
a merchant ship built by ismail with a capacity of nine hun-
dred pithoi.!12 He sent this to Byzantion, where the snltan
was building the largest ship that had ever been made after
the one of the Venetians and Alfonso, the king of Aragon.
For Alfonso was the fust to build a ship with a capacity of
about four thousand pithoi. Later, the city of the Venetians,
when there was peace between it and the tyrant of Lom-
bardyand the Aragonese,113 also built two ships that were
larger than all the others that had ever been made before.
The ships of the king of Aragon collapsed under their own
weight and were destroyed while still in the harbor; they did
not manage to sail on the open seas. When Mehmed learned
this, he himself built a ship of three thousand pithoi. Shortly
afterward it was brought down by the weight of its own
351
 THE HISTORIES
Tijv vauv fJve</lxe'l, Kal aV'tAOV 1tOLOtJf"'v'l 1tOAVV e1t1
<Y1JXVOV 'rlva Xpovov, w<; el;txtJ'ro U1tO 're'rpaKorr[wv n'raYflE-
vwv e<; 'rou'ro, flE'ra 'rau'ra Ka'rEStJ auTij ev 'r<iJ AlflEVl Ka1
fJq>av[rre'l U1tO eaAarr<Y1']<;. Kal 0 vaUKA'lpo<; -rij<; v'lO<;
imESpa, Sdrra<; ~arrlAEa MEXflt'r'lv. i\AAa 'rOU'rO fl1:v il<Y'rE-
pov eyEvE'rO.
70 T O'rE S1: ~arrlAEV<; 1tapaAa~wv 'r~v "IrrflafJAew 'rOU LKEV-
StpEW xwpav "{no OflorrE e1t1 Xarrav'lv 'rOY flaKpOv Kal e1t1
KOAXlSa, w<; KaeatpfJrrwv ~a<rlAEa 'rij<; Tpa1tesouv'ro<;, il<;
e1tl'r'lSdw<; EXWV 'rOY Xarrav'lv Kal rrtJvl'Je'l<; yevoflEVO<;,
Kal fli'iAAov 6 aSEAq>o<; au'rou ~a<rlAev<; "Iwavv'l<;, Ka1 au'ro<;
~arrlAEv<; .6.a~lS e~tSo'ro e<; yaflov etJya'rEpa 'IwavvotJ Kal
.6.a~lS aVE'inav Xarravn 'r<iJ flaKp<iJ. Kal1tpO<YESEl1'O ~arrl­
AEV<; .6.a~lS 'rOY Xarrav'lv Sla1tpa~arreal {'rOY Xarrav'lv} e<;
'rOY ~arrlAEa MEXfl""'lv 'rOU AOl1tOU fI~ a1taYElv'roV q>opov
-rij<; Tpa1tESouv'ro<; 1tpo<; au'rov, aAAa S'l'rWV fli'iAAOV a1to-
xap[rrarreal 'r<iJ Xarravn ~a<rlAev<; MexflE'r'l<;' Ot flEV ouv
XarravEw 1tperr~.El<; e<; ~arrlAEa aq>IKOflEVOl SIEAEYOV'rO fl1:v
Ka1 aAAa iJ1tEp'lq>avij, ev S1: S~ Ka1 'rOSE fJ~[otJV, rrq>[rrlv
aq>Eeijval 'rOY -rij<; KOAX[SO<; xwpa<; q>opov. T01hotJ<; fl1:v
ouv a1tE1tEfI,,",E ~arrlAEV<; £1ta1tElAl'Jrra<;, w<; 'rou AOl1tOU drr-
oV'rat OUK d<; flaKpav, ,hotJ SEOI 'rou ~arrlAEw<; 1tporr-
SETrreal.
7' TO'rE S~ ouv 'ra -rij<; Ka1t1taSOK[a<; eAauvwv, Ka1 SIE~E-
AaUVOV'rl il 'rE {2.244} 1taT<; aU'r<iJ 1tpO"1lEl 6 1tpErr~u'rEpo<;,
6 Tijv Aflarr[av Slal'rwflEvO<;, Swpa 'rE flEyaAa Eq>EpE 'r<iJ
1ta'rpl, Ka1 1tpOrrEKVv'lrrEv au'rov e1t1 yi'j<;, w<; yE 'rOV'rOl<;
vOfllSE'ral. I1apEyevno S1: 'r<iJ ~a<rlAEl Ka1 6 1teVeEpO<;
352
BOOK 9
mast. When it was fixed upon the ship, they had to bale
frantically for a long time - four hundred men were assigned
to pour out the water-but after that it sank in the harbor
and disappeared under the sea. The captain of the ship then
fled as he feared Sultan Mehmed. But this happened later.114
At that time, then, Mehmed received the territory of 70
ismail, the son of isfendiyar, and moved simultaneously
against Hasan the Tall and Kolchis, with the intention of de-
posing the king of Trebizond {David} who was an ally of
Hasan and his friend. This had been especially true of his
brother, King Ioannes {IV}, but even King David himself
had given the daughter ofIoannes, that is David's own niece,
to Hasan the Tall in marriage. 1I5 And King David had asked
Hasan to negotiate with Sultan Mehmed so that he would
no longer have to pay the tribute ofTrebizond to him but
asked instead whether Sultan Mehmed would grant it to
Hasan. So the envoys of Hasan came to the sultan and spoke
rather arrogantly, and among other things they asked this
too, whether the tribute from the land of Kolchis could be
reassigned to them. The sultan sent them away with threats,
saying that it would not be long before they learned what
they ought to expect from him.
As the sultan marched through Kappadokia, his eldest 7'
son came out to greet him as he was advancing.''' He re-
sided in Amaseia and brought great gifts to his father, bow-
ing down to the ground before him, as is their custom. Pres-
ent with the sultan was also his father-in-law Turgut, whose
353

THE HISTORIES
aU'rO'ii TO'upyO'u'r'1<;, O'U TIJv euya'rtpa ayoflEVO<; 0 'rE ~aOl­
AEU<; Kat ap£<1K0fl£VO'<; 'rau'rn txpfj'ro 'r£ S£U'r£PO'V, fI£'ra y£
'rlt<; tv 'r<ji KO'm;;Vl aU'rO'ii yuvalKa<;, Kat 'rOV yE as£Acpov 'rfj<;
yuvalKo<;, E<; 'rlt<; eupa<; aU'r<ji napay£voflevO'v Kat Sla'rpi-
~O'v'ra £V 'ral<; eupat<;, n£puiY£lV, onO'u &'1' <ITpa'r£u'1'ral.
TO'rE flev S~ SlEAaUVO'nl umlv'ra 'r<ji ~a(nA£1 Swpa cptpwv
w<; fltYl<ITa.
72 'End Se napaflmJrafl£vO'<; 'r~v L£~a<ITElaV to'l\~aA£v t<;
TIJv XaO'av£w xwpav, nO'AiX"'1v flev [...} 'rO'uvO'fla tmwv
nap£O'U}O'a'rO'. ME'r1t Se npO"ionl acplK'VE1'rat t<; athov ~a­
O'lAEa ~ 'rO'il XaO'av£w fI~'r'1P, cptpO'UO'a 'rE Swpa Aaflnplt
Kat unep 'rO'ii natSo<; Slanp£(J'~£uO'fltv'1' 'EAeO'ilO'a Se t<;
i:hJrlV 'r<ji ~aOlA£1 E'AEY£ 'rO'laSe. "D ~aO'lA£ii 'O'rO'uflav£w
J\flO'Upa'rEw nat, tfle 'r~vSe antO''r£lAE XaO'av'1<; " tflo<;
nal<;, £UVO'WV flev'rO'l<; 0'0'1<; npaYflaO'l, Kat O'U'r£ axeOfl£vO'<;
'tlj £uSalflO'vi<} 'tlj oij, O'U'r£ anayO'peuwv xapil;£O'eai O'O'l, Ecp'
o 'rl &'1' aU'r<ji napayytAn<;. 'Ey'" St O'O'l an' Eflau'rO'ii 'raSE'
SatflOVl£ avSpwv, 'ri O'U'rW npO'O'cptp£l<; ~fllv 'rO'l<; 0flO'CPUAO'l<;
un£vaV'rlw<; nOAEflO'v; "H O'UK O'LO'ea, w<; IIalal;~TIJv 'rov
AalAana, J\flO'upa'r£w natSa, n£pi 'rail'ra S~ nA'1f1f1£AO'iiv'ra
Kai t;aflap'rov'ra 'rlt fltylO''ra E<; 'rO'u<; 0flO'CPUAO'U<;, ~ SiK'1
cptpO'uO'a Ent~aA£v aV'r<ji TIJv xe1pa Kat [2.245} anwAE'rO'
uno ~aOlAtw<; T£fI~PEw; Kal O'O'l flev t<; 'roS£ ~niw<; npO'O'-
CP£PO'fltV'l' 'rO'l<; 0flO'CPUAOl<;, Kat O'uS£vt KaKov 'rl aV~K£<ITO'V
tpyaO'afltv'l', nO'AA~V flev Kat &cpeO'VOV 'r~V £uSatflO'viav
naptXE'rat 0 8£0<;, SlSOV'rO'<; O'O'l 'raii'ra 'rO'il ~PWO'<;, nO'AA~V
Se Kat EuSaiflO'va xwpav Kat nOA£l<; Kal ~aO'lA£1<; naptXE'rat
unO'X£lpiO'u<; O'O'l yiyv£O'eal Kat alXflaAw'rO'u<;. Kat 'raii'ra S~
354
BOOK 9
daughter the sultan had married; he was so happy with her
that she was his second,ll7 after the wives of his bedchamber,
and he kept her brother at the Porte to reside there and
brought him along wherever he campaigned. us Anyway, his
son greeted him during his advance and brought him very
great gifts.
When the sultan passed by Sebasteia he invaded the ter- 72
ritory of Hasan, and he attacked and subjected a town
named [ ...}.1l9 Then, as he was advancing, the mother of
Hasan visited the sultan,12O bringing splendid gifts and act-
ing as envoy on behalf of her son. She came into the pres-
ence of the sultan and spoke as follows: "0 Ottoman sultan,
son of Murad: Hasan, my own son, sent me as he is mindful
of your interests and is not at all envious of your prosperity.
He will not rule out any favor that you may ask of him. But
for my part, I say this to you: 0 amazing man, why do you so
wage war against us, who are people of your own race? Or do
you not know that Bayezid the Hurricane, the son of Mu-
rad, offended in this regard and did great wrongs against his
own people, but Justice reached out its hand to him and he
was destroyed by King Timur? So far you have been mild
in dealing with your own people and have done harm to
no one, so God has provided you with an abundance and
bounty of happiness. The hero [Muhammad} has given you
these things and provided you with a large and prosperous
territory along with cities and kings to be subject to you and
your prisoners. You know this well, that he has shielded you
355
 THE HISTORIES
<rlJ btlcrracrat, W, OUKe'rl S~ t, 'roSe t~v~p(<rav'rl t, 'rou,
eav'rou IivSpa, 1taptxe'ra( <rOl Ka'ra<r'rpe<pe<r9at· W, £VlOl
~v <pumv 're Kat 'itVxYJv av9aSt<r'ra'rOl Kal avalSel, Olov-
'rat, W, SlK'l ovSa,lOU yfj, aV9pW1tO', t1te~epxe'rat, aA;';
aV'ra elKfi xwpeTv 1te<pVKe <r<pl<rl 'ra 1tpay!,a'ra. M~, t<p' 0 'rl
Ctv yevOl'ro EKacrro, 'rpa1to!,evo" 'rOU'rO aV'rQ ge!,l'rOv elVat
KatSlKatov, Kal'rQ Svva'rQ 'rvpavv,!, Kat ~a<rlAel1tpOXWpel
EKacrra <rlJv SlKn tmyevo!'eva aV'rol,.iUAa 8eo, !,£v'ra,
!,olpa, Slavel!'a!'evo" 'r~v 're <paVA'lv Kal aya9~v, t, Ii!,<pw
'rav'ra, SlaKplvel 'rOU, -rfiSe av9pw1twv 1tapaYlvo!'tvov,.
01, S' Ctv Slave!''l'ral apl<r'r'lv !'Olpav, Kat !,e'ra 9ava'rov
OU'rw Se<r!'ov!'evo, 'rl!'wpehal 're t, 'ra !,aAlcrra. IIe<pvKe
S£ CtAAW, 'r0 9eTov, O'r,!, liv 'rl, ~VVO!,OAOYfi, 'rOV'r'!' <rvv'r(ge-
<r9al' ~v S£ 1tapa~a(vn, t1tl'rpl~e<r9al 'r0 1tapa1tav. LU S£ t,
!'tya ~Kel, euSat!'ovla, 'rwv ye vuv onwv ava ~v OiKOV-
[Atv'lv ~a<rlAewv Sla 'r0 1telge<r9al 'rQ ~ pw'( Kat [A~ 1tapa-
~a(velv 'ra {2.246} VO[Al~o[Aeva, Kat 'rOU ye AOl1tOU IiPXelv
a1tav'rwv av9pw1twv. Kat 01, S' CtV ~vv'rl90ho /) Iiv9pw1to"
el're 8eQ ehe ~pw'i, t, 0 Ctv 'reAev'r~.rn, 1te(ge<r9at avaYK'l'
Kal <rlJ ~ [Aa, 'rov<rSe /)[AO<pVAOV, [A~ KaAw, 1tOleT" SOUAOV,
DV'ra, 'rou ~ pwo" 1tpO, ov 'ra, <1VV9~Ka, ~ [A0lpa t'ra;a'ro'
OV yap 1teplo'ite'rat ~[Aa, tK <rou 1teplV~pl~O[Aevov, Kal ~Sl­
K'l[AtVOV, 1teplvocrrelv." Tau'ra EAeye.
73 Kal iJ1tOAa~WV /) ~a<rlAeu, EAeye 'rOlaSe' "w yiival, tv
S(Kn [Atnol e1p'l'ral <rOl EKa<r'ra' eu [AenOl t1t(<r'ra<ro, W, Kat
'rQ ~a<rlAeT1tAtov 'rl xapi~e'rat iJ <rvv9iJK'l Kal 'rQ 'rvpavv'!'.
<l>tpelv S£ 'rOU'rO 'ra1tpc'Y[Aa'ra 1tt<pvKev. "Hv S£ Kal Ka'ra
'rov, o[A0<pVAOV, t~a[Aap'ravwv 'rl, <pa(v'l'rat, avaYKn t1tt
BOOK 9
from destruction even though you have offended against
your own men. Some, by nature and soul iusolent and
shameless, believe that there is no justice anywhere on earth
for people but that events happeu at random for them. But
don't believe that it is right or just for everyone to do what-
ever he wants; even for the powerful tyrant or king every-
thing in his affairs proceeds according to justice. God allots
fates, the good and bad, and he divides between them the
people who belong to each. But if to some he assigns a su-
perb fate, after death he fetters them and punishes them ex-
ceedingly. Such is God's nature: that to which any person
assents, he has to abide by, and if he transgresses, he is de-
stroyed thoroughly.l2l You have reached a high degree of
prosperity among all the kings of this age throughout the
world because you have obeyed the hero and have not trans-
gressed against our customs, and in the future you will rule
over all people. A man should obey the precepts to which he
has assented, whether to God or the hero, until the day that
he dies. But now you are not treating us well, we who are of
the same race, as we too are slaves of the hero, under whose
jurisdiction fate has placed agreements. He will not over-
look the fact that we are being insulted by you and done in-
justice." That is what she said.
The sultan said the following in response: "0 woman, ev- 73
erythmg that you have said you have said with justice. Know
well that agreements are even more gratifYing to kings and
tyrants. The matter before us bears this out. If Someone ap-
pears to be committing offenses against his own people, it
357

THE HISTORIES
flap'tup[av 'tou'to atho 'tL<; 6DeuE'tat, Kai e:ltLOv'ta afluve-
<YBaL. Kai ~fleT<; DE 'tou'to 1toL'l<YaflevoL, Kai :repoeLTCov'te<;
au't<ji fI~ :reapExeLv 'tfi ~fle'ttp'l' XWP'l', oihe a:reelxe'to 'to
:reapa:reav Kal e:reLWV evoxAeTv OUK e:reauE'to. "OflW<; 'taDe
e:rem:AAoV'te<; 't<ji <Y<ji ul<ji, a:reexofleBa fI£v 'tou AOLTCOU 'tij<;
xwpa<;, e'l" 4i fI~ e7CL~~vaL e<YauBL<; 't~<; xwpa<; ~flwV Kai
fI'lo£ 't<ji ~a<YLAel Tpa:ree~ouv'to<; e:reafluveLv Kai u:reepfla-
Xelv." Tau'ta el:reov'to<; 'tou ~a<YLAew<; <Yuve't[Be'to au't[Ka ~
yuv~ Kai <Y:reOVO"<; e:reOLeT'to.
74 To O£ eV'teuBev ~0'l e:reopeue'to e:rel Tpa:ree~ouV'ta Kal
Ka't" ~a<YLAt\w, D.a~[o, 1\<; 'teAeu't~<Yav'to<; 'tou ~a<YLAEw<;
'tou aoeA'l'ou au'tou 'Iwavvou, Kal Ka'taAwpBEv'tO<; au't<ji
eyyovou EVO<;, e:reayoflevo<; 'tov<; Ka~a<YL'tavou<; i:lpxov'ta<;
'twv :reepi 'tijv Tpa:ree~ouV'ta Me<Y0xaAoelwv Ka'tE"Xe 'tijv
~a<YLAdav Kal e~a<YfAeuev, aOLK~<Ya<; 'tov ave'itLov au'tou
'te'tpae'tij ov'ta. '0 flEV'tOL <Y'tOAO<; i:lpa<; a:re" LLVW:re'l<;, e:reel
'tau't'lv :repoeoouAw<YaV'to, e:reopeue'to ev oe;Lq i'xwv {2.247}
'tov<; Ka:re7CLiooKa<;, Kal a<pLKoflevo<; e<; 'tijv :reOALV Tpa:ree-
~ouv'ta 'ta 'te :repoa<Y'teLa eVE:rep'l<Ye, Kai e:reoALopKeL 'tijv
:reOALV e:rei ~ flEpa<; 'tpLaKoV'ta Ouo. Me't" O£ 'tau'ta e:reeAau-
vwv e:rciJEL ~a<YLAeu<;. IIpoeAauvwv O£ Maxouflou't'l<; e<;
Tpa:ree~ouv'ta, Kal au'tou :reou <YK'lvw<Ya<; ev '!fi AeyoflEvt]
LKUAOAlflvt], Kal Myou<; :repo<Y'l'tpwv :repo<; 'tov au'tou
e;aSeA'l'0v fewpyLOv :repW'to~e<Y'tLapLOv, i'Aeye :repo<; au'tov
el:reelV 't<ji ~a<YLAel D.a~iS 'taSe.
75 "Ba<YLAel Tpa:ree~ouv'to<;, yEVOU<; 'tou 'EAA~VWV ~a<YL­
Adou, ~a<YLAev<; flEya<; 'taDe AEyeL, w<; 6pq<; fI£v o<Y'lv xwpav
SLa:reopeuoflevo<;, e:reeLO~ SLe;!'JEL, t:J<Y'te ev'tauBa yevE<YBat.
BOOK 9
is necessary for one to come and witness it, and to defend
himself against the attacker. This is precisely what we have
done, for I told him in advance that my territory was off lim-
its and yet he has not at all refrained and has not ceased to
come against me and harass me. Still, we now put this before
your son, that we will henceforth stay away from his lands
on condition that he not again invade mine and does not
provide any assistance to the king of Trebizond or defend
him." That is what the sultan said, and the woman agreed
and made a treaty:
From there Mehmed advanced to Trebizond and against 74
King David. When the latter's brother, King Ioannes,
died,'22 he left behind one grandson,123 but David had
brought in the Kabasitanoi lords of the Mesochaldeioi
around Trebizond, took the throne, and so reigned, thereby
wronging his nephew, who was four years old. After first
subjecting Sinope, the sultan's fleet set sail from there and
advanced, with Kappadokia on its right. It arrived at the
city ofTrebizond and set fire to the suburbs, besieging the
city for thirty-two days.12' Mter that the sultan arrived too,
but Mabmud had marched in advance to Trebizond and
pitched his tents somewhere there by the so-called Skylo-
limne. He proposed terms to his own cousin, Georgios the
protovestiarios,l25 telling him to give the following message to
King David:
"King of Trebizond, of the royal family of the Greeks, 75
the great sultan says this to you: You see how much land
he has traversed to come here. If you hand the city over
359
 BOOK 9
THE HISTORIES

immediately to the sultan, he will provide you with land J' t

"Hv nOv airtiKa 'ti]v 1t6AlV 1tapao</JS 't</J ~a<11Ael, Kat Xwpav as
G he bestowed prospenty ' upon Demetrios, the ruler of' theus
flEV <Yol1tapeXE'tal, WS Kat 't</J 'EAA~vwv ~yeflovl 'tijs IIeAo- reeks ~f the Peloponnese, along with islands and the pros-
1tovv~<Yov i'>.l']fll']'tpl,!, euoalflovlav 'te towp~<Ya'to Ka\ v~­ ~erous CIty ofAinos, 126 and he is now enjoying his pros eri
<YOVS Ka\ Alvov 1tOAlV euoalflova, Kat tv u<Y<paAel WV Ku9l']- m the, greatest
kn security. But if you do not obey and d eCIPdetoty
'tal euoalflovwv, "Hv oe fl~ 1tel90flevos UV'tEXelv t
9EA resIst, ow that your city will soon be enslaved For he will
nS,
t<Y91 ~v -re 1tOAlV t;avopa1tool<Yal ou 1tOAA</J uO"tepov' ou not depart before' he has captured you all and d'l'
e Ivere d you
yap &v u1tava<1~<Ye'tal, fl~ t;eAWv 1tpo'tepov ufliiS Kat
over to a h ornble death,"
That is what Maltmud said, and the king of Kolchis re-
sp~nded
6
ai<yxlO"t,!, 1tapaoous 9ava't'!'," as follows: "Even before we did not violate the sul- 7
7 Tau'ta el1tOv't0S 'tau MaxoVflou'tew, iJ1tOAa~WV (, ~a<Yl- tan s treaty: we sent the king's brother, and were read to
6
Aeus KOAXlooS ~eye 'tolaoe' "aA'/< "WelS Kat1tpO-repov 'taS obey
, whatever the sultan bid us,
h' Andw J'ust no _ _ re~ y
~a(1lAewS <movoas ou 1tapa~alvov'tes, 'toV 'te aoeA<poV 'tau mg t IS to the sultan's admiral, that they should not h
~a<YlAeWS 1ttfl'irav-reS ;:'tOlflol ~flev, t<p' II 'tl &v &pa KeAeuol ~
or plunder the land , or we were preparing to surrenderarm to
~a<YlAeus, '(e<Y9al all'tlKa 1teI90flevol, Kat vuv 't</J vavapx'!' the sultan upon his arrival,"127 These were his words, and he
'tOu ~a<11AeWS 'tooe tAtyoflev, wS &v fl~ 'ti]v Xwpav KaKws asked
. that the sultan make a treaty WI'th h'1m on t h e condl- '
1tOlouv'tes Al']'t~wv'tal, WS, 1\v t1tln ~a(1lAeUS, 1tpo<yxwp~<Yefv tlOn that the sultan marry his daughterl28 and provide him
all't</J 1tape<YKeva<Yfle9a," Tau'ta 'te ~eye, Kat ~;lov <Y1ttvoe- WIth land that would generate for him the same amount f
<Y9al au't</J ~a<YlAta, t<p' <!> ~v 'te 9vya'ttpa au'tOu ~a<11Aea
revenue as his current one; and saying this he asked foroa
treaty. When the sultan arrived at the camp ' MahfiU d went
liye<Y9al Kat Xwpav au't</J 1tapEXe<Y9al, il<Y'!' '(<Yl']v 't~v 1tpO<Y-
.
out to greet hIm and reported to him the developments re-
oOov all'tou 'tijs Xwpas a1tOOoll'] 'teo Tau'ta AtyWV ~;lov gardmg th~ city. The sultan was angered by the proposed
v
<mtvoe<Y9al. MaxovfloU't1']S flEv, WS ts 'to O"tpa'to1teoo terms and mtended to take the city by force and enslave it
a~Aavve ~a<YlAeus, u~v'ta ayytAAwV 'to. 1tapa 'tijs 1t0- He was angered because, before the fleet had arrived Ki '
Aews, 'E1tap9els Oe 'tolS AOYOlS 'tol<Yoe WPfll']'tO Ka'ta Kpa'tOS David's wife
ki b had departed and gone to Mam'la, h' er own ng
t;eAelV 'ti]v 1tOALV Ka\ avopa1tool<Ya<Y9al' i\xge'to yap, ihl ,nsman y marriageY9 But after some deliberation he de
~ yvv~ 'tou ~a<11AEWS, 1tptV 1\ a<plKe<Y9al 'tOY <Y'tOAOV, Clded to take oaths upon the treaty. Thus the sultads oath:
a<plKe'to 1tapa 'tOY eav'tijs yafl~pov 'tOY Mafllav 1tpOe;l-
ou<Ya, Me'ta oe 'tau'ta ~ovAevoflev'!' 01 tooKel ts 'ti]v ;Uf'-
~a<Ylv 'touS 0PKOVS 1tolel<Y9al, Ka\ tylvov'tO 01 IIpKOl 'tau
 THE HISTORIES
~ao"LAewo;, fLeTa S£ Kal [2.248} -ri]V noALv napeMfL~avov
Tpanesovv-ra ol-rov ~ao"LAEwo; ve~AvSeo;, wo; Ene-ra;e ~aO"L­
Aevo;.
77 Tov S£ ~aO"LAEa TpaneSovv-roo; EfL~av-ra EO; -rao; vavo; lifLa
-rolo; naLO"lv au-rov Kal "tfi evya-rpl Kal O"vyyeVEO"LV au-rov,
OO"OL napfjO"av aim;;, EKeAetJO"ev cmonAeIv EO; -ro Bvsav-rLOv,
wo; au-r(Ka napeO"ofLEvoV Kal au-rov ~ao"LAtwo; SLa -rfjo; ~nel­
pov' -r~v fLEV ouv noALv Ene-rpete -r", vavapX4>, -rfjo; KaA-
ALOvnoAewo; (mapx'll, ve~AvSa<; -re Kae,O"-r'] E<; -ri]v aKp6no-
ALv Kal asanLSa<; E<; -ri]v noALV. MeTa S£ -rav-ra nefLta<;
XL-r~p'] -rfj<; AfLaO",a<; unapxov, napem~O"a-ro -ra nep1 -r~v
noALv xwp,a Ka1 -ra nep1 -ro MeO"oxaASeLOv, Ka~aO"mxvwv
ov't'a 'twv u'Jtapxwv, -rou -rE 'JtavO'E~aO't'ov Kal 'tou viou
au-rou. Kal eKama npoO"exwp']O"ev. "00; Ka1 qlVAaK~v
Eyxa-reAL1rev, nvasev;ao; SLa -rfj<; ~nelpov, Kal a~Aavve,
Ka1 SLa -rfjo; -rwv Tsav,Swv xwpa<; EKofL'se-ro, xwpav
EpvfLv~v -re Kal Ii~a-rov E<; -ra fLaALO"-ra. revofLevo<; S£ En1
Bvsav-r,ov, ~ao"LAta fL£v au-rou Ene-ra;ev anayeLV E<; ASPL-
avovnoALv, Ka1 au-ro<; ou noAA", uO"-repov EKofL,se-ro En1
ASpLavovnoALv.
78 Tpanesouo; fL£v ouv ou-rwo; gnAw, Ka1 ~ -rfj<; KOAXwv
xwpa ""fLnaO"a uno ~ao"LAeI Eyeve-ro, ~yefLov,a Ka1 au-r']
'EAA~vwv ovO"a Ka1 EO; -ra fie,] -re Ka1 S,aL-rav -re-rpafLfLEv,]
'EAA~vwv, wme avaO"-rcl"Tovo; yeVEO"eaL uno -rovSe -rov ~a­
O"LAeWO; ou nOAA", Xp6v4> -rov<; "EAA']va<; -re Ka1 'EAA~VWV
~yefLova<;, npw-ra fL£v -ri]v Bvsav-r,ov nOALv, fLe-ra S£ -rav-ra
IleAonovv']O"ov -re Ka1 Tpanesovv-ro<; ~ao"LAea Ka1 xwpav
au~v. Tav-ra fL£v E<; -roO"ov-rov EyeVeTo.
BOOK 9
were taken and afterward the sultan's janissaries received
the city ofTrebizond, as the sultan had instructed. Bo
The sultan placed the king ofTrebizond on ships with his 77
sons, his daughter, and his relatives, as many as were there,
and ordered them to sail to Byzantion; the sultan himself
would meet them there after traveling overland. He en-
trusted the city to the admiral, the prefect of Gallipoli,131
and established janissaries in the citadel and azaps in the
city. After that he sent H1Z1r, the prefect of Amaseia, to sub-
ject the villages around the city and those around Mesochal-
deion, which belonged to the prefects of the Kabasites fam-
ily, the pansebastos,132 and the latter's son. And each of the
villages went over to him. He left a garrison, broke camp,
and went overland, marching through the land of the Janids,
a strongly protected land and very inaccessible. He reached
Byzantion and ordered that the king ofTrebizond be taken
to Adrianople, and shortly afterward he too went to Adri-
anople.
That was how Trebizond fell and how the entire land 78
of Kolchis came under the sultan's authority. This too had
been a principality of the Greeks and its customs and way of
life were also Greek, so that in a short amount of time the
Greeks and the rulers of the Greeks had been overturned
by this sultan, starting with the city of Byzantion, after that
the Peloponnese, and finally the king and land ofTrebizond.
That was how that transpired.
 THE HISTORIES
79 [[Ti)v S£ Tpa1tE~ouv'ta e<; ~o(pa<; SLEAO~EVO<;, -ra ~£V nap' eau't@ Ka't-
EKpa'n'JO"E, 1tOl~O"a<; lTLAL1crap[ou<; Kal cmaxoYAavou<; ikr-rEpov E<; 'ta<; 8upa<;
amov, 'toVrou<; Kpa-nlO"a<; 1tap' eau-rav v1tllPEO"fa<; amov EVEKa Kat E<; -ra.1tctL-
Suea, 't"0 SE Ka't"cYKLcrEV E<; Bu~av-rLOV, xat-ra E't"EpOV 1tE1tO[f)KEV 'IavL-r~apfou<;
Ka1 SOVAw-ra<; EV O1<Eva1<;, EltLAE~a~EVo<; 1taISa<; OK·t'aKoer[ov<;, xat E<; U]V 't"wv
VE'1AUSWV -ra~tV t-ra~a-ro. T~v ~tV't"OL 8vya-rtpa 't"ou ~aerLAtw<; Aa~lS yuvalxa
~tV't"Ol oux 1'1yaYE-ro, ~E't"' ob 1tOAU Sf: E<; -rav xOL't"wva ~E't"E1tt~ta-ro airn)v,
{z.249] cnpaytaer8tV't"0<; 't"ou ~aerLAeW<; Aa~[S, Kat -rOY 1taISa eyyovov 't"ou
1tp6't"EpOV ~acrlAtw<; vl}ltLOV Dv-ra dXE 1tap' eav't"@ 6 Kpa-rwv. '0 ~tV-rOl ~aCTl­
Atw<; 1taI<; 6 VEW-rEP0<;, rEwpylO<; -roi)vo~a, w<; t<; 't"~v ASplaVail1tOALV 1tapwv,
E-rpa1tE't"O E1t1 TIJv 'tau Mex~e't"Ew 8P'1O"KelaV, Kat E<; -ree ~8f) yEv6~EVO<; -ra
80 Ob 1toU@ UCT't"EpOV cruvEAf]q>811 a~a -r@ na-rpt Kat 't"aI<; aSEA'PaI<; U1tO ~a-
CTlAEW<;. Kal yap enE~tE ypa~~a't"a l} &vEtla 't"ou ~aerLAtw<;, l} -rail Xaerav'1
yvvf], Ka1 ~E-rEKaAEI't"o ~ -rav 't"au ~aO"lAew<; v[ov ~ -rov aVEtlov au-rail -rOY
AAe~Lov -rOY EK MV't"LAf]V'1<;, Ka~v'1vov Dv-ra. Kal-ra. ~Ev ypa~~a't"a £'VEXe[pt-
erav -r@ ~ao"lAet, S'1AanOLovv-ra, 61tw<; d<; £.K -rwv v[wv -rau ~a(nAiw<; ~ 6
&VEtLO<; au-rou, w<; dp'1't"al, a'P{~'1-rctL 1tpo<; U]v Aecmolvav, U]v yuvaIKa -rau
MaKpou Xcccniv'1 ouerav. 'EVEXeipto"E St: 't"au-ra -ra ypCt~~a-ra 6 1tPW't"O~ECT't"l­
CtpLa<; rEwpyW<; E1tt -rpom!' 'tCtx.a &ya8@. 01tw<; 'Pavf]crE-rctL 6 ~aerLAEu<; El<;
1t[CT't"WerLV 100w<; aya9f]v, Ka1 lIAAW<; Lva ~~ aKauer9fj Kal1tap' ltAAWV, onw<; 6
1tpW'!o~Ecrnap!O<; EKpUtE -rou-ro, q>O~OV~EVO<; -rov ,[,E au8tv't'1 -rav ~tyav Kat
'tav 1tCterLav Maxov~au-r'1, Kal1tCt9n KaKw<; 6 1tPW-rO~ECT't"lCtpLa<; 1tapa 't"ov
~eyaAov au8tv'['ov. Kal SLa -rou't"o StSWKE Kal-rbv XafYt''1v 1tpa<; -rav ~tyav
au9tv't'1' Ta ~t:v ouv ypCt~~a'['a SE~a~Eva<; 6 ~aO"lAEu<; Kal v04' Aa~wv
Ka8fCT't"a-ro E<; v1t0'o/fav, xat au-rou<; cruAAa~wv '['ov -re Aa~lS ~acnAEa Ka1-rou<;
u[ou<; ab-rou crUv -r4i aVEtl4' Ka8eTp~E. Kal -r~v ~v 9uya't"tpa t<; KaL'tWva
BOOK 9
[[He l33 divided the people ofTrebizond into sections, keeping one for him- 79
self, turning them later into silahdars and sipahi_oglan 134 at his Porte. He kept
them to serve his personal needs and for his sexual gratification. Another group
he settled at Byzantion and the other he made into janissaries and craftsmen.
He selected eight hundred boys and enrolled them in the order of the janissar-
ies. But he did not marry the daughter of King David,135 though he did sum-
mon her to his bedchamber shortly after, when King David had been butch-
ered. He also kept the grandson of the previous king, who was a young child,
by his side. 136 But the younger son of King David, Georgios by name, who was
in Adrianople, converted to the religion of Mehmed and was raised in their
customs. 137
Shortly afterward Georgios was arrested by the sultan along with his father 80
and brothers. For the king's niece, the wife of Hasan, 138 sent letters summon-
ing either a son of the king or his nephew A1exios from 11yt:ilene, who was a
Komnenos. The letters fell into the sultan's hands, and they revealed that one
of the king's sons, or his nephew, as was said, was to go to the Lady, the wife of
Hasan the Tall. It was the protovestiarios Georgios who handed these letters
over,139 probablywith a benign intent, that is, in the hope that the sultan might
be benevolently reassured and, anyway, so that it would not be said by others
that the protovestiarios had concealed this matter, for he feared both the great
efendi {Le., the sultan] and the pasha Mahmud, in which case the protovestiarios
would suffer great harm at the hands of the great efendi. For this reason he
handed the papers over to the great efendi. The sultan received the letters and
he became suspicious as he thought about it, and he arrested them, namely the
king David, his sons, and nephew, and imprisoned them. 140 He summoned the
 THE HISTORIES
aUT4i (-tETEnEfL'Ya't"O, fxwv Se aUTOUt; tv ntSaLt;, OU nOAA4i ikr-rEpov unayaywv
E:t; BV~CtVTlOV StExpf]craTo.
Tout; ~EVTOl naTSat; TOUt; uno licr-rEWt; Kat anD TWV nEploLKWV xwp(wv
-WUt; ~v vEfJAvSat; Ta~a~EVOt; Ka't't8cro E:t; TOV eauToiJ KOlTwva, TOUt; S'
aA"AOUt; £v ToT~ e.aUToiJ t1tlTI]SEv~aOl, TOUt; S' e-r£pOU~ anExapLcraTo TQT~ v[oT~
aUTOU Kal ToTt; apxovcYl. Ta~ 8e K6pa~ Tat; ~ev tv ..oT~ aUTQu KOlTWO'l
KaT£8ETo, Ta~ Se anExaphraTo, Kat -rrva~ £~ aVTWV ToTc; utoT~ aVTou
ElTT£METO, tv[a~ 8' o£V TlVl 6A{y~ KalpQ Kat Unav8pEVonTO.)] {2.250]
82 Tou [!EVTOl xel[!WVO<; TOUTOU ~aJlAeiJ<; OlaTp[~wv EV
ToT<; eaUTOU ~aJlAdol<; [!e-renE[!nETO BAaOOV TOV ~pa­
KOUAeW naToa, ~aK[a<; ~ye[!Ova, lxwv nap' eauT<!i TOV
veWTepov mhou aoeA'I'ov, nmOlKa Te aUTOU yeVo[!eVOV Kat
OlmTW[!eVOV nap' aUT<!i. 2uv'1VEXe'1 O£ Kat aUT<!i ~aO:lAeT
~UrreVEJeat T<!i nalot T<!ioe ~OUAO[!EV4', aTe npWTOV
naplWV Ent T~V ~aJlAdav tJTEAAeTO Ent Kapa[!i'ivov,
OA[YOU 1m' aUTou anoeaveTv. :0,<; yap EPWV TOU natOo<;
EKaAEl E<; O[!lA[a<;, Kat 'l'lAOTl[![av aUT<!i npon[vwv EKaAel
Ent TOV KOlTwva. '0 [!tvTolnaT<; OUOEV Tl TOLOUTOV OOKWV
npo<; TOU ~aJlAEw<; nelJeJem, ewpa TOV ~aJlAEa tnl-
'l'epoflevov aUT<!i E<; TOLOUTOV Te npiiy[!a, aneflaxeTo Te Kat
OU JUveYlVWJKeTO t<; T~V JUVOUJ[av ~aJlAEw<;. Kat aKov-
TO<; E'I'LAEl, JnaJa[!evo<; 6 naT<; f1axalpav na[elTov ~aJlAEa
KaTa TOV [!'1pOV, Kat OVTW 'l'euywv aUT[Ka, onOlnpoexwpel
aUT<!i, 4IXeTO. BaJlAEw<; [!tVTOl ot taTpot taJaVTO TO
Tpaufla. '0 Of naT<; Ent otvopov aUTou nou TauT!] ava~a<;
EKEKpunTO. :0,<; O£ JUJKeuaJaflevo<; 6 ~aJlAeiJ<; a7t!'Jel,
tv-reueev KaTa~a<; 6 naT<; ana TOU otvopOU Kat Olano-
peuoflevo<; ou nOAA<!i vo--repov a<p[KeTo En1 Ta<; eupa<;, Kat
BOOK 9
daughter to his bedchamber, but kept the men in chains, and shortlyafterward
he sent them to Byzantion and had them killed. 141
As for the children of the city ofTrebizond and the surrounding villages, he 81
assigned some of them to the janissary corps and placed them in his own bed-
chamber, others he kept for his own purposes, while others still he gave as gifts
to his sons and the lords. He placed some of the girls in his bedchambers and
gave away the rest as gifts; some of them he sent to his sons, and he even mar-
a1t-
ried a few of them a short while later.}]
The sultan spent that winter!42 in his palace and sum- 82
maned Vlad {III}, the son of {Vlad II} Dracul and ruler of
Wallachia,t43 as he already had his younger brother {Radu
III} at the court,t44 keeping him as his lover and maintaining
him. It happened that the sultan was almost killed by the
boy when he had wanted to have sex with him. This was
when he had first gained the throne and was preparing to
campaign against Karaman.!45 He was in love with the boy
and invited him for conversation, and then as a sign of his
respect he invited him for drinks to his bedchamber. The
boy did not expect to suffer such a thing from the sultan,
and when he saw the sultan approaching him with that in-
tention, he fought him off and refused to consent to inter-
course with him. The sultan kissed the unwilling boy, who
drew a dagger and struck the sultan on his thigh. He then
lied in whatever direction he could find. The doctors were
able to treat the sultan's wound. The boy had climbed up a
tree there and was hiding. When the sultan packed up and
left, the boy came down from the tree, began his journey,
and, shortly afterward, arrived at the Porte and became the
 THE HISTORIES
1taLSLKa EyEVE'tO ~a(1LAEw,. Xpij0"8at Sf. VOfl(~EL oux ~TIOV
'toT, t, 't1)v eau'tou S[at'tav 'tE'tpaflflEvoL,· 'tOU'tOL, flf.v yap
aid 'tE O"uYYEvofiEVO, O"UvSLa'tp[~EL VUK'tWp Kat flE8'
~flEpav, 'toT, S' aAAOCPUAOL, ou mlvu 'tL Xpij0"8at VOfl[~E'taL
~ao"LAEa, aX'/( E1tt ~paXU.
8) Tou'tou Se'tou 1tatSO, 't<ii aSEAcp<ii BMSCfl t1tE'tPEtE ~a-
o"LAEV, 't~v Ll.aK[a, ~YEflov[av, Kat O"ufl~aAXofiEVOU ~a­
o"LAEW, t~AaO"E 'tE Kat Ka'tE<YXE 't1)v ~YEflov[av BMSo,
Ll.paKouAEW 1taT,. D, Se t1tt 't~V (2.25r) ~YEflov[av acp[KE'tO,
1tpw'ta flev eau't<ii Sopucpopou, E1tOLET'to Kat 0floSLa['tou"
flE'ta Sf. flE'ta1tEfl1t6f1EVO, Eva eKaO"'tov 'twv 'tij, xwpa, EltL-
cpavwv EC; 'ta, 'twv ~YEfloVWV flE'ta~OAa, SOKOUV'tWV flE-
'telVaL 'tij, 1tpoSoO"[a" 1taVOLKI SLEcp8ELpE 'tE KalaVEO"KOA61tL-
~EV, au'tov'tE iifla Kat1taTSa, Kat yuvaTKa Kal 8Epa1tOV'ta"
a,O"'tE livSpa 'tou'tov Eva E1tl flEya S~ cpovou avSpwv, wv
~flel, "iO"flEV, tAaO"at £1tu86f1E8a· a,O"'tE yap ot Efl1tESWO"at
't1)v ~yEfioviav, aVEAelV au'tov cpaO"Lv IivSpa, 'tE Kal yu-
vaTKa, Kal1taTSa, 6A[YOV 'tLVa Xp6vov E, SLO"fluP[OU" Ka-
8LO"'twv'ta Sf. KaAOU, 'tLva, au't<ii O"'tpa'tLW'ta, Kat So-
pucpopou" 'tou'tou, ESWPel'tO 'toT, 'twv a1toYLyvoflEVWV
xp~flaO"[ 'tE Kat i\A~Cfl Kat 'tfi liAXn EuSaLflov[q, a,O"'tE SLa
~paxto, E1tt fltya acpLKt0"8at flE'ta~oAij, Kal KatVO'tO-
fI'18ijVat 1tavu 'ta Ll.aK[a, 1tpaYfla'ta U1tO 'tOU'tou 'tou
avSpo,. Kat IIa[ova, 'tE OUK OA[YOU" oI, flE'telVat tSoKEL
O'tCflouv 'twv 1tpaYfla'twv, Kat 'tou'twv OUSEVO, cpELSofiEVO,
cp6vov Sf. fltYLO"'tOV etpya~E'to.
84 D, flf.V ovv ath<ii £SOKEL aO"cpaAw, "XELV 'ta Ll.aK[a,
1tpaYfla'ta, E~OUAEUE'tO a1toO"'taO"Lv a1tO 'tou ~ao"LAeW"
BOOK 9
sultan's lover. The sultan was used to having relations no less
with men who shared his own inclinations. For he was al-
ways spending his time in the close company of such people,
both day and night, but he did not usually have relations
with men who were not of his own race, except for brief
periods of time.
It was the sultan who had entrusted Vlad (III}, the 8)
brother of this boy, with the rme ofWailachia. With the sul-
° tan's assistance, Vlad, the son of Dracul, set out to claim the
principality. When he took over, he first created a corps of
bodyguards for himself, who lived with him, and then he
summoned separately each of the distinguished men of the
realm who, it was believed, had committed treason during
the transfer of power there. He killed them all by impale-
ment, them and their sons, wives, and servants, so that this
one man caused more murder than any other about whom
we have been able to learn. In order to solidify his hold on
power, they say that in a short time he killed twenty thou-
sand men, women, and children. He established good sol-
diers and bodyguards for his own use, and he granted them
the money, property, and other goods of his victims, so that
he quickly effected a great change and utterly revolution-
ized the affairs of Wallachia. He also worked widespread
murder among the Hungarians, those who seemed to be
involved in public affairs, sparing none of them.
When he decided that the affairs of Wallachia were 84
secure enough for him, he planned to rebel against the
 THE HISTORIES
'E,tL[1wpEITa [1£VTOL Tau, avSpa, T01hav, YVW[1n Tau ~aO'l­
A£W" W, av aim;; Kpa-ruvalTa T~V apX1'lv, Kat [1~ [1ETa-
O'TaVTWV aile" TWV Tij, baKia, avSpwv npwTevovTWV
npay[1aTa EXal, tnaya[1£vwv aUTWV Tau, IIaiava, <YV[1[1a-
Xav, TE Kat e1tlKaUpaV" TauTa [1£vTal aihw SlEnpanETa,
T OTE S~ auv Tau XEl[1wva" W, ijyy£AAETa ~aO'lAEI TaVTav
VEWTEpiO'm SlavaaU[1Evav anOO'TaO'lV ~avAEUEO'em, enl
IIa,ava, TpanO[1EVOV O'VVT,eEO'em EKeLVOl, Kat O'u[1[1ax,av
nOLUO'em, SElVOV TE enOLEITO, Kal n£[1nwv avSpa [2,252}
EUSOKl[10V TWV eupWV aUTav, ypa[1[1aTl<Y'r~V "EAA'lva, [1ET-
En£[1nETO t, Ta, eupa" w" ijv a<p'K'lTa, at ent Ta, eupa"
axapl [1tv auStv npo, ~a<YlA£W, neLO'E'rm, ayaea Se Kat
Eilvalav avaKTw[1EvO, OUX tJnEp~aAUTm aUTOV ~a<YlA£a,
Euvawv e, Ta Tav ~aO'lAtw, npay[1aTa,
85 TavTa [1tv enlTElAa, EnE[1nEV W, TOVTav KaTa~OAlVOV
ypa[1[1aT£a TWV evpWV, Xa[1ou~q St TIji iEpaKO<pOp", AE-
yO[1EV"', 0, napa TOV "IO'Tpov SltAaXE SLOlKUV xwpav OVK
OA'y'lV Kal BlS,v'l, iJnapxov dvm, Kpv<pa EK£AEUE n£[1nwv,
SOA", et SuvijO'ETm ayayuv TOV avSpa, aUTIji xap'UO'em
[1EyaAw" EhE SOA", EhE Tpon", aAA"" ot", SuvijO'ETm O'UA-
Aa~eIv, OUTO, [1ev oily napayyElAa, TIji ypa[1[1a'rlCITjj e,
T~V O'UAA'lV'V TOU avSpo" ana ESOKEl O'<p'O'l ~auAeva[1£­
VOL, npoO'<papa dvm, <YV[1npon£[1nonl aUTov TIji BAaS",
vno'O'Elv eVESpa, npoAox,O'avTa aUTOV TavT'lV T~V xwpav,
aiJTw nOLEIO'em T~V O'UAA'lVlV, 0"] [1a'VE<Yem S£ oi, EnaV
[1rAAn anoxwpuv, TOV ypa[1[1aTlO'Tijv, TavTa nOLOvna,
370
BOOK 9
sultan, But he had punished those other men with the con-
sent of the sultan, on the premise that he!46 would thereby
strengthen his authority and have no more trouble from the
leading men of Wallachia who were changing their alle-
giance and bringing in the Hungarians as their allies and ac-
complices, That was how those things were done, But then
during the winter it was reported to the sultan that Vlad was
planning a rebellion to change the status quo, and that he
had turned to the Hungarians, had come to an agreement
with them, and made an alliance, The sultan took this mat-
ter most seriously and sent one of the leading men of his
Porte, a Greek secretary,!47 to summon Vlad to the Porte
and say that, when he came into his presence at the Porte,
he would suffer no harm at the hands of the sultan but rather
would regain favor and blessing, and would not be over-
100ked!48 by the sultan if he truly supported the sultan's
interests.
So Mehmed sent Katabolinos, the secretary of the Porte, 85
to Vlad with the above instructions, But he sent secret in-
structions to Hamza, who was known as the Falconer and
had been appointed to govern a large extent of territory
along the Danube and also the prefecture ofVidin:!49 if pos-
sible, he was to capture the man by guile, The sultan would
be personally gratified if, by guile or whatever other means,
he would be able to capture him, So he gave orders through
the same secretary for the man's arrest, They took counsel
regarding this matter and decided it would be most effective
if they set an ambush in advance for Vlad there, in that land,
when he joined up to escort the secretary, and thus make the
arrest,!50 And the secretary would indicate to Hamza when
he was about to depart, That, then, is what the secretary
37'

THE HISTORIES
EKelVOlJ, KaL 'tfJv wpav u1to<TlJ~a[vov-ro<;, EV ii cmoxwpouv'ta
au'tov ~SEl crlJ~1tp01tt~tal 'tOY BAaSov, 1tpoEA6XlcrEv ao'tou
'tClO't'1V 'tfJV XWpClV 6 XCl~OlJSa<;.
86 BMSo<; S, cr1JV 'tOl<; 1tEpl ClO'tOV W1tAlcr~EVO<;, W<; C1lJ~-
1tpOU1tE~1tE 'tOY SlJPWV 'tij<; ClO'tij<; ~YE~6vCl KCll 'tOY YPCl~­
~Cl'tl~V, EVE1teerE'tE E<; 'tCt<; EVESpCl<;, KCll w<; eyvw, 'tOU'tOlJ<;
~ev ClO't[Ka SlClKEAElJcra~Evo<; crlJAACl~~avEl KClL 'tOU<; SEpa-
1tOv'ta<;, W<; S, E1tnEl " XCl~OlJSa<;, E~ClxtcrCl'tO 'tE Ct;[w<;
AOYOlJ, KCll 'tpEta~EVO<; ClO'tOV'tE ESWYP'1crE KClL 'tWV IlAAwv
Sla'l'lJYOV'twv SlE'l'SElPEV 00 1tOnou<;. Tou'tOlJ<; ~'V w<;
ESWYP'1crE, cr6~1tClV'tCl<; a1tClYClYWV {2.253} aVEO"KoA61tlcrEv,
aKpW""1plClcra~EVO<; 'tou<; iiVSpCl<; 1tpO'tEpOV, XCl~OlJSaV S,
E1tL u'i"1AO'tEPOlJ crK6A01t0<; 1tOl'1cra~EVO<;, ~V 'tE SEpCl1telClV
a~Cl 'tOl<; eCllJ'tWV Se=O'tCll<; 'tCt ClO'tCt 'tClU'tCl eSpClcr£. Me'tCt
S, 'tClU'ta ClO't[KCl <1'tPCl'tOV 1tClpClO"K£lJClcra~evo<;, ii SUVCl~l<;,
~£ylcr'tOV, ~AClcrt 'tE ClO't[KCl E1tL 'tOV "Icr'tpov, KCll SlCl~Ct<; E<;
'tCt E1tL 'taSe XWp[Cl 'tOU "Icr'tpOlJ KClL XWpClV 'tOU ~ClC1lAtw<;
1tClcrC1lJS[ 'tE ii~Cl 1talcrt KClL YUVCl# SlE'l'Selpe, KClL OLKLCl<;
EV£1t[~1tpCl, 1tiip EVlel<;, 01tOl 1tpOcriJEl. KClt ~EYlcr'tOV EpyCl-
cra~EVO<; 'l'0VOV amjACllJvev 01t[crw E1tL ~ClK[Cl<;.
87 TClu'tCl ~.V OUV W<; ~rrEnE'tO ~ClcrlAEl MEX~E'tt1, 'tou<; 'te
1tptcr~El<; ClO'tOU SlCl'l'SClpijVCll U1tO BMSOlJ 'tOU ~ClK[Cl<;
~ye~ovo<;, KClL XCl~OlJSaV iiVSpCl EoS6Kl~OV 'tWV ~Cl<1lAEw<;
SlJPWV OU'tw EV ooSevL A6y'!' a1tOSClVelV, ~XSE'tO ~ev, oICl
elKO<;, KClL SelVO'tepCl E1tOleL'tO, el iiVSpCl<; ClU't<li 'tOlOU'tOlJ<;
1tEPlOtE'tCll OU'tw SlCl'l'SClPEV'tCl<;, KaKEIVov el<; 'tOU'to
u~pew<; a'l'lK6~EVOV, w<1'te KClL 'tou<; 1tptcr~el<; ClO't<li SlCl-
Xp~crClcrSCll, ~~ 'tl~WP~ crE'tCll 'tOY 'l'6vov EKe[vwv'twv ClO'tWV
372
BOOK 9
did: he signaled the moment when he was to depart and
Vlad would have to join in escorting him, and Harnza set the
ambushes in that very place.
But Vlad and his men were armed and, when he joined in 86
escorting the lord of the Porte of that region and the secre-
tary, he fell into the ambush. As soon as Vlad realized what
was happening, he ordered his men to arrest them and their
servants. And when Hamza came against him, Vlad fought
bravely, routed and captured him, and killed a few of those
who fled. After capturing them, he led them all away to be
impaled, but first he cut off the men's limbs. He had Hamza
impaled on a higher stake, and he treated their retinues in
the same way as their own lords. Immediately after that he
prepared as large an army as he could and marched directly
to the Danube, and crossed through the regions there by
the Danube and the land that belonged to the sultan, killing
everyone, women and children included. He burned the
houses, setting fire wherever he moved. Having worked this
great slaughter, he returned back to Wallachia. l51
When these events were reported to Sultan Mehmed, 87
namely that his envoys had been killed by Vlad, the ruler of
Wallachia, and that Hamza, a man esteemed at the sultan's
Porte, had died like that as if of no account, he became an-
gry, as was only to be expected. He took this even more seri-
ously, namely he could not overlook the fact that such men
had been killed and that Vlad had reached such a height of
hubris that he dared to kill his envoys; he could not fail to
take vengeance for the murder of these people, exacting
373
 THE HISTORIES
£LJrepanOflEvo, -rOV -rfj, lJ.aKla, ~yEflova. "HX9E-ro fltv-rO'
KaL -r08E, O-rl -rov "IJ-rpov 8la~a, crUv XElpL reoAAft Kal
Eflrep~Jap~V ~aJlAtw, xwpav KaL <pOVOV -rWV -rE OflO<pUAWV
aimji EpyamiflEvo, 6relJw EAaUVOl. IIoAAQ 8t -rOu-rwv
8Elvo-rEpa EreOlEl-ro, -rao-ra -roil, eaumo reptJ~El, EpyaJa-
J9al.
88 "09EV 8~ areav-raxft reEplaYYEAAWv -roI, -rE apl<r-rol, KaL
-roI, aAAOl, Ka-ra Myov rep0'1y6pEuE KaAAIJ-r'l' KMfl'l'
EAauvov-ra, KaL E;WreAlJfltvou, reapElvat au-rQ -ra <r-rpa-
't'Eufla-ra E;EAauvov-rl. T~v fltv ouv J-rpa-rlav ou-rw reap-
E<YKEUa~nO ereL -roil, lJ.aKou,. Mynal 8t KaL -r08E, W, Ma-
xouf'ou't'f] -rQ ~yEfloVl, O-rl -rfj, aYYEAla, repo't'Epov -rou-rwv
£-rl a<plKofltv'1, reEpl {2.254} -rE -roo <povou -rwv reptJ~EWV
KaL Xaflou~a -roo ureapxou KaL -roo Eflrep'1Jfloo -rfj, xwpa"
01hE EVPWV reapa ~aJlAta are'1yytAAno -ra YEvofiEva reEpL
lJ.aKwv E, -roil, ~aJlAtw, av8pa" KaL xaAErew, ~VEYKE.
AtyE't'al 8t, W, KaL reA'1ya, tvt~aAE -rQ av8pL N0fll~E-rat
St KaL -roo-ro E, -ra, 9upa, -roo ~aJlAtw, ou reavu -rl atO'Xpov
dvat, -roumu<; oil, areo av8pare08wv Kal fI~ TOUpKWV reaI-
8a<; au-rQ E, ~v apmv reapaYEvofltvou,.
89 K~ pUKa, flEv-rolreEflrewv areav-raxft EKtAfUEV au-rQ reap-
ElVal -r~v <r-rpa-rlav e;WreAlJfltv'1v KaAw" KaL -roil<; irereo-
8pOflou, au-rQ £reEJ9at ;uflreav-ra<; E<; ~V8E ~v <r-rpa-rdav.
Ot St -rou ~aJlAtw, K~pUKE, oi -ra, ayyEAla, <ptpOV-rE,
au-rQ E<; ~v xwpav KaL ot aYYEAOl, ereElSaV 't'l VEW't'EpOV
;ufl~alvol, EreL -ra<; 9upa, a<plKvoufiEVOl -raXI<r-r'l' 8pOfl'l'
oAlywv reavu ~flEPWV flEyl<r-rou<; 8pOflou<; Sla-rEAoomv WSE.
"Ircreov, bv ltv EV -rft oSQ SlEAauvwv 9Ea<Y1'j-rat, -rov fltv
374
BOOK 9
justice from the ruler of Wallachia. He was also angry be-
cause of the following, namely that Vlad had crossed the
Danube with a large army, set fire to the sultan's land,
worked murder upon his people, and then returned home.
But in his estimation the greatest offense was what he had
done to his envoys.
Thus the sultan sent messengers all around to his leading 88
men and the others in order of rank, commanding them to
arm themselves and set out in the most orderly way, so that
his armies could attend him when he marched out. And thus
he prepared the army against the Wallachians. The follow-
ing is also said, that the report concerning these things had
first reached the lord Mahmud, namely about the murder of
the envoys and Hamza the prefect, and the burning of the
land, but he had not found a way of reporting to the sultan
what the Wallachians had done to the sultan's men, and the
sultan had taken this badly. It is even said that he struck
blows upon the man. This is not regarded as a particularly
shameful thing in the sultan's Porte, for these men associ-
ated with him in his rule are the sons of slaves and not of
Turks.
So Mehmed sent heralds everywhere ordering that the 89
army should present itself to him well armed, and all the
cavalry raiders should follow him on this campaign. The sul-
tan's heralds who convey his messages to the realm and the
messengers who, whenever some disturbance has occurred,
go to the Porte in the fastest possible way, cover the greatest
distances in only a few days in the following way. If the mes-
senger sees a horse along his route, he immediately makes
375
 THE HISTORIES
lrereEa at),rlKa areo 'tOU lrereOlJ Ka'ta~l~a~El, av'to~ Se ava~lt~
EAaVVEl Ka'tlt Kpa'tO~, Kat (, !rereo~ E~ 'tOSE S,avuom 010~ 'tE
~v.-M£'tlt Se liUov EvpaflEVO~ Ka'ta~l~a~El, 'tOY Se l1C1COV
'tOV repo'tEpoV reapaS[Sw(J'l 'tC;; av9pwre'l'. Kal oihw ~paxV
S,aVarealJOflEVO, flEYUY'tOV S,aVUOlJ(J'l SpOflOV. 'E~wvVlJv'tO
Se Kal 'to crwfla lireav, W<r'tE fl~ liyav reOVEtV ~ KaflvElV cr<p[crl
'to crwfla, Ereel 9EOlV't0. Kat areo rrEAoreovv~crolJ e~ ASp,a-
voureoAlv K~PlJKa~ !crflEV EV reEV'tE ~flepat~ a<plKoflEVOlJ~,
"Sov reEv'tEKaiSEKa ~flEPWV avSpt lrereEuov'tl E~ 'tit flaAl-
cr'ta. KaAouv'tat S' OO'tOl ol K~PlJKE~ oVAaKlSE~. {z.Z55}
90 'EreeL 'tE S~ 'tit cr'tpa'tEufla'ta reapE<rKE6a<r't0 'tC;; ~acrlAEt,
Erel t!.aK[av e<r'tpa'tEUE'tO ~po~ Ev9iJ~ apXOflEvOlJ. MEY'-
<r'tOV Se 'tou'tOV <r'tpa'tov YEVEcr9at <pacri, SEU'tEPOV flE'ta yE
~V e~ 'to BlJ~av'tlOV EreEAacrlv 'tOU ~acrlAEw~ 'tOUSE. AEYE-
'tat St 'tou'tO 'to <r'tpa'toreESov KaAAlcr'tOV flev YEVEcr9at 'tWV
aAAWV <r'tpa'toreESwv, Kat Kocrflov reoAiJv reapEXEcr9at e~ 'tE
'tit oreAa cr<p[crl Kat E~ 't~V <rK£lJ~V, YEvEcr9al Se afl<pt 'tlt~
reEV'tE Kal e'iKocrl fllJPlaSa~ <r'tpa'tou. Kat 'tou'to AOY[~Ecr9at
p"S[w~ areo 'tWV 'tou reopolJ 'tou "Icr'tpolJ Eflreoplcr'twV, WV
E~Wv'lcraflEvwv areo ~acrlAEw~ 'tov reop9flov E~ 'tp,aKov'ta
fllJPlaSa~ XPlJcr[OlJ <r'ta'tfjpa~, AEYE'tal xp~fla'ta flEyaAa
KEpSaval.
';
9' Ka'tlt ~V ~reElpov " cr'tpa't"~ "PflWflEVO~ areo <PlAl1C-
reoreOAEw~, Ka'tlt St 9aAanav reA'lpwcra~ 'tPl~PEl~ afl<pt 'tlt~
e'lKOcrl Kat reEv'tE Kal reAOta £i~ EKa'tov Kat reEv't~Kov'ta,
EreopEUE'tO Ev9iJ 'tou "I<r'tpolJ w~ Sla~'lcroflEvo~ S,it 't*
BlSiv'l~ reoAEw~. 'EKEA£lJE Se reAEElv 'tau'ta 'tit reAOta S,it 'tou
EV~eLvolJ reov'tolJ Eret 'tOY "I<r'tpov. Kat (, <r't6A0~, w~
BOOK 9
the rider dismount from the horse, commandeers it, and
rides with all his might. That horse then goes as far as it can.
He then finds another one, forces the rider to dismount,
and gives his previous horse to the man. And thus, by resting
only briefly, they cover great distances. They dress and equip
their entire bodies in such a way that they feel no discom-
fort or fatigue when they are riding. We know of heralds
who have made the journey from the Peloponnese to Adri-
anople in five days, a distance of fifteen days for any other
rider. These heralds are called utah
When the sultan's armies were prepared, he marched 90
out against Wallachia at the very beginning of the spring. l52
They say that this army was huge, second in size only to the
one that this sultan had led against Byzantion. It is also said
that this camp was more beautiful than all t~e others in its
orderly arrangement of weapons and gear, and that its size
was two hundred and fifty thousand men. This is easy to cal-
culate from the contractors who arranged the crossing of
the Danube and who bought passage for the sultan's men, to
the amount of three hundred thousand gold staters, and it is
said that they made huge profits.
The land army set out from Philippopolis, while at sea 9'
the sultan manned about twenty-five triremes and about
one hundred and fifty ships. He went directly to the Danube
in order to cross it at Vidin, and he ordered these ships to
sail across the Black Sea and into the Danube. As the sultan
377
 THE HISTORIES
tve-rtAA<TO ~aO"lA<Ue;, Sla Toil I10VTOU enbcA<l ee; TO Toil
"IIYTpoU IYTO[ta· Ka1 We; ee; TO IYTO[ta eytV<TO, av~y<TO en1
Toil nOTa[toil en1 TIJV BlSlv'1v. Ka( nOl Ka1 anO~aIYlV nOl-
!]IYa[t<Voe; 0 IYTOAOe; Tae; T< otK(ae; ev<nl[tnpa Ka1 ~KaL<, TIJV
T< I1patAa~ov nOAlV TWV .6.aKwv, ev Ii Ka1 ayopav nap-
EXOVTaL ~<ATtW ana<YWV TWV ev 'tfi
XWp<1', 1ti3p eVlEVT<e;
eVEnp!]IYav. EtIY1 st at otdal ;UAlVaL we; TO en(nav.
92 .6.aK<e; yap, we; emeOVTO ~aIYlAta e1tlEVaL tn1 IY<pae;, Tae;
[ttv yuvaiKae; Ka1natSae; un<;te<VTO, Tae; [ttv te; TO opoe;
TO I1paIYo~ov, Tae; St {2.256J ee; nOAlXV!]V {. .. J TovVO[ta, ee;
~V KUKA'P n<pliov eV<T~ p<l Ka1 e<pUAaTT<, Ka1 TO £'Aoe;
exupWTaTOV £nol<1To, Ka1 tv aIY<paA<1 KaelIYT!]O'l [taAlIYTa.
Tae; S' au Ka1 £e; TOVe; Spu[twvae;, oile; xaA<1tOV eIYTl SllEVaL
avSp1 en~AuSl Ka1 [t~ e1tlxwpl'P' nUKvoTaTol yap /lvT<e;, Ka1
StvSpole; KaTan<<puTw[ttvol nUKvoTe;, we; ~KlIYTa napEXOV-
Tal Sla nOAAoil ~aO'l[tOV T~V dO'oSov. Tae; [ttv ouv yuvaT-
Kae; Ka1natSae; ou'twe; e;te<VTO, aUT01 St O'UVaepOlO'etVT<e;
ee; TO aUTO <lnOVTO BMS'P TC;; ~y<[tOVl.
93 Ka1 ee; Suo [to(pae; tnlSl<AO[t<VOe; TOV O'TpaTOV TOV [ttv
dX< nap' eaUTC;;, TOV St i'n<[t1t<v tn1 TOV 'tije; [t<AalV!]e;
MnoySavlae; ~y<[tova, we;,~v to'~aA<Tv tK<1voe; n<lpC;;TO,
a[tUVO[tevOl [t~ nepttSWO'lV to'~aA6VTa te; TIJV xwpav. '0
yap -rije; [teAalV!]e; TaUT!]e; MnoySavlae; ~ye[twv Sl<veXeele;
tnoAE[t<l TC;; BAaS'll ana atT(ae; TOlaO'Se, Ka1nptO'~<le; nt[t-
nwv napa ~aO'lAta M<X[tE-r!]v tneKaAeho, Ka1 O'uvapaO'eaL
TOV nOAe[tov ~<paO'KeV hOl[tOe; dVaL. BaO'lA<ve; [ttv OUV
ijpt<1K<TO T< ToTe; Toil ~ye[tOVoe; TOUTOU AOYOle;, Ka1 tKEAW-
O'ev OUTW nOl<1v TOV eauToil IYTpaT!]YOV, O'U[t[tlIYYOVTa TC;;
BOOK 9
instructed, the fleet sailed up the Black Sea to the mouth of
the Danube, and when they reached the mouth they went
up the river to Vidin. There the fleet made a landing and set
fire to and burned the houses, and they also set fire to and
burned Briiila, the city of the Wallachians, where they pro-
vide the best market of any in that region, and the houses
are mostly made of wood.
When the Wallachians learned that the sultan was at- 92
tacking them, they brought their women and children to
places of safety, placing some of them on Mount Brasso
and others in a town called {... J which is surrounded on all
sides by a marsh which protected and guarded it and made it
most secure, and this provides safety. Other women they
even placed in forests, through which a stranger who was
not local would have a hard time crossing. For the forests
are very thick; the trees grow densely and block passage for
the most part. Thus they removed their women and chil-
dren to places of safety, while they themselves assembled in
one location to follow Vlad their ruler.
Vlad divided his army into two parts, keeping one part 93
with him and sending the other against the ruler of Molda-
via so that, if the latter made an attempt to invade, these
men would defend their land and not allow him to do so. For
the ruler of Moldavia had fallen out with Vlad and was at
war with him for the following reason.l53 He had sent envoys
to Sultan Mehmed calling on his assistance and saying that
he was ready to join him in this war. The sultan was pleased
with the ruler's proposal and ordered his own general to act
accordingly, that is to join with the admiral on the river and
379
 THE HISTORIES
vauapx<p e<; -rov ree-raflov reeAlepKelv -ro KeAAlev reOAlv
eu-rw KaAeuflev'1v -rei) BAaSeu, eret -r<i> en-ofla-rl -rei) ree-ra-
flei). '0 flev-rel ~yeflwv eu-ro<; O'uAAe;a<; O'-rpa-reufla areo-oj<;
xwpa<; '{e-ro Eret -rov ~aO'lAew<; en-OAOV eu9u -oj<; KeAAlou
reOAew<;, w<; O'Uflfll;WV -r<i> vauapx<p·
94 Kat Ereel -re O'Uveflltrye -r<i> ~atrlA£w<; en-pa-r<i>, ereoAlop-
KOUV afl<po-repel"rijv reoAlv, KatrepQ(J'~anov-re<; Eret ~flepa<;
O'uXV a <; E;eKpeu0'9'1O'av {2.257} Kal aree~aAev OAlYOU<;
-rlva<;. D<; S' ou repoexwpel ~ -rij<;re6Aew<; alpeO'l<;, areexwpouv
fjS'1 EKa-repOl. '0 floV ouv fleAa<; MreoySavo<; fj'lev "floO'e w<;
EO'~aAwv E<; -r~v -rwv ~aKwv xwpav, EKwAue-ro So ureo -oj<;
flla<; flelpa<; -roi) en-pa-roi), fj-rl<; e-re-raK-re -rau"tt] <puAaO'O'elv
"rijv xwpav. BMSo<; So au-ro<; ~Xwv "rijv fle[~w flolpav -roi)
O'-rpa-roi) Ereopeue-ro S,a -rwv SpUflwvwv, EKSex6f1evo<; tSe1v
oreou xwp~O'el (, "toi) ~atrlAew<; en-pa"to<;.
95 BatrlAeu<; flEV yap, w<; "ta en-pa-reufla"ta au"t<i> Sla~av"ta
-rov "len-pov eyeve"to E<; "rijv ~aK[av, EreeSpaflev euSaflfi·
Ou yap e'ia " ~aO'lAeu<;, aAAa O'uv-re"taYflev<p ereopeoe"to "t<i>
en-pa"teofla"tl. 'Ereopeue"to S' eu9u -oj<; reoAew<;, e<; iiv yuval-
Ka<; "te Katrea1Sa<; oreeKgeflevol Ol ~aKe<; aU"tot elreov"to "t<i>
~aO'lAe1 S,a "twv Spuflwvwv· Kat fjv -rl areoO'rea0'gel'1 "toi)
O'"tpa-roi), aU"tlKa oreo -roo"twv Sle<p9e[pe"to. '0 flEV ouv ~a­
O'lAeo<;, w<; ouSe!<; erelWV ere'1yyene"to au"t<i> e<; "t~v flaX'lv,
ou"te areo Ilalovwv reape1val -r<i> BAaS<p ~0~gelav, wAlywpel
-re Kal ~fleAel -roi) xapaKo<;, Kat "to 0'"tpa-r6reeSov ev eupu-
XWPl« ~1Clre"te.
BAaSo<; -re yap, w<; erciJge"to -rou<; reoAefl[ou<; Erelov"ta<;,
£reeflreev ayyeAov E<; "tou<; Ilalova<;, Aeyev-ra -raSe' "&
BOOK 9
besiege the city called Kilia that belonged to Vlad, which is
located at the mouth of the river. As fer the ruler ef Molda-
via, he assembled an army from his land and went to the sul-
tan's Beet, directly to' the city of Kilia, in erder to jein ferces
with the admiral.
When the ruler ef Moldavia jeined up with the sultan's 94
army, they besieged the city together. They attacked it for
many days but were repulsed and lest a few men. As they
were making no progress teward capturing the city, beth of
them departed. The Moldavian then meved to invade the
land ef the Wallachians, but was prevented by the unit ef
Vlad's army that had been assigoed right there to protect
the land. Vlad himself had the larger part of the army and he
marched through the forests waiting to see where the sul-
tan's army would go.
As for the sultan, when his armies had crossed the Dan- 95
ube and he had entered Wallachia, he made no raids. For the
sultan did not allow it; instead, he marched with his army
in one formation. He marched directly fer the city in which
the Wallachians had placed their women and children for
safety, and the Wallachians fellowed the sultan through the
forests. And if some part of the sultan's army sheuld break
off, these men would immediately be killed by them. But
because no one came out to challenge him to battle, and as
Vlad had not received any assistance from the Hungarians,
the sultan was careless and neglected to make a ditch, So'
that his camp spilled out over a broad space.
When Vlad learned that the enemy was coming against 96
him, he sent a messenger to the Hungarians and said the
 THE HISTORIES
iiVSpES I1a[OVES, ufl£lS '(<Y'rE TCOV, WS ~ xwpa ~flwV oflopoS
'rE t<Y'r1 'rij UflE'rEpq, KatTCapa 'rOV "I<Y'rpov OLKOVflEV afl<po'rE-
pOI. Nvv ouv TCvv9aVE<Y9E, ol0flal, Kat Ufl£lS 'rOY ~a<YlA£a
ToupKWV flEyaAU X£lpt tmona <Y'rpanuE<Y9aL E<p' ~fliiS.
Kat ~v 'raSE Ka'ra<Y'rpE'/taflEVOS UTCaY'l'raL WS 'r~V fl.aK[av,
'rOSE tTC[<Y'ra<Y9E TCOV Kat Ufl£lS, WS OU'rE ~<Yvx[av iiyonES
Ka9ESOVV'raL, aAX t<p' ufliiS aU'r[Ka {Z.Z58} ETCL<,nES o--rpa-
't'£vO'oV'raL, Kal1Cpay~a't'a £O''t'aL un' av't'wv aV~K£O"t'a e<; 't~'V
UflnEpav xwpav tSpvfl£vOlS. Nvv ouv wpa t<Y'rt Kat UfliiS
~0'190vv'ras ~flTv cmaflUVEIV, WS oTov n flaAI<Y'ra, 'rOY
<Y'rpa'rov 'rOVSE aTCO 'r~S xwpas, Kat fl~ TCEpLOpiiv <p9dpona
n 'r~V xwpav Kat EmKaKOVV'ra Kat Ka'rao--rpE<poflEVOV 'ro
yevos ~flWV' "EXEI Se Kat 'rOV ~yEfl6voS 'rOV ~flE'repov
aSEA<pov VEav[av, W<Y'rE Ka91<Y'raV'ra aiJ'rov ~yEflova ts 'r~V
BAax[av, ~V 'rl fl~ TCpOXWpO['1 aU'r<li EKao--rwv Ka'ra VOVv."
97 Tov yap 'r01 'rOV BAaSov aSEA<pov VEav[av, WS t<Y'rpa-
'rEUE'rO tTCt ~V fl.aK[av, flEyaAws 'rE <pIAO<ppov'1<YaflEVOS
£'r[fl'1<YE, Kat XP~fla<Y1 Kat t<y9~'r1 ESWP£l'rO TCOnij n Kat
aya9ij, Kat tKEAEUE TCEflTCEIV ETCt 'r~V fl.aK[av AOYOV" tTCt
'rOV, Svva'rov, iiyEIV 'ra TCpaYfla'ra. "09EV tTCt EuSalflov[av
aU'r[Ka YEvoflEVO, ~TCpa<Y<YE TCt'flTCWV, W, tKEAEUE ~a<YlAEu,.
OU flEV'rOI yE TCpOEXWp£l aU'r<li 'rO'rE TCpOTCEflTCOV'rI. Tav'ra
UTCO 'rov arrEAov aKOIJ<YanE, ot I1a[ovE, tTCd90no 'rE
'roT, AOYOl" Kat wPfl'1no ~0'19£lV Kat t, 'ra flaAI<Y'ra
ETCafluV£lV. LvvEAEYOV Se <Y'rpa'rEUfla. Kat ot flev tV'rOU'rOl,
~<Yav.
98 Ba<YIAEV, Se TCpoEAauvwv o-VV 'r<li <Y'rpa'r<li EV£1t[flTCpa flev
'ra, KWfla, Kat 'ra UTCO~Uyla SI~pTCa~EV, oT, /tv TCEpl-rUXOI.
BOOK 9
following: "0 Hungarians, you know that our land borders
on yours and we both live along the Danube. I believe that
you have by now learned that the sultan of the Turks has
marched against us with a large army. If he conquers and
subjects everything as far as WaIlachia, you know that they
will not then stand down and be at peace; rather, they will
campaign immediately against you, and those settled in your
land will suffer a horrible fate at their hands. Now is the
time for you, with all the power that you have, to help us
keep this army out of our land. Don't sit back while it de-
stroys our land, inflicts harm upon it, and destroys our peo-
ple. Mehmed also has with him the young brother of our
ruler and he will place him as ruler in Vlachia {i.e., WaIla-
chia}, if all his plans go his way."
Indeed, as he marched against Wallachia, Mehmed 97
greatly honored and paid respect to Vlad's younger brother
{Radu Ill}, giving him much money and fine garments. He
instructed him to enter into discussions with the leading
men in Wallachia regarding the management of affairs. The
latter was very happy to do what the sultan asked, and he
sent his men. But he made no progress by sending those
messages. When the Hungarians heard what Vlad's messen-
ger had to say, they heeded his words and set out to help and
defend him as best they could. They assembled an army, and
that was what they were busy with.
The sultan advanced with his army, burning the towns 9 8
and plundering all the pack animals that fell into his hands.
 THE HISTORIES
Kat avSpcmoSa 1tavu DAiya ~yov-ro t<; -ra o-rpa-r01tESOV oi
i1t1tOSP Of'Ol, mhot Sf f'aAlcr-ra SlEcpeeipOV-ro, e'( 1tOU -rl<;
au-rwv a1toJ1taJeei!] a1ta -rou o-rpa-r01tESoU. BAaSo<; St
AEYE-raL Kal au-rl><; t<; -rl> -rou ~aJlAEw<; J-rpa-r01tESOV Ka-ra-
JK01to<; tJEAeelV Kal 1tEp(LWV t1tlJKO:n:fjJaL, w<; £XEl -ra
o-rpa-r01tESoV. OU 1teieof'aL St BAaSov au-rl>v teEAi'jJaL t<;
-rOJou-rov K[VSuvov {2.259} acplKtJeaL, w<; 1tapl>v au-r",
Ka-raJK01tOl<; 1tOAAol<; xpijJaJeaL, aAAa -rou-ro, w<; oTf'al,
1tE1tAaJf'Evov t<; "ti]v t!;ij'Y1]JlV -rfj<; -roAf'!]<; au-rou. Au-rl><;
f'tv oilv Kal ijf'Epa<; t1tEAeWV tyyu-ra-rw -rou J-rpa-r01tESOU
e1tEJK01tEl -rE -ra<; ~aJlAEw<; JK!]va<; Kat "ti]v MaxoUf'ou-rEW
Kat -r~v ayopav.
99 "Exwv st Kat tAanou<; -rwv f'up[wv i1t1tEWV (evLOl SE cpa-
JlV w<; ou 1tAeiou<; -rwv £1t-raKlJXlAlwv 1tapijJav au-r",
i1t1tEWV), JUV -rOU-rOl<; 1tEpt 1tpw'TI]v cpuAaK~v -rfj<; VUK-ra<;
t1tEAciJa<; tJE~aAAEV t<; -ra ~aJlAEw<; o-rpa-r01tESoV. Kat
Seif'a-ra f'tv 1tpw-rov tyEVE-rO tv -r", o-rpa-r01tES~ f'EyaAa,
J-rpa-rav f'Eyav aAAo-rpLOV Kat t:n:ijAuSa OiOf'EvWV -rWV -rou
~aJlAEW<; t1tleEJeal JcpiJl, Kal au-rot {Kat} evof'l1;ov
a1tOAAUJeaL 1taVU, t<; cpo~ov -rE 1tOAUV Kal Seif'a-ra Kae-
lJ-raf'EVOl {"ti]v eJ~oAijv}. 'Eo-rpa-reuE-ro yap U1ta Aaf'1taSwv
Kal KEpa-rwv, U1tOJ!]f'aLvov-rwv au-r", "ti]v tJ~oAijv. Ta f'tv
o-rpa-r01tESOV &1tav Ka-ra xwpav £f'EVEV ouSaf'OJE KlVOU-
f'EVOV' elWeEl f'tv yap Kat &AAW<; -ra -rou yEVOU<; -rou-rou
J-rpa-r01tESa VUK-ra<; f'!]SE1tO-re f'!]Saf'fi KlVelJeal -ra 1tapa-
1tav, aAX ISpuJeai -rE Ka"Ca xwpav, ~v "CE KAE1t'TI]<; S(LWV
-ru'YXavll t<; "Ca o-rpa"C01tESOV, El"CE &1.1.0 "Cl Ka"CaAaf'~avll
BOOK 9
The cavalry raiders brought very few slaves to the camp, but
they themselves were being killed in greater numbers, when-
ever one of them broke away from the main camp. It is even
said that Vlad himself entered as a spy into the sultan's camp
and went around to observe its condition. But I cannot be-
lieve that Vlad would willingly expose himself to such a dan-
ger, as he would have been able to use many spies of his own,
but this tale, I believe, was made up to give a sense of his
daring. For many days he used to approach very close to the
camp and observe the tents of the sultan and Mahmud and
the marketplace. '
Vlad had fewer than ten thousand cavalry-some say 99
that he did not have more than seven thousand cavalry-
and with them, around the first watch of the night, he
charged and attacked the sultan's camp.l54 At first there was
great terror in the camp, as the sultan's men believed that
some large foreign army had attacked them, coming from
abroad, and they believed that they were utterly doomed,
and were reduced to great fear and trembling. For Vlad
marched with torches and horns, to signal the attack. The
entire camp stayed rooted in place and made no move. For
the camps made by this people are generally accustomed
to never move at night under any circumstance at all, and
they remain fixed in their position in case someone tries
to steal into and move throughout the camp, or some other
disturbance has talren place. So at that time the Turks
 THE HISTORIES
veWTepov. Kat TOTe S~ e~ flEya SEO~ aq>lK6flevOl ot TOUpKOl
Eflevov, iJ eo"K~vovV EKaO"'ro~ tSpVflEVO~.
wo Kat K~pvKe~ ~ao"lAEw~ ava TO O"'rpaT07teSOV W~ e~
aUTLKa (2.26o} eO"~aAOVTa TOV BAaSov, ev T<ii O"TpaT07ttS'l'
7tepLiov're~ aVeK~pVTIOV fl'lStva fl'lSaflfi fleTacnijvat, W~
aUTLKa a7toflavOUflevov U7tO ~ao"lAtw~. Ot flEV ouv K~PV­
Ke~ TOU ~aO"lAEW~ 7tapaflv90uflevOl eKEAWOV flEVeLV aUTOU
Eva EKaO"Tov, t17tep eTETaKTo, AEyovTe~ TOlaSE' "IlVSpE~
MovO"ovAflavol, fldvaTE E7tt ~paxU' <"YEO"flE yap TOV ~aO"l­
AEW~ 7tOAEflLOV 7tEO"ov-ra aUTLKa flaAa ev T<ii O"'rpaT07tES'l',
Kat SWO"OVTa SLK'lV, WV e~ ~ao"lAEa TeTOAfl'lK£." TauTa E/..e-
yov, KatllAAa 7tOAAa 7tapa7tA~o"la q>aO"Kov-re~, flaAlO"Ta SE
eKelVO, W~ "~v fltVl] 0 o"TpaTO~, aUTiKa a7tOAAvTat 6 7tOAt-
flLO~, ~v SE fleTaO"'rft, imoAAvO"fle a7tav're~' ~ao"lAEiJ~ yap
7tPWTOV~ 6flii~ Slaq>flepel, 7tptv ~ aUTOV olXEO"flat q>EU-
l'0v'ta."
WI BAaSo~ Se w~ TaXlO"Ta eaE~aAEv e~ TO O"'rpaT07teSOV,
7tpWTa flEV u~v-ra aUT<ii " a7to Tij~ AO"[a~ o"TpaTO~, Kat
~paXelav flEV Tlva aUTou e7tOl~O"aVTo flaX1']v, flETa SE ava-
Tpa7tofleVOl ava flEpO~ exwpovv e7tt TO O"wSEO"flal aUTot
wPfl'lflEVOl. '0 Se Aafl7taSa~ TE EXWV ~flflEva~ Kat7tVpa, Kat
O"vVTETaYfltvw~ flClAlO"'ra Kat aflpow~ emwv T<ii O"'rpaTeu-
flaTl, WPfl'lTO flEv 7tpWTa e7tt Ta~ ~aO"lAEW~ flupa~. Kat
a7to'rVYXClvOVO"l flev Tij~ TOU ~ao"lAEw~ aUAij~, e7telO"7tE-
O"ovTe~ SE e~ Ta~ O"K'lva~ TWV ijyeflovwv, TOU Te Maxov-
flouTew Kat'IO"aaKEw, eflClxovTO e~ TaUTa fleyaAw~, Kat TCI~
TE Kafl~AOv~ eq>ovevov Kat ij fllOVOV~ Kat U7t0SuYla. Kat
aflpow~ flEV Kat O"VVTETaYflEVWV aUTWV flaxoflEVWV OUSEV
BOOK 9
became very terrified and were paralyzed, each staying
where his tent was pitched.
As soon as Vlad attacked the camp, the sultan's heralds wo
went around inside the camp proclaiming that no one was
to move on pain of death by the sultan. The sultan's heralds
ordered each person to stay where he had been posted, and
they lifted their spirits with the following words: "Muslims,
hold your ground for a short while. For you will soon see the
sultan's enemy fall in the camp and pay the penalty for all
that he has dared to do against the sultan." They said that
and many other words like it, but especially this, that "if the
arm~ holds its positions, the enemy will then be destroyed,
but If It moves, then all of you will perish; for the sultan will
kill you first before he himself turns to flee."
Vlad attacked the camp as quickly as he could, and he WI
first encountered the army from Asia. They fonght briefly
there but they were routed and rushed away in groups in or-
der to save themselves. Vlad had lit torches and fires and his
army advanced in a most orderly and compact way against
the enemy. He charged first against the sultan's Porte. But
they missed the court of the sultan himself and fell instead
upon the tents of the lords, namely of Mahmud and Ishak.
A great battle was fought there and they killed the camels
mules, and pack animals. As they were fighting in an· or~
derly and compact group, they suffered no losses worth
 THE HISTORIES
't, a:reeyiyve'to, 0 't, Kata;LOV Myou' el 8t 't, :reou a:reo<r:rea-
<r9el'], ati'tiKa e:rem'tev au'tou u:reo 'twv ToupKwv. Kat ot
:reept MaxouflO1h,]v av8pe<; yevoflevo, [z.z6I} aya90t
Eflaxov'to a;iw<; AOYOU, :ree~ot a:reav'te<;. l\vt~']<rav 8e Kat
E:ret'tOU<; eau'twv t:TC:TCOU<; ot 'tou <r'tpa'to:ree80u <TXe80v a:reav-
n<;, :reAi]V 'twv ~a<r'Atw<; 9upwv. 'Eflaxov'to flev oliv ev'tau9a
e:ret <ruXVov 't,va Xpovov' fle'ta 8e <ru<r'tpa'l'tv'te<; ijAauvov
e:ret 'ta<; ~a<r'AEW<; 9upa<;, Kat evpov 'tou<; afl'l't ~a<r'AEa
eK'tO<; 'twv 9upwv :reapa'te'taYflEvou<;. Kat ~paxU e't' ev-
'tau9a flaxe<raflevo, e'tpa:reov'to e:ret -ri]v ayopav 'tou <r'tpa-
'to:ret80u, Kat 8,ap:rea<rav'te<; 'ti]v 'te ayopav, Kat el 'ti<; :reou
'tau't!] evi<r'ta'to, 8,a'l'9elpav'te<;, w<; eyyU<; ijKev i] ijw<; Kat
e:reE'l'avev, a:reexwpe, a:reb 'tou <r'tpa'to:reE80u, a:reo~aAWv flev
'tau't']<; 'Cij<; VUK'tb<; oAiyou<; :reavu 't'va<;. Kat ot a:reb 'tou
~a<r'AEw<; <r-rpa'to:ret80u oAiyo, 8,e'l'9ap,]<rav, w<; eAeYE'to.
.02 ME'ta 8t, w<; i]flEpa 'taX'<r'ta eyeyove" ~a<r'Aeu<; ETCl-
Ae;aflevo<; 'twv u:reapxwv 'tou<; Aoya8a<;, Kat AAi']v 'tov
M,xaAew :rea18a <r-rpa't']ybv a:re08el;a<;, eKeAEuev iov'ta<;
Ka'to:re,v 'twv 8aKwv e:re,8,wKE'V w<; Exo,ev 'tax0<;' '0 flev
oliv AAi']<; :reapaAa~wv 'tbv <r'tpa'tbv ijye <r:TCou8fi e:ret 'tbv
BAa80v, Kat Ka'tOTClv YEvoflevo<; ijAauvE Ka'ta Kpa'to<;, Kat
Ka'taAafl~ave, 'tbv BAa80u <r-rpa'tov, Kat e:ree'<r:reE<rWV
8'E'l'9E'pe flev :reOAAOU<;, ~wypi]<ra<; 8e afl'l't 'tOU<; X'AtoU<;
'twv 8aKwv a:rci]yayev e<; 'to <r-rpa't6:ree80v :reapa ~a<r,AEa.
Tou'tou<; flev Aa~wv (, ~a<r'Aeu<; Kat a:reayaywv 8,expi]<ra'to
a:reav'ta<;. Kai 't,va Aa~6v'te<; vUK'tb<; 'tau't']<; 'twv 'tou
BAa80u <r-rpa't'w'twv ot 'tou ~a<r'AEw<; <r-rpa't,w'ta" Kat a:re-
ayayov'te<; e<; Maxouflou't']v, ijpw'ta au't6v, I\<r-r'<; 'te E',']
BOOK 9
mentioning; but if any group broke away, they would imme-
diately fallon the spot at the hands of the Turks. Mahmud's
men fought bravely and with distinction, all of them on
foot. But almost everyone in the camp mounted his horse
except for those in the sultan's Porte. And they fought ther~
for a long time. Then they turned and charged against the
sultan's Porte, but they found the sultan's men deplo d
outSl'de t h,e Porte. They fought there briefly, then turned~to
the camp s market, plundered it, and killed anyone who
stood in their way there. With the approach of dawn, Vlad
wlthdrew from the camp, having lost very few men that
rught. It is said that few men were killed in the sultan's cam
u~ p
Later, as soon as it was daylight, the sultan selected the .02
leading ~en who were under his prefects and appointed Ali
Mihaloglu, their general, with orders to go after the WaI-
lachlans and pursue them as quickly as they could. Ali took
the ar~y ru:-d hast:ned after Vlad; he went after him by
marching Wlth all h,S might. He caught up with Vlad's army,
attacked it, and killed many, and captured about a thousand
Wallachians whom he brought back to the camp before the
sultan. T~e sultan seized them all and had them led away
to executlOn. The sultan's soldiers had, during the previous
rught, captured one of Vlad's soldiers, and they took him
to Mahmud who asked him who he was and where he was

THE HISTORIES
Kat aeEV ~KOl. Merit St, w<; EKacna slEAtxetj, £nav~p£1:o
ai,..,ov, Ei EiSEltj, onov Sla'tpl~wv 'tVyxavEl BAaSo<; 6 't*
~aKla<; ~yqlWV. '0 S' aflEl~E'to, w<; EiSEltj cra<pw<;, ouStno1:£
S' /Iv £1nol 'tou'twv ouStv, SeSlW<; £KelVOV 'tOY iivSpa. Ot S'
ovv W<; E<pacrKov au'tov anOeavelcreaL, /Iv fl~ nuewv'taL
[2.262) au'tou, (\ ~ouAov'taL £pecreaL, au'to<; E<pacrKe 'tEeVaVaL
~£V ~'t'OL~OV £lVaL KUL1taVU, £;£L1t£lV S£ O't'LOUV 't'WV £K£lVOV
OUK /Iv 'toAfl<i>tj. Tau'ta £v eaufla'tl nOltjcraflEvov 'tOY Ma-
XOVflou'ttjv aVEAelv fLEV'tov iivSpa, £mAeYEcreaL Se, W<; StEl
't<ji afl<p' au'tov, Ei £IXE cr'tpa'tDv /lSLOV AOYOV, £<; fleya /Iv
£SOKEl OU'tO<; a<plKtcreal. Tau'ta flEV 'to'tE £<; 'tocrou'tov
£ytVE'tO.
!O3 BacrlAE"<; SE'tO £V'tEUeEV npo'iwv £<; 'to npocrw tij<; xwpa<;
n
'(E'tO eueu tij<; nOAEw<;, £V 'tit ~acriAEla ~V au't<ji 't<ji ~yEfloVl
BAaS",. Kat VVK'tO<; fLEV tKacntj<;, 6no'tEcnaeflovnol~craL't0,
£nolEho xapaKa KUKA", 'tou cr'tpa'tontSov, Kat <ppaYflol<;
<ppa;aflevo<; £no<; 'tou xapaKo<; SlftijPeL, <pvAaKa, 'tE £nol-
Eho fLel~ov<; 'twv YlyvofLtvwv, Kat onAa £v onAol<; naptjy-
yUa VVK'tO<; 'tE Kat ~ fLtpa<; au't<ji £IvaL 'tit cr'tpa'tEufla'ta.
ITpoEAauvwv SE oihw crvnE'taYfltv", 't<ji cr'tpa'teufla'tl t<;
'to npocrw tij<; ~aKla<; a<plKE'to £nt ~v nOAlv, tv BAaS", n
't<ji ~YEfloVl ~v 'tit ~acriAEla. Kat ot fLEV ~iiKE<; napaCTKEV-
acraflEvol w<; tnauea uno ~acrlAtw<; nOALOpKtjcroflEvo" 'ta<;
1:£ Supa<; ~vt",sav Kat E'tOlflOl ~crav StxecrSaL au'tov ~acrl­
Ata crUv 't<ji cr'tpa't<ji tmona. BacrlAE"<; fltv ovv 't~v 1:£ no-
Alv SlEAauvwv, Kat /lvSpa ouStva tnl 'twv 'tElXWV SEwflevo<;
BOOK 9
from. As he was answering these questions, Mahmud also
asked him if he knew where Vlad, the ruler of Wallachia,
happened to be. He replied that he knew exactly but would
tell them nothing whatsoever about it, because he feared
Vlad. They said that they would kill him if he did not tell
them what they wanted to know, but he said that he was
more than ready to die, and would not dare to reveal any-
thing about that man. Mahmud was amazed by this and,
while he killed the man, he commented that with such fear
surrounding him and an army worth the name, that man
would surely go far. That, then, was what happened at that
time.
The sultan advanced from there into the interior of the !O3
land and headed straight for the city where Vlad had his
royal court.l55 Every night that he halted he dug a ditch all
around the camp, which he reinforced on the inside by
blocking it with barriers; he also increased the number of
sentries and ordered that his armies should be under arms
day and night. He advanced thus with his army in forma-
tion into the interior of Wallachia and arrived at the city
where Vlad had his royal court. The Wallachians had pre-
pared to be besieged there by the sultan, but they opened
the gates and were ready to receive the sultan himself as he
approached with his army. The sultan then marched through
the city and when he saw no men upon the walls except for
39 '
 THE HISTORIES
iI'"Cl fl~ '"C'lAE~O)"(f'"Ca, ETca<plEv'"Ca, '"C'lAE~OAOV, E, '"Cov (f'"Cpa-
'"Cov, oihE eO"'"Cpa'"CoTCESEuO"a'"Co, oihE E, '"C~v TCoAlOpKiav Ka9-
[(f'"Ca'"Co.
104 Ilpolwv St, W, '"Cou, o"<pE'"CtpOV, av'"Cwv Ev'"Col, O"KOAOV'V
E9EWpOVV, TCpoiJEO"av wO"el O"'"CaSiov, elKOO"l Ka\ ETC'"CCt· Ka\
eflTCiTC'"CEl 0 ~aO"lAtw, (f'"Cpa'"Co, e, '"Cou, {2.263} avaO"KoAo-
TClO"flov " xwpov eTCtxov'"Ca, '"Co flev flfjKO, eTCt (f'"CaSiov,
£TC'"CaKaiSEKa, '"Co So EtipO, ETC\ (f'"CaSiov, ETC'"CCt. LKOAOTCE, So
flEyalol EvfjO"av, EV oI, SlaTCETCapfltvol IiVSpE, '"CE Kat yv-
valKE, Kat TCalSE, afl<p\ '"Cou, SlO"flvpiov" W, EAtYE'"CO, 9tafla
TCapeixov'"Co '"COL, TOUpKOl, Ka\ av'"C<Ii '"C<Ii ~ao"lAE1. Ka\ 0 '"CE
~ao"lAEu, EV 9aufla'"Cl EVO"XE9d, i'<paO"KEV, W, ov Svva'"Cov
E(f'"ClV, IivSpa oU'"Cw flEYCtAW, EpyaO"CtflEVoV a<palpE10"9at ~v
Xwpav, W, Satfloviw, EmO"'"CaflEv", Xpfj0"9at -eft apXfi Ka\
'"COL, UTC'lKOOl,. Kat £AEyEV, W, TCOAAOU lipa li~lO, el'l 0
av~p oti'"Co, '"COlau'"Ca EpyaO"CtflEvo,. Kat ol Aol1tol TOUPKOl
6pWV'"CE, '"Co TCAfj90, '"CWV ETCt '"COL, O"KOAOV'V avSpwv
E~ETCA~ffOV'"CO. 'EvfjO"av So Ka\ v~ma '"CEKva '"Cwv fl'l'"Ctpwv
E~'lp"'1fltva tv '"CoL, O"KOAOV'V, KalTC'"C'lva EV<!>KOVV tv '"CoL,
EyKCt'"COl, av'"Cwv efl<PoAEuov'"Ca.
105 Xl, So TCPO, '"COL, O"'"Cpa'"CEuflaO"l ~ao"lAtw, t<pETCOflEVO, "
BACtSO, E<p9Elpe '"CE, e'( TCOV SlaO"TCa0"9ei'l, el'"CE lTCTCOSp 6fl o,
e'i'"CE a~CtTC'l" av'"Co, flEV hpCtTCE'"CO tTCt '"Cov flEAaiv'l, IloySa-
via, ~yEflova, TCOAlOpKouv'"Ca, W, ~YYEAAE'"CO av'"C<Ii, '"Co
KEAA[ov, (f'"Cpa'"Cov SE afl<pl '"Cou, E~aKlcrxlAiov, Ka'"CaAl1tWV
av'"Cou TCap'lyyUa £TCE0"9al '"C<Ii ~aO"lAEl S,a '"Cwv Spvflwvwv,
Ka\ fjv '"Ci, TCOV SlaO"1ta0"9ei'l, '"Cou'"Cov Emov'"Ca, av'"CiKa em-
~aivElv. Kat" flev fjyE'"CO Ofl6O"E '"C<Ii flEAaiv'l, IloySav[a,
392
BOOK 9
artillerymen who were firing cannons at his army,I56 he nei-
ther made camp nor invested the place.
He continued on and, after advancing for twenty-seven 104
stades, they beheld their own men who had been impaled.
The sultan's army entered into the area of the impalements
which was seventeen stades long and seven stades wide:
There were large stake§ there on which, as it was said, about
twenty thousand men, women, and children had been spit-
ted, quite a sight for the Turks and the sultan himself The
sultan was seized with amazement and said that it was not
possible to deprive of his country a man who had done such
great deeds, who had such a diabolical understanding of
how to govern his realm and its people. And he said that a
man who had done such things was worth much. The rest of
the Turks were dumbfounded when they saw the multitude
of men on the stakes. There were infants too affixed to their
mothers on the stakes, and birds had made their nests in
their entrails.
Vlad followed the sultan's armies and killed anyone who 105
broke away, whether cavalry raider or azap. He himself
turned to go against the ruler of Moldavia, who, it was re-
ported to him, was besieging Kilia. l57 He left behind an army
of about six thousand with orders to follow the sultan
through the forests and, if anyone broke away, to move
against him and set upon him. He went against the ruler of
393
 THE HISTORIES
fJYEflOVl" 6 S£ cn:pa-ro" W, aVEXWpEl 6 ~aIYLAEU" 19u -rou
IY-rpa-rou £Aauvwv, ava9appfjIYav1:E, w, olxofltV'l', £7tELIY-
7tEIYOv-rE, flEyaAw, Yjyouv-ro EVSoKLflfjIYELV, Kal £mov-rE, £,
-rO o--rpa-r07tESOV -rOU ~a<YLAtW, £7tfjAaUVOV. 'E7td S£ {2.2 64}
ayyEAla acpLKE-ro 7tapa 'ti'j, -rau'tl] 7tOU cpUAaKij, W, Ol7toAt-
flLOL £7tLWIYLV, ciiPfl,]-rO fl£V av-r6, -rL, EKao--rO, £7tt -ra D7tAa
7tA"V -rOU ~a<YLAtW, 9upwv, '!WIYOUcp,]V S' £KeAEUE Maxou -
flOU-r'], 7tpOlYLov-ra U7taV-rLaSELV -rOU, 7tOAEflLOU,. Kal av-ro,
-rE £V D7tAOL<; "V MaxouflOU-r,], IYilv -rOl, o--rpa-rEuflaIYLV. '0
fltv-rOL '!WIYOUcp'], W, £7tLWV av-rLKa IYUvt~aAEV, fJnf]9,] -rE
Kat £, cpunv -rpa7t6flEVO, £cptpE-rO £, -ro ~aIYLAtw, IY-rpa-ro-
7tESOV.
ro6 '0 flap,] , S£ " ToupaxavEw 7tat, -raX9d, Kal av-ro, U7tO
-rou Maxouflou-rEW "flOIYE ltVaL -rol, 7tOAEflLOL" Kal £Aauvwv
u7tfjv-ra -r<!i 'IwIYoucpn cpEUYOV-rL -rou, 7tOAEflLou" £~Aa<Ycpfj flEL
Kal EAEYE -rOLaSE' "w KaK6SaLfloV, 7tOl cptpn; "H OVK 0lIY9a
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bAt9p'l' 7tapaSLSwIYLV av-rLKa, £7tELSaV lYE cpEuyov-ra Vofj"nj"
Tau-ra EL7tWV £7tW-rpUVE -rOY iivSpa, Kal IYuo--rpacpEi, iifla
'Oflapn -r<!i ToupaxavEw IYUvt~aAov -rol, 7tOAEflLOL" Kat
tflaxov-ro a;Lw, A6you. MET' ov 7tOAU S£ -rPE'iraflEVOL -rou,
~iiKa, £mSLwKov-rE, £cp6VEUOV acpELStIY-ra-ra, Kat £cp9ELpOV
aflcpl -rou, SL<YXLALOU,. Ta, S£ KEcpaAa, 7t,];aflEVOL £7tt -rwv
Sopa-rwv £7tavijKOV £, -ro IY-rpa-r07tESoV. Kal -roy fl£v
'Oflap']v £SwpfjIYa-ro ~aIYLAEU, -rft -rij, 8EnaALa, apxft·
MasouA'], S£ hL f]v, Kal iivSpa, £Xwv aya90u, El7tE-rO -r<!i
394
BOOK 9
Moldavia. But this army that he left behind, when the sultan
was departing, went directly against his army, as they were
encouraged by the fact that the sultan was departing and
they attacked him hoping to achieve a notable success. So
they moved directly against the sultan's camp and attacked.
When the sentries there reported the enemy attack, each
person took up his arms, except for those in the sultan's
Porte. Mahmud ordered Yusuf to go and engage with the en-
emy. Mahmud and his armies were also under arms. Yusuf
went and immediately attacked, but was defeated and, in his
flight, was pushed back to the sultan's camp.
Orner, the son ofTurahan, was also ordered by Mahmud ro6
to go against the enemy. When he advanced, he encountered
Yusuf, who was fleeing from the enemy. Orner cursed him
out, saying, "0 wretch, where are you going? Or do you not
know how the sultan will treat you, seeing you in flight? The
sultan will be far more ill-disposed toward you than the en-
emy would be, and will deliver you immediately over to a
horrible death when he realizes that you have fled." He was
exhorting the man with such words, and so Yusuf turned
around, ranged himself with Orner, the son ofTurahan, and
they attacked the enemy together, fighting bravely. Shortly
afterward, they routed the Wallachians and murdered them
mercilessly in the pursuit, killing about two thousand. They
stuck their heads on spear points and returned to the camp.
The sultan bestowed upon Orner the command ofThessaly,
but Mazak was still in that position, following the sultan
395
 THE HISTORIES
~a(nAel. 'E<; fl1:v U]V owrepav 'twv Ll.aKwv 'toAfiav E<; 'tOV
'tOU ~aO'IMw<; O''tpa'tov 'tOO'OU'tov EyEvE'tO.
107 BaO'lAEiJ<; 01: avopcmooa ayoflEvo<; 'tij<; xwpa<; OUK
OA!ya, EreacpEl<; yap 'to EV'tEUSEV 'toil<; {2.265} irereoopoflou<;
EreeOpaflov xwpav OUK OA!yt]V, Kal avopareooa aYOfiEvOl
EKepoavov flEyaAa. Kal iJ1CO~vyla 01: KatreAeov 'twv ElKOO'l
flUplaowv lrereou<; Kat ~6a<; EAavvov'tE<;, " 'tOU ~aO'lAew<;
O"tpa'to<; acp!KE'to Eret 'tov "IO"tpov. To flEv'tOl O"tpa'toreEoov
EOEOO!KEl fl1:v 'toil<; Ll.iiKa<; ouo1:v ~'t'tov 'toAflt]<; fleya 'tl
areooElKvuflevou<;, ole~alvov 01: 'tov "IO"tpov O'TCouoft reoAAft·
BaO'lAEiJ<; 01: i\Ait]v 'tov MlxaAEw orelO'SEv ereEO'SaL 'to
0''tpa't0 reapayyElAa<;, w<; EO"tpa'toreEoEvO'a'to reap a 'tov
"IO"tpov, Ll.paKovAt]v fl1:v 'tov aOEAcpov BMoou 'tOU ~yE­
fl6vo<; Ka'teAlreEV au'tou f.V -rfi xwpq flE'tleval 'tE 'toil<; Ll.iiKa<;
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yElAa<; 'to Ka'ta 'tau'ta 'ta xwp!a vreapX'P, au'to<; 'tE ~AauvEv
EuSil 'twv ~aO'lAElwv,
108 Ll.paKovAt]<; fl1:v ouv 6 VEW'tEpO<; EreEKaAel'to Eva eKa-
O"tov, Aeywv· "w avopE<; Ll.iiKE<;, 't[ 01: O'lEO'SE E<; 'to Erelov
vflii<; eO'EO'Sal; "H.oUK oloa'tE ~aO'lAea, oO't]v 1:£ ovvafllv eXEl,
Kat w<; au'tiKa 'ta ~aO'lAew<; O"tpa'tEvfla'ta repoO'oe\;lfla VflLV
eO''tal, ouwO'ov'ta U]V xwpav, ~v 'tl vreoAolTCov acpEAwfiESa;
Ti .ou yiyvEO'SE ~aO'lAel cplAOl; Kat EO''taL VflLV reauAa EO"tE
U]v xwpav Kat E<; 'toil<; olKou<;. "IO"tE yap, w<; Ev't0 reapov'tl
Oil'tE ~0.ov oilS' 6reo~vyLOv vreEAElcpSt]. Tau'ta 01: reav'ta Ola
'tov f.flOV aOEAcpov f.remOvSEl'tE xaAErew'ta'ta, xapl~oflEVOl
BOOK 9
with his .own good men. That, then, was how the second,
daring Wallachian attack on the sultan's army fared.
The sultan led many slaves away from that land, for he 107
henceforth allowed his cavalry raiders to raid extensive
tracts of it. They would capture slaves and profit greatly.
They also drove away more than two hundred thousand
pack animals, horses, and cattle. Thus the sultan's army
reached the Danube. The camp feared the Wallachians no
less on account of the great daring that they had displayed,
and so they crossed in great haste. The sultan ordered Ali
Mihaloglu to follow the army from behiud. When he eu-
camped by the Danube, he left {Radu III} Dracul, the
brother of VIad the ruler, behind in that region to approach
the Wallachians and subject the land to his authority. He
also ordered the prefect of that region to exact punishments,
while he himself marched straight back to the palace.
Dracul the Younger called on each man, saying, "0 WaI- 108
lachians, what do you think the future holds for you? Do you
not know how much power the sultan has, that his armies
will easily be able to reach you, plunder the land, and we will
lose whatever we have left? Why do you not become friends
of the sultan? There will then be a respite for you through-
out the land and in your households. For you know that at
the present there are no livestock or pack animals left. You
have suffered all these horrible things on account of my
brother, and you ingratiate yourselves with a most unholy
397
 THE HISTORIES
avSpl aVOOlW-ra-rC!' Kal KaKOV f'tya -rYJV LlaKiav t!;£lp-
yaO'f'EVC!', olov ouSaf'fi IiAAoeL 'tij<; yfj<; btl aKo~v a<p-
LKVEl-rat ~ f'E-repav."
W9 Tau-ra bnnEf'nwv -rOl<; Lla!;[v, (\O'OL t<; -ro E!;WVElO'eat
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'llxE-ro £<; -rou<; ITa[ova<;.
BOOK 9
man who has brought such harm upon Wallachia as we
have not heard has been visited upon any other part of the
earth."
Those were the messages that he sent ro the Wallachians W9
who had come to ransom their slaves. He persuaded them
and urged them to tell the others and to come to him with
confidence. They met and decided that this was preferable
to Vlad's rule. A few of them went and assembled around the
younger brother. When the rest of the Wallachians realized
this, they immediately abandoned Vlad and went over to his
brother. When' his army was assembled, he set out to over-
turn the principality. He brought in at the same time an
army from the sultan and subjected the land. As for his
brother [Vlad III}, when the Wallachians went over to his
brother and he realized that all the murder that he had
previously committed was now in vain, he went off to the
Hungarians.
399
 l'
[2.267} I{a-ra f'EV ouv TIJv btl AiiKa<; ~ao"lA£w<; o..WO"lV
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au-ro<; e1tt IIaiova<;. IIaiovE<; 8t, WV -rov<; 1tpocrYJKov-ra<;
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pW1t']<; oAiyou<; 8~ -rlva<; eO"-rpa-rEVE-ro 8la~a<; e<; TIJv AO"iav,
au-ro<; f'EV 8la -rij<; ~1tElpou K0f'l~Df'EVO<;, 6 8E O""t"DAO<; 8la
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yap -rij<; MO"~ou ~yEf'WV U1to'f>opov f'EV dXE TIJv xwpav
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400
BookIO
Those were the events that took place during the sultan's
advance against the Wallachians. As for Vlad [III}, when his
brother [Radu III} Dracul moved against him and subjected
the land of Wallachia, he went off to the Hungarians. But
the Hungarians, whose people he had killed in Wallachiai
bronght him on a capital charge before their king, the son
ofHunyadi,2 and placed him on trial under the most serions
accusations, that is of having killed those men unjustly. They
imprisoned him in the city of Belgrade.
That same summer, that is when autumn was beginning,' 2
the sultan moved against Lesbos. He instructed that a fleet
be prepared for him along the coastal regions. He dismissed
his armies to depart and go home while he, with the men of
the Porte and a few of the soldiers of Europe, set out and
crossed over into Asia. He made his way overland, while the
fleet went by sea. 4 He set out against Lesbos for the follow-
ing reason. The ruler of Lesbos' held the land as a tributary
of the sultan and had paid him two thousand staters ev-
ery year ever since Baltoglu, the prefect of Gallipoli under
the second Murad, had arrived with his fleet at Lesbos
and raided the island. He led away many slave captives and
 THE HISTORIES
NCY~ou euSa(flova, Kat t!;eAWV TaUT'lV {2.268} Ibr£xwp'l-
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vETcy9al, Kat aUTOV KEpSa(VOVTa emo TOUSE. 'OPflwflEVOl Se
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9aAaTIav TeTpaflfltvOl, Kat O[ emo KUKAaSwv V~CYWV
TaUT'lV flETlOVTEo; -n)v AnCYTlK~V, tA'lT~ov-ro T~V ~acrlAtwo;
xwpav, Kat unOCYTpt<pOVTEO; eO; T~V Atcy~ov, SlavElflaflEvol
Ta avSpanoSa, flolpav nape[x0v-ro aUTQ [Kav~v Kat OU
<paUA'lV' TauTa Wo; aV'lvtx9'l to; ~aCYlAta, tnijpEV aUTOV
CYTpaTEuecr9at ent Atcy~ov.
4 '0 Se ~yeflwv Tijo; NCY~ou ~Ofl(VlKOO;, 'EAA'lVlCYTl Se Ku-
plaKoo;, VEWTEpOO; aSEA<poo; wv TOV npEcy~uT£pOV SlaSE!;afle-
vov napa TOU naTpoo; -n)v ~YEflov(av Tijo; Atcy~ou Kal
Sltnov-ra tnt Xpovov [Kavov t1tl~OUAEucyao; cyuvtAa~E Kal
KaTtCYT'lcye, BanTlInjj avSpt '1avuT'l' XP'lcyaflEvoo; cruVEpyQ
to; -n)v tnl~ouA~V. MET' ou nOAu Se SlaXP'lcyafl£voo; TOV
aSEA<pov ~YEfloveuE Tijo; v~CYou, anayaywv <popov TQ ~a­
CYlAct EO; SlcrxlA[OUo; CYTaTijpao;. To Se yevoo; TWV ~yEflovwv
TOUTWV Tijo; Atcy~ou, KaT£Aou(~WV EnlKaAouflEvOV, SOKel
4 02
BOOK 10
subjected Kallone, a prosperous city of Lesbos. Having
captured it, he went back home. 6 So earlier too the sultans
had exacted tribute from this island and from Chios, that is
from the time of Murad, the son of Orhan. Also during the
reign of the present sultan others too had come to the is-
land, including Yunus, who was appointed from the Porte,
came to Lesbos, and besieged Molyvos. But he accom-
plished nothing of what he had set out to do.'
The sultan brought the following accusation against the
ruler of Lesbos when he campaigned against him, that he
was perceived to be harboring Aragonese pirates in the port
of Lesbos, that he was dealing in slaves captured in the sul-
tan's lands, and making a profit from it. The Aragonese
would set out from Lesbos and make a living from sea raids.
Men from the Cyclades would also participate in this piracy,
and they would plunder the sultan's land, return to Lesbos,
and divide up the slaves, giving him a large, in fact substan-
tial, part of the spoils. When this was reported to the sultan,
he was roused to campaign against Lesbos.
The ruler of Lesbos was Domenico, which is Kyriakos in 4
Greek. As a younger brother he had plotted against his older
brother, who had inherited the principality of Lesbos from
their father and ruled for some time. Domenico arrested
and deposed him, being assisted in the plot by the Genoese
Battista. Shortly afterward, he killed his brother and ruled
the island, paying the tribute of two thousand staters to
the sultan. 8 The family of these rulers of Lesbos is called

THE HISTORIES
fli:v <l1ro 'Iavv1'lS yevE<J"8m, [2.269} a<plKoflevov Si: brl <J"ufI-
flax(av 'twv 'EAA~VWV Bu~av't(ou ~a<J"lAel, £XOV'tl Un~KOOV
'ri]V Vij<J"OV 'tmh'lv, <J"ufl~aM<J"8m 'te Kal unoupyij<J"m
fleyaAa 't(ji ~a<J"lAel, Sl' it S~ <J"<p1<J"lv tnl'tpanijvm 'ri]v vij<J"ov
uno 'twv ~a<J"lAEWv itpXelv. Ka'tExov'tas SE 'tau'tl]v 'ri]v
vij<J"ov, iJ<J"'tepov wPfI'lflEVOUS ano 'tav't'lS, Ka'taAa~elv
Alvov nOAlv 'ri]v £v 'tfi 8p*Kn napa 't(ji "E~p'l' no'tafl(ji,
Slevex8tv'twv TWV £v 't'fi nOAel npos 'tOY 't'fiSe ainov Tijs
n6Aews aPfl0<J"~V, Kal <J"<p1<J"lv £mKaAoufltvwv ano 'tijs
At<J"~ou TO Ka'tEAou1~WV ytvoS, Ka'taAa~ovTas Si: Sla<pe-
pOfltvwv aAA~AOlS WS £nl'to nAel<J"Tov 'twv nOTe 'EAA~VWV
~a<J"lAtwv.
5 LlOKel Si: ~ vij<J"OS aih'l Kal npo'tEpov hl TOVTWV TWV
Ka'teAou1~wv yevt<J"8m uno 'IavuTOlS, Kat unaKovelv TOTe
't(ji <PWKa('lS tv 't'fi 1\<J"1", £m'tponeVOVTl, KaTaVn ToiJvofla
£X0V't'l' elAe Si: Ka'tav'lS 'ri]v vij<J"ov 'taVT'lV £m~ouAfi. Kal
o'te 'EAA~VWV ~a<J"lAeus <J"'tpaTEU<J"aflevos tn' aVTov Kal ~V
'te MlTuA~v']v nape~<J"aTo Kal £noMflel Tfi <PwKa1n.
MeTa Si: 'tav'ta <J"ufl~aAAofltvwv TWV KaTeAou1~wv 't(ji Bu-
~aV't'(ou ~a<J"lAel, £neTpanovTo Te 'ri]v vij<J"ov Kal ~rrxov £n1
'tlvas yeveas, Slayevoflevol E<J"Te £nl TOV Ka8' ~ flits Xpovov.
Kal £nlyafl1as nOlovflevol npos 'te TOVS ana Tpane~ovvTos
~a<J"lAelS Kal 'EAA~VWV ~yeflovas Kal TOUS nap' "EAA']<J"l
npwTevovTas, KaTelXov T~V vij<J"ov £s 'ta flMl<J"'ta euvo-
floufltv'lv, AnEXel Si: ~ vij<J"os aUT'] ana 'tijs £s 'ri]v 1\<J"lav
ijne[pou <J"TaS(ous flaAl<J"'ta 6ySo~KovTa. [2.270}
6 :AJJ..: ~ flEV X(OS Ka'telxeTO flEV Kal aiJ'tl] npo'tepov uno
'Iavulwv, ou fleV't'Ol MAW, MAa SWflEVWV TWV Bu~avT10u
BOOK 10
Gattilusi, and seems to have originated in Genoa. They
came to make an alliance with the king of the Greeks of
Byzantion who then controlled this island, and they aided
and supported the king greatly. For this reason they were en-
trusted to rule this island as subjects of the kings.' So they
took command of the island and later they set out from it
and took over the city of Ainos, in Thrace by the Hebros
River, when its inhabitants fell out with its governor. They
called in the Gattilusi family from Lesbos to help them, and
they took it over at a time when the kings of the Greeks
were fighting against each other. 1O
It seems that even before the Gattilusi this island had 5
come under the power of the Genoese, when it was ruled
by the lord of Phokaia in Asia, a man by the name of Catta-
neo. Cattaneo seized this island through a plot. The king
of the Greeks campaigned against him, subjected Mytilene,
and fought a war against Phokaia." After that the Gattilusi
aided the king ofByzantion, were entrusted with the island,
and held it for some generations, all the way down to our
time. They made marriage alliances with the kings ofTrebi-
zond, the rulers of the Greeks, and the leading men among
the Greeks. Under their rule, the island was very well gov-
erned. Its distance from the mainland ofAsia is about eighty
stades.
Chios had also been previously held by the Genoese, al- 6
though it had not been captured; rather, when the kings
40 5
 THE HISTORIES
~a(nAEWV XP!]fla-rwv iKava -roT<; "EAA!]erl 8t80-ro ureo Map-
-r[vou -rou -ri]v vijerov -rau-r!]v Ka-racrxOV-rO<;, ure' avaYK!]<;
-ro-re -rwv 'EAAijVWV 8,a -rov repo<; Mueroil<; Kal Tpl~aAAoil<;
reoAeflov. Kai ilcr-repov fltV-rOl aretAa~ov -r~v vijerov oi
"EAA!]Ve<;, are08ov-re<; -ro XpEO<; -rQ Map-r[v",. Me-ra 8£
-rau-ra eYEve-ro ureo 'IavuTOl<;, iler-repov Xpov", ou reoAAQ
-rPlijpecrlV a<plKofltvOl<; Kai reapacr-r'1erafiEvol<; -ri]v reoALv'
oli<; oil-re 1) reoAL<; t~Ereeflyev erei -ri]v -rij<; vijerou Ka-ra-
cr-rpo<pijv, oil-re KOLVfj urea -rwv -reAwv e~errEfI<p9!]erav, aAX
au-roi wPfl'1f1EVOL ot eWEa OtKlWV yevofievoL apxov-re<;-ri]v
vijerov Ka-reer-rpEyav-ro, Kai -ro emo -rou8e -rau't!j w<; er<p[erL
-re au-roT<; Kai -roT<; ev -rfi reDAeL fle-rpLw-ra-ra 8Lac-rwflevoL,
KOLVfj -ri]v reOALv 8,c!>KOUV, e~WV!]eraflEVWv fle-ra -rau-ra Kai
-ra<; -rij<; reoAew<; -re Kai vijerou flo[pa<; -rwv emo -rij<; 'Iavu!]<;
av8pwv, flEya 8uvaflEvwv e<; reAou-rov 8La -ri]v -rij<; flacr-r[X!]<;
rep6cr080v· flov'1 yap 8~ ail-r!] ij vijero<; -rwv ev -rQ Atyal",
<ptpeL Kapreov -rou-rov w<; reAeTcr-rov, Kai epya~ofltV!] XP!]-
fla-r[~e-rac fleyaAw<; ev -rou-r",. "'Ltxel 8£ O\anov -rau't!j area
-rij<; Aer[a<; er-ra8lou<; were! reev-rijKov-ra flaALcr-ra 1tI]. "'LOL-
Kel-raL 8£ ij reoAL<; ail'rl] urea -rwv eVVEa apxov-rwv, -rijv -re
vijerou apx~v -ra repw-ra Ka-racrxov-rwv Kai ilcr-repov aAAwv
e~wv'lerafltvwv au-ra -ra rea-rpLa -rwv ev -rfi reoAeL acr-rwv areo
-rwv 'EAAijVWV ~aerLAEwv. Euvoflij9!] 8£ Kai 1) reoAl<; -rij<;
Xlou flaAler-ra {Z.Z7r} 8~ reoAewv -rwv ev -raT<; vijerol<; -rau-rac<;,
Kat repoero8wv tKavw-ra-ra ~crxev 1) reDAL<;, wcr-re trei flEya
OA~OU a<pLKEer9ac -roil<; -r~v reoALv -rijv8e 8LEreov-ra<;.
7 'Ecr-rpa-reue-ro 8£ MeXflE-r!]<; 6 Afloupa-rew erei -r~v
AEer~ov 8l' al-r[a<; -rwv repo-repov flOL 8e8!]AWflEVWV,
BOOK IO
of Byzantion were in dire need of money, the Greeks were
given a large sum by Martino, who held the island. The
Greeks were in need due to their war with the Bulgarians
and the Serbs. Later the Greeks reclaimed the island and
paid the debt back to Martino.I' After that it fell under the
power of the Genoese who, soon afterward, arrived with
their triremes and subjected the city.Il They had been dis-
patched neither by their own city to conquer the island nor
on a publicly appointed enterprise; rather, the lords of nine
families set out on their own to conquer the island. And
since that time they have governed it in a most moderate
way both for themselves and for the people in the city. They
govern the city in common. After that some men of Genoa
bought shares in the city and the island, using the great as-
sets that they had generated from the revenues of the mas-
tic trade. L4 For this is the only island in the Aegean to pro-
duce this substance in such great quantity. It works and
trades extensively in this product. Its shortest distance from
Asia is about fifty stades. The city is governed by the nine
lords who first took over the rule of the island, and later oth-
ers, men from the city, bought these ancestral rights from
the kings of the Greeks. The city of Chios was the best gov-
erned of all on these islands and provided very considerable
revenues, so that those who managed this city became very
rich.
So Mehmed, the son of Murad, campaigned against Les- 7
bos for the reasons that I explained earlier, charging the
 THE HISTORIES
£mcpEpwv n TOV TOV aSeAcpOV cpavov Kal TLflWPWV 'tjj
£KelVOU tuXii, fleTa S£ Kal SLa 'ti]V TCpO<; TOU<; TCeLpaTa<;
E-raLpLaV aUTOV. 'EKOflLseTO So aUTO<; floV TCesn £<; 'ti]V AO'Lav
SLa~a<;, TOV S£ O'TOAOV aUTOV SLa 9aAMOlJ<; £KTCEfI'ita<;,
TpL~peL<; floV TCEv-re Kal e1KOO'L, TCAola So flLKpa aflcpl Ta
eKaTaV. Tou<; S£ Tt]Ae~OAOU<; SLa 9aAMOlJ<; EKOflLsev £<; 'ti]V
V~O'OV, Kal AL90u<; TOVTWV aflcpl TOU<; SLO')(LA[OU<;. T~v fI£v
oilv TCapaO'Keu~v TOV TCoMfloU £KEAeue SLa 9aAaO'OlJ<; £K-
KOflLse0'9aL £<; 'ti]V V~O'OV, mho<; S£ acpLKaflevo<; E<; TL TCeS[OV
£TCepaLOVTO £<; 'ti]V V~O'OV, aUTa<; Te Kal ot TWV 9upwv OVTe<;
Kal aTCO ~<; Eupw'TC1']<; aflcpl TOU<; SLO')(LALOU<;. Ta yap TOL
O'TpaTevflaTa w<; SL~Kev £TCaVLWV aTCO T~<; daKLa<;, aUTLKa
£'It!'JeL Te £<; 'ti]v V~O'OV Kal aTCE~t]O'av.
8 'ETCESpaflov S£ aUT[Ka Kal £SnwO'av 'ti]v V~O'OV, Kal
avSpaTCoSa DALya aTCeveYKaflevoL. MeTa S£ TavTa aUTo<;
~aO'LAeu<; Myou<; TCpOO'Ecpepe T<ii AEO'~OU ~yeflavL, £TCl'TC£fI-
'ita<; iiyyeAov Kal KeAeuwv ~V n TCaALv TCapaSLSavaL Kal
aUT<ii SLa TavTa £TCLTpa~VaL xwpav [Kav~v UTCO ~aO'LMw<;.
'0 S£ ayvwflOJOvn Te SLexp~To, Kal ou TCpoO'LeTo Ta<; O"TCOV-
Sa<; TOV ~aO'LMw<;. BaO'LAeu<; So TOU<; Tt]Ae~oAou<; tSpuO'afle-
vo<; £<; 'ti]v TCOALV aUTo<; floV £<; 'ti]v ~TCeLpov £KoflLseTo,
£TCOTPVVOVTO<; TOV MaxouflovTew fI~ {2.272} £vSLaTp[~eLv
£V 'tjj v~O''l'' MaxouflovTt]<; S£ TCapaAa~wv TOV O'TpaTov
£TCOALOPKeL 'ti]v TCaALv, £<; floLpa<; SLeAaflevo<; TOV O'TpaTov,
Kal T01<; Te Tt]Ae~aAOL<; TO TelX0<; ETCaLeV £TCl ~ flEpa<; e1KOO'L
Kal ETCTa, Kal KaTt~aAAe flEya flEpO<; T~<; TCaAew<;. "Exwv S£
Kal imTLou<; Tt]Ae~aAou<; E~aAAev £<; 'ti]v TCOALV, Kal S~
£90pv~eL TOU<; £V 'tjj TCOAeL. Ot So tv 'tjj TCaAeL, £VOVTWV
BOOK 10
ruler with the murder of his brother and intending to avenge
his spirit; also, on account of his association with pirates.
He traveled overland, crossing over to Asia, and sent his
fleet by sea, twenty-five triremes and about a hundred
smaller ships. He transported his cannons to the island by
sea, with about two thousand rocks for them. He also in-
structed that his equipment for the war be conveyed to the
island by sea. When he arrived at a certain plain he was fer-
ried over to the island, he himself, the men of the Porte, and
about two thousand of the army of Europe. For when he
had dismissed his armies after returning from Wallachia, he
went straight against the island and made a landing.
They immediately raided and plundered the island, car- 8
rying off a small number of slaves. After that the sultan of-
fered terms to the ruler ofLesbos, sending a messenger and
bidding him to surrender the city {Mytilene}, in exchange
for which the sultan would entrust him with a substantial
amount of territory. But the ruler behaved foolishly, and
would not agree to the treaty proposed by the sultan. So the
sultan set up his cannons around the city while he himself
went over to the mainland, as Mahmud had advised him not
to spend any more time on the island. Mahmud took over
the army and besieged the city. He divided the army into
sections, bombarded the walls with the cannons for twenty-
seven days,15 and demolished a considerable part of the city.
He also had mortars and used them to strike within the
city, and thereby terrified its inhabitants. The people of the
 THE HISTORIES
O"<p[<Yl Kal nelpa,WV ,lVWV au,ou, Ene;l6v-re0; ~paxu ano
tijo; nOAeWo; ~!,UVOV,o, oU !'eV,Ol ye, wo; ayaSov ,l E;epya/;e-
<YSm' ot yap TOUPKOl EpeSl1;o!'evol uno ,WV EV ,fj nOAel
np0criJe<Yav EO; ,0 ,eixoo;, Kat aveSappotJv Enlov-reo; Kat
E!'axov,o npoo; ,til ,e[Xel.
9 no; S£ ot ev <fi nOAel ,til -re nA~Sel E,aAal7tWpOUV1CO Kat
enle/;ov,o <fi ,aAal7tWp[q, npOO"e'l'epe MyotJo; ,til ~a<YlAei 6
tijo; v~<YotJ ~ye!,wv, E'I" tii napaSlS6vm -re ~v nOAlv Kat
,/lAAa nOA[<Y!'a,a ,a EV ,fj v~<Y"', au,til Si: uno ~aO"lAewo;
xwpav owp'1S~vm r<Y'1v <fi eatJ,ou Kalnpo<YoSov, Kat <Y-rpa-
-reve<YSal Ii!,a ,til ~aO"lAel. MaX0tJ!'ov"1o; !,i:v ovv ,0Vo; -re
MyotJo; Eoexe-ro, Kal £'I'aO"Kev, Wo; ~aO"lAea nepa ent ~v
~nelpov nE!'nElv. 'Ene! oi: aV'1vEXS'1 Wo; ~aO"lAea, nept wv
npolO"Xe-ro 6 tijo; M<Y~otJ ~ye!,wv, EnepalOu,o -re 6 ~am­
Aeuo; Kal Eoexe-ro -re ,0Uo; AoYOtJo;, ",Ol!'Oo; eTvm <Y7tEvOe-
<YSal, E'I" 010; npouKaAei,o 6 tijo; v~<YotJ ~ye!,wv. nO; o£ ,a
IIpKla Eyeve-ro a!,'I'0lv, une;exwpel -re 6 tijo; nOAewo; ~ye!,wv
tijo; v~<YotJ, Kat a'l'lKo!'evoo; EO; ~a<YlAea npo<YeKvv'1<Ye -re
Ii!,a Kat "'I'a<YKe ,ouioe'
IO ''''.0. ~a<YlAeu, ol<YSa !,ev, Wo; E; i\,otJ EO; ~v ~ye!,ov[av
tijo; v~<YotJ tij<YSe nepl~ASoV, oil-re ,0Uo; epKotJo; nape~'1v
nwno-re, Kat avopan60wv unooo~v wo; ouoeno-re elpya<Ya-
!''1v, o~Aa ttv yevol,o uno ,wv <fioe tijo; 1\<Y[ao; E7tlxwpiwv,
wo; au,iKa aAl<YKo!'eva aneoiSo,o un' e!'ou. Kat {2.273}
<Y7totJ0f}v enolov!''1V, enotJ ,wv u!'e-repwv ,lVt avSpan60wv
nepl-rUxol ,lo;, EAeiv -re Kal EO; ,ov oe<Y7tO-r'1v au,ou anaya-
yelv. Touo; o£ nelpa,ao; unoSexo!'evoo; £npa<Y<Yov enwo; !'~
,f}v xwpav A'1l/;wV1Cm Kat Snouv-reo; Ae'1Aa'W<YlV. 1\'I'0P!'~v
BOOK 10
city, supported by some of the pirates who were there with
them, made a brief sally out of the city to fight back, but
they did not accomplish much. For the Turks were provoked
by the people in the city and they assaulted the walls; they
attacked with renewed spirit and brought the battle close to
the walls.
The people of the city were being worn down by the mul- 9
titude of the enemy and pressed by hardship, so the ruler of
the island offered terms to the sultan, promising to surren-
der to him the city and the other towns on the island on
condition that the sultan grant him equal territory in ex-
change, an amount that produced as much revenue; and he
would campaign with the sultan. Mahmud received these
terms and said that he had to convey them over to the sultan
on the mainland. When the terms proposed by the ruler of
Lesbos were reported to the sultan, he crossed over and ac-
cepted them. He was ready to make a treaty on the terms
proposed by the ruler of the island. When both sides had
sworn their oaths, the rnler of the island came out, ap-
proached the sultan, bowed before him, and spoke as fol-
lows:
"0 sultan, you know that ever since I assumed the rule of IO
this island I have never violated the oaths, and I have never
dealt in the reception of the slave trade. This can be made
clear by the locals in Asia there: as soon as they were cap-
tured, I gave them back. And I made it a special concern to
seize any of your slaves who were discovered and to return
them to their proper owners. I did make a deal to shelter the
pirates here, but this was so that they would not plunder and
4II
 THE HISTORIES
't£ ouS£Vt 'tOU'tWV lywy£ nap£lxofl'lv, "'O''t£ 'ti]v XlOpav 'ti]v
m)v ~Aan't£lv tnl1tAeOna<;. Nuv SE ~KW napa O'i: nOAlV flEV
nlvS£ napaSlSoil, Kat V~O'OV ;uflnaO'av, at'touflal 8£ O'Ol,
lO, £uvola, -r£ lXOlfil n£pt 'ta O'a npclYfla'ta, oihw aflel~£-
0'8aL ~a<rlA£a ~fla,."
n Tau'ta 't£ I;'/.£y£, Kal -rwv SaKpuwv fI£8[£'t0 OUK oAlya,
'l'aO'Kwv, lO, avolq 'twv aO''twv OUK a'l"Kol'tO 'ti]v ap;o1v
au'tlKa, o't£ 'taya8a tn'lrr£AA£'tO au't<ji ~a(J'lA£u,. Barrl-
A£il, Sf. t1tlfl£fI'I'0fl£vo, au't<ji 't~v ayvwflorrVv'lv, ouS' ""
a'tvX~O'£lV au'tov l'l'aO'K£v o'tovouv 'twv aya8wv, aXil
au'tov 't£ ~0'8~0'£0'8aL napaSov'ta eav'tov 't<ji ~aO'lAu, Kal
~v £uvon 'tol, au'tou npaYflaO'lv, OUK ax8£0'8~0'£0'8al no't£
Sla'tOu'tO. Tau'ta Atywv 't~v 't£ nOAlv napaAa~lOv, au'tlKa
tK£A£V£V tov'ta Kal t, 'ta, &AAa, nOA£l, K£A£U£lV napa-
SlS6vaL'ta, aKponoA£l,. Au'to, fli:v OUV rrVv 'tol, ~a(J'lA£W,
lmapxol, n£p'lwv nap£SlSov -ra, nOA£l, 't<ji ~a(J'lAu. Kat
tYKa8lO''t'] flev eL, au'ta, 'I'vAaKa, ~aO'lA£u" 'ti]v SE nOAlv
Ml'tVA~V'lV t, 'tp[a Sl£AOfl£vo, 'to fli:v au'tou tYKa'ttAl1teV,
E( -rl axpuov ~v 'tou oflo..ov, 'to Si: h£pov Sl£velfla'to 'tol,
V£~AVO'l, 'ti]v Si: 'tpl't'lv flolpav Ka'tc;,KlO'ev t, Bvsav'tLOv, E(
'tl ~v -rwv aO"twv &;LOV AOYOV Kat dlnopov. Toil, Si:
n£lpa'ta, anayaywv Ka-rtO''I'a;£v, t, 'tplaKoO'[ov, flaAlO"ta,
t, xwpov eva 'twv npoaO''teLwv, 'ta O'lOfla'ta S[Xa nOLOufI£-
vo, t, 't~v O''I'anv. Tou'to yap ~lalo't£pov [2.274} t, 'toil,
nOA£fI'ov, t;eup'l'to 'tou 8ava'tov eISo" 'to O'wfla t, Suo
't£flV£lV. Ka'ta8tv't£, ouv 'ti]v 't0fl~v £, 'to Sla'l'paYfla, 08£v
;vfl~alv£l '(rrx£lV £nlnoAu ~, 't£A£V~, Sla 'tou'to -rOY Sla-
'l'8£lpofl£vov.
4'2
BOOKIQ
raid my lands. I never provided any of them with the means
to sail against your lands and harm them. I now come before
you and hand over this city and the entire island, and ask of
you, sultan, to deal with us in the same way that we have al-
ways minded your interests."
These were his words, and he shed many tears, claiming II
that it was because of the idiocy of the townspeople that he
had not come out before, when the sultan had first made his
generous proposal to him. The sultan reproached him for
his foolishness, but said that he would not fail to obtain all
the benefits that had been promised. He had pleased the
sultan by surrendering himself to him and, if he favored the
sultarlS interests, he would never regret it. The sultan said
this and received the city, immediately ordering the ruler
to go to the other cities and order them to surrender the
citadels. So he went around with the sultan's prefects and
surrendered the towns to the sultan. The sultan installed
garrisons in them. He divided the people of the city ofMyti-
lene into three parts, leaving one there, basically the useless
mob; he distributed the second among the janissaries; and
he settled the third in Byzantion, and this part consisted
of the prosperous and notable burghers. He led the pirates,
about three hundred in alI, away to one of the suburbs and
butchered them. The slaughter was accomplished by saw-
ing each man in half This was the most violent form of
death that he had devised for his enemies, to cut the body
into two. They make the cut at the diaphragm, whence it
happens that the victim lasts for a long time during his exe-
cution.
4' 3
 THE HISTORIES
12 'E)'Kae[o'-r1'] Sf. d, -rf]V re6AlV 'tau't1']v VE~AVSa, a,"pi 'tou,
S,aKoO"[ou, Kal a~arelSa, t, 'tp,aKOO"[OV" Kat apxov'ta au-
'tWV 'too LafLA,a'tEW realSa, avSpa tre[O"1']flov, ou 'tov rea'ttpa
tv 'tai, ~ao"lAtw, eUpaL, aKouElv SlKaLOO"UV1'], aplO"'t"a
treveOflEea, flaAlO"'t"a st SlKaO"-rf]v 'twv tv 'tai, ~aO"lAtw,
eUpaL, Kae'O"'tafltvwv, Kai S[Ka, S'KaO"av'ta aplO"'t"a reav'twv
S~ WV ~flEi, '(O"flEV Kai t~wpoV't"a, ola S~ areo~a[vElv lflEA-
AEV ~ S[K1'] e, 'tou, SlKa~ofltvov,. Tov Sf. Ato"~ov ~YEflova
tVEYKaflEvo, areo 't~, re6AEw, O"Uflreav'ta, eKtAwE KOfl[~E­
e,
O"eaL Bu~av'tLOv. 'E~EA6flEVO, St ot Kat'twv ap[O"'t"wv 't~,
Ato"~ov realSa, 'tE Kat evya'ttpa, afl'Pi 'tou, oK'taKoO"[ov"
au'to, a~AavvEv ere' O'(KOV, Kal 'ta, 'tE 'tPl~PEl, Sl~KEV
amtvaL, tYKa'taAlTCWv reAoia fllKpa au'too reov ev 'tfi v~O"'l'.
IJ T~v fltv ouv aSEA'Pf]V 'tou ~YEflovo"
Kal repo'tEpoV
aAouO"av ureo ~aO"lAtw, ev KOAX[Sl, yuvalKa ouO"av ~a­
O"lAEW, l\AE~[OV 'tou KOflv1']vOU -rf], TpareE~oov'tO" eO"1'jya-
e,
YETO fltXPl 'tlVO, -rf]v YUVaLKwVi't"lV, reoAAwv S~ KaAA[O"'t1']V
Kal wpa[av AEyofltv1']v dVaL, repoareoeavov'to, 'tou avSpo,
au-rf], ev TpareE~oov'tl, Kat au't~, YEvoflEV1'], Kat oi5O"1'],
~pa, flEe' tvo, realSo, Kai floVOU. Tov Sf. reaiSa 'tou'tov,
a'tE £lAE -rf]v TpareE~ouV't"a, dO"EvEYKaflEvo, Kal au'tov 6
~ao"lAEu, ev eEpareEl .. 'tE dXE flaAlO"'t"a Sf] rea[Swv 'twv ev
'tai, ~ao"lAtw, eUpaL" flE'ta [2.275} yE'tOV areo Bv~av't[ov
reaiSa Aflovpa'tEw aSEA'Pov. [[T~v ~tv ollv SuyaTepa ~acr'Aiw, Tpa-
n£~oiiv-ro~, 'l\vva:v A£YO~£VYjv Kal XpLcrttaV~v, 'PuAax9ETO'nv 6plO'~4} -coii Kpa-
-roiiv-rOI), ~p~o(ra-co Zayav'1-' -c4} MaKeSovfa~ tij~ Ka-cw imapx'1-' Y£vo~ev<y, e;
O-C01.1 -rYjv TIeAon6vvYjO'ov av-cov a'P£A6~£vol) tnhpenev AA~avew
414
BOOK 10
He established in this city about two hundred janissaries, u
three hundred azaps, and, as their lord, the son of Ali Bis-
tami," a distinguished man whose father, we have learned,
had an excellent reputation for justice at the sultan's Porte,
especially as a judge among those who serve at the Porte,17
pronounced the most just verdicts of all that we know, and
could find exactly how to award justice to those who were
on trial. The sultan took the ruler of Lesbos from the city
and ordered all of them to be conveyed to Byzantion. He
also picked out for himself about eight hundred of the sons
and daughters of the leading men of Lesbos. Then he went
back home, ordering the triremes to leave as well, but he left
some small ships there on the island.
As for the ruler's sister, whom the sultan had captured I)
previously at Kolchis-for she was the wife of King Alexios
[IV} Komnenos ofTrebizond - he kept her for a while in his
harem, as she was said to be one of the most beautiful and
comely of women. (8 Her husband had predeceased her in
Trebizond, and she was left alone, a widow with a single son.
When he captured Trebizond, the sultan took this son too
and placed him among the children who were pages at the
Porte, second in status to the brother of Murad, a child from
Byzantion. 19 {[As for the daughter of the king of Trebizond, who was a
Christian named Anna and who was being guarded according to the ruler's
(.M:.ehmed's) wishes,20 he married her to Zaganos, who had become the prefect
oflower Macedonia ever since the sultan had stripped him of the command of
the Peloponnese and entrusted it to the son of Elvan, who was named Iyon. 21
nmS[, -c4}
 THE HISTORIES
'Iuwv A£yO~EV~, et Kal i)O"'r£pov £xwplO'a't"o 't"a&r'1v " Kpcnwv
avaYKa~ov't"L 't"au't"'1v y£vE0'9aL ES rijv 9p't]O'K£fav av't"ou.}}
14 Tov flEV ouv ~yefl6va -n'j, AEcr~OV ou 1tOAA<ji iJcrrepov
at'nacraflevo, crvvEAa~E -re Kal Ka8elp;ev "Xwv tv '1lVAaKfi,
W, flEV tyw trcv80fl'1v, W, OUK tv YVWfln yeyovo-ra -r<ji ~a­
crLAel -rov ~yefl6va -rou-rov, Kal 1tpo-repov ax80flEVlp au-r<ji
bel 1tOAAOl, aeLKECTl -re Kal aV'1KEcrroL, "PYOL, 1tpO, -rov
~aCTlAEw, OTKOV, D, SE U1t' /lAAwv Atye-raL, 1talSa SLa-
<pvyov-ra -ra, ~acrLAEW, 8upa, il<pLKEcr8aL t1tl -rov AEcr~OV
-rou-rov ~yeflova, Kal flE'l'a~aAov-ra e, ~v 8p'1CTKeiav -rou
'I'1crou yevecr8aL 1taLSLKa au-rou, D, SE ~ Ncr~o, MAW Kal
e, Bv~av-rLOv eYEve-ro, t1t£AEA'1crro -re -rou 1taLSO, 0 ~yeflwv,
Kal ev SWPOL, 1tEflta, w, ~acrLAEa, t1teyvwKilv n oi 1talSe,
Kal e;el1tOV -r<ji ~acrLAel, Kal -rov flEV 1talSa Ka-rEcrxe Kal -rov
~yeflova crvvEAa~E n Kal tv Secrflol, e1tOL~cra-ro /lfla -r<ji
avetL<ji AOVKilp, -r<ji 'tfj, Alvov -rvpilvvlp 1taLSI yevoflevlp,
Kal crvyt<a-repyacraflEVlp -r<ji ~yeflovL -rov -rou aSeA<pou
<povov Kal -r~v ~yeflovlav /lfla, Ou 1tOAU flEv-rOL iJcrnpov
;VVE~'1 Kal -roSe au-rol" D, yap tv a1toplp Ka8eLcr~Kecrav
/lfI<pw, OUK etSo-re, ann
{U76} a1taAAanV eiJpwv-raL -n'j,
eiPK-n'j" av~veyKav, w, t, -ra 1til-rpLa -ra ToupKwv tEVaL
afl<ponpoL 1tp08vflouv-raL, Kal au-ro, flEV ~acrLAeu, ecr8~-rl
-re eSwp~cra-ro Kal -rLapq, Kal 1tepLnflofievo, EAev8epov,
a<p~Kev e1t' ~flEpa, ou 1tOAAa" fle-ra SE -rau-ra au-rlKa au8L,
t, eipK~V 1toL'1crafievo, Ka-recrxev, e, 8 S~ a1tayaywv
Ka-rEcr<pa;e,
15 Tov flEV ouv EvLav-rov -rou-rov Sl, au-ro, tKcr-rpa-revcrilfle-
YO, " ~aCTlAeu, ~v flEV e1t' .c.iiKa, &evcrLV e1tOL~cra-ro, -r~v
BOOK 10
an' av't"ou, Still, the ruler later separated her from him, as he was forcing her to adopt his
religion.}}
Shortly afterward he laid charges against the ruler ofLes- 14
bos, arrested him, and kept him imprisoned, I have learned
that the sultan did not think highly of this ruler and he had
previously been aggrieved with him for the many offenses
and unseemly deeds that he had committed against the sul-
tan's household, As others relate, a boy had once escaped
from the sultan's Porte and came to this ruler of Lesbos,
He converted to the religion ofJesus and became his lover,
When Lesbos was captured and he came to Byzantion, the
ruler forgot about this boy and sent him among his gifts to
the sultan, But the other boys recognized him and told the
sultan, He then took the boy and arrested the ruler, putting
him in chains together with his nephew Luchlno, the son
of the tyrant ofAinos, who had assisted the ruler in the mur-
der of his brother, when he seized the principality22 Shortly
afterward the following happened to them also, As both
of them were at a loss, not knowing how they could find a
way out of prison, they volunteered to accept the traditional
customs of the Turks, The sultan himself granted them gar-
ments and turbans, and he had them circumcised, He gave
them freedom for a few days, but soon after that he placed
them in prison again, until he led them away to their exe-
cution.
That year the sultan had personally made two campaigos, 15
one against the Wallachians, the other against Lesbos, He
4'7
 THE HISTORIES
St bel Ae<r~ov. Kal hEAEu-ra au-rQ e<; -rov XElf'wva -rov-rov
~ be' O'{KOU avaK0f'IS~. Kal -rov f'EV XElf'wva ev Bu~aV'rl4'
Sla-rpl~wv vau-rIKov -rE e;l]p'rVE-rO, Kal e<; -rov Eil;EIVOV
1tov-rov eVaU1tl]yEt-rO -rPI~ pEI<; af',!,l -ra<; -rplaKov-ra, Kal
OlKOSOf'WV vaou<; -rE Kal ~a<rlAEla e1tEVOEI ~v Bu~av-rlou
1tOAIV au-rQ et<; -ra VaU-rIKa Eu1toplav 1tapE;E<r8al, W<r-rE
a;LOv AOYOU vau-rIKov e<; ~v 8aAa<r<rav E;ap'rVE<r8at· 'tfi
yap 8aAa<r<1!] AOYI~0f'EVO<; EVPI<rKEV, w<; et e1tIKpa't~<rEI,
pqov au'tQ 1tapaxwp~<rEIV Kal 'ta 'twv 1tOAEf'lwv. 'ESelf'a'to
St Kal aAAn a;la AOYOU, f'E'ta 't~v EV IIp01tov'tlSI Aatf'o-
K01tll]v, ~v 'tE EV Bu~av'tl4' aKp61tOAIV a;lw<; Myou, E<; 'ta<;
Xpu<rEa<; KaAouf'Eva<; IIuAa<;, 7tVpyou<; 'tE f'Eyl<r-rou<; Kal
a!;L08Ea'tOU<;, Kal 'ta EV'tO<; ~a<rlAEla, Kal ~V E1tl -rWV
LK01tlwv ye'!'upav E1t' A!;IQ 1to'taf'Q Kal ~a<rlAEla Ev ASPI-
aVOU1tOAEI, 1tepav 'tou TEapou, Ii S~ E<; 'tOY "E~pov EKSISOI'
Kal1tOAlXVl]v f'fV EV'tfi A<rlq 1tEpl MaSu'tov, Ii S~ <r-rEVW-
'ta'tov 'tov 'EAAI]<r1tOV'tou E<r1tAEOV-rI, Kal EV 'tli Eupw1tU
1toAlXVI]V hEpav a1teVav'tl 'tij<; EV A<rlq 1toAlXVI]<;, W<r'tE
EXUPOVV f'tv au'tQ ~v Bu~av'tlou 1tOAIV Kal 'tOY Ell!;EIVOV
{2.277J 1tov'tov, Kpa'rVvElv Sf Kal 'ta<; EV 'tQ 'EAAI]<r1tOV't4'
1tOAEI<; au'tQ, vau-rIKov 1tapExof'Eva<; ou <rf'IKpOV. Tau'ta
SElf'af'Evo<; Ka'ta ~v Eupw1tI]v Kal A<rlav 'rIJAE~OAOU<;
Ka8lO"'rl] e<; af''!'w 'ta 1toAlXVla 'tWV f'Eyl<r-rWV af',!,l 'tov<;
'tplaKov'ta Kal hEpOU<; OUK oAlyou<;. Nau<r-ra8f'ov Sf'tOV
'tauom av'tov xwpov 1tOII]<raf'Evol ooSEvl E1tl'tPE1tOu<rl1tap-
IEvat ~<rw E<; 'tOY 'EAA~<r1tOV'tov, av f'~ 'tQ 'tauom u1tapx4'
a1to~alvov-rE<; E1tI,!,alvwv'tat ol 1tAEOV'tE<; ~<rw. Tav'ta f'fV
au'tQ E1tE1toll]'to, w<; Ef'ol SOKe[, Sla -rOV 1tpO<; OUEVE'tOU<;
BOOK 10
accomplished his return home by that winter. He spent the
winter in Byzantion equipping a fleet. He built, in the Black
Sea, about thirty triremes, and he built shrines and palaces,
thinkiog that the city of Byzantion would provide him with
resources for naval activity, so that he might equip a signifi-
cant fleet on the sea. For he thought about the sea and con-
cluded that if he could dominate it, it would be easier for
him to overpower his enemies. He engaged in significant
constrnction projects in other places too, that is, after the
Throat Cutter in the Propontis,z3 for example, he signifi-
cantly built up the acropolis at Byzantion; at the so-called
Golden Gates he built huge towers that were quite a sight;24
also, the inner palace; the bridge to Skopje over the Axios
River;25 the palace at Adrianople, beyond the Tearos, where
it flows into the Hebros;26 a town in Asia near Madytos, at
the narrowest point of the Hellespont as you sail in; and yet
another town in Europe across from the one in Asia, so as
to secure for himself the city of Byzantion and the Black
Sea. 27 He also thereby strengthened his cities in the Helles-
pont, for they supplied him with significant fleets. After
completing these construction projects in Europe and Asia,
he placed cannons in both towns, about thirty of the larger
ones and many of the others as well. They made this area
into a naval port and would not allow anyone to sail into the
Hellespont unless those attempting to do so disembarked
and presented themselves to the prefect there. He did these
things, it seems to me, on account of the coming war with
 THE HISTORIES
ol ecroflevov nOAeflov, DV npo nOAAOU napacrKeva~oflevo,
ene-n'Jpel, onw, ampaAecr'm-ra at'mii -rov nOAeflov nOl~crat-rO,
'AAAa -rau-ra flEV oilnw tv -rtAel ~V napecrKevacrfltva, o-re
-rov npo, Ot'Jeve-rou, apaflevo, nOAeflov tnoAtflet,
16 To-re S1: tnlYlyvofltvou -rou Stpou, tcr-rpa-ret'Je-ro tnl
'lAAUPLOU, Kat 'lAAuplWV ~acrlAta, To fl1:v ouv yevo, -rou-ro
'lAAUplWV naAatoV -re Kal t, -rov 'IOVLOV <!JKI]fltvov, et'JSo-
Klflijcral-re nOAAaxft anoflvl]flovet'Je-raL KaAouv-rat S1: OU-rOl
-ra vuv Bocrvol, 'AAIC ol fli:v baAfI<hat Kat Mucrol afla Kal
Tpl~aAAol Kal npo, ye £-rl Lapfl,hal -rOU-rOl, -ri]v at'J-r~v
lenat -r~v 'l'wv~v Kat -r4i nanl napanAI]criav, w, fI~ xa-
Aenw, crUVltVat aAA~Awv at'J-rou" ElKo, S1: o'(ecrSat -rou-rou,
flaAAOV wPfll]fltvou, ana -rij, npo, -rov 'IOVLOV xwpa"
yevo, -re ov fltya Kal nOAAaxfi tVevSOKlflouv, -n'Jv -re
0pQ:KI]V imaywSat cr'l'icrlV au-roT" Kat -rov "Icr-rpov S,a-
~av-ra, -ri]v -rij, Lapfla-ria, xwpav oiKijcral, ij, W, i'VLOl
o'(onal, uno LKUSWV S,WKOfltvou, Sla~ijval -re t, -ri]v tnl
-raSe -rou "Icr-rpou xwpav, Kal Ka-racr-rpe'/tafltvou, -ri]v -rau-rn
0pQ:KI]V, i!cr-re tnl fluxoV -rou KOAnou {2.278} a'l"Kofltvou"
tvolKijcraL 0aufla~w St, et -rou, 'lAAupLOU, an0'l'atvoflevo,
'AA~avou, -reKflaipOl-rO -rl" <YUfI~aAAoflevo" W, 'lAAupLOl
oi npo, -r4i fluX4i -rou 'Iovlou txwpl]crav tnl -ri]v "Hnelpov
-re Kal At-rwAiav Kal 0enaAla, xwpav. 'AAIC O-rl fl1:v <<no
'EnlSaflvou fltXPl -rou Kapvepiou KaAoufltvou KOAnou
°
ana, xwpo, ou-ro, S,a-relvwv tnl cr-raSiou, flaAlcr-ra 1t)]
-rP'<YX'Aiou" ytvo, -re EV tVOlKel, Kal -rft at'J-rfj 'l'wvfj S,a-
xpwflevov, Kal tnl flecroyatav napijKov axP' -rou "Icr-rpou,
4 20
BOOK 10
the Venetians for which he had been preparing for some
time, so as to wage this war from the most secure position.
But his preparations were not yet completed when he began
to wage war with the Venetians. 28
In the following summer," he campaigned against the 16
Illyrians {i.e., the Bosnians} and the king of the Illyrians. 30
This Illyrian race is ancient and lives by the Adriatic Sea,
and they are mentioned as flourishing in many places. Today
they are called Bosnians. But the Dalmatians, Bulgarians,
Serbs, and Russians speak the same language as they do, or
an altogether similar one, so that it is not at all difficult for
them to understand each other. It is reasonable to suppose
that they set out from the land by the Adriatic Sea, being a
sizable race that had gained glory in many places, and that
they subjected Thrace to themselves and crossed the Dan-
ube to settle in the land of Russia. Or else, as some believe,
they were chased by the Skythians and crossed over onto
this side of the Danube, then they conquered Thrace until
they reached the inner parts of the gulf, and settled there.
But I am amazed at those who propose that the Illyrians are
the Albanians by arguing that the Illyrians by the inner gulf
of the Adriatic Sea moved to Epeiros, Aitolia, and Thessaly.31
Yet the entire region from Durres to the so-called Karnerian
Gulf {Quarnero} extends over a distance of about three
thousand stades, and only one people lives in it that speaks
the same language. It extends inland as far as the Danube
421
 THE HISTORIES
napaflEI~ov 'tE 't~V 'tOU LavSaAEw xwpav, Kal 'tOU 'tau't!j
~aOlAEW<; exoflevwv au't[Ka 'tWV TpL~aAAWV 'tE afLa Kal
Mvrrwv.
17 MaALrr-ra Se rrvfL~aAA6f1Evo<; exwv cl1tocpa[VErrSaL SLa 'to
enl fLeya 'to 'IAAVPLKOV yEVO<; xwpijrraL SvvafLEw<;, Kat ent
nOAAa 'tau't!j IYKESarrSijvaL ava ~V 0p<j:K']V, 'lAAVpLOV<;
fLillov 'to yEVO<; 'tOU'tO elVaL ~ AA~avou<;. Lvv-rlSEfLaL SE
Kal tKdvOL<; eywyE, 01 cpaIYKOVrrL 'to 'lAAvPLKov yEVO<; 'irrxELV
aLh<l' ~v enwvvfL[av ano -rij<; xwpa<;, SLaKEKp[rrSaL fLEV'tOL
u1tapxov, aAAo'tE aAA']v cpwv~v acpLEfLEvOV, Wrr-rE noAAa
yEV'] au'tou Kal rrcp[rrL SLEV']voX0'ta naflnav t<; 't~v cpwv~v,
AaXElv 'to(\vofLa 'tOU'to 'lAAvPLov<; KaAovfLEvov<;. AAAa
'tau'ta flEV ou'tw fLOL t<; 'torrou'tov avaYEypacpSw· d Se fL~
'to(\vofLa mho t<; yEVO<; 'tOU'to opSw<; e'ip']'taL, SLa SE ~v
xwpav, ijv tVOLKOUV, cpa(vE'taL ~v 'lAAvPLwv, a;Lov trr-rL
cpEpErrea[ o[ 'to(\vofLa 'tou'tO, Kat fL~ vEfLErrL<; e'i'] OU'tw CPpO-
VOUv-rL 1tEpl aiJ'twv. AA~avov<; yap eywyE fLMAOV 'tE 'toI<;
MaKESoOlnporr'tlSErreaL av AEYOLflL, ~ aAA,!, 'tLvl 'tWV Ka'ta
T~V otKovflEV,]V tevwv' OUSEV[ 'tE yap rrvfLcpEpov'taL, IhL fL~
TO MaKESovwv yEVO<;. AAAa TOUTWV fLEV nEpL aAL<; £rr-rw
TaUTa dp,]fLEva, KaAdrrewrrav Se fLOL T<l' 6vofiaTL TOUT'!',
'lAAvpLO[, [2.279J o[ nEpl 'tOy 'IOVLOV OtKOUv-rE<; axpL<; aKpa<;
'Irr-rp[a<; KaAovflEv']<; npo<; T<l' fLVX<l' TOU KOAnov, aVExourr']<;
Tau't!j t<; 'to neAayo<;, Kal o[ nEpl ~v Tau't!j flErroyaLOv
OtKOUV't£<; 'lAAvpLOl.
18 'Enl TOUTWV SE TOV ~arrLAea trr-rpaTEuETO ~arrLAEv<;
MEXfLE't']<;, O'tL TOV cpopOV au'tou, w<; en' aUTOV acp[KETO
~arrLAEa KijpV; KEAEUWV 'tOV TE cpopov anayELV O'tL TaXLrr-ra
422
BOOK 10
and borders on the territory of Sandalj32 and the adjacent
lands of the sultan among the Serbs and Bulgarians.
Based on the fact that the IIIyrian race has advanced to 17
great power and dispersed to many locations throughout
Thrace, I would draw the conclusion that this race consists
of Illyrians {SlavsJ, not Albanians. I also agree with those
who say that the Illyrian race derives its name from the land,
but that it has dispersed into groups that have spoken dif-
ferent languages at different times, so that it consists of
many races that differ from each other with respect to lan-
guage but to which this name, Illyrians [Slavs}, is given. But
let what I have written suffice for this matter. If this name
has not been properly applied to this race, that is, based on
the fact that the land in which they live has become the land
of the Illyrians {BosniansJ, still it is acceptable for it to bear
that name, and let there be no hostility against one who be-
lieves this about the matter. For I would say that the Alba-
nians should be associated more with the Macedonians than
with any other people in the world. For they are like no one
else, except the Macedonians. But let what I have said suf-
fice for these matters: I will call by the name Illyrians those
who live by the Adriatic Sea as far as the cape ofIstria, as it is
called, which, at the inner part of the gulf, extends out into
the sea, as well as the Illyrians who inhabit the inland re-
gions.
Sultan Mehmed campaigned against the king of these 18
people because of the tribute that he owed. A herald had
been sent to that king ordering him to send the tribute to
423
 THE HISTORIES
E<; Ta<; ~aOlAtw<; 8upa<; Kat fI~ olafleAAElv, <nJvaydpa<; TOV
<popov, ntv-rE i5VTa flupuioa<; crTaT~pwv, Kal Enlod;a<; Teji
~acrlAew<; K~pUKl, w<; £-rOlflo<; flEV E'{'] " <popo<; Kal w<; nap-
E<1KEuacrTo, OU flEVTOl yE np08uflelTat Enl1teflnoVTa Teji
~acrlAel Ta Xp~ flaTa <YTepEcr8at TOUTWV aUTov, OUoe Ot
KaAw<; "XElV, aAAa oUV TOUTOl<; Kal ~v nOAEflelv oen [noAE-
flElv} Teji ~acrlAel nOAEflov EnapaflEvov, iiflElVOV av napa-
crKEUaSOtTO E<; TOV nOAEflov, Kat ~V oen (ma(pOVTa iiAA']v
TlVa crTeAAEcr8at xwpav, TauTa "X0v-ra Ta xp~flaTa iiflElVOV
npa;ElV. Tov flEV ouv K~ pUKa Mynat EnEl1telV aKoucrav-ra
TOV<; A6you<; TOUTOU<;' "e:; ~acrlAEu T~crOE ~<; xwpa<;, aAAa
TauTa flev Ta xp~flaTa KaAw<; "XEl napa crOl eTVat fI~ Ta<;
crnovoa<; napa~a(voVTl. "Bv OeOla TaUTa napa~a(vwv olEl
iiflElVOV npa;Elv, otoolKa fI~ Xelpov crOl yevotTo Ola TaUTa.
:Lvv yap 8Eeji Kal TaUTa "XElV Ta xp~ flaTa nOAv iiflElVOV,
Kat oUV Teji 8Eeji au TOUTWV crTepEcr8at iiflElVOV, ~ u~p[­
SovTa E<; EKElvov nOAAanAacrla TOUTWV KEKT~cr8al."
19 TauTa " K~ pu; elnwv (m~AauvE napa ~aOlAea, Kat
anaYYElAa<; TOU '!AAuPlou TOV AOYov En~pE ~aOlAEa <YTpa-
TEUEcr8at en' afl<poTEpOU<;. 'Bv 0' aUTeji T']vlKauTa nacrl<;
Ent TOV ~aK[a<; ~yEfiova, E;u~p(cravTa flEyaAw<; E<; TOV TOU
~acrlAtw<; OTKOV Kat aVEAov-ra TOU<; npEcr~El<;. AAAa [2.280)
TOTE flev EAauvovTl Ent ~aKa<; OUK t;EyEVETO T(cracr8al ~a­
OlAea ·IAAuPlWv. Teji 0' tVlauTeji TOUT4', w<; nap~v aUTeji Ta
<YTpaTEUflaTa E<; T~V AoplavounoAlv (mo TE T~<; Acr(a<; Kat
~<; Eupw1t']<;, ~po<; tnlYEvofltvou t;~AauvEv Ent'IAAupl-
OU<;, tv veji "xwv tcr~aAelv Kal t<; ~v :LavoaAEw xwpav.
Tov oe ~acrlAta TOilTov naloa DVTa vo80v TOU np6TEpoV
BOOK 10
the sultan's Porte as quickly as possible and not to delay,
and he had gathered the tribute, which was fifty thousand
staters, and had shown it to the sultan's herald so he could
see that it was ready and set to go, but he was not willing to
send the money on to the sultan and thereby lose it himself
Nor was his intention innocent, for if he decided to wage
war against the sultan, then with this money he could better
prepare for war; and, if he had to go to some other land, it
would be easier for him to do so with this money. When the
herald heard these words, it is said that he remarked, "0
king of this realm, it would be good for you not to violate
the treaty for the sake of this money. If you violate it for its
sake, you may think that you are gaining an advantage, but I
fear that your position might become worse on its account.
With the will of God it is much better now that you have
this money, and again with the will of God it is better that
you part with it than give offense to one who has many times
as much."
That is what the herald said and he then returned to the 19
sultan. He reported what the Illyrian had said and thereby
roused the sultan to campaign against them both." But
he was then involved in the campaign against the ruler of
Wallachia, who had committed that huge offense against
the sultan's household and killed his envoys.34 Because he
was campaigning against the Wallachians he was not able
to punish the king of the Illyrians. This year, however, his
armies assembled at Adrianople from both Asia and Europe,
and with the arrival of spring he set out against the Illyrians,
intending to invade the land ofSandalj as well. This king was
the illegitimate child of the previous king of the Illyrians. 35
 THE HISTORIES
~arrlAew<; 'IAAUPlWV, Kal 1tpO<; -roil<; aSeAcpoil<; au-rou Sl-
!]veYf!evov wpf!!]f!evou<; E1tl TIjv -r~<; xwpa<; ~yef!0VLaV, Kal
Sla1tpeO"~ev0f!evov w<; ~ao"lAea, E1te-rpcmov-ro au-r<ji Slat-
-r!]-rft, a1teSel;e -re -rou-rov ~ao"lAEa ~<; xwpa<;, Kal'1O"aaKn
-r<ji LK01tLWV imapx'!' Of!OpOUv-rL -re .0<; TIjV -rWV 'IAAUPlWV
xwpav, 01tW<; au-r<ji -rlf!WpWV o"uVe1tlA<X~Ol-rO f.<; TIjV ~ye­
f!0VLaV. Kal O"'rpa-rov au-r<ji 1tapexoflevo<; E1tl -roil<; aSEA-
cpoil<; -r~v -re xwpav ESiJou Kal ~VSpa1tOSL~E-rO, Kal au-rov .0<;
-r~V ~ao"lAeLaV Ka-raO"'r!]O"<Xf!EVO<; E1toAEf!el -rol<; aSEAcpol<;
iif!a -r<jiSE -r<ji 'IAAUPlWV ~arrlAeT.
20 Kal1tAEtO"-ra SE -rau-r!]<; ~<; xwpa<; avSp<X1toSa aYOf!eVOl
ol ToupKWV -rau-r!]V Of!OpOV OLKOUV-rE<; -r~V xwpav. I1aO"wv
SE -rWV 1tOAeWV apxwv, WV ~ f!et<; 'iO"f!EV, avSp<X1toSa EO"-rE
TIjV Eupw1t1]v Kal E<; -r~V AO"LaV A!]'lO"<Xf!eVOl Sle~L~a~OV.
KalE; o-rou TIjv LK01tLWV 4\KlO"E 1tOAlV, Kal '1!]O"ou<; 6 'IO"a-
<XKEW 1tat<; E1tl-rpo1teuwv imo ~ao"lAEw<; -rau-r!]v TIjv 1tOALV,
w<; 1tAelO"-ra, WV ~flel<; 'iO"flev, Sla 1tOAAOU Xpovou EA!]'l~E-rO
TIjv 'IAAuPlWV xwpav, Kal a1tocpepe0"9at avSp<X1toSa, oO"a
f!~ ltv 1to-re EA1tLO"at EveYKelV -r~v xwpav f.KeLV!]V. I1uv9<xvo-
f!al SE TIjv xwpav Sl~Kelv a1to ~<; Tpl~aAAwv xwpa<; Kal
L'lopO~[K!]<; 1to-raf!ou E<; TIjv LaVSaAeW xwpav Kal E1tl -rov
'Iovlov KOA1tOV, O'-raS[ou<; f.<; oK-raKoO"Lou<; -ro {2.28I} fl~KO<;,
-ro SE 1tAa-ro<; E1tlSl"XlALOU<; flaAlO"'r<x:n:n O"'raSLou<; 1tap~KElV
TIjv xwpav E<; -roil<; I1aLova<; Kal f.<; Tpl~aAAou<;. Kal a1to
f!EV -rwv Tpl~aAAwv EXE-rat au-rLKa ~ xwpa -rOU '1O"a<XKew'
f!e-ra SE ~ -rOU I1auAou xwpa Kal al1tOAel<; 1tapa-relvouO"al
.0<; au-r~v -rwv 'IAAUPlWV ~aO"lAEw<; xwpav.
" 'E1tOAEflOUV f!EV OO-rOl Kal1tpo-rEpOV -r<ji ~ao"lAel, O-rE flEV
BOOK 10
He had fallen out with his brothers who set out to claim the
rule over the land, and had sent an envoy to the sultan. They
allowed him to arbitrate, and he appointed him king over
that land; and he turned to Ishak, the prefect of Skopje, a
neighbor of the land of the Illyrians, that he might serve as
his protector in his claim to the realm. He gave him an army
to use against his brothers while he himself plundered the
land and took many slaves. He established him on the
throne and fought his brothers together with this king of
the Illyrians. 36
The Turks who live next to this land have led away a great 20
many slaves from it. They were plundering slaves and trans-
porting them on to Europe and Asia from all the cities there
of which we knOw. And from the time that he settled the
city of Skopje, isa, the son ofIshak, who supervised that city
on the sultan's behalf, plundered the land of the Illyrians for
a long time and more thoroughly than anyone else of whom
we know, and carried away more slaves than one would have
ever expected that land to provide. I have learned that this
territory extends from that of the Serbs and the Drina River
to the land of Sandalj and the Adriatic Sea, having a length
of eight hundred stades and a width of about two thousand
stades, until it reaches the Hungarians and the Serbs. The
territory ofIshak is adjacent to that of the Serbs; next comes
the territory of the PavloviCi,37 and the cities that extend as
far as the land of the king of the Illyrians itself
The Illyrians too had previously fought against the 21

THE HISTORIES
E<; -rOU<; Tpl~anOU<;, o-re Se Ka1 E<; -rOU<; I1a[ova<; -raAaV-
-r£tJOfl£VOl, Ka1 Enayofl£vol -rou<; TOUPKOtJ<; EArfl1;ov-ro Ti]v
'IAAtJp'WV ofiopoV xwpav. Ka1 npo<; -rou<; Tpl~anOU<;
EnOAEf'OtJV, Ka1 6 -rWV Tpl~aAAwv ~Y£f'wv EK(J'Tpa-rwof'£-
VO<; EnoAlopK£l -rit<; nOA£l<;, fleTit Se -rao-ra O'n£lO'af'£vo<;
e[p~V!]V liy£lV E<; -rou-rotJ<;. Ka1 LaVSaA!]<; f'ev -rOU-rOl<; Ka1
npo-r£pov EnoAEf'£l, Kal Enay0f'£vo<; O'-rpa-rov -roo ~aO'lAtw<;
EA!]t1;£-ro Ti]v xwpav EKdvwv. 'n0'-r£ f'OVOl S~ OU-rOl
aAA~AotJ<; CPEPOV-r£<;, Ka1 EnaY0f'£vol O'-rpa-rov E~AtJSa -roo
~aO'lAtw<;, f'£yaAw<; S~ i'~Aa=ov au-rwv Ti]v xwpav,
avSpanoSwv w<; nAdO'Twv uno -rwv O'Tpa-rwv anayof'evwv
EKClcr-rOTe, Ka1 cpS£lP0f'EV!]<; nj<; xwpa<; E<; -rit f'aAlO'-ra. To-r£
f'ev oiiv Ka1 6 'IO'aaK!]<; Ka1 6 I1aoAo<; O'1JVSefl£VOl 0'1Jf'-
flax[av -r<!i 'IAAtJPlWV ~aO'lAel, Sl£VOOOv-ro Kal au-rolnoA£-
f'ov aV£AEO'Sat -r<!i ~aO'lAel, ~v -rl ano I1alovwv Ka-ra-
Aaf'~aVn -rou<; TOUPKOtJ<;.
'2 BaO'lA£u<; Se w<; ~AatJv£, Sle~!] f'ev -rov Ll.OpO~[K!]V no-
-raf'ov, 0<; Ti]v -r£ Tpl~anWV Kal 'IAAtJPlWV xwpav SldpY£l,
Sla~it<; Se Enl 'IAAtJPlO'OV no-raf'ov vatJO'[nopov av-ra SlE~!].
'0 Se n£1;o<; O'Tpa-ro<; vatJO'[v, it<; au-roo vatJn!]Y£lO'Sat
EKEAW£' -rou<; Sf. 1nnotJ<; {z.zSz} acpfjK£v E<; -rev no-raf'ov
Sla~fjval -rit O'-rpa-r£uf'a-ra. 'Eytv£-ro Sf. " O'-rpa-ro<; oli-ro<;
-roo ~acrlAEW<; E<; n£v-r£Ka[S£Ka f'tJplaSa<; LnnEwv. '0 yitp S~
O'-rpa-ro<; ou-ro<; nA~v -rwv V£!]AUSWV Ka1 a1;an[Swv, 01 au-r<!i
napay[yvov-rat E<; -rov n"A£f'ov n£1;ol OVTe<;, Ka1 OO'Ol
unotJpyfjO'at au-r<!i -rit E<; xpdav napd!] "'XPelo<; Of'lAO<;, 0
Aomo<; -roo ~aO'lAtw<; O'-rpa-ro<; inn£u£l, f'aAlO'-ra S'
BOOK 10
sultan, siding now with the Serbs and now with the Hungar-
iaos, and they had even invited the Turks in aod plundered
the land that neighbored on their own. They fought against
the Serbs too, aod the ruler of the Serbs had marched out
aod besieged their cities. After that he made peace with
them." Sandalj had previously fought them too: he brought
in ao army from the sultan and plundered their land. 39 So
that all by themselves they clashed with each other, and by
bringing in the foreign armies of the sultao they greatly
harmed their own realms, for each time these armies would
lead away multitudes of slaves aod their land was being de-
stroyed to ao extreme degree. At that time Ishak aod Pav-
lovic made a joint alliaoce with the king of the Illyrians and
it was their intention too to make war against the sultan if
the Turks were defeated by the Hungarians.
The sultao advanced, crossed the Drina River that sepa- "
rates the laod of the Serbs from that of the Illyriaos, aod
then he crossed at the Illyrisos River,40 which is navigable.
The land army was placed on ships, which he ordered to be
built there. He let the horses loose in the river to ferry his
armies across. This army of the sultao amounted to one hun-
dred and fifty thousaod cavalry. As for this army, then, ex-
cept for the janissaries aod azaps, who go to war with him
on foot, aod all those who serve mundane needs aod make
up the noncombatant mob, the rest of the sultan's army is
cavalry, to a greater proportion than aoy other of which we
 THE HISTORIES
av9pw1twv, wv ~f'el, '(<rf'ev. i\yov'I"al SI; xai iJ1tO~uyla 1tOA-
Aa1tAa(na, W, xai1tpo'l"epov f'0l SeS~AW'I"al.
23 D, SE 'l"OV '!AAuPl<rOV Sla~a, E<rE~aAev E, ~v xwpav,
1tpW'I"OV f'Ev [E1ti} Bo~o~ixl]v 1tOAlV E1ti 'tfi E<r~OAfi xa'l"a-
<1'l"a<rav E1tOAlOpXel. 'H SE 1tOAl, aihl] <i\xl]'I"at EpUf'V~ o;)<ra
E1ti ut'lAoii ilpou,. TI]Ae~oAOl, SeSlnof'evo, 'l"OU, EV 'tfi
1tOAEl U1t'l"iOl, 'l"e xai 'l"ot, '(<rOl" 1tape<r~<ra'l"o 'I"~V 1tOAlV.
Kai'l"o f'tv athoii Xa'l"EAl1te, '1"0 Se Swpl]<raf'evo, Toupxwv
'l"OV, api<1'!"ou" '1"0 'l"pi'l"ov a1tE1tef''itev E, Bu~av'I"LOv. A1to St
Bo~o~ixl], aU'I"ixa EXfAwe Maxouf'ou'l"l]v, E1tlAe!;af'evov
'l"OV, 'tij, Eupw1tl], ap[<1'!"ou, 1tpo'ltval E, 'l"OV xwpov, E, DV
av 1tuv94vOl'l"0 'l"OV '!AAuPlWV ~a<rlAta Sla'l"pi~eLV, 1tpiv S~
'l"a ~a<rLAEla uq>' au'l"ov 1tol~<ra<r9at. 0;)'1"0, f'ev O;)V Aa~wv
'l"OU'l"OU, ~Aauve xa'l"a xp4'1"o, ava~ijvat Sla 'l"oii 1to'l"af'oii.
'EA9wv St f., rahlav xai1tu9of'evo" w, ~a<rlAev, 1tPOtOl,
Sla~a, 'l"OV 1to'l"aflov, f.1ti KAl'l"il]v 1tOAlV ouSev f.1tl<YXwv
n
SpOfl'l' avt~l], 'l"OV 1to'l"aflov e;)pev f., 'l"pia yevoflevov, xai
Sla~a, a<pixe'l"o f.1ti KAl'l"il]v SW'l"epato,.
24 Ba<rlAev, SI; apa, Ev'l"eiigev a<pixe'l"o f.1ti rahlav, 'l"a
'!AAuPlWV ~a<rLAEla. Kai W, [z.z83} f.1tEAa<rev, aU'l"[xa ~ 'l"e
1tOAl, 1tpo<rexwpl]<re xa9' 0f'0Aoy[av' w, yap Bo~o~ixI]V
f.1tl\90v'l"0 ",AWVat U1tO ~a<1lAeW" 1ta<rwv S~ 6xupw'I"4'1"l]v,
a1hixa ai Aol1tai1tOAet, xa9[<r'l"av'l"0 f., <po~ov xai wPfll]V'l"O
a1ho, 'l"l, exa<r'l"o, <p9ijval, ~ouAoflevo, ~a<rlAet xapi~w9at
1tpo<yxwpwv. O[ flev O;)V f.V ra'i'l"iq, w, ~a<rlAev, anoii
f.1tEAa<re, 'l"OV, 1tpoe<r'l"w'I"a, ~ 1tOAl, 1tEfI'ita<ra w, ~a<rlAfa
1tapeSiSou 'l"e <r<pa" xai ~!;iouv 1tOAl'l"eue<r9at xa'l"a 'l"a
1t4'1"pla. Kat <ruveXWpet flev aU'I"ot" ana ~!;iouv <r<p[<rl
430
BOOK 10
know. They also bring along many times the number of pack
animals, as I explained earlier. 4 !
When he crossed the Illyrisos and invaded the land, he 23
first besieged the city of Bobovac, which was sitnated along
the invasion route. 42 This city is settled on a high mountain
and is well protected. He terrified the townspeople with his
cannons, both the horizontal ones and the upturned mor-
tars, and he subjected the city. He left part of its people
there, gave another part to the leading Turks, and sent the
third to Byzantion. He then ordered Malunud to pick the
best men from the army of Europe and go from Bobovac to
wherever he learned that the kiog of the Illyrians was re-
siding, before he subjected the palace to himsel£ He43 took
them and marched with all his might to travel upriver to
higher ground. He came to ]ajce, where he learned that the
king had already moved on: he had crossed the river and
gone up toward the city of Kljuc, facing no obstacles along
the way. He came to the point where the river splits into
three; he crossed it and arrived at Kljuc on the second day.
The sultan moved on from there [Bobovac} and arrived 24
at ]ajce, the royal court of the Illyrians. As soon as he came
close, the city surrendered to him under terms. For when
they had learned that Bobovac, which was the most forti-
fied of all, had fallen to the sultan, thereupon the remaining
cities were frightened and each then wanted to be the first
to go over to the sultan and gain his favor. As for those in
]ajce, when the sultan drew near, the city sent out its leading
men to the sultan to surrender themselves, and asked to be
governed according to their traditions. He granted the
43 1
 THE HISTORIES
ITUYXWPl]ElijVaL into ~a<TlAew<;' fI£TIt Se, w<; -ri]v ItKponoAlv
napaAa~wv, ,!,poupltv i''!'aLV£V ev aUTfj, naTSa<; T£ TWV
aplITTWV enlAd;aflEvo<; eauT4' TE Ka1 nEpLE;EAOflEVO<; Kal
Tlva<; ToT<; afl'!" ainov SleV£lflE.
25 TaUT!]V fll:v ouv -ri]v nOAlv w<; aUTlKa nap¢Aa~EV,
eKeAEUIT£ MaxoufloUTI]V TOV TWV Elupwv ijYEflova, ava-
Aa~OVTa TOV Tij<; Eupwn!]<; ITTpaTOV, tAauv£lv OTl TaXlITTa
en1 TOV ~aITlAea TWV 'IAAUPlWV' enuvElavETo yltp ev Tfj no-
A£l, Tij<; ra'iTla<; an£xouITtj ijflEpWV neVTE "SOV, 8laTpl~ElV
Kapa80KOiiVTa, l'i eKxwpijIT£l Tit 'IAAUPlWV npaYflaTa. 'R SI:
nOAl<; aUT!], ev l'i i'flEVE ~aITlAEU<;, KaA£LTaL KAlTl!], Kat
as£A'!'oii aUToii nalSa afl,!,l Tit TplITKalS£Ka tTl] YEYOVOTa
SlaTpl~£lV e1tl]yyeAAETo MaxouflouTt]. Aa~wv fll:v ouv TOV
Tij<; Eupw1tI]<; ITTpaTOV SEuT£paTo<; a'!'lKv£TTaL tn1 TOV no-
Taflov {... J! Touvofla, VaUITlnOpOV, 4i S~ flaAllTTa Elappwv
'!AAUPlWV ~aITlAEu<; vau<Tlnop4J TE OVTl, Ka1 flEyaAwv vewv
't£ aUK Evavcrwv 'tQ 1to'tattQ, aUK ltv 1to't£ ¢e'ta SLa~av'ta~
TOV nOTaflov eAaITaL tn' aUTOV.
26 n<; 81: eVTaiiEla tneAaITEV " {2.284J ITTpaTo<; e<; TOV no-
Taflov, eVTaiiEla em<T1tEUSWV MaxoufloUT!]<; TOU<; Toii ITTpa-
ToneSou aplITTou<;, OIITTE Sla~avTa<; TOV nOTaflov i'pyov
fleya epya<TaITElal ~a<TlAE1, =AAa~6VTa<; 'IAAuPlWV ~a<Tl­
Aea, ,,'A£y£ TO laSE' "iiVSpE<; ToiipKOl, viiv Tl<; vflwv i'KaITTo<;
aUTWV ,!,avijTw av~p ayaEl6<;, nOTaflov TOVSE nE~ft 8la~a<;'
OU yltp flEAijlT£l aVT4' TlVl npwT4J Sla~aVTl fI~ fleya Tl
anOlITEITElal naplt ~aITlAew<;." TaiiTa ElnOVTo<; en£lpwvTo
8la~alv£lv ot Toii ~aITlAew<;. 'EvTaiiEla S~ npwTo<; AeYETal
'0 flap!]<; " ToupaxavEw naT<;, 8ETIaAla<; unapx0<;, <TiIv
43 2
BOOK 10
demands that they made of the sultan on their own behal£
Then, he received the citadel, established a garrison in it, se-
lected the sons of the leading men for himself, and selected
some others too whom he distributed to his own men.
As soon as Mehmed received this city, he ordered 25
Mahmud, the lord of the Porte, to take the army of Europe
and march as quickly as he could against the king of the
Illyrians. 44 For he had learned that the king was biding his
time in a city that was five days' journey distant fromJajce,
waiting to see how Illyrian affairs would turn out. This city,
in which the king was residing, is called Kljue, and Mahmud
was informed that he was residing there with his brother's
son, who was about thirteen years 01d. 45 So he took the army
of Europe and on the second day reached the river named
{...J46, which is navigable. In fact, the king of the Illyrians
had placed his hopes in this river even though it was naviga-
ble, as there were no large ships on the river and so his en-
emy would never think of crossing the river to come against
him.
When the army reached the river, Mahmud urged on its 26
leading men to cross the river and perform a great deed for
the sultan, by arresting the king of the Illyrians. He said the
following: "Turkish men, now let each of you show his met-
tle by crossing this river on foot. For the one who crosses
first will not fail to receive a great boon from the hands of
the sultan." When he said this, the sultan's men attempted
to cross. It is said that the first was Orner, the son ofTura-
han and the prefect of Thessaly: he and his men advanced
433
 THE HISTORIES
'tolo; afl<p' au'tov tAauVOV't£o; EL<Ybr£<Yov to; 'tov :n:o'taflov, Kat
~paxV 'tl SlavI']xofl£VOI S"t~atVOV, Kal (, AOl:n:OO; afla <Y'tpa-
'tOO; au'tIKa Slt~aIV£. l",a~av't£o; Sf. ao'tIKa t:n:tSpaflov
xwpav, 0\<Y't£ 'tOV '!AAUPIWV ~a<rIA£a Sel<Yav'ta, fI~ to; <punv
'tpa:n:ofl£vov t:n:£I<Y:n:£<YOV't£o; 01 1:n::n:oSpOflOl Ka'taAa~W<YI,
Kat t:n:l K(VSUVOV {A9!].' E[ Sf. ao'tcji fI~ AI']<p9dl'], OIXOfl£VOo;
ava<Yw~£'tal to; :n:OAIV ao'tou 'tlva, ii IIvofla KAI'tIl']. Ka'ta-
<puywv Sf. :n:OALOPK£l-rat u:n:o Maxoufloo't£W.
27 'H Sf. :n:OAIO; 4\KI']'ta1 flf.v tv XWPIC!' 'tlvl tAWS£I. Kal 0"'1']
:n:ap' ao~v fI£yaAa, Sla :n:OAAOU Sla't£(vov-ra, txupav :n:Olel
Kat 00 ~arrlflov. To't£ Sf. u:n:o Kaufla'too; a:n:o~I']poufl£vov 't£
~v 'to XWPIOV a:n:av. Kal t:n:£Aarrao; (, <Y'tpa'too; t:n:OAIOPK£1
~v :n:OAIV, Kat KaAaflov, 00; a<p90voo; ~V :n:apa ~V :n:OAIV,
t:n:l:Jt(:n:'tOv-r£o; SI£<p0POUV to; ~V 'ta<ppov, wo;:n:iip tv~<YOV't£o;
to; 'tOV KaAaflov Kat Sla 'tOU :n:upoo; a[p~<Yov'tto; 't£ 'touo; tv
'tfi :n:OA£I, ~i" aKOV'tao; to; (,floAoy(av :n:apa<Y'tl']<Yofl£VOI.
Tau'ta flev el<Yopwv't£o; 01 'tou '!AAUPIOU <Y'tpa'tlw'tat Kal o[
'tijo; :n:OA£WO;, Kal olofl£vOI, fI~ av Suv~<y£<y9al t:n:l :n:OAU
avn'X£lv :n:OAIOPKoufl£vOI, :n:pO<YE<p£pOV AOYOUo; {z.z85} 'tcji
Maxouflou'tt] wo; <Y<pao; 'to au'touo; :n:apaSw<Yov't£o;, Kat t<p' <l>
~a<YlAta <Y<PWV ao'twv flI']S' (,'tIOUV xaA£:n:ov :n:el<Y£<Y9at u:n:o
~a<YlAtwo;, 1tporrxwp~<Yal 'to, ~V opKla ytVOl'tO O[ t<p' <l>
aya90v flEV, xaA£1tOV Sf. flI']Sf.V u:n:o<r'tijval u:n:o ToupKwv.
Tau'ta :n:PO"rrxOflEVOU 'tOU '!AAUPLOU tStx£'tO 't£ 6 Maxou-
flou'tl']O; Kal t=tvS£'to. "OpKLOV Se ao'tcji 1toll']<Yafl£voo;, t<p'
oIo; 1tpoo'tl9£'to, 'tov 'to ~a<YlAEa t;lov-ra tK 'tijo; :n:OA£WO;,
:n:aptAa~t 't£ 't~v :n:6AIV, Kat 'to flf.v tv 'tfi :n:OA£1 to; 'tpla Sl-
£AOfI£voo; 'to flev ao-rou Ka'ttAl:Jt£, 'to Se ao'too; <rVV Kal 'tolo;
434
BOOK 10
and plunged into the river, and after a short swim they
crossed it. The rest of the army then also crossed it. As soon
as they had crossed, they raided the land so that the king of
the Illyrians began to fear that, ifhe fled, the cavalry raiders
would come after him and overtake him, and then he would
be in grave danger. In order to avoid being captured, he de-
parted and sought safety in a city nearby whose name is
Kljue. He fled there and was besieged by Mahmud.
The city is located in a marshy region. The swamps 27
around it are large, extend over a wide area, and protect it by
making it inaccessible. But at that time the entire area hap-
pened to be bone-dry because of a heat wave. So the army
marched up to the city and besieged it, throwing reeds,
which grow abundantly next to the city, into the ditch to fill
it up. They intended to set fire to the reeds and so over-
power the people in the city and force them, against their
will, to come to terms. When the Illyrian soldiers and the
townspeople saw what was happening, they concluded that
they would not long be able to endure in a siege, and so they
began to negotiate with Mahmud about their surrender, on
condition that their king would not be at all harmed by the
sultan: he would submit if he received oaths to the effect
that the Turks would treat him well and cause him no harm.
Mahmud accepted the terms proposed by the Illyrians and
made the treaty. He took an oath to him on the terms that
had been proposed for the king to come out of the city. He
then received the city and divided its people into three: he
left one part there, he distributed the second among himself
435
 THE HISTORIES
apl<Y'rol, OlaVfl[la[lEVO" 'r0 'rpl'rov enaywv 'r<iJ ~a<YlAE1
eowp~<Ya'ro. Oihw [lev oov " 'IAAUPlWV ~a<YlAEu, MAW ev
KAl'rln, Kat aOEA<poii 'rE a[la athoii na1" a[l<pt 'ra 'rPl<Y-
KaloEKa E'l''1 YEYOVW,.
,8 'H oe yuv~ aU'roii npO'rEpoV l<p9'1 e, 'Payou~lOv nOAlV
~V e, 'rl>v 'IovlOV ola<puyoii<Ya, KalnAoii'rov nOAUV anEvEy-
Ka[lev'1 0'{XE<Y9at yvW[ln 'roii avopo,. 'H oe nOAl, au'r'1
<llKl<Y'rat [lev uno 'rWV 'rau'rn 'IAAUplWV, avopwv e1Cl<pavwv
e, 'ra(J'ro <YUVlOnwv. Kal aAA~AOl, 'rE enlnOAU <YU[l<pEpO[lE-
VOL, 'r~V 'rE nOAlV eoel[lano oxupav Kal nlX'1 nEplE~aA­
AOV'rO Kap'rEpa. 'E[lnoplav oe ~V 'rE Ka'r' ~nElpov Kal ~V
e, 'r0 'I6vlov [lE'rlOV'rE" ent [lEyl<Y'rOV 'rWV 'rau"n nOAEwv
a<plKO[lEV'1, [laAl<Y'ra 'rE a[la Kat Euvo[l~9'1 e, apl<Y'ro-
Kpa'rlav OLi9uvO[lEV'1, o[Kooo[llat, 'rE KO<Y[loiiv'rE, ~V
<Y<pwv nOAlv, a[luopav [ltv 'rlva oo<Yav, aya9~v oe e, avopa,
<ptperr9at aya90iJ, 'ra e, rrUVE<YlV.
'9 'O[lope1 [lev OOV au'r'1 ~ n6Al, 'Cfi ~avoaAEw XWP\l, Kat
e,
nOAE[lOV avatpou[ltv'1 ath<iJ ErrxE ola<popav Kat enoA£[lEl.
T~v [lEV oov al'rlav 'rij, ola<popii" W, {2.286} E[lOlyE 00KE1,
Enl<pEp6[lEVOV 'rov ~avOaA'1v aolKw, avaYKCtrral <Y<pii,
'rl> noAE[lij<Yal. Tov [ltV'rOl na10a 'rou'rou, vEavlav OUK
ayEvij <rVv 'Cfi [l'1'rpl Ka'ra<puyov'ra e, 'Payou~lOv, Kat [l~
OUK eKoloOV'ra, e~at'rou[l£vCjJ a,J'l'OU" n6AE[lOV 'rE e~VEYKE
Kat ~V yijv E'rE[lEV. OO'rOl [lEV oov 'rov na10a aU'roii <Y'rpa-
'r'1yl>v tAO[lEVOl Kat xp~[la'ra napEX"[lEVOl a<p90va enoAt-
[louv 'r<iJ ~avoaAn ola<ptpov'rE, 'rOV nOAE[lov.
)0 T~v oe a['rlav 'ratJ'l''1v <pa<Ylv, a<p' ~, 0 'rE nat, aU'roii Kal
~ yu~ <pEUyonE, a1t'1AACtrr<Yono e, 'rau'r'1v ~v noAlv.
BOOK 10
and his leading men, and he led the third away to present to
the sultan. Thus the kiug of the Illyrians was taken at Kljue,
and with him his brother's sou, who was about thirteen.
The king's wife, however, had already escaped and gone ,8
to Ragusa, a city on the Adriatic Sea. 47 She took much wealth
with her when she departed, with her husband's cousent.
This city was founded by the Illyrians in that area, by distin-
guished men who had come together in a common enter-
prise and had greatly assisted each other. They built the city
to be secure and surrounded it with powerful walls. They
trade with the hinterland and along the Adriatic Sea, and so
this city has become the most prominent of all in that re-
gion. It is especially well governed, its affairs managed by an
aristocracy, and they adoro their city with buildings. It may
be undistinguished but it is good at producing men who are
prudent and sensible.
This city borders on the land of Sandalj and has had to go '9
to war with the latter over their differences, and fight it out.
The cause of this falling out, it seems to me, is that Sandalj
conducted himself with injustice and forced them to go to
war.48 For his son, a young man of noble origins, had fled to
e, Ragusa along with his mother and the Ragusans would not
hand them over to him {Sandalj} when he demanded it, so
he brought war upon them and cut them off from their
lands. The Ragusans elected his son general and gave him
abundant sums of money to wage a war against Sandalj.49
The Ragusans give the following reason for why Sandalj's )0
son and wife fled and went over to this city, There came
437
 THE HISTORIES
ruvaiKa TlVa T<ii elSEl EUrepE1tij AEyoflEV']V, TOV SE ~[ov
aKOAa<rrOV ouo-av, reapayEvoflEV']V areo <PAWpEVT[ae; 'rije;
'haAlae; te; T~V eauToil xwpav, We; treuv8avETo Tae; tv <PAW-
pEVTlq yuvaiKae; KMAEl reoAAWV Sla<I'Epouo-ae; Kat <YUVEo-El,
eKaAEO-E TE ee; ihJrlV ~v eauToil, lSeIv TE lflElpOflEVOe;, Kat
we; e8Eao-aTo we; KaAA[<rr']V £IVaL, ~pao-8'] TE 'rije; YUVaLKOe;,
Kat epao-8ele; flET' ou reoAv o-UVEYEVETO Kat T<ii epWTl
xaAEreWe; eAafl~aVETO Kat o-UV<!>KEl Tn yuvalK[, Kal Suo-ava-
O-XETWV ~S'] 'T<ii epwTl 'rije; YUVaLKOe; WAlYWPEl TE ltfla Kat
~flEAEl 'rije; eauToil KOUplSl']e; YUVaLKOe;. T~v SE yuvaiKa
<pao-l'TWV tflre6pwv exoflEV']V areo <PAwpEv-rlae; a<pIx8al te;
~V xwpav. Tav'Tn flEV OUV <YUVOlKWV 0 LavSaA,]e; 'Tft yu-
VaLKt Ereax8~e; ~V Kat a<p6p']TOe;. Ll.l' It S~ OUK avaO-X0fltv']
eret realSt veavlq 'TolailTa avtXEo-8aL, SElVa reoLOuflEV'] flETa
Toil reaLSOe; au'rije; Kpv<pa te; ~V 'Payou~lou re6Alv are']A-
Aao-o-ETo. OUTOe; flEV ouv Slarep£<y~Evo-ae; ~;lou TE imoo-TpE-
<pElV te; ~v xwpav aUToil Kat fl~ tv aAAo'Tplq XWN Sla-
Tpl~£lV, aTO-X0e; ilv TOSE tm<pEpElV te; TOVe; av8pwreoue;.
'H flEV OUV yUV~ OUK treel8E'TO, (2.287} ouS' ureo<rrpE<pElV
e<pa<YKEV, ltv fl~ ~V yuvaiKa areoreEfl'it'1Tal te; <PAwpEv-rlav,
~ au'Tft reap' aUT<ii XP~"'1TaL, we; iiv ~ovA']Tal.
3' TailTa flEV ouv oihw YEvto-8aL AEyETaL, TOV SE reaISa
aUToil SlEVEx8Ev-ra Kat imo 'Payou~lwv o-'TpaT']Yov KaTa-
<rravTa reOAEflelv T<ii reaTpl, flaXEo-aflEVOV TE T<ii reaTp[, ola
afluvoflEVOV ee; T~V <pV(YlV, TpEvao-8a[ TE aUTov TOV reaTtpa
Kal o-u)(V0ve; aVEAOVTa Toil <rrpa'Toil aUToil, a8EfllTa repoo--
<PEPOflEVOV T<ii reaTpl aUToil Kat imEvav-r[a 'rije; SlK']e;.
'ErepEO-~EvETO flEV ouv Kal OUTOe; 8afla we; 'TOV ~a<rlAEa
BOOK 10
from Florence in Italy to his own land a woman who was
said to be handsome to behold but lascivious in her habits. 50
He had heard that the women of Florence were exceptional
for their beauty and wit, and he summoned her into his pres-
ence as he longed to see her. When he saw how beautiful she
was, he fell in love with the woman and, being infatuated,
it was not long before he slept with her. He was severely
smitten with passion and lived with this woman openly. He
was tormented by love for this woman and neglected his
own lawful wife. They say that the woman had been brought
to his land from Florence by merchants. So as Sandalj lived
with this woman, he was odious and unbearable to his wife.
Unable to endure this terrible situation with a young son,
she left in secret with her son and went to the city of Ra-
gusa. Sandalj sent envoys demanding that she return to his
land and not reside in foreign territory, as this sort of thing
brings shame upon people. But his wife would not obey
him and said that she would not return unless he sent that
woman back to Florence, or else he could treat her in what-
ever way he saw fit. sl
That was how those events are said to have happened. So 3'
Sandalj's son fell out with him and was appointed general by
the Ragusans to wage war against his father. He fought a
battle against him, whereas by nature he should have been
fightingfor him, and he routed him, killing many men in his
army.S2 He thus acted improperly toward his father and vio-
lated justice. The latter too, now, was often sending envoys
439
 THE HISTORIES
<YUVE~EA£lV 'nov 'IAAUplWV ~a<YlAta, Kat <YTpaTOV En~YE
TOUpKWV, Kat EKaKOU 't1)v xwpav. T6TE, w<; E7tlWV 6 ~a<Yl­
AEU<; En'lneAAETo Ent 't1)v'IAAuplwvxwpav, napE<YKEUa~ETO
Kat aUT6<;, w<; ~V Tl 8UVaLTO afluv6flEVO<;, ~V E<; T~V eaUTOU
E<Y~aAAn 6 TOU ~a<YlAew<; <YTpaT6<;.
32 'EnavElfll 81: En' EK£lVO TOU A6you, ii np6TEp6v flOl
E8E8~AWTO, w<;, End TOV ~a<YlAea napeAa~E MaxouflouT'l<;
6 Mlxa~Aou, <rUv TOUT'l' nEpllwv Ta<; aAAa<; n6AEl<; EnE-
8dKVUT6 TE TOV ~a<YlAta, Kat npO<YEXwpOUV, '0 fll:v 8~
MaxouflouT'l<; afl'!'t Ta TOlaUTa dXEV, 'Oflap'lv 81: TOV Tou-
paxavEw neflnwv Ent Ta<; Aoma<; T~<; 'IAAuplWV xwpa<;
n6AEl<;, aUTo<; ~AauvEv Ent TO ~a<YlAEW<; <YTpaT6nE80v. Kat
6 fll:v ~a<YlAEU<; ~X8ET6 TE Tei' apK'l' Kat ExaAenaLVEV, w<;
OUK EV 8eovTl nOl~<YaLTO TOV OpKOV Tei' ~a<YlA£l TWV 'IA-
AUP'WV' TOV flEVTOl ~a<YlAea E<; ,!,uAaK~v nOl'l<YaflEvo<;
nEpl~YEv EAauvwv 8.,a T~<; Lav8aAEw xwpa<;. 'E<; yap T~V
'IAAup'WV Ta fll:v· aUTO<; ~a<YlAEu<; KaTa<YTpE'itaflEvo<;
im'lyaYETo, Ta 81: MaxoufloUTEW napa<YT'l<YaflEvou Kat
'OflapEw, "Ev8a 8~ Kat 'Oflap'l<; <Ynou8~v nOLOuflEvO<;, 't1)v
xwpav, 0O"'l un6Aomo<; ~v, imo Tei' ~a<YlA£lyEvE<y8aL, av~p
TE i'80~E TWV EV TaT<; {2.288} ~a<YlAew<; SUpaL<; Eu80Kl-
flOUVTWV KpaTl<YTO<; Kat flEyaAa cmE8ElKvuTO i'pya, Kat
np6TEpov ~a<YlA£l 86KlflO<; EV nOAAoT<; aAAOl<; YEv6flEVO<;.
TauTa fll:v ouv E<; TO<YOUTOV EyevETo KaTa<YTpE'itaflev'l'
~a<YlAET Ta<; 'IAAUplWV n6AEl<;.
33 'EVTEU8EV npE<Y~Elav neflnwv Ent 'Payou~LOv n6AlV
E~~TEl 't1)v ~a<YlAew<; yuvaTKa, 'H 81: npoE~!'JEl cmLOu<Ya £K
~<; n6AEw<; E<; 'haAfav' w<; yap £7tUV8aVETo 't1)v ~uflna<Yav
44 0
BOOK 10
to the sultan to wage war jointly against the king of the Illyr-
ians, He brought in an army ofTurks and ravaged the land. 53
But this time, though, when it was reported that the sultan
was invading the land of the Illyrians, he too prepared for
war, to defend himself in whatever way he could if the snl-
tan's army should invade his own land.
I return to the point in my narration from where I di- 32
gressed, When Mahmud, the son of Michael, received the
king {of the Illyrians}, he went around to the other cities
with him and displayed him to them, and they went over to
him. While Mahmud was busy with that, he dispatched
Orner, the son of Turahan, against the rest of the cities in
the land of the Illyrians, while he went back to the sul-
tan's camp, But the sultan was very angry at the oath that
Mahmud had given and took it badly, saying that it was im-
proper for him to have taken that oath to the king of the I1-
Iyrians. He placed the king under guard and took him with
him as he marched through the land of Sandalj, The sultan
conquered and subjected part of the land of the Illyrians
while other regions were subjected by Mahmud and Orner.
Orner proved to be very energetic in subjecting to the sul-
tan whatever remained of the land. He rose to a position of
the greatest esteem and power at the sultan's Porte andper-
formed great deeds, and he had pleased the sultan previ-
ously too in many other ways. And those were the events of
the sultan's conquest of the cities of the Illyrians.
Mehmed then sent envoys to the city of Ragusa asking 33
for the king's wife. But she had already left the city and gone
to Italy. For when she learned that the entire land was now
44'
 THE HISTORIES
xwpav YEvtIYSal IntO ~a<rlAEl, W, fIXE 'taX'IY'ta tK 'tij,
e,
:rrOAEW, a:rr!,]AAanE'tO, otxofltV!,] 'tijV 'haAlav. Ot flev ouv
:rrptIY~El" W, Ou Ka'ttAa~OV au'tojj 'tau'tt] 'tijV ~a<rlAtW, yu-
VaTKa, a:rrexwp!']IYav ll:rrpaK'tOl.
34 'EV'tEjjSEV ~a<YlAEU, IYU!YKEVaIYaflEVO, eIYt~aAEV e, 'tijV
Lav8aAEw xwpav Kat e8iJou. 'I:rr:rr08poflou, 8' e:rra<pEl"
e:rrt8paflov 'tijv xwpav au'tojj <r1ifl:rra<rav. ME'ta 8E e:rrlWV
'ta, :rrOAEl, e:rroAlopKEl. Kat ot 'tojj Lav8aAEw e:rrtSEV'to 't<li
~aIYlAtw, KOl'tWVl, oPflwflEVOl eK 'tWV 6ptwv, Kat ~IY'tlV Ii
8,ap:rraIYaV'tE, ave" e:rrt'twv 6ptwv O'{XOV'tO a:rraAAaIYIYOflE-
VOL "ElY'tl 8' ij xwpa OUX ijnov i'P!,]flO, ij 'tWV 'IAAUP'WV.
'E:rrEAaIYa, flEV ouv au'to, e:rroAlopKEl :rroAlXV!,]V 'tijv
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'tij, :rrOAEW, atpEIYl" 4m'JAauvE 8,a 'tij, 'tojj L'taV'tEW Kat
KpatKou Kat IIauAou, 'tWV 'tau'tt] au'tojj ijYEflOVWV, xwpa,.
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8,8ova" Kat au'toT, YEVtIYSat u:rro ~aIYlAtw, IlAA!']V 4V'tt
'tau't!'], ev 'tft Eupw1tt]. OU'tOl flEV OUV OU'tW :rrElIYStV'tE,
:rrapt8o<rav'tE IY<pii, au'tou, Ilfla 't<li ~aIYlAEl Kat 'tijv xwpav,
evvoojjV'tE, 48uva'ta {2.289} ~IYEIYSat au'tou, ev fltIYq> 'tij,
~a<YlAtw, xwpa, aV'ttXElv e, 'ttAO,. Ava:rrE18ov'tal ouv e<p'
<Ii IlAA!']V 4v'tt 'tij, IY<pE'ttpa, au'twv IY<plIYl YEvtIYSal u:rro
~aIYlAtw,. Kat a<plKoflEVOl e, 'ta, Supa, ~v 'tE xwpav
e,
:rrapt80IYav, Kat ou :rrOAA<Ii UIY'tEpOV au'tou, <pUAaKijv :rrOl-
!,]IYaflEVO, EIIYEKOfll~E'to e:rr' O'{KOU. Kal 'tOV 'tE IY'tpa'tov Ilfla
8lijKE.
35 Tov fltV'tOl ~aIYlAta 'IAAUPlWV 4:rrEAauvwv eK 'tij, xwpa"
~WSEV, w, ev't<li IY'tpa't0:rrt8q> aVE:rrauE'tO, flE'ta:rrEfl'f'aflEVO,
442
BOOK 10
under the sultan's power, she left the city as quickly as she
could and went to Italy. So the envoys did not find the king's
wife there and they returned empty-handed.
The sultan then prepared his army, invaded the land of 34
Sandalj, and plundered it. 54 He sent out his cavalry raid-
ers and they overran his entire land. Then Mehmed went
against the cities and besieged them. Sandalj's men came
down from the mountains and attacked the sultan's sleeping
tent. They grabbed some loot and then went back up to the
mountains. This region is no less deserted than that of the
Illyrians. The sultan advanced and besieged a town belong-
ing to Sandalj for several days.55 As he was making no prog-
ress toward capturing the city, he marched off through the
lands ofStantes, Kraikos,56 and Pavlovic, who were local rul-
ers. He sent a herald bidding them to surrender their lands,
in exchange for which they would be given other lands in
Europe by the sultan. They agreed and surrendered them-
selves and their lands to the sultan, realizing that they could
not resist forever, since they were in the midst of the sultan's
territory. They were misled into thinking that they would
be given other lands by the sultan in the place of their own.
So they came to the Porte and surrendered their land, and
shortly afterward the sultan placed them under guard and
took them home with him. He then dismissed the army.
As Mehmed was departing from that region, he sum- 35
moned the king of the Illyrians into his presence at dawn,
443
 THE HISTORIES
£K<iAeL £, ihJrLV n)v eau-rQu. '0 Sf. crUVLel" W, O1JK be' <iya9C;;
f'e-ra1tef'1te-raL aLhov, -rit ilpKLa ev xepcrlv EXWV e;I]yep91] -re,
Kal W, amlx91] e, 6tLV n)v ~acrLAew<;, <i1te-raf'ov -re mhQu
-r~v KeepaA~v £1tL-r<i;av-rQ<; ~a",Aew<;. Atye-raL Sf. Kal SL-
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xp~cracr9aL' Ql Sf. f'<iyeLPQV aMQu a!-rl]cr<if'evQv <iveAelv.
Ll.Levex9tv-ra Sf. yvwf'tl1tpO, MaXQuf'Qu-rl]V -rov MLxa~AQU,
Aeye-raL aveAelv KeAeucraL -rov ~acrLAea 'IAAuPLWV. Oii-rQ,
f'f.V S~ Qu-rw Atye-raL -reAWtfjcraL f'e-rit -rfj<; ~yef'Qvla, au-rQu
U1tO ~acrLAew, Ka-ra""PQep~v.
36 n, f'f.V Qiiv MAW ~ -rWV 'IAAupLWV xwpa, Kal iI -re ~acrL-
Aeu, heAeu-rl]crev <iAQU<; Kal 0'1 AQL1tQI ~yef'0ve, e'lXQv-rQ ev
epuAaKft, 1tu9of'eVQL -rau-ra Qr -re Oueve-rQI Kal Ql rralQve<;
SELVOV £1tQLQUV-rQ Kal t, epo~QV Ka9lcr-rav-rQ f'eyav, au-rlKa
Q!0f'eVQL t1t1 crepi'i, fj;ELV -ro SeLvov. Kal Ql f'EV Oueve-rQI
txaAe1taLVQV £mepepQf'Evwv creplcrL -rWV ~acrLAew, U1t<ipxwv
Kal xaAe1tWV Ov-rwv -rQl, U1tl]KOQL<;, tvef'evQv S' ilf'w<; -ral,
cr1tQvSal" KapaSQKQUv-re<; ii a1tQ~~cre-raL crepl'" -rit 1tp<iy-
f'a-ra. n<; SI: -ro -re tv rreAQ1tQVv~cr'l' l\PYQ" lepew<; -rWV £V
-rft 1tOAeL 1tapaSov-rQ<; 1tPQSQcrl<t, i:'Aa~ev 6 -rQU ~acrLAew,
u1tapXQ" l\A~<ivew 1taT" -rQl\vQf'a 'II]crQu" Kal t1tege-rQ
1tepLepavw<; fj81] 1tQAef'eTv, Kal NaU1taK-rQV f'f.v £1ttSpaf'ev
'Of'<ipl]<; 6 TQupax<ivew, n)v 81: tv rreAQ1tQVv~cr'l' xwpav
[2.290} Oueve-rwv, n)v 1tepl Me9wvl]v, Ka-raAa~ov-re<; ol
-rOU ~acrLAew, OUK tve8l8ocrav, Ev-rau9a OUKe-rL avacrxe-rov
£1tOWUv-ro ~cruxlav iiyeLv, <iX).: t~ouAeuov-ro f'f.V e1t' <if'epo-
-rep a YLyvof'evoL -raT, yvwf'aL,.
444
BOOK 10
when Stjepan was still asleep in the camp. He understQod
that the summons did not bode well, but he got up and took
the text of the oath in his hands with him. When he was
brought into the presence of the sultan, the latter ordered
that his head be cut off It is said that Mehmed handed him
over to his teacher, a Persian, to be killed." But others say
that his cook killed him, having requested to do so. It is also
said that he ordered the death of the king of the Illyrians
because of a difference of opiniQn with Mahmud, the son of
Michael. These are the ways in which it is said that the king
died after the sultan brought an end to his rule.
When the Venetians and the Hungarians learned that the 36
land of the Illyrians had been conquered, their king cap-
tured and executed, and the other rulers imprisoned, they
were terrified, considered these events calamitous, and be-
lieved that the disaster would reach them next. The Vene-
tians were suffering because the sultan's prefects were at-
tacking them and maltreating their subjects, but they
adhered to the treaties, waiting to see how matters would
turn out. But when a priest in the city of Argos, in the Pelo-
ponnese, surrendered the city through treason to the sul-
tan's prefect," he, the son ofElvan whose name was isa, was
now openly at war with them. Orner, the son of Turahan,
raided Naupaktos, and the sultan's men captured, and would
then not return, some lands of the Venetians in the Pelo-
ponnese, around Methone. At this point the Venetians
could no longer endure remaining at peace, so they delib-
erated to evaluate the different options being supported
among them.
445
 THE HISTORIES
37 Ka'tacr'n'crl]e; S1: 1tOAAaxft tKKAl]cr(ae; 'tWV KAI]'tWV Ka-
Ao0ftevwv, BlK'tWp 'tWV Ka1teAAWV O<K(ae;, av~p 1tA01J't'!' 'tE
Kal a~lWfta'tl 1tpOexWV Kal iiyElV SOKWV 't~V 1tOAlV KPCl'tl-
cr'tOe;, 1tpOO"1tapaKaAtcrae; Kal 'tOUe; 1tpOm]KOV'tae; a1mi' Kal
croyyEvEle; te; 't~V eau'too ¥i<p0V, 1taplWV t1tl 'to ~fjfta e'AEyE
'tOU,SE' "iiVSpEe; OUEVE'tO(, 1tOAAaxft ft1:v Kal iiAAo'tE SOKWV
'tOUe; tVOlKOOV'tae; 'to iicr'to 'tOSE ft~ Sla1t(1t'tElV AOyl~0fttvooe;
'ta Seov'ta, ~paXEI 'tlVl My'!' tv0ftl~OV SeTcrelXl te; 0ftiie;,
ITana Sf, 'ta 1tpayfta'ta oTa 1tpo'tpe1tecreal Kal ft~ 1tpOeO-
ftoofttvooe; t1tl 'tOV 1tOAEftov 'toO'tOV, 'E1tel S1: Kal 'tWV 1tPW-
'tEVElV a~LOvnwv 1tap' ~ftlv OUK 6A(yol1taplov'tEe; KEAEvoo-
crlV uftiie; ft~ ou'twe; t1taXeWe; 1tEpl ftEyaAwv ~00AEvEcr91Xl
1tpayfta'twv, aX;': aveXEcr91Xl ftiiAAOV, 1tpEcr~e(av 1teft1tov'tae;
te; 'tOV ~ap~apov 1tEpl 'tWV cr1tovSWV, We; ou S(KlXla 1tpaTIOl
1tapa~a(vwv 'toue; OpKOOe; Kal 'tae; cr1tovSae;, Kal vo09E'tElv
au'tov 'ta Seov'ta, fjv Sen, 1tElcr0ftEVOV, 'Eav Sf, aVIXlpeTcr9al
1tOAEft0v, avaYKalov Myov 1tEpl 'to.o 1tapov'toe; 1toAeftoo
t1tlftvl]craftEvov IKavov, ou'twe; <evlXl t1tl ~v¥i<pov, ~eT S1:
EKM'ta AOyl~0fttvole; 'ta xaAEm't 1tapa'tlgevlXl aAA~Aole;
au'ta, Kal 'ta ftE'tplw'tEpa <plXlvoftevwv 'tOV'tWV aipeTcr91Xl
E1tlAEyofttvooe;, ITpw'tov S1: avaYKalov 1tp0geftEvov ¥i<pov,
yvwftl]v'tav'tl]v we; £Kacr'ta a1tO~a(VElV,
38 "<Pacrl yap OU'tOl, O'tl, et 1tOAEft~cr0ftEV, a! Ka'ta ~v fj1tEl-
pov 1tOAEle; ~ftwv, "crn 'tOV 'IOVLOV Kal te; 't~v ITEA01tOVVI]-
crov Kal ~v iiAAl]v fj1tElpOV 1tOAEle; OUX £~OOcrlV 01tWe; Slap-
Kecroocrlv t1tl Xpovov 'tlva, aXX t1tlAEhVEl [2,29I} n au'tae;
'ta t1tl~SEla Kal a1toAoov'tlXl, fjv 'tl t1t(n te; au'tae; xaAE1tov,
Kal 'tfie; 'tE Eft1tOp(ae; 'tfje; au'too xwpae; tr'tEpooftevl]e; ~ftiie;
BOOK 10
They convened what they call the Council of the Avoga- 37
dori,59 at which Vettore, from the house of Capello, a man
distinguished for his wealth and rank and believed to be the
best at leading the city, invited his adherents and relatives to
snpport his position, went up to the podium, and spoke as
follows: "0 Venetians, as I have time and again seen that the
people of this city do not go wrong when they deliberate
about what needs to be done, I believed that a short speech
to you would snffice, All the present troubles are such that
they can impel even those who are unwilling that we should
go to war, But many of those who lay claim to leading po-
sitions among us have come to urge you not to deliberate
about such great threats in a hostile spirit, but rather to
be patient, to send an embassy to the barbarian concerning
the treaty, to tell him that he is not acting justly in violating
the oaths and the treaty, and to advise him, as if that were
necessary; to respect what is right, But if you choose war,
you must produce an argument for the present war that is
sufficient to put to a vote, When we are considering each
option, we need to compare the problems that will arise
from each and choose those that appear to be the most lim-
ited, But first we must put to the vote our opinions about
the outcome that each option will have,
"For they say that if we go to war our cities on the main- 38
land, in the Adriatic Sea, the Peloponnese, and elsewhere,
will not be able to hold out for long but will run out of sup-
plies and will come to ruin, if some sudden crisis comes
upon them, We will be cut off from trade with the territo-
ries there, which, they say, will greatly harm us in the future,
447

THE HISTORIES
q>aCH [leyaAa &v ~AaTC1:eJeal 'rOV AolTCov. Av£Xeoeat Set
ovv Slit 'rav'ra, Kal repeo~e(av re£[lreetV Sl(crxUpl~O[l£VI1V W<;
elKO<; 'rit 'rolaV'ra. AAAit reepl [lEV TIj<; repeo~ela<; repw'rov
epX0[lal epwv, w<; aq>lK0[levwv 'rwv repeo~ewv ~[lwv,
EAAoY([lwv onwv Il[la Kat ;uve'rwv, olhe Erelo'rpoq>~v
Ereol~oa'ro 'rwv repeo~ewv, E;area'r~oa<; 're 'r<li AOY4' 'rit
evav'r(a q>a(ve'rat reereolI1Kw<;. 'Uo're O"K olSa, 0 'rl &v exolev
a"'r<li Aeyelv ot repeo~el<; erelKatp"'repov, wv rcpooeev
aq>lK0[levol EXPYJ[la'rl~ov, el [lY) O'rl aSuva'rovv're<; reoAe[l0v
erelq>epelv repeo~eol SlaAueoeal ~oUAeOeat ~ [la<; 'rit EyKA~­
[la'ra, E<; 'rOOOV'rov a"'r<li repooq>epeOeal reepl 'rwv ~[le'repwv.
Tav'ra Se, ol[lat, KaAw<; elxev a"'r<li Aeyeoeal, ~v [lY) 'rO
Apyo<; reapaAa~wv reoAe[l0v ~[liv reeplq>avw<; areayy£AAet.
'Ereelpa'rO [lev, [lEXPl<; OD 'rail'ra Ilv q>epol[lev, Kal ei [lEV
avexo[leea, ~SI1 xwpeiv a,,'rov Kat Eret 'rit AOlTCit aSew<;, e(
SE [l~, "reoxwpelv ijSI1 e<; Mov a"'r,,, uq>' ~[lwv cruyxwpoi'rO,
Kat ev 'ro",,4' -rYjv IlTCoreelpav reoll100[levo<;, o"Stv [lEV'rOl
YjTIOV xwp~owv Erel 'rov reoAe[l0v.
39 "Ei SE [llj, AeYE'rw [lEV [lOl, Kat repw'rov Eret IIeAoreovvl1-
oov aq>lKo[levo<; 'r~v 're EiJ~olav ereEo'rl1 0'i'0[levo<; olW, Kat
erei -rYjv E"p [reou reoAlv. Kai E;lWV aVel<; areo IIeAoreov-
v~oou, Kal 'r" Seu'repov ij SI1 eAauvwv crUv 'rol<; reelpaoo-
[lEVOl<; 'roil reopou, aq>[Ke'ro E<; 0'i'lV TIj<; reoAew<;, Drew<; iiv
'ry)v repoo~oAY)v reol~Oat'rO, Erelwv Erei 'rY)v rcoAlv. Kal " [lEV
lrere4' Sla~it<; 'r"v E1lplTCov OUV[SOl, orew<; ~aol!,a 're e'iYJ
au'r@ repoo~aAov'r' Kal e"erclxe[PI1'ra. Tail'ra [lEV o1lv [lY)
reoM[l0u (Z.Z9Z} 'reK[l~pla EO'rl reeplq>avij, aq>' wv Ilv 'rl<;
a,,'r"v erel 'rov rcoAe[l0v reapaOKWaOa[levov are" reoAAoil
BOOK 10
For these reasons we must be patient and send a delegation
to assert confidently that our position is reasonable. But re-
garding such an embassy, I come first to say this, namely
that our envoys have already gone to him, distinguished and
sensible men, and he paid no attention to them whatsoever
and he deceitfully did the opposite of what he had said. So I
do not know what envoys might be able to tell him now that
is more relevant than what they said in their previous nego-
tiations, unless it is that we are unable to wage war and pre-
fer that our differences be resolved through embassies and
that is the extent to which we will remonstrate with him re-
garding our interests. It would have been appropriate to say
such things to him, I believe, ifhe had not seized Argos and
so openly declared war against us. He is testing us to deter-
mine the limits of our patience: if we put up with this, he
will immediately move against all the rest with impunity,
but if we do not he will retreat just as far as we let him get
away with it, and there too he will be makiug trial of us, but
will proceed no less to make war.
"Otherwise, let me illustrate what happens next. When 39
he first went to the Peloponnese, he visited Euboia in order
to spy it out, I think, along with the city of Euripos (Chal-
kis}.60 And again when he was leaving the Peloponnese he
went by there a second time with men who would test a
crossing of the straits. He came up to the city to see how he
might make the assault ifhe attacked it. He had a man cross
the straits on his horse to ascertain whether such a crossing
would be feasible and easy to accomplish if he were to
attack. Is this not unambiguous proof that a state of war
exists, based on which one can confidently affirm that he
449
 THE HISTORIES
Sli"XuplomTO, 8laflaxoflevov ToT~ OUTW~ E1tl£lKW~ ~OUA£U-
0fleVOl~j AA)( E1td 1toAeflo~ fltv ~flTv KllpVTTeTal EK 1toAAOV
1tpo'iwv, Ta fltv u<p' aUT4i 1tolovflevo~ a<palpeLTal ~fla~, Ta
8t Kat 8la~aAAWV Toi>~ E1tlO'TaTa~ aUT4i Ta 1tp6O'<popa E1tl-
Tll8evel, Kat KaTa ~paxV fleyaAa 1tpoO'1tolovflevo~ Ii<pvw
a1tapaO'KeVOl~ el 8VValTO E1telO'1teO'eLV, 1tapaAa~wv liTT' liv
aOT4i 8vvafllv a~loxpew 1tepl1tOl~O'alTO, <l>llflt oov, el fI~
1toAeflov i'O'e0'9al ~flTv 1tpO~ TOV ~aO'lAEw~ U1tl"XVOVVTal,
TOVTOV fI~ aValpeL0'9al <paO'KOVTe~ TOV 1toAeflov, Kat flll 8t
1tapalpovflevov T~~ ~fleTtpa~ ap~~, liTT' liv 80KOlll N8la
1tP0"Xwp~O'al aOT4i, 1toAeflov fltv fI~ 1toleT0'9al, ~O'uXlav 8,
liyelv, flll8' OTlOVV aUT4i TWV 8eovTwv 1tpo'i"X0flEVOU~, el
Sf. 1taVTe~ TOVTOV ~uvofloAoyoVO'l 8~1tou ~flTv, w~ 1toAe-
flllflevwv ~KaO'Ta 1taVTWV 1tpo0'gev a1to1telpwflevo~ 00
1taVE"t'aL.
40 "I1oTepa TOVTWV aipeTWTepa ~flTv, ~O'UXlav fltv ~fla~
liyoVTa~ a<palpeL0'9al ~v xwpav, Kat w~ 1toAefl~O'ovTa~
aOT4i, ~ 1toAeflov EfI<pav~ aOT[Ka Ka9lO'Tafltvou~ Ev8elKvu-
0'9al aOT4i ~~ ~fleTtpa~ 8uvaflew~, oO'a EXWpelj 'Ev yap T4i
1tOAEfI~ Kat <pUAaTT£O'9al aOTOv E~eO'Tlv, EK TOV <pavepov
1tapaO'K£ua~ofltvou~, Kat E1tlTllPOVvTa~ aOTOv, ii O'Tpa-
TeVO'eTal. "H 1telpWflevov EK TOV a<pavov~ a<palpeL0'9al ~v
xwpav ~flwv, fI~ 1tpoO'<ptpe0'9al w~ 1tOAefll~, SuoTv EV
TOOT~ 1tpOeXOVTlj "Hv fI'v a1to~a[v!1 aOT4i KaTa YVWflllv
E1tlXelPOVVTl, 1tlO'TeVOUO'[ Te aOToT~ w~ <piAOl~, {z,z93J <ptpe-
O'eal TOVTO oi K£p80~' ~v 8, flll8tv Tl KaAov a1tO TOVTOU
~ufI~alvel aOT4i {...J El fI'v ollv TaVTa aflelvw, aipeT0'9al
450
BOOK 10
has been preparing war for a long time, fighting against an
enemy like us who deliberate so reasonably? Given that war
has long since been declared against us, he has removed
some of our possessions and subjected them to himself,
while in other places he slanders our governors and thereby
gains advantages for himself In a short time he has made
great gains by falling suddenly, ifhe can, upon those who are
unprepared and acquiring things that now invest him with
significant power. I say, then, that those who promise that
there will not be a war berween us and the sultan, and who
say that he will not choose to go to war and will not remove
any of our territory which, it would seem, he could take over
easily, I say that those who propose that we should not go to
war, but keep the peace, have an altogether erroneous posi-
tion, if everyone agrees with us that he never ceases to make
attempts against everything even before there is open war
over them.
"Which of the rwo options, then, should we choose? To 40
remain at peace and have our territory removed, in order to
then go to war with him later, or to wage open war against
him and make a show of the extent of our force now? For in
a war we would be able to guard ourselves against him, pre-
pare ourselves openly, and monitor his activities where he
campaigns. Of the rwo options that we face, is it not better
for us to treat him as an enemy if he attempts to covertly
seize our land? If matters turn out for him the way he in-
tends, as he attacks those who trust him and believe they are
his allies, then this is to his gain. But if nothing good comes
from it for him {... J If this option is better, it must be chosen
45'
 THE HISTORIES
i:lv npo -rWV i:lAAWV S£Ol -rau-ra. Ei SE [l~ a[ldvw, i'xonas
~cruxiav av£xecr9aL, tKelVa ecr-rw ~[lTv a[pe-rw-repa.
4' "T~v [l£AA'1criv <P'1[ll eywye [l£ya [lEV ~AataL KalnoA-
AoilS -rWV Ka-ra -r~v OiKOU[l£V'1v, Kal ~[lTv tv -r<li naponl
[leyaA'1v tnev£YKal ~Aa~'1v, npo'(e[l£volS ~v apmv, on
tnoALOpKeho Kwvcr-rav-rlV01JnOAlS, "EAA'1vaS -re Kal 'EAA~­
vwv ~acrlAta, a<p' wv -ra -re t[lnopla ~[.!1v [leyaAa EnfJel
au;avo[l£va.. Me-ra St Slanpecr~£uo[l£vwv -rwv II£Aonovv~­
crou ~y£[lovwv, wcr-r£ -rl[lWpelV cr<picrlnoA£[lou[l£VOlS, nepl-
dSo[l£v -r~v -r£ II£Aonovv'1crov uno -r<li ~acrlAel -r<liS£
avacr-ra-rov y£vo[l£v'1v, Kal ap-rl St -rou 'IAAuPlWV ~acrlA£ws
K£A£uonos a[luv£lv au-r<li Kal xaplv Ka-ra-r19£cr9aL ou [ll-
Kpav 'tiis ~0'19das eV£Ka, nepldSo[lev Kal au-rov Sla<p9a-
pev-ra uno ToupKwv. Tou-rwv eKacr-ra u<p' ~[lwv npo'(£[levwv
aicrxuv'1v <pep£l Kalllv£lSoS ts -roilS aAAous -roilS Ka-ra -r~v
Eupwn'1v, £oS -rwv t[lnopiwv eV£Ka Kal aicrxpou K£pSOUS
npo'(£[l£9a y£v'1 o[lo-rpona uno -rou ~acrlAtws -rouSe <p9£l-
pO[lEva.
42 "3uvEAovt"a 8£ we; EVE(J"tl cpavat, El ~£V -role; IIaloolV
ainiKa O'uv9£[l£VOl a[la nOA£[lov aveAw[le9a, i'cr-ral ~[lTv
Kapnou0'9al -roTS ~[l£-r£pOlS' ei SE av£Xo[levol ~O'Uxiav
ayw[lev, tv ~paxeT IIte0'9£ anapaO'KeuolS Emge[levov
a<paLp'1O'o[levov ~v xwpav, 00''1 au-r<li o[lopOS ouO'a -ruy-
Xav£l. b.oKel ouv E[lolnpeO'~£lS -re tnl IIaiovas n£[ln£lv Kal
xp~[la-ra, Kal au-roils nA'1pouv [2.294} -raS v~as tnl -raTs
ovcraLS ~[.!1v aAAas, oO'as i:lv Suvai[le9a. LU[lnapaAa[l~av£lV
SE Kal-rov [lEyav apXlep£a tnl -rov nOAe[lov -rovSe, ~ye[lova
-r£ -rou nav-ros nOlou[l£VOuS' ~v SE IIeAonovv'1crov
452
BOOK 10
over the others. If it is not better, and we should patiently
remain at peace, then let us choose that.
"But I say that procrastination has greatly harmed many 4'
people throughout the world, and it caused us great harm
too in the present, such as when Constantinople was being
besieged initially and we failed the Greeks and the king of
the Greeks, with whom our trade was great and increasing.
Then, when the rulers of the Peloponnese [Thomas and
Demetrios} sent envoys asking that we assist them in their
war, we neglected the Peloponnese when it was being ruined
by the sultan. And just now when the king of the Illyrians
asked us to defend him and said he would be very grateful
for our help, we overlooked him too and he was destroyed
by the Turks. We failed in all of these instances and it has
brought us great shame and an evil reputation among other
people throughout Europe, to the effect that for the sake of
trade and shameful profit we are willing to abandon kindred
races to be destroyed by this sultan.
"To put it as concisely as possible: if we immediately join 42
the Hungarians and initiate hostilities, we will preserve the
use and enjoyment of our own goods. But if we are patient
and remain at peace, you will see in a short time that he will
attack us while we are unprepared and deprive us of our ter-
ritories that border on his. It seems to me that we should
send envoys and money to the Hungarians and that, for our
part, we should man the ships, more of them even than we
have now, as many as we are able. We should include the
great pontiff as well in this war effort, appointing him com-
mander of the entire enterprise. We should also induce the
453
 THE HISTORIES
Cl1to<rrfjeral nElpiier9m. Et yap -rwv ~yEflovwv -r<i' htp'!'
a<pEcr-rt]Ko-rl CI1tO -rOU ~amAtw<; Kal flE-rP[w<; £XOV-rl ~[OIJ
crove[nov-ro e<; ~V cl1toer-ramv eA90v-rE<; ot IlEAonovv~erLOl,
ot fl1:v eKAI1tOv-rE<; -r~v nOAlv, ot S1: e<; niiv -rOU KaKOU
a<plKoflEvOl, nOAA<i' iiv flMAOV £nolv-ro Suvafl[v -re a!;loxpEW
S,a 9aAan!,]<; OpWV-rE<;, Kal Ka-r' ijnElpov KOfl[SElv -rwv
inntwv onA[-ra<; -rwv 'haAlKwv e<; S'<YX'A[OIJ<;' ntflnEer9m S1:
e<; IlEAonovvt] erov Kal -rov<; ev -ro1<; eYKA~ flaCYl Kpfj-ra<; enl
S,aAuerE, -rwv eYKAt]fla-rwv. Tau-ra S1: enayov-ra<; ~flii<;
6pWv-rE<; £'/tov-rm -rE au-r[Ka, Kal flE-raer-rav-rE<; e<p' ~ flii<;
napt!;OIJerlV unoxe[pLOv -r~v IlEAonovvt]erov, a<p' ij<; ecr-ral
~fllv -rafllEuEer9m -rfi eKe[vOIJ xwp~ Kal e'leroSov tKav~v
ano<ptpEer9m. Tau-ra S~ erIJv9EfltvolJ<; -rol<; Ila[oerlv,
eKe[vOIJ<; fl1:v ano -rou "Ier-rpolJ, ~flii<; S1: ano "fi<; IlEAo-
novv~erolJ wPflt]fltvolJ<; e1tlXElpe1v -rfi eKe[vOIJ apXfi; Kal fl~
Ka9EsofltvOIJ<; nEpLOpiiv -r~v xwpav ~flwV S!]OIJfltvt]v Kal
t<; avSpanoS,erflov -rov<; un!']KOOIJ<; ~flwV ayofltvolJ<;, avay-
Kaer9fjva[ no-rE tAeer9al er<p[erlv alpEer[v -rlva aAAt]v, -rpEno-
fltvolJ<; e<; -rov nOAEflov."
43 Tau-ra e[nov-ro<; -rou B[K-rWPO<; crovtnalvo[ -rE tytvov-ro
Kal ot nAdolJ<; tv mJ-r<i'. 'IeronaAe1<; S1: at '/tfj<p0l overal, Oflw<;
tnEKpa-rt]erav ai -rov nOAEflov anayytAAolJerm. ME-ra S1:
av-r[Ka tSoKElnpter~El<; fl1:v t<; -rov fltyav apX'Epta ntflnElv,
Kal tnl Ila[ova<; au-r[Ka npter~El<; nEflnElv werau-rw<;, Xp~­
fla-ra i'xov-ra<;. Ot fl1:v ouv {2.295} npter~El<; a<plKoflEvol t<;
-rov aKpov apX'Epta E?"EYOV -ra Ka9~Kov-ra -r01<; OUEvE-rol<;,
w<; tv Kalp<i' navIJ e'lt] afla au-rol<; -rov nOAEflov avalpoufl E-
vov -rol<; ~ap~apOl<; SlanpanEer9m, an' iiv alh<i' Kal
454
BOOK 10
Peloponnese to rebel. For if the Peloponnesians come out
and follow one of their rulers after he has rebelled against
the sultan and comports himself moderately, some of them
will abandon their cities and others will suffer every con-
ceivable form of evil, so they will then be all the more will-
ing to follow when they see a significant naval force bring-
ing some two thousand Italian knights to the mainland. We
should also send to the Peloponnese the Cretans who have
been convicted of various crimes so that they can there ex-
punge their criminal records. If the locals see us bringing
such forces, they will follow us immediately, come over to
our side, and torn the Peloponnese over to our power. Us-
ing it as a base, we will be able to tax his own territory and
generate substantial revenues. We must coordinate with the
Hungarians, that they come down from the Danube while
we set out from the Peloponnese in a joint attack against his
realm. We cannot just sit. back and watch our lands be plun-
dered and our subjects led away into slavery, whereupon one
day they may choose a different path for themselves and
turn to war on their own."
When Vettore spoke those words, the majority joined in 43
praising his position. But the votes were tied, although the
votes in favor of war ultimately prevailed. 61 They then de-
cided to immediately send envoys to the great pontiff {Pius
II} and likewise sent envoys with money to the Hungarians.
When the envoys arrived before the highest pontiff, they
explained the current sitoation of the Venetians, saying that
this was the opportonity for him, along with them, to wage
the war against the barbarians, which was precisely what he
455
 THE HISTORIES
np6-repov EV Mav-nJt] Ene'teTIjSeu'to. '0 S' apXlepeu<; vno-
Aa~WV E'Aeyev, w<; aVaYKalOV npw'tov av'tov 'tOV fllKpev
~ap~apov EK fltO"Otl nOlelO"eal, eTe' oihw<; LtVat Kat Ent'tev
fleyav, 0"'1 fla[vwv 'tov Aplfl[vOtl ~yefl6va, npo<; DV n6Aeflo<;
~v av't<li, Slevexetv-ra Ent 'tp6m!', DV napaAl1telV il~LOV. Ll.u\
S~ 'tau'ta aL't[av Em<ptpwv 'tolau't'1v EnoAtfiel. Kat oihw
flev 6 apXlepeu<; SleKpouO"a'to 'tOl<; Oueve'tol<;, £Xwv EfI-
<pUAlOV OLKelOV n6Aeflov.
44 Me'ta Se ot Ent I1aLova<; nefl<petv-re<;, wO"'te Ent 'tov
n6Aeflov napaAafl~avelv, E<; 6'irlV EAe6v-re<; 't<li ~aO"lAel
I1at6vwv Kat 'tft (l"1JyKA~'t'l' E'Aeyov 'to laSe' "ilvSpe<; I1a[o-
ve<;, 6pii'te S~ Uflel<; 't~v ToupKwv ~ao"lAEw<; Suvafllv, ii
npoexwp'1O"ev, w<; StlvaO"'telq floV 'tou<; EV 'tft OLKOtlflEVt]
0fl0<pUAOtl<; ~fllV Ka'teO"'tpt'ira'to, Kat ~flwv Se TIjv xwpav w<;
A'1'a;6f1evOl avSpan6Swv 't~v 'te AO"[av Kat Eupwn'1v EV-
tnA'1O"av. Kat 't6v ye "IO"'tpov aei Sla~a[vov-re<; St]ouO"[ 'te
't~v xwpav Kat EmKa[OtlO"lv. D<; So atho<; " ~ap~apo<;
OUKE'tl Sla~a<; 'tov "IO"'tpov nept 't~<; ufle'ttpa<; au'twv 'tov
aywva nOlel'tat, S~Aa EO"'tl AOYl~ofltvOl<; VfllV, O'tl Ent
TIjv EKelVOtl Sla~av'te<; E<; e"ptl~OV E't[eeO"ee au'tou 'ta
npaYfla'ta. Nuv Sf. 'tou<; 'te "EAA'1va<; KaeeAwv Kat'EAA~vWV
~aO"lAta, fle'ta Sf. TIjv Tpl~aAAwv xwpav v<p' av't<li nOl'1O"a-
flevo<;, Kat I1eAon6vv'10"0v Ka'taO"'tpe'iraflevo<; O"UflnaO"av,
Kat ~ao"lAEa Tpane~ouv'to<; napaO"'t'1O"aflevo<; Kat 't~v 'te
xwpav au'tou vnay6f1evo<;, fle'ta So Em~O"a<; ilpxov'ta'tn
Ll.aK[q, Kal 't~v 'IAAtlPlWV xwpav (2.296} St]wO"aflevo<; Kat
EAwv itfla Kat 'tov ~ao"lAEa, ilvSpa EnlelK~ Kat flE'tplOV, tv
~paXel ou'tw Xp6v'l' 'toO"au'ta<; StlvaO"'tela<; KaeeAwv, 't[ E'tl
BOOK 10
had previously been trying to do at Mantua.62 But the pon-
tiff responded by saying that it was first necessary to get rid
of the "small barbarian" and only then go against the large
one, meaning the ruler of Rimini, with whom he was then
at war. He had fallen out with him in a way that it would
be best to omit here. For such and such a reason he had
brought charges against him and was at war. Thus the pon-
tiff turned the Venetians down, having a civil war of his own
to fight."
Then those who had been sent to the Hungarians, to in- 44
vite them to join the war, came before the king of the Hun-
garians 64 and their senate and spoke as follows: "0 Hungari-
ans, you see how far the power of the sultan of the Turks has
grown, how he has conquered and oppresses so many of our
kindred people throughout the world, and how the Turks
plunder our lands and have filled Asia and Europe with
slaves from them. They are always crossing the Danube and
are plundering and burning your lands. But as the barbarian
no longer crosses the Danube in person to bring the fight to
you, it should be clear, if you think about it rationally, that if
you cross over into his territory you will throw his affairs
into confusion. First he overpowered the Greeks and the
king of the Greeks, then he subjected the land of the Serbs
to himself; he conquered the entire Peloponnese; he at-
tacked the king ofTrebizond and subjected his land; then he
appointed a ruler over Wallachia; and finally he plundered
the land of the IlIyrians and even captured their king as
well, a moderate and reasonable man. When he has brought
down such great principalities in such a short amount of
457
 THE HISTORIES
otmSe au-rov -rou AOl1tOU nOl~cretV; KaSe~;e-rm ~i:v
ouSa~w<;, aX>.: tnl-roi><; "~OpOUl; -rou-rwv tAauvwv netpacre-
-ral -ra<; au-rwv yryvo~Eva<; u<p' au-r<ji nOLelcrSm, w<; ltv
Suvm-ro -raXlcr-ra au-rol<; npocr<pep6~evo<;.
45 "Nuv Si: ~lm Kal t<p' u~a<; OUX ~Klcr-ra " nOAe~o<;, Kal
nanl crSbel netpacre-rm 8la~a[vwv ~v -re xwpav u~wv
avSpanoS(~ecrSal Kal -roi><; apxov-ra<; atcrx[cr-rcp 6AtSpcp
Sla<pSeipm. Ou yap ltv tv;dJv au-rou i!cr-rl SlaAAanetV t<;
-roi><; ~~e-rEpou<; -re Kal uno -r~v ~~nEpav Spl]<1Keiav ona<;,
aU, a~elAlK-rO<; na~nav TUrxaVet wv ,,~o(w<; nav-ra -r<ji -rt
ot tnLelKw<; <pepo~Evcp. ITuvSavecrSe yap S~nou, oTa -rov
AaS(crAaov ~acrlAEa npo-repov apxona tno[I]cre. Kav
-rou-rcp ~I:v tcrw<; cruyyvw~I]v tcrxet eau-r<ji tv ~axn C!Aov-ra
CtneK-rovw<;' -rov St ye ~a<1lAEa ~a~lS Tpane~ouv-ro<; Kal
'IAAUPlwv Kal i\Ecr~ou ~ye~6va -rou<; -re aAAou<;, -r( xaAe1tOV
un' tKeivwv naSwv Sla<pSeipet atel 6~ou nav-ra<;; Et ~i:v
ovv napa<1Keua~mSe tnl -r~v tKeiVOU xwpav tAauvone<;
-rov nOAe~ov nOLelcrSal, -raXa av -rl t1tlKOU<p(~Ol-re Kal ~v
tnl -rau-ra tcrO~EVl]V "p~~v au-rou t<; ~v ITmov(av. Et 81:
aVEXecrSe -rOlau-ra nacrxone<;, Sla~~cre-rm Si: tKelvo<; nav-rl
-r<ji cr-rpa-r<ji, StSolKa ~~ cr<paAEv-re<; ana; -raSe nav-ra un'
tKeiVCP ytvl]-rm Kal u~a<; KaKlcr-ra CtnoAE<1!1." {2.297}
46 Tau-ra einov-rwv -rwv Oueve-rwv " ~acrlAei><; ITalovwv
unoAa~wv i!Aeye -rOlaSe' "av8pe<; Ouevno(, ev -re AEye-re
Kal SOKei-re npo<; nOAAa avSpe<; £Tvm OUK a;UVe-rOl, i!<; -re
-ra aAAa -rou ~(ou Kal t<; -ra Stona au-rot<; Aoy(~ecrSal.
'EKeivo Si: ou SOKei-re ~~lV ~e~vijcrSal, w<; tnl-rov ToupKwv
nOAe~ov cru~napeAa~~aVO~EV nOAAaKl<; u~a<;, Kal OUK
BOOK 10
time, what do you think he will do in the future? There is no
way that he is going to stand down; rather, he will march
against his victims' neighbors and will attempt to bring their
lands under his power, and take them over as quickly as pos-
sible.
"So now the war has come to you too, for he will attempt 45
with all his strength to cross over and enslave your land and
kill your lords with horrible cruelty. His soul cannot be rec-
onciled with our people or with those who share our reli-
gion, but he is altogether implacable, acting in the same way
even against those who deal with him in a reasonable way.
For you know what he once did to your king, the lord
Wladislaus. And for this he might be pardoned, for he killed
him after he was captured in battle. But King David of
Trebizond, the king of the Illyrians, the ruler ofLesbos, and
all the others, what harm did he suffer from them that he
kills them all without exception? So if you prepare to march
against his territory and bring the war to him, you might
weaken his impending invasion of Hungary. But if you pa-
tiently endure what you are suffering, then I fear that you
might fail, in which case he will cross over with his entire
army, all of this here will fall into his power, and you will suf-
fer a terrible fate."
When the Venetians said this, the king of the Hungari- 46
ans responded by saying, "0 Venetians, you speak well and
you seem to be men who understand many things well. You
think carefully about how to conduct your lives and what
needs to be done. But you seem to have forgotten that we
have often invited you to join us in war against the Turks and
459

THE HISTORIES
~8eA~O"a'Te'TLflwpeTv, napaKaAODV'TOe; afla Kat 'TOD fleYlO"'TOU
apXLepeWe;, aAA: eO"n£vSe0"8e 'T<I> ~ap~ap", Kat ~ flWV AOYOV
ouSeva enOLeT0"8e, e'l'aO"Ke'Te Se, we; OUK ElKO'Ta UflWV npoO"-
Seofle8a, KeAeUOV'Tee; enafluveLV fI'1S' cmODV xaAenov enL-
SOV'Tae; uno 'TOD ~ap~apou. Kat ~fleTe; S~ oihw nOAAaKLe;
'TOV ''IO"'TPOV SLa~aV'Tee; aV~Keo"'Ta enenov8eLfiev. Katnpw-
'TOV fli:v AaS10"Aaoe; 0 'tijO"Se 'T~e; xwpae; ~aO"LAeVe; e'TeAeU'T'1-
O"ev, av~p yevoflevoe; aya8oe;, 'TO Si: Seu'Tepov au8Le; nOAAol
'T£ afla Kat aya80t ev KoO"o~", 'tije; TpL~aAAwv xwpae; ot
fl1:v tv 'T<I> nOAefl'" an£8avov, ot S1: Kat £aAwO"av uno Toup-
KWV. TaD'Ta fleV'TOL UfllV ev 'T<I> napOV'TL e1tlflefl'l'0fle8a.
TLflwpeTv S1: unoSexofle8a aU'TlKa flaAa SLa~aV'Tee; 'TOV
"IO"'TpOV, ee; aO"ov eyxwpeT ev 'T<I> 'TOL<I>Se ~Aa"'aL 'tijv xwpav
'TOD ~ap~apou. 'Bpoe; S' e1tlyevoflevou O"'Tpa'T£uO"ofle8a ent
'tijv eKe!vou, neLpaO"ofievOL, we; iiv SLS<I> 0 eeOe;. Xpewv Si:
Kat uflite; afla eO"~aAAOV'Tae; ee; 'tijv I'IeAonovv'1O"ov ~Aan'TeLV
n£Lpit0"8aL, ilO"a iiv 8uva0"8e, we; iiv en' afl'l'o'Tepwv 'TWV
xwptwv nap£xoLfiev aU'T<I> npaYfla'Ta epya~oflevOL, ee; eyyu-
'Ta'TW [2.298} '(oLfiev 'tije; yvwfl'1e;, OfiOD 81: eyxeLp~O"aL nept
-rov 1t6AE~OV."
47 TaD'Ta Elnwv Kat napaO"KeuaO"afievoe; 'Ta xp~fla'Ta
eSe~a'To ee; 8LO"flUplOUe; Kat neV'TaKLO"XLAlOUe; XpUO"lVOUe;.
OU'TOe; fli:v oov OU'TW napeO"K£uaO"a'To ee; 'TOV nOAeflov, O"uv-
ayeipae; Si: O"'Tpa'T£ufla ee; 8LO"fluploue; KatneV'TaKLcrxLAlOUe;,
'TOV ''IO"'TPOV 'Te SLa~ae;, e8l)ou 'tijv ~aO"LAeWe; xwpav. Kat
enL'TeLXLO"flov -rfi MneAoypa8 n 0 l:a~a'TlV'1e; E'Te!XLO"ev, il'Te
'tijv I'IaLOvlav eA'1T~e'To, Kat 'l'poupav EYKa'TaAl1tWV ev
au-rfi, avSpae; 'TWV ~aO"LAeWe; 8upwv, a~Aauve. TOD'TO flev
BOOKIO
yet you have not wanted to assist us, even when the great
pontiff pleaded with you. Instead, you made treaties with
the barbarian and totally disregarded us. At that time you
were saying that we were making unreasonable requests of
you, when we were asking for your aid against the barbarian,
you who had not suffered anything at the hands of the bar-
barian. We, however, have often crossed the Danube and
suffered horribly. First of all, Wladislaus, the king of our
realm, died, proving himself a good man. After that, many
other good men died in battIe at Kosovo, in the land of the
Serbs, or were captured by the Turks. We are now reproach-
ing you for these things. Still, we agree to help you and will
again cross the Danube; we will do all that we can to harm
the barbarian's land. This coming spring we will campaign
against it and make trial of it, with God's will. But you also
must invade the Peloponnese at the same time and attempt
to cause as much damage as you can, so that we may cause
him difficulty from both sides. Let us come to a close agree-
ment to wage this war in tandem."
That is what he said and he made preparations, accepting 47
the money, amounting to twenty-five thousand gold pieces.
He prepared for war by assembling an army of twenty-five
thousand men, crossed the Danube, and plundered the sul-
tan's territory.65 ~ihabeddin had built a counterwaII against
Belgrade when he was plundering Hungary and had left a
garrison there of men from the sultan's Porte before he
 THE HISTORIES
S~ -r" bme[Xl<Tfla rOY} flaAl<r-ra -rtl 1tOAel e1teAa<Ta<; broAl-
OpKt]<Te· fle-ra St bnSpaflwv -r~v ~a<TlAtw<; xwpav {<; -re e1tt
~a~~av, Kat avSpa1toSl<Taflevo<; ~v xwpav, Tpl~aAAou<;
-re afla Kal ToupKou<;, am'JAauve -ra {fl1taAlV yevoflevo<; e1t'
. It is said that they took away about twenty thousand slaves.
OlKOU. Aeye-ral St a1tevtYKacr9al avSpa1toSa afl<pt -ra
Sl<Tflupla. Kat -ra fltv -rwv I1alovwv oi)-rw<; eyeve-ro.
48 Ouevemt ot, w<; Kat -rou<; I1alova<; <T<pl<Tl <TUfiflaxou<;
1tapeAafl~avov, 1tAt]pW<Tane<; -rpl~pel<; 1tene Kat -rpla-
Kona Kal vaii<; -re afla invt]Aa<; SuoKalSeKa £1tAEOV e1tl I1e-
A01tOVVt]<Tov. Kat o1tAl-ra<; fltv'haAou<;, i1t1tta<; Sl<TXlAlou<;,
efl~aA6v-re<; e<; -ra<; u'inlAa<; vaii<; ole1tOp9f1EUOV e<; ~v I1e-
A01tOVVt]<Tov' fle-ra St <T-rpa-rt]yov eLAov-ro iivSpa e1tl<n]flov
tij<; Aaupeoavwv olKla<;, e1tl-rpetane<; au-r<\> -ra 1tpaYfia-ra,
Kal e<; -ra<; 1tapaA[ou<; -ra<; -re e<; -rov 'IOVlOV Kat e<; -ro AlyaTov
~yeflova Ka-re<T~<Tav-ro, KUPlOV -re 1tOlt]<TafievOl Sla9eTval,
ii iiv au-r<\> SOKolt] e<; -rov 1tOAeflov iipl<r-ra {XElv. A1t" St tij<;
Kp~-rt]<; K~puYfla £1tOl~<Tav-ro -roT<; e1tl -rwv eYKAt]fla-rwv e<;
-rou<; XwpOU<; {2.299J Ka-ra<puyoii<TlV, leval 9appoiina<; e<;
-rov 1tOAeflov. 'Eytvov-ro St <TUAAeytv-re<; afl<pt -rou<; -re-rpa-
Kl<TXlAlou<;, Kat e<; ~v I1eA01tOvv!']CTOV Sl£1tOp9f1EU<Tav,
Kat -rOU<; -re I1eA01tOvvt]<T[ou<; 1tapw-rpuvav aqll<r-raVal a1to
~a<TlAtw<;. Kat ot I1eA01tOVV~<TlOl Selvw<; oeolo-re<;, 1tPO<T-
t<pepov A6you<;, -rov -re 'I<T9f1ov -rElxl~elv, w<; -rau'tt] a1to-
At]toflevol -rou<; ev -raT<; 1tOAe<Tl ~acrlAtW<; ve~AuSa<;, Kat
a1toyvov-re<; 1tapaSw<T0fltvou<; <T<pii<;, wO"-re a1tageT<; amtval.
49 'H fltv ouv AaKwvlK~ Kal -r" Ta[vapov Kat ot afl<pl
'E1tlSaupov cmt<r-rt]<Tav au-rlKa emov-rwv -rwv Oueve-rwv,
Kat ot ApK<ioe<; Kat I1eAAt]veT<;' 0 St I1eA01tOVV~<TOU
BOOK 10
departed. 66 The Hungarians now advanced to this counter-
wall by the city and besieged it. Then they raided the sul-
tan's territory as far as the Sava and captured slaves in it,
both Serbs and Turks, then departed again and went home.
That is what the Hungarians did.
As for the Venetians, when they had taken on the Hun- 48
garians as allies, they manned thirty-five triremes and twelve
tall ships and they sailed against the Peloponnese. They
placed about two thousand Italian koights in the tall ships
and ferried them over to the Peloponnese. Then they ap-
pointed as general a distinguished man from the house of
Loredan and entrusted the campaign to him;" they also ap-
pointed him ruler of the coastal regions by the Adriatic Sea
and the Aegean, giving him absolute power to wage the war
in whatever way he deemed best. They also circulated a de-
cree around Crete that those who had sought refuge in vari-
ons places from criminal prosecution could now confidently
step forward and join the war effort. About four thousand
men assembled and they were ferried over to the Pelopon-
nese, and they were exhorting the Peloponnesians to rebel
against the sultan. The Peloponnesians were absolutely ter-
rified and they entered into discussions about fortifYing the
Isthmos so as to cut off there the sultan's janissaries in the
cities; in despair they would surrender themselves so as to
suffer no harm.
Lakonia, Tainaron, and the regions by Monemvasia re- 49
belled as soon as the Venetians arrived, along with the
people of Kyparissia and Pellene. But the prefect of the
 THE HISTORIES
unapx0<;, tv AWVTin ,* Mq'aAonOA£W<; Sla-rpi~wv,
e<1Konet, I'i £Ka<rra npo~~cr£-rat, Kat K~pUKa nefLnwv e<;
~acrlAea eS~Aou, Ol<; Ou£v£-rot ~v 1"£ XOlpav '''plcr-rav-r£<;
nOA£fLoucrl, Kat -ro 1\pyo<; enloVT£<; ana NaunAiou Sla'tfj<;
~neipou Kat Sla eaMcr<1t]<; enoAlopKOUV npocr~aAov-r£<; Kat
en£lpwv-ro EAelV. 'Evfjcrav Se -rou ~acrlA£w<; n£v~KoVTa
V£~AUS£<; Kat aPfLo<rr~<; -rou-rwv, Ot npocr£XOlP'1crav -roT<;
Ou£v£-roT<; Kae' ofLoAoyiav, Kat a<pfjKav anaeel<; am£vat.
Oli-rOl fLtv ou-rw Sl£<pUYOV fL~ anoA£creat, Kal -ro 1\pyo<;
napaAa~oVT£<; Ou£v£-rot <ppoupav -r£ eYKa-reAl1tOV Kat
iipxov-ra tv au-riii.
50 "Evea S~ cruv'1v£Xe'1 au-roT<; -rOlOVS£. D<; yap En£Kp,,-r'1-
crav -rou 1\pyOU<;, Kat ~O~eetav £n£fLnov, enl-rp£taVT£<;
avSpl 'I£pwvufL4J B£pvapSwv y£vOu<;, Kat enl1"£o"av-r£<;, Ol<;
iiv Sla -rou a(YlaAou npo'lwv a<p(Kol-rO e<; -ro 1\pyo<;. '0 Sf
anete~cra<; net 'tfjv fL£croyaLOv <p£poucrav Sla -rfj<; iJ1twpeia<;.
'Ev-rauea ot ToupKol npoAox[craV1"£<; 'tfjv Enl -riii 1\pyet
6S6v, Kal iJ1telcrav-r£<; iivSpa<; EKa-rov, aV£fL£vov, e! -rl anin
E<; {2.300} -rlfLwpiav <p£pov -roT<; Apyeiol<;. D<; St EOlpWV -rov
'I£pOlvufLoV iiyov-ra -roil<; iivSpa<; Ent -ro 1\pyo<; Sla 'tfj<;
fL£croyaiou, E<pe'1crav, ~v -r£ iJ1tOlpetav Kal -rov a(YlaAOv
Ka-raAa~oVT£<;, EV fL£cr4J nOl~cracreal -r~v Ou£v£-rwv ~o~­
eetav. Kat Ol<; enoi'1crav, e-rp£tav-ro au-riKa -rou-rou<;, Kal
Sla<pe£ipaVT£<; E<; SlaKQ(fiou<; -rou-rou<; E~Olyp'1crav. Au-ro<;
-r£ 'I£pwWfL0<; Sl£<pUY£ fL~ anoA£creal. 'EfL~a<; St E<; nAoTov
-rau-rn nou 0PfLl~ofL£vov, E1t'1rr£AA£-rO, w<; uno -rou <rrpa-
-r'1You napel'1 nA£ucrwv 'tfjv Alylvav. D<; Se Ent AIylvav
a<p[K£-ro, aVel<; eK£A£1J£V au-rov SlanopefL£ucral E<; EU~olav.
BOOK 10
Peloponnese, who was residing in Leontarion of Megalopo-
lis, took note of the local developments and sent a herald to
the sultan saying that the Venetians were at war, they had
induced the land to rebel, were marching against Argos from
Nauplion both overland and by sea, besieging it, attacking
it, and trying to capture it. There were fifty of the sultan's
janissaries and their commander inside, and they surren-
dered under terms to the Venetians, who let them go un-
harmed. Thus they escaped death. The Venetians received
Argos and installed a garrison and commander there. 68
Whereupon the following happened to them. When the 50
Venetians overpowered Argos and were sending reinforce-
ments there, they entrusted a contingent to a man named
Gerolamo, from the house of Bernardo, and they ordered
him to go to Argos by the coastal road. But he disobeyed and
took the inland route that led through the foothills. The
Turks had prepared an ambush on the Argos road: they had
stationed one hundred men to wait for any help that was
coming to the Argives. 69 When the Turks saw Gerolamo
leading his men to Argos along the inland road, they man-
aged, in time, to take over positions both by the coast and
the base of the mountain, and thus trap the Venetian re-
inforcements in the middle. Having done this, they routed
them, killed them, and captured about two hundred men.
Gerolamo himself escaped and did not perish. He boarded a
ship that was anchored in the vicinity and announced that
he was on a mission for the general and needed to sail to Ai-
gina. When he arrived at Aigina, he then ordered the man
 THE HISTORIES
'E1tl~a, St t, 'rijv ATl"lK~V, EV'rEU9EV aq>iKE'rO 1tapa ~a­
mAta. Oi:;"o, f'ov ovv ou 1tOAA<Ii ilO"TEpoV av9l, t, 'rou,
OUEVE'rOU, U1tOO''rptta, xaAE1ta E1tE1t<\v9El.
5' Ot f'tnol OUEVE'rol, W, 1tpo'icrx0f'tvwv 'rWV EV -rft IIEAo-
1tOVV~O'C¥ 'EAA~VWV 'rE af'a Kal AA~avwv, Kal KEAev0f'EVWV
au'rwv Kal 'PaAEW Kal IIhpou 'rOU XWAOU, W,' d 'rOV
'I0'9f'ov 'rElxlO'alEv, aU'rlKa tOV'rE, 01 IIEA01tOVV~O'lOl a1to-
O''rijO'OV'r"" Kal E1t' au'rou, XWP~O'OUO'l' f'Eya yap 'rl1tp0O'-
q>EpElV 'rOU'ro O'q>lO'lV E, 'r~V a1tOO"TaO'lV. 'ESOKEl So tov'ra,
1taVO"Tpa'rl~ q>payvu0'9al 'rOV 'I0'9f'ov Kal Sla1tElpil0'9al
'rWV EV -rft IIEA01tOVV~O'C¥. Aq>lK0f'EVWV SE, A[9ou, O'UV-
'rl9EnE, E1tC¥KOS0f'0UV, W, /tv a1t01tElpWf'EVOl 'rWV IIEAo-
1tovv1']O'lwv YVWO'WO'lV, d 1tpocrxwpol1'] Kal ~ KOP'V9o,
O'q>lm, Kal 'ra Aoma TIl, IIEA01tOVV~O'ou aU'rlKa XWP~O'OU­
mv iOV'rE, E, au'rou,. D, So E1tC¥KoS0f'1']O'av 'rE 'rOV 'I0'9f'ov,
Kal aU'rol avaAa~onE, 'r" 61tAa fieO'av E, 'rijv KOP'V90v,
E;1']YOUf'EVWV'rWV KoplV91wv E, 'rijv 1tpOO'~OA~V. T1']AE~6-
AOU, 'rE Ka910''raO'av t, 'rijv aKp01tOAlV, Kal1tpoO'E~aAAOV'rO
f'aX0f'Evol {2.30r} a;lw, AOyOU. XElf'WV So EmYEV0f'EVO,
S'EKWAuO'E'rE au'rou, 1tpoKa9E~E0'9"" Kal amonE, EV'rEU-
9EV 'hono li1tpaK'rol.
52 D, St 1tlE~0f'EVOl ot OUEVE'rol 'r<li XElf'WVl xaAE1tW, Eq>E-
pov 'r~v EV 'r<li 'I0'9f'<Ii 8la'rpl~~v, Kal oil'rE ~ KOP'VSO,
1tP0O'EXWPEl, oil'rE ~ Axala aq>iO"Ta'ro, E1tEAaO'av'ro, avSpo,
'PaAEw 'rouv0f'a "EAA1']VO, Kal au'roo 'rEAevtijO'av'ro, U1tO
TovpKwv E1tE;lOV'rWV 'rE Kal af'uv0f'EVWV, Kal OU'rE 8~
'rliAAa 1tP0O'EXWP1']O'E O'q>lO'l 1tA~V 'rWV 'rijv L1tap'r1']v
OtK01JV'rWV, E;a1ta'r1']SEnwv U1tO "EAA1']VO, VEaviou, rpi'r~a
BOOK 10
to transport him to Euboia. He landed at Attica, and from
there he went to the sultan. Gerolamo returned again to
the Venetians shortly afterward, and suffered great punish-
ment. 70
As for the Venetians, the Greeks and Albanians in the 5'
Peloponnese proposed that, if they were to wall off the Isth-
mos, then the Peloponnesians would rebel and go over to
their side, and that this would be a major advantage in the
rebellion; and they were told the same by Rales and Pjeter
the Lame.'l So they decided to go with their entire forces
to block off the Isthmos and thereby make trial of the Pelo-
ponnesians. They arrived, fitted the stones together, and
built the wall to test the Peloponnesians and see whether
Corinth would go over to their side, whereupon the other
regions of the Peloponnese would also come over to their
side. They walled off the Isthmos and took up arms them-
selves, going to Corinth. But the Corinthians took the lead
in resisting this attack: they placed cannons in the acropo-
lis and attacked, fighting bravely. The onset of winter pre-
vented the other side from mounting a siege, and so they
departed from there with empty hands.
The Venetians were hard pressed by the winter72 and 52
were aggrieved at having to stay at the Isthmos, as Corinth
did not go over to their side, nor did Achata revolt. A Greek
named RaJes who had gone over to them had been killed by
the Turks when they made a sally to fight back. Generally,
the other parts of the Peloponnese did not go over to their
side except those who lived in Mistra, who had been tricked
in this matter by a young Greek named Gritzas. They were
 THE HISTORIES
Touvo~a ~XOVTO<;, SElVOV Te e,roLOVVTO :repO<Y~tVElV Te
aUTOV T£ij 'I<y9~£ij Kal ouStv TL :repane<Y9aL avuov-ra<; E<; T~V
T~<; IIeAo:reovv~<You KaTa<YTpOq>~V. 'HyytAAeTo Sf. Kal Ma-
XOU~OUT'l<; 0 TOV ~a<YLAtW<; ~ye~~JV <YTpaT£ij ~eyaA<il ElCLtvaL
<Yq>l<YLV E<; TOV ·I<y9~ov. MET' ov :reOAV Sf Kal aVTo<; ~a<YLAev<;
~yyeAAeTo eAauvwv E:rel TOV "I<y9~ov, eyvw<Yav Te a:reoAL-
:reeTv TOV "I<y9~ov, ouSev Tl <Yq>L<YLV aVToT<; :rep6<Yq>opov E<; Ta
:reap6vTa, Kal t6vTa<; E<; Ta<; :reoAeL<; KpawveLv Te aVTa<; Kal
a~uva<y9aL KaTa TO KapTepOV, ~V E:relW<YLV oi :reepl Maxou-
~OUT'lV Te ii~a Kal oi :reepl ~a<YLAea.
53 :0,<; yap ayyeAia aq>iKeTO ~a<rLAeT TOV<; Ovevnov<;
TElxi~eLV Te TOV 'I<y9~ov, :reA'lpw<Yav-ra<; TpL~peL<; t<; Te<Y<Ya-
paKOVTa, V'lWV Sf. v'itlJAa<; SUOKalSeKa, Kal o:reAiTa<; t:re-
ayo~evou<; a:reo 'haAla<;, Kal a:reo Kp~T'l<; <YTpaTOV iiAAOV,
~eyaAW<; :reapa<YKeuacra<Y9aL aVTOV<; t<; T~V ~<; IIeAo-
:reovv~<You KaTa<YTpoq>~v, :ret~:reEl Maxou~ouT'lV <Yu~:reapa­
Aa~OVTa TOV ~<; Evpw1Cl]<; <YTpaTOV, :reA~V TWV :repo<;
TOV<; IIalova<; TeTay~evwv, tAauveLV ev9v IIeAo:reovv~<You,
[2.302} Kal et ~tv TL aUTO<; oIo<; avu<Ym t<; TOV :repo<; Ou£ve-
TOV<; :reOAe~ov, KageAeTv Te TOV "I<y9~ov Kal t<Y~aAeTv ii~a
t<; ~V IIeAo:reovv'l<YOV, et Sf. ~~, Kal aVT£ij a:reayytAAeLV,
c<J<YT£ KaTa :reoSa,. tAauV£LV.
54 '0 ~f.V TWV 9upwv ~ye~wv Maxou~ouTl]<; :reapaAa~wv
TOV ~<; Evpw:re'l<; <YTpaTOV ~Aa<Y£ ~expL G£naAla<; t<; II'l-
V£LOV, Kal E<YTpaTo:re£Seuno :reapa Aapi<Y"11 Tij :reOAeL. LU~­
~OUA<il Sf EXP~TO ~f.V 'O~apn T£ij Toupaxavew, G£naAla<;
u:reapX<il. l\:neTpt:re£TO Sf. ~~ E<; TO :rep6<rw tAauV£LV, aAAa
~a<rLAeT avayytAA£LV, w<; ~ :reapa<YKeu~ ~et~wv ~ KaTa TOV
BOOK IO
now thoroughly distressed that they had to wait upon events
at the Isthmos and were accomplishing nothing toward the
conquest of the Peloponnese. Moreover, it was reported
that Mahmud, the sultan's lord, was coming to the Isthmos
against them with a large army. Shortly afterward it was also
reporteq that the sultan himself was coming against the
Isthmos", whereupon they decided to abandon the Isthmos,
as it offered them no advantages in the present circum-
stances, to go to their cities, strengthen them, and defend
them as best they could in case the forces of Mahmud and
those of the sultan should attack.
When news reached the sultan that the Venetians were 53
walling off the Isthmos, had manned forty triremes and
twelve tall ships, had brought knights from Italy and an-
other army from Crete, in sum that they had made extensive
preparations for the conquest of the Peloponnese, he dis-
patched Mahmud to take the army of Europe, except for
those who were stationed against the Hungarians, and to
march straight for the Peloponnese. If he found that he
himself was able to prosecute the war against the Venetians,
he was to demolish the Isthmos walls and also invade the
Peloponnese; if not, he was to report to him so that the sul-
tan could follow him in turn.
So Mahmud, the lord of the Porte, took the army of Eu- 54
rope and marched to the Peneios, in Thessaly, and encamped
by the city of Larissa. He consulted with Orner, the son of
Turahan and the prefect of Thessaly, who discouraged him
from advancing any further but instead advised him to re-
port to the sultan that the resources there were greater than
 THE HISTORIES
~aOlAew<; ~yeflova' aUTO<; yitp (J'tpaTevflaTl repoogev Ey-
yVTaTa Toii 'Io9f1oii C"l'lKoflevo<; T'1Ae~oAOV<; Te a'l'ewpa
reAe!ov<; ~ 8lOXlA!OV<; Kal T'1Ae~OAlO't"it<; TeTpaKOOLOV<; Kat
TO;OTa<; Kat reeATaO't"a<;, Kal fI'18evt aUTov<; aUToii EV T<ji
'Io9f1<ji ErelTpE'/tal av oTpaToree8evoao9at. TaiiTa aKOV-
oaVTa TOV ~aolAEw<; ~yeflova, eSOKEl ~aolAel flev KaTa-
Aafl~avov-ra ~v I1eAoreovv'10ov areayyeAAElV, aUTov<; 8e
ava~ev;avTa<; LEval e<; TO rep60w e<; Ae~a8Lav. BaolAev<;
fltv, w<; ayyeA!a aUT<ji a'l'LKeTo ~v Te reapaoKev~v fleYaA'1v
Te elVat Kal a;loxpew {...} Aey£-rat 8e aUT<ji Kat ypaflflaTa
eA9eTv areo I1eAoreovv~oov ereoTpvvov-ra, w<;, ~v ereLn, ou
flevoiiolv aUTov emov-ra Ol OueveToL Tit ypaflflaTa evty-
Kal aUT<ji av8pa AA~avov areo KOpLV90v, OKa'l'El TO reEAa-
yo<; VVKTO<;, T'1p~oaVTa reveiifla, w<; oupov Ka9lO't"aflEvov
Kat VVKTO<; area[povTa Slareepalwoao9at e<; BOlwTLav, areo-
~aV't"a 8' a'l'lKEo9alreapit MaxovflovTl]v e<; 8enaALav.
55 Tov {2.303} 8e em'l'paoaflevov Tit ypaflflaTa, OVOKev-
aoaflevov ev-reiigev e<; TO repoow eAaVVElV, eAaoav-ra ayxoii
BOlwT[a<;, a'l'lKVel"rat ayyeALa, w<; OueveTol TOV Te'Io9f1ov
eKAeAolTCoTe<; 4Ixov-ro 'l'evyovTE<;. OUTW 8~ EOTCEpa<; oUOl]<;
ovoKevaoaflevo<;, areo T* IIAaTa[a<; xwpa<; repo<; Kl-
9atpwva VVKTO<; 8lareopev9e!<;, Ewgev e<; TOV 'Io9f1oV reapijv,
Kat Ta<; Te vfja<; it'l'ewpa ~8'1 avayoflEva<;, Kal TOV 'Io9f1ov
ep'1f1ov KaTaAa~wv, reapeA9wv dow EO't"paToree8eveTo. 'Ev-
Teiigev 8lit 't"ij<; Kop[v90v SLLWV a'l'LKeTo e<; Apyo<;. To 8e
Apyo<; KaTeTxov ol OueveToL, 'l'povpav Te ev aUT<ji eYKaTa-
AlTCovTe<; E'l'vAanov. TovTov<; flEV, ell<; ereOAlOpKEl ereeAaoa<;,
reape~oaTO, Kat TOV<; av8pa<; 8eoflLov<; areoreEflrewv w<;
47 0
BOOK 10
the sultan's lord had at his disposal. For Omer himself had
previously come with an army near to the Isthmos and he
had observed more than two thousand cannons and four
hundred artillerymen along with archers and light soldiers,
and he would not recommend to anyone that they encamp
anywhere by the Isthmos.'3 When the sultan's lord heard
this, he decided to report to the sultan that he, the sultan,
ought to come to the Peloponnese himself, and that he
{Mahmud} should pack up and advance to Lebadeia. 74 The
sultan received the report that the enemy's preparations
were extensive and significant {. . .J" but it is said that
Mahmud also received a letter from the Peloponnese en-
couraging him to come, in which case the Venetians would
not stay to resist him. The letter was brought to him by an
Albanian from Corinth who sailed his ship across the sea at
night under a favorable wind. When a fair wind had picked
up and under the cover of night, he had crossed over to
Boiotia, landed there, and reached Mahmud in Thessaly.
Mahmud read the letter, prepared his forces, and ad- 55
vanced. When he reached the vicinity of Boiotia, a report
reached him that the Venetians had abandoned the Isthmos
and fled. That evening he prepared his forces and crossed at
night from the region of Plataiai near Mount Kithairon. At
dawn he reached the Isthmos in time to see the ships sail-
ing away. He occupied the deserted Isthmos, advanced, and
made his camp. From there he marched past Corinth and
came to Argos. Argos was held by the Venetians, who had
left a garrison there to hold it. He besieged them, overpow-
ered them, and sent the men in chains to the sultan, about
471
 THE HISTORIES
~a(TlAta, avSpw; TE e~Sofl~Kov-ra. Aim;; flevTOl Teji ~a(TlAEl
OUKtTl t<paiVETO, apa<; t<; 'ti]v ITEAOTC6vv'1crov £cr~aAElv Kat
Ta cr-rpaTEOflaTa aOTeji KaflvElV' apTl W<; £7t09ETO KaTa-
A'1<p9ijval TOV 'Icr9f16v, a~AauVEV 6TCicrw £TCt TWV ~acrl­
AelWV.
56 MaxoufloOT1j<; Sf " ~yEflwv TCPO'(WV S,a Tij<; TEyt'1<;
a<piKETo £<; AEOVTap'ov TC6AlV, Kat aUTOU £crTpaToTCESEO-
cram. 'EVTEU9EV aTCocr-rtAAEl Zayavov, DV i:Jrtcr-r'1crEv ap-
xov-ra Tft ITEAOTCOVV~crC;J, £K~aAWV 'I'1crouv TOV AA~aVEW
TCalSa. TOUTOV Sf. TOV Zayavov TCtflTCEl £<; ITaTpa<; Tij<;
]\Xcila<; Kal £<; Ta<; aAAa<; aOTOU TaO'!!]TC6AEl<;, £xupwcrai TE
Ta<; aKpOTC6AEl<; crlTiol<; T£ Kat-rft aAAn TCapa<YKEUft. 'Oflap'1v
Sf. £KtAEUcrEV avaAa~ovTa TOV cr-rpaTov, w<; S,crflupiou<;,
£mSpaflElv 'ti]v OUEVETWV xwpav. OUTO<; flf.V ouv TCapa-
Aa~wv TO cr-rpaTEUfla a<piKETO £<; Ta TCEpl T~V ME9wv'1v
xwpia, Kat TCOAixv'1V TCapacrT'1craflEVO<;, TOU<; [2.304} av-
9pWTCOU<; aTCaywv TCapESiSou Teji ~yEflOVl. OUTOl flf.V OUV
w<; av~x9'lcrav £<; ~amAta, crOflTCav-rE<;, £<; TCEv-raKocriou<;
YEVOflEVOl, aTCt9avov £<; Soo TfI'l9tVTE<;.
57 NyETat St, w<; £V Bu/;av-riC;J Ta crwflaTa aVTOU Tao,!!]
£KElTO, ii £mTa;aVTO<; TOU ~acrlAtw<; £<; SOO YEvoflEva
£TCEcrE, ~OUV TWV t<; TO xwpiov £KElvo £;EA96v-ra £W9EV £K
Tij<; <paTV'l<; Kat aTCEA96vTa £<; Ta crwflaTa, YOEPOV Tl
<p9Ey;aflEvov, i:!;EAtcr9al TO ~fliTOflov tvo<; TWV crwflaTwv
Kat <ptpov-ra 9tcr9at £KTO<; TWV crwflaTwv, flETa Sf VTCO-
cr-rpttav-ra £TClSE;oflEVOV £;EUpElV TO aAAO ~fliTOflOV, Kal
e;EVEYK6vTa cruv9tcr9at afla afl<pw TW ~fI'TOflW' 'YTC090-
pU~OOVTWV Se TWV Ei<; £KelV'lV 'ti]v xwpav, Ta TCEpt TOV
472
BOOK 10
seventy of them. The sultan then no longer thought it was
necessary for him to invade the Peloponnese in person and
to wear out his armies. When he learned that the Isthmos
had been taken, he returned to his palace.
The lord Mahmud advanced past Tegea and arrived at the 56
city of Leontarion, where he encamped. From there he dis-
patched Zaganos, whom he had made lord over the Pelo-
ponnese, having deposed isa, the son of Elvan. He sent
Zaganos to Patras in Achrua and to the other cities of that
region, to strengthen their citadels and supply them with
food and other necessities. He ordered Orner to take the
army, twenty thousand strong, and to raid the Venetians'
territory. He took the army and arrived in the region of
Methone. He subjected the town and led its people away,
delivering them to the lord. When they were dispatched to
the sultan, all of them, some five hundred in total, were
killed by being cut in hal£
It is said that as the bodies were lying there in Byzantion, 57
where the sultan had ordered that they be cut in half, an ox
from that place came out from its manger at dawn and went
over to the bodies. He lowed mournfully, picked up half of
a body and carried it away from the rest. Then he returned
and looked for the other severed half, which he brought out
and joined to the other hal£ As this disturbed the people in
that area, the sultan Mehmed learned about this ox and
473
 THE HISTORIES
~OuV TtUeE<Yeat ~Cl<YlAECl MeXflE-c']v, KCll =eoflevov, w<; e'i']
itA']eij -Cet Ttept -COV ~OuV, TteLpa<Ya<Yeat Tfi U<YTepa(q -Cet ~fI[­
-cofla -cou <Ywfla-co<; a'l'eAoflevov EK -COU XWp[OU t<; -cit <YW-
fla-ca aUel<; Ka-CCleE<Yeat, ava flEpO<; -cletflevov -ca ~fI[-c0fla.
Ov-cw lie ClUel<; -cov ~ouv t;loV'"Ca, W<; oux dipe -Cet ~fI[-c0flCl,
fiTtep t;tee-co, aVCl~o~<YaV'"Ca tmlipafluv au t<; -Cet <YWflCl-cCl,
KClt ~']~<Yav-ca t;eveYKuv -cou <Ywfla-co<; -Cet -ceflaXla, KCl-
-caeEflevov XWpt<; emo -cwv <Ywfla-cwv. Tov fltv ouv ~a<YlAECl
eaufla<YClV'"Ca KeAeu<Yal aveAofltvou<; ea'i'at -Cet ~fI[-c0fla, -cov
lie ~ouv t<; -Cet ~a<YlAeLa ayayt<Yeat, TteplETtoV'"CCl eu. To
flEV'"COl <Ywfla A£ye-Cat yevE<Yeal -cwv 'IAAuPlWV, 01 lit -cwv
Oueve-cwv. ~oKulie -cou-co OlWVOV 'l'EpeLV E<; -Cet -cou yEVOU<;
-cou <Ywfla-co<; tKe[VOU, Kat ETtt -COl<; flEAAOU<YlV i'<Y",eal
euliatflov(a et<; tKUVO -co yEVO<;. Tou-co flev EV Bu~aV'"C[4'
yevE<Yeat tTtUeOfleea.
58 '0 lit -cwv {2.305} eupWV ~yeflwv, W<; ouX wpa EliOKeL
au-c<ji eLVat Ttpo<Y~aAe1v -Cal<; TtOAe<Yl, Ka-cEAme fI£V tv Tfi
LTtap'"CJl 'Oflap,]v Kat afla Clu-c<ji A<Yav']v, W<; AOyOU<; -ce e<;
-cou<; LTtap-Cla-cCl<; TtEflTtOLeV. Kal UTtO<YTpE'i'av-ce<; e<; -Cet
olKela aTtO -ce -coo Tatvapou KClt 'ETtlliaupou KClt -cwv aAAWv
Xwp(wv, tva au-c[KCl TtUeOfleVOl -COU<; Oueve-cou<; eKAme1v
-cov 'I<YeflOv, KClt liLevOOOV'"CO ETtlOv-ce<; Ol -coo ~yeflovo<;
aflvva<Yeat. OU-COl flev ouv a'l'lKOflevOl e<; ~v LTtap-c']v
AOYOU<; -ce -COl<; LTtClp-Cla-Cat<; TtpO<YE'l'epov, Ka[ -clva<; ev
epuflvol<; au-coo -cav'"CJl Dv-ca<; Ttel<Yav-ce<; Ka-c<!JKl<Yav aUel<;
e<; ~v TtOAlV. KCll -COl<; EV Talvap4' Kat Tfi AClKWVlKfj TtEfI-
TtWV 0 A<Yav']<; TtapeKaAeL, AEyWV -calie.
59 "Avlipe<; LTtap-Cla-Cat, opa-ce Ii~Ttou, ora -Cet Oueve-cwv
474
BOOK IO
ascertained that the story about it was true, so he performed
the following test. The next day he had the two half-bodies
removed from that place and returned to the area with the
other bodies, and he placed the two halves in different
places. The ox came out again and, when he did not find the
two halves in the place where he had put them, he lowed,
and went right back to the bodies again. He searched for
and found the parts of the same body, and placed them apart
from the others. The sultan marveled at this and ordered
that they bury the two halves, and that the ox should be
brought to the palace and treated well. The body was said to
belong to an Illyrian, but others said it belonged to a Vene-
tian. This was taken to be an omen concerning the people to
which that body belonged, specifically that it would meet
with good fortune in the future. And that is what we have
learned took place in Byzantion.
The lord of the Porte {Mahmud}, however, decided that 58
it was not yet time to attack the cities, so he left Orner in
Mistra and with him Asanes to negotiate with the people of
Mistra. They returned home from Tainaron, Monemvasia,
and the other places when they learned that the Venetians
had abandoned the Isthmos." The intention of the lord's
men was to go against them and fight back. So those two
men arrived at Mistra and offered terms to its people. They
persuaded some, who had taken up residence in various for-
tified places there, to come back down to the city. Asanes
sent word to those in Tainaron and Lakonia, and appealed to
them by saying the following:
"0 people of Mistra, you see the depths to which 59
475
 THE HISTORIES
1tp''Yfla 'ta Ka't£V~VeK'tal, E; ,hou 1tOAefloV ~a<YIAei avat-
pOuflevoI Ev'tav9a, 'Iva 'tfJ<; Suvaflew<; au'twv fleya flepo<;
E1tlSd;atv't' av flaAI<Y'ta EV TIeA01tOVv~<Y4', W<; E'teAeu't'l<Yev
almjJ 'ta 1tepl 'tOY 'I<Y9f1ov Kat a!..A'lv xwpav 'tij<; TIeAo-
1tovv~<You, ev9a 'tov ~a<YIAew<; ~ Suvafll<; EK1tOSWV 'te
a1tl/lKI<Y'tat, Kal au'twv ye So 'twv Oueve'twv ~ Suvafll<; E<;
'ta flaAI<Y'ta fj9poI<Y'tal. El yap 'tOY ~MIAtW<; gepa1tov'ta
E1tlOv'ta mp[<Ylv oux oIol 'te Eyevov'to Se;a<Y9at, 'tl av
yevol'to, d ~MIAev<; <rVV 'tai<; 9upal<; au'tov E<y~a!..AOI E<;
TIeA01tOvv'l<Yov; TH SijAa, w<; OUK av e'tl mp[<Ylv au'toi<;
tJ1tOAOI1tOV tJ1toAwp9d'l EV TIeA01tOVv~<Y4' xwp[ov, II fI~
ava<Y'ta'tov yev'l'tal a1toAouflevov tJ1tO 'tou ~a<YIAew<;, Nvv,
w<; EV ElepflO7tUAal<; [2,306} a<pIKoflevo<; E7tUge'to, w<; a1to-
Amov'te<; 'tOY 'I<Y9f1ov otxov'to oi Ouevnol, w<; fipo<; £7t1-
<pavev'to<; au'tlKa tv' &9w<Ylv E1tt EV~Olav, Kal 'taSe 1tav'ta
tJ<p' atJ'twv 1tOl'l<Y0flevol, El ouv 1tapexov'to<; ~a<YlAew<;
<Y1lyyvwfl'lv, E<p' 01<; e;'l1ta'tij9'l'te tJ1tO 'twv KClKI<Y't' a1to-
Aouflevwv TIeA01tOvv'l<Y[wv, 'twv 1tpO<; Oueve'tov<; 'te'tpafl-
flEvWV KalouS' O'tLOVV uylo<; 'tfi XWN 'tfiSe Slavoouflevwv·
olSa yap, w<; E1te'tEAAe'to ~a<YIAev<; 'twv a1to TIeA01tOVv~<You
fI'lSevl fI'lSaflw<; aetKo<; E1tl<pepetV, w<Y'te avSpa1toSl~e<y9al
Ii IiAAo 'tl aV~Ke<Y'tov 1toteiv, aAX Eflflevov'twv U1tO<Y'tPE-
<pov'te<; E<; 'tOY xwpov au'tou EKa<Y'to<; Kat d<; 'tet otKe1a. Kat
d fI~ 'tou't4' 1td<Yov'tat, Kat au'to<; lifla 'toi<; Oueve'toi<;
1teplote'tal, 1tefl1twv au'tov<; 'tav'ta aflap'tavov'ta,"
60 Ot flOV E1td90v'to, Kat Kpu<pa 'twv Ouevnwv tJ1to<Y'tpe-
<pov'te<; eflevov Ev'toi<; otKdol<;. Ot So Setvw<; Ka'texoflevol
EV 't<ji Talvap4' E1tEflevov, 1teu<Ye<Y9a( 'tl a1tO TIalovwv. Ot
BOOK 10
Venetian affairs have fallen since they decided to go to war
against the sultan here. They displayed a large part of their
power in the Peloponnese, and you see how it has gone for
them at the Isthmos and the rest of the Peloponnese, even
though the sultan's own forces were not present and the Ve-
netians themselves assembled as many forces as they could,
For if they were not able to resist the sultan's servant when
he came against them, what would happen if the sultan him-
self invaded the Peloponnese with his Porte? It is clear that
nothing would still be left of their holdings in the Pelopon-
nese that would not have been rnined by the sultan and lost.
As it is, when he arrived at Thermopylai, he learned that Ve-
netians had fled from the Isthmos so that they could go to
Euboia with the arrival of spring and subject everything in
that area to themselves, In any event, the sultan is offering
a pardon for all those matters in which you were deceived
by the Peloponnesians who perished so miserably, the ones
who sided with the Venetians and planned no good for this
land, For I happen to know that the sultan has ordered that
no one from the Peloponnese is to be punished in any way,
to suffer neither enslavement or any other horrible fate, but
rather everyone is to retarn to his own place and his own
home, and stay there. Whoever does not obey will be
lumped together with the Venetians and the sultan will en-
snre that they suffer the same fate,"77
Some of them obeyed and, in secret from the Venetians, 60
they retnrned and stayed home. But others, who were in a
terrible situation, held on at Tainaron, hoping to hear from
477
 THE HISTORIES
yap Ouev£'t'Ot 'rou<; 're I1eAonoVVYJO'[OlJ<; Kat 'rOU<; hEpolJ<;
nap a f'lJ60uv're<;, W<; ot I1aiove<; t!;EA6wO'lV aU'riKa ano 'rOU
"IO''rpou, Kal aumt ava~ijVal t<; 'rOV 'EAA~01tov'rov. AJre-
Aauvono<; f'EV'rOl 'rOU ~Y£f'0vo<; 'rOU ~aO'lAtw<;, au'rwv
Ouev£'rwv 'rpl~pel<; avileO'av t<; Aijf'vov tno'rpuvov'ro<; 'rOU
K0f'VYJVOU, avSpo<; ap[O''rou, Kal au'rou tv 'rft A~f'v~ 'tf]v
aKponoAlV Ka'raKpa'rouno<; Kat 'tf]v naAal nOAiXVYJV "iio;
A~f'volJ u<p' aim!> nOlYJO'af'EVOlJ. 'E<; AOYOU<; SE EA60v'reo; ot
"iio; A~f'volJ npoeO''rw're<;, 6\O''r£ XP~f'aolV E!;wv~O'aO'6al 'ro
xwpiov, E<p6YJO'av oi Oueve-rot napaAa~ov'reo; 'tf]v aKpo-
nOAlv, Kal 'rov ye avSpa 'rou'rov aya60v y£v0f'£vov f'e'r-
enEf'vav'ro E<; 'rov 'IO'6f'ov. Tou'rolJ S~ ouv Imo'rl6ef'EVOlJ
avtnA£uO'av EO; 'r~v Aijf'vov ot Oueve'roi, Kal au'roo; 're
{2.3 0 7} ano "iio; ~neipolJ o-rpa'rt!> En£Aaoa<;, an~Aauv£v
EKaO''ro<; "ii<; nOA£w<;. Kal w<; aVEnA£uO'av, naptAa~ov
nOAlv 'r~v KepKYJSav, Kat 'rou<; 're apxona<; T~af'nAaKova<;
a<pijKav, <ppolJpav 're EYKa'raAl1tOn£<;, Kal EnlOl'r£lO'6ai
O'<piO'l 't"£ aU'rol<; Kat 'raI<; tv -rft I1£Aonovv~O'~ nOAeO'l. Kat
",xov'ro anlov're<; Enl I1£AonovvYJO'ov. Tau'ra f'EV 'rou Xel-
f'wvo<; 'rou'rou E<; 'r~v I1£AonovvYJO'ov EyEV£'rO.
BOOK 10
the Hungarians. For the Venetians had raised hopes among
the Peloponnesians and others that the Hungarians would
soon come down from the Danube while they themselves
would march up to the Hellespont. The sultan's lord
marched away, while the triremes of the Venetians went off
to Lemnos at the instigation of Komnenos, an excellent
man who commanded the citadel of Lemnos and had sub-
jected to himself the old town ofLemnos. 78 The leading men
of Lemnos entered into negotiations to sell the place for
money, and the Venetians arrived, received the citadel, and
transferred that valiant man to the Isthmos. It was upon his
suggestion that the Venetians had sailed to Lemnos. He
marched with an army overland, and each person marched
out from the city. When they sailed, they received the city
of Kerkeda, placed the Tzarnplakones lords in charge, left a
garrison, and provisioned both themselves and their cities
in the Peloponnese. 79 And they went away to the Pelopon-
nese. That, then, was what was happening that winter in the
Peioponnese. 80
479
 Note on the Text

It is now certain that Laonikos stopped working on the

Histories between 1464 and 1468, and probably closer to the
beginning of that period.' The earliest extant manuscript of
the work is the fifteenth-century Par. gr. 1780, copied by De-
metrios Angelos, an intellectual in Constantinople with wide-
ranging interests, including medical, historical, and philo-
sophical. 2 Angelos is not (yet) attested after the late 1470s,
and a watermark in that manuscript dates it closer to the
middle of the century.3 Therefore, that copy was made soon
after Laonikos finished the work and almost certainly in Con-
stantinople, and it was made by an able scholar who is prob-
ably not responsible for the many errors in grammar that
the text contains. 4 It is likely that the errors were already in
the original that Laonikos prodnced and left nnrevised.
That earliest manuscript also contains a number of inter-
polated passages on the history of the empire ofTrebizond,
the fate of its imperial family, and the geography and reli-
gious history of its neighbor Georgia; these passages were
not written by Laonikos and were introduced into Book 9
and possibly Book 10 as well. They must have been added
soon after Laonikos finished working on the text. I have
proposed that the interpolator, and possibly the author, of
those passages was none other than Georgios Anriroutzes,
 NOTE ON THE TEXT
an intellectual from Trebizond who had been close to the
royal family, implicated in some of the events recounted in
the interpolations, and connected to Demetrios Angelos
and Kritoboulos, the historian of Mehmed, at the Ottoman
court in Constantinople. s These were the circles among
which the work first circulated. The work would eventually
6
be exported to the West and recopied many times. The
Greek view of the rise of the Ottoman Turks and the fall of
Byzantium would therefore be represented by Laonikos's
Histories and not by the histories of Doukas and Kritobou-
los , which survived in one manuscript apiece and long re-
mained unknown in the West.
The Greek text produced here is that ofJena (Eugenius)
Dark6, published in 1922-1923 in Budapest (see Bibliogra-
phy). That edition is rare and its surviving copies tend to
cr~mble at the touch. An unexpected stroke of luck from
a different direction facilitated the making of this transla-
tion. In 2006 the Department of Cultural Technology and
Communication of the University of the Aegean completed
a project to digitize and upload texts in the public domain
relating to the Orthodox tradition, including Laonikos's
Histories; 25 percent of the funding for this came from the
Greek government, and the remainder from the European
Regional Development Fund. This digitization project, part
of the ongoing effort to develop Optical Character Recog-
nition software for Greek polytonic texts, produced, as far
as I can tell, a perfect scan of the Dark6 edition (only some
spaces were lost, which I restored). As for the te~t itself, its
poor state has long invited aggressive emendatlOn by edI-
tors. I have mostly refrained from adding my conjectures to
the existing heap that future editors will have to sort
NOTE ON THE TEXT
through. In a few places, however, I have restored the read-
ing of the manuscripts when it seems to me that it makes
better sense than the emendations Dark6 proposed or ac-
cepted (or any sense at all). These are listed in the Notes to
the Text. The page numbers of the Dark6 edition are indi-
cated by square brackets.
A new edition by Herbert Wurm and Michael Griinbart
is set to appear in the series Corpus Fontium Historiae Byzan-
tinae, but it is unlikely to appear soon. The editors will face
serious challenges. They are unlikely to want to print the
text with the many grammatical errors it contains, but how
far should their corrections go? As for the punctuation in
particular, knowing well that this has recently become a
controversial subject, I would support a highly structured,
interventionist system that would guide the reader through
each sentence as if it were modern German, like Jakob Hau-
ry's Teubner edition of Prokopios. The text is hard enough
on its own, and the punctuation can be of assistance.
SIGLA
< > = addition by editor
{J= seclusion by editor
[[ JJ = interpolated passage
[... J = lacuna
NOTES
I Kaldellis, "The Date." It was previously believed, on the basis of a mis-
taken understanding of his coverage of Bohemian history; that he was
writing as late as the 1490S.
 NOTE ON THE TEXT

2 Mondrain, '1eanArgyropoulos" and "DemetriosAngelos."

3 'WUrm and Gamillscheg, "Bemerkungen."
4 See the Note on the Translation in the Introduction, in volume I

(DOML 33)·
5 Kaldellis, "The Interpolations."
6 Wunn, "Die handschriftliche "Oberlieferung."
Notes to the Text

BOOK 6

I have restored the MSS reading over Darkd's correction f.O"t'£voxwpeL.

2 I prefer this variant MS reading over rcOLou~tvou~.
3 There seems to be a verb missing here.
4 I have acceptedTafell add. oflSelv here.
5 I have restored the MSS reading over Darkd's correction rcapaSL-
S6vta.
6 I would supply ll""PXov here.

BOOK 7
I have corrected the MSS 't'parco~tvou~.
2 I have corrected the MSS Xp6vov.
3 I have throughout restored the MSS reading over Darkd's correction
ITaya,.
4 The bracketed clause does not appear in any ofthe MSS. Darkd says it
was added by C. A. Fabrot but I have not been able to ascertain why he
didso.

BOOK 8
I have restored the MSS reading over Darkd's correction
E;avSparcoSlOuv't'al.
2 I have restored the MSS reading over Darktf's correction To6p'Kou~.

BOOK 9

I have supplied this.

2 I have corrected Atvov.
 NOTES TO THE TEXT

J I have supplied this.

4
Niels Gaulproposes that this be emended to avteX£lv.

BOOK 10

I have restored the lacuna. Darko would supply the name LCtVVav. Notes to the Translation
2 I have accepted Tafel's correction here over the MSS t'ASWOlV.

Books I, 2, 3, 4, and 5, referenced below, appear in volume 1

(DOML))).

BOOK 6

See 5.32-34 for this campaign, dated probably to 1426-27.

2 This cannot refer to a son of Dracul, i.e., of Vlad II Dracul
(1436-1442 and 1443-1447)' but only to Vlad II himself, who was
placed in power by the Ottomans in 1443. When Vlad II had
traveled to the Ottoman court to seek aid in 1442, he left his
son .Mircea II to rule in his place. But Mircea was displaced by
Basarab II, with Hungarian support; see 5.54-55 and the notes
there. Vlad was then reinstated by the Ottomans the following
year.
3 Kandyloron is attested only in Laonikos and cannot be identi-
fied.
4 This is probably the war with Karaman of 1434, because then
ibrahim Beg of Karaman was in contact with the Serbs and
Hungarians, and Durad Brankovic was also intriguing against
the Ottomans (see 6.2 below).
5 In antiquity this was a region of northern Thessaly, not a lake.
6 This attack against the Peloponnese took place in 1431 and does
not correspond to the events in Wallachia and Karaman; for
Turahan's 1423 attack, see 5.26.
7 Durad Brankovic, prince of Serbia (1427-1456), was intriguing
against the Ottomans between 1434 and 1435.
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
8 This was in 1434; see the outcome at 6.5-6 below.
In the summer of 1434, Hajji Giray's vassal Prince Alexis of
9
Mangoup attacked the Genoese of Caffa. Hajji Giray was the
first khan of the Crimea (1427-1466); see 30 25.
IO Carolo Lomellino was in command of the force sent out against
Hajji Giray in 1434.
II The Genoese force was defeated at the end ofJune 1434·
12 In August and September 1434·
Pope Eugenius IV ruled from 1431 to 1447·
13
Amadeus VIII, duke of Savoy, was made antipope Felix Vby the
'4
Council of Basel (1439-1449), but this was after the Council of
Ferrara-Florence had finished its business with the Byzantines.
Negotiations had lasted from 1430 to 1437, and the Byzantine
15
delegation finally set sail on November 27, 1437, for Venice.
16 In FebruarYI438.
The emperor arrived on .March 4,1438.
'7
18 Ferrara was under the rule of the marquis Niccolo III d'Este
(1393-1441).
19 This phrase is unclear.
20 Niccolo's second wife, whom he married in 1418, was Parisina
Malatesta, daughter of the condottiero Andrea Malatesta (not
Montferrat). He executed her on May 21, 1425, for having an af-
fair with his illegitimate son Ugo.
21 Actually, Niccolo's third marriage (in 1429) was to Ricciarda,
daughter of the marquis Tommaso III ofSaluzzo.
22 The move was made inJanuary 1439·
Laonikos seems to have fused the two Consigli: of the Popolo
23
(three hundred) and the Grandi (two hundred). He may have
known Leonardo Bruni's Constitution ofthe Florentines (written in
Greek).
The Gonfaloniere di Giustizia kept the city's banner and was re-
sponsible for internal security. He was one of the nine members
of the Signoria, who were elected from the guilds.
Union was signed onJuly 5-6,1439.
25
26 At 6.28 below Laonikos says that the cardinals are fifty in num-
ber.
BOOK 6
Basileios Bessarion, bishop of Nikaia, was made cardinal in
1439; he died on November 18,1472.
28 Isidoros, metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus', was also made car-
dinal in 1439 but was exiled from Russia; he died on April 27,
14 63.
29 Bessarion was appointed legate to Bologna (1450-1455) by pope
Nicolaus V (1447-1455), who had previously been bishop ofBo-
logna. The strife was between the Ceneduli and Bentivogli fac-
tions.
30 See 8.X7 and 8.24 below.
31 Ioannes VIII returned to Constantinople in February 1440.
32 .Markos Eugenikos was the leader of the resistance to Union at
the Council. Georgios Scholarios is reported to have vacillated;
after the fall of Constantinople he became patriarch under the
name Gennadios.
33 In August 1444 a papal fleet arrived under Legate Cardinal Fran-
cesco Condulmer; its members, especially Bartolomeo Lapacci,
bishop of Cortona, held discussions with the anti-unionists into
1445· The fleet departed in the autumn of 1445.
34 Eugenius IV returned to Rome on September 28, 1444; he had
been forced out in 1436.
35 For Carmagnola, who began to serve Venice in 1426 and was ex-
ecuted in 1432, see 4.31-32.
Laonikos is referring to Lake Garda, the largest in Italy and mid-
way between Milan and Venice, and possibly to the battle of
Maclodio (October II, 1427), at which the Venetians crushed the
forces of Milan (thOUgh a number of battles in the wars in Lom-
bardywere fought by or around this lake).
37 Niccolo Piccinino served Filippo on and off between 1425 and
1444; he besieged Brescia in 1438, but the Venetians raised the
siege.
38 The rule of the Carrara in Padua ended in 1405. when the city
passed under Venetian control. .Marsilio da Carrara, the last heir
of Francesco II Novello, was executed in Venice on March 24,
1435. His father, Francesco II, had also been executed by the Ve-
netians.
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
For these generals, see 4.31-32.
39
In 1450; see below.
40
41 Sforza fought for Venice from 1439 to 1441 (though he had
fought for nearly every power in Italy at the time) and mediated
the Peace of Cremona (November 20, 1441). In 1432, while
he was serving Milan, Francesco Sforza was engaged to Bianca
Maria Visconti, daughter of Filippo, but was not allowed to
marry her until 1441. Bergamo had been acquired by Venice in
the treaty Of1428.
In 1443-44, Niccoli'> fought for the pope (Eugenius IV) and Al-
fonso V of Naples against Sforza, but he was recalled to Milan
and his army was destroyed in his absence; he died on October
15,1444·
On August 13, 1447·
43
These sentences are obscure. This was the GoldenAmbrosian
44
Republic (1447-145°). It was at war with Venice for most of its
existence, except when Sforza, working for the Venetians, came
close to starving it into surrender, whereupon Venice turned
against him and signed a peace treaty with the republic in Sep-
tember 1449 to prevent him from taking it. Laonikos has tele-
scoped the events ofI447 to 1449·
This clause may be corrupt, but estenomachei can refer to the
45
breakdown of civil order in Milan in 1448-49.
Sforza signed on with the Ambrosian Republic as captain gen-
eral in August 1447, but he was distrusted by many Milanese.
Some intrigued for peace with Venice, but Venice was at war
with the republic until late in 1449. Sforza went over to Venice
in October 1448 and brought Milan to its knees, whereupon
Venice turned against him; see the previous note.
This phrase is obscure.
Sforza blockaded Milan in 1449-50, at first on behalf of Venice
and then for himself His headquarters were at Peschiera Borro-
meo, twelve kilometers southeast of .Milan.
The Venetian commander whom Sforza defeated was the noto-
49
rious Sigismondo Malatesta (who would later bring Plethon's
49 0
BOOK 6
remains to Rimini). It is not clear where "Koudounidas" comes
from; possibly from Bartolomeo' Colleoni, a Milanese condot-
tiero who was fighting on various sides in this conflict, including
with the Venetians against Sforza (in one configuration).
50 Milan capitulated to Sforza on February 26, 1450. The "peace"
is probably the treaty of Lodi (April 9, 1454), and the agree-
ments that followed upon it, which established peace in Italy.
The monk who was instrumental in bringing it about was Fra
Simone da Camerino, Sforza's confessor.
51 Eugenius IV was actually based in Florence after the Coun-
cil, until 1443. The "warrior prelate" in command of the papal
armies was, until 1440, Cardinal Giovanni Vitelleschi, but he
was not a kinsman, and it seems that Laonikos is referring to
later events. The pope's nephew, also a cardinal, Francesco Con-
duhner, was involved in the discussions over Union and was
commander of the papal fleet in the mid-I44oS (see 6.16 below).
Florence alternated between a M.ilanese and Venetian alliance
in this decade. Urbino is probably a mistake for another city,
and the "future ruler" is likely Sforza. The pope did fight against
Sforza during this period.
52 Laonikos has not previously mentioned Mantua.
53 Ludovico III Gonzaga, marquis of Mantua (1444-1478), was the
son of .Marquis Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga 6407-1444) and Paola
Malatesta. The mother of Gianfrancesco I himself was Mar-
gherita Malatesta.
54 A reference to the legendary pope Joan.
55 At 6.13 above, Laonikos says that the cardinals are thirty.
56 Joachim of Fiore (ca. II35-1202) founded the order of Sar
Giovanni in Fiore. The papal prophecies, contained in a serie~
of manuscripts called the Vaticinia de Summis Pontijicibus, wen
loosely based on the Byzantine Oracles ofLeon the W'ise (on whid
see 8.33 below), circulated from the late twelfth century on, ant
were attributed to Joachim by the early fifteenth century.
57 Joachim was famous for performing menial tasks about th
monasteries in which he lived
49'
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
39 For these generals, see 4.31-32.
40 In 1450; see below.
4' Sforza fought for Venice from 1439 to 1441 (though he had
fought for nearly every power in Italy at the time) and mediated
the Peace of Cremona (November 20, 1441). In 1432, while
he was serving Milan, Francesco Sforza was engaged to Bianca
Maria Visconti, daughter of Filippo, but was not allowed to
marry her until 1441. Bergamo had been acquired by Venice in
the treaty of 1428.
In 1443-44, Niccolo fought for the pope (Eugenius IV) and Al-
fonso V of Naples against Sforza, but he was recalled to Milan
and his army was destroyed in his absence; he died on October
15,1444·
43 On August 13, 1447·
44 These sentences are obscure. This was the Golden Ambrosian
Republic (1447-145°). It was at war with Venice for most of its
existence, except when Sforza, working for the Venetians, came
close to starving it into surrender, whereupon Venice turned
against him and signed a peace treaty with the republic in Sep-
tember 1449 to prevent him from taking it. Laonikos has tele-
scoped the events of 1447 to 1449.
45 This clause may be corrupt, but estenomachei can refer to the
breakdown of civil order in Milan in 1448-49.
Sforza signed on with the Ambrosian Republic as captain gen-
eral in August 1447, but he was distrusted by many Milanese.
Some intrigued for peace with Venice, but Venice was at war
with the republic until late in 1449. Sforza went over to Venice
in October 1448 and brought Milan to its knees, whereupon
Venice turned against him; see the previous note.
This phrase is obscure.
Sforza blockaded Milan in 1449-50, at first on behalf of Venice
and then for himself His headquarters were at Peschiera Borro-
meo, twelve kilometers southeast of Milan.
49 The Venetian commander whom Sforza defeated was the noto-
rious Sigismondo Malatesta (who would later bring Plethon's
49 0
BOOK 6
remains to Rimini). It is not clear where "Koudounidas" comes
from; possibly from Bartolomeo' Colleorn, a Milanese condot-
tiero who was fighting on various sides in this conflict, including
with the Venetians against Sforza (in one configuration).
50 Milan capitulated to Sforza on February 26, 1450. The "peace"
is probably the treaty of Lodi (April 9, 1454), and the agree-
ments that followed upon it, which established peace in Italy.
The monk who was instrumental in bringing it about was Fra
Simone da Camerino, Sforza's confessor.
5' Eugenius IV was actually based in Florence after the Coun-
cil, until 1443. The "warrior prelate" in command of the papal
armies was, until 1440, Cardinal Giovanni Vitelleschi, but he
was not a kinsman, and it seems that Laonikos is referring to
later events. The pope's nephew; also a cardinal, Francesco Con-
dulmer, was involved in the discussions over Union and was
commander of the papal fleet in the mid-144oS (see 6.16 below).
Florence alternated between a Milanese and Venetian alliance
in this decade. Urbino is probably a mistake for another city,
and the "future ruler" is likely Sforza. The pope did fight against
Sforza during this period.
52 Laonikos has not previously mentioned Mantua.
53 Ludovico III Gonzaga, marquis of Mantua (1444-1478), was the
son of Marquis Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga (14°7-1444) and Paola
Malatesta. The mother of Gianfrancesco I himself was Mar-
gherita Malatesta.
54 A reference to the legendary pope Joan.
55 At 6.13 above, Laonikos says that the cardinals are thirty.
56 Joachim of Fiore (ca. 1135-1202) founded the order of San
Giovanni in Fiore. The papal prophecies, contained in a series
of manuscripts called the Vaticinia de Summis Pontificibus, were
loosely based on the Byzantine OmclesofLeon the Wise (on which
see 8.33 below), circulated from the late twelfth century on, and
were attributed to Joachim by the early fifteenth century.
57 Joachim was famous for performing menial tasks about the
monasteries in which he lived.
49 1
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
This story reflects the most popu1ar explanation ofJoachim's il-
lumination; the setting was the Cistercian monastery at Sambu-
cina, Calabria.
59 See 6.12 above.
60 Konstantinos had acted as regent during the emperor's absence
in Italy. He went to Lesbos in mid-1441 to marry Caterina,
daughter of Dorino Gattilusio, ruler of Lesbos (1428-1455). He
then left her there and went back to the Pe1oponnese. In 1442
he was summoned back to the capital when his brother Deme-
trios threatened war on Ioannes VIII (see 6,32 below). For Kon-
stantinos in the Peloponnese in the late 1420S, see 5.27-29.
61 Konstantinos was trapped on Lemnos from Ju1y to August 1442.
His wife Caterina died of illness during the siege. Ahmed ap-
pears to be otherwise unknown.
This sentence is convoluted. Konstantinos returned to gov-
ern the Peloponnese in October 1443, and Theodoros took the
same ship back, to take up ru1e ofSelymbria.
The attack began on April 23, 1442.
Demetrios Palaiologos's second (or third) wife (whom he mar-
ried on April 16, 1441) was Theodora (daughter ofPau1os Asanes,
who died in January 1442). Theodora's brother was Matthaios
Palaiologos Asanes.
That is, to Mesembria. Demetrios was briefly imprisoned in
1444 and was reappointed to Mesembria when the despot The-
odoros II, who held it, died inJune 1448.
66 King UIasz16 I of Hungary (1440-1444) = King Wladyslaw III
of Poland (1434-1444) was sixteen years old at the time of his
accession to the Hungarian throne; see 5·52·
Durad Brankovic, prince of Serbia (1427-1456); see 6.2 above.
He had been stripped of his principality in 1439 and had fled to
Hungary
68 The Hungarian alliance marched and invaded Ottoman territo-
ries in late 1443. Vlad II Dracu1 had been installed in power by
the Ottomans earlier that year and did not join the invasion, but
it seems that he sent his son Mircea II with a small force.
49 2
BOOK 6
This is the Zlatica pass, east of Sofia.
Muzaka was the name of a prominent Albanian family. Kasim
was possibly the son ofTeodor Muzaka.
A reference to the battle ofNikopolis in 1396: see 2.20.
The battle of the Zlatica pass was fought in the snow before
Christmas 1443.
73 Turahan and Kasim were not brothers. Turahan's known brother
was named Ishak.
74 Balil Pasha, son of c;andarh ibrahim Pasha (grand vizier un-
til 1429), became grand vizier in 1443; his brother was named
lvIahmud.
75 Durad was actually the son of Vuk; Laonikos may have been
misled by a patronymic (e.g., DuradVukic) to imagine a double
name (DuradVuk).
The treaty was concluded on June 12, 1444, but the Christian
powers were already planning their Crusade, the Varna cam-
paign.
77 ibrahim of Karaman was in communication with the Christian
powers and had invaded Murad's territory in the spring of 1443,
but he was quickly beaten back. Be attacked again in mid-1444,
was again beaten back, and had to accept vassal status, probably
in August; it is this second conflict that Laonikos is chiefly refer-
ring to here; see 6.58 for its outcome.
This was in 1443; see 6.32 above.
Konstantinos was called Dragas (Dragases) because his mother
Je1ena was the daughter of the Serbian lord Konstantin Dragas,
mentioned often above.
80 Thomas's territory was in the northwest Peloponnese.
81 This project was finished in March 1444.
82 This was in 1444; Konstantinos took over Athens too.
83 In 1444 Nerio II Acciaiuoli, duke of Athens' (1435-1439 and
1441-1451), recognized Konstantinos's suzerainty.
I have not been able to otherwise identify this group.
Loidorikion (modern Lidorilo) was taken by Konstantinos's
governor ofAigion, Konstantinos Kantakouzenos Palaiologos.
493
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
86 Orner's raid took place in 1444.
87 This was after the Ottoman victory at Varna; see below.
88 These were Nerio II Acciaiuoli (duke 1435-1439 and 1441-1451)
and his brother Antonio II (dUke 1439-1441). They were sons
of Antonio 1's cousin, Franco (the son of Nerio 1's brother
Donato), and Antonio designated them his heirs; for Antonio I,
see 4.56-59.
Antonio I died in the early summer of 1435.
Antonio's wife was named Maria, possibly a Melissene. Laoni-
kos's father was named Georgios.
This convoluted phrase has been taken to mean that Antonio's
9'
widow, Maria, was married to Nerio II. This is supported by a
Venetian document but disputed by some historians.
Turahan besieged and took Thebes in 1435.
92
It is not clear who this is, probably the sultan.
93
Antonio II ruled Athens from 1439 to 1441, although the reason
94
for Nerio II's absence is uncertain.
This refers back to the events in 6.49 above.
In 1446; see 7.17 below.
See 6.47 above.
A reference to the battle of Nikopolis; see 2.20. This sentence
condenses a complicated series of diplomatic exchanges among
all the Christian powers involved.
A large Christian fleet assembled at the straits by August 1444,
99
consisting of papal, Venetian, Burgundian, and Ragusan ships.
Laonikos may not have been aware that these were the same
ships that he referred to in 6.16 above.
IOO This clause is obscure.
IOI For the Zenebishi rille over Argyrokastron, which ended in
1418, see 4.P. The present episode, datable to 1443-44, appears
to be otherwise unattested.
I02 Cardinal Giuliano Cesarini was among the "hawks" of the Varna
Crusade.
I03 See 6.45 above.
I04 Or "read it aloud to them." On August 4, 1444, Cardinal Cesa-
rini absolved the king of Hungary of his oaths to the sultan.
494
BOOK 7
I05 For Murad's conflicts with Karaman, see 646 above.
I06 The Bohemians in question were the Czech Hussite forces of
Jan Jiskra who held Slovakia and had supported the Austrian
side in the succession crisis. King Wladislaus obtained a new ar-
mistice with him on April 24, 1444.
Vlad II Dracill joined the Hungarian army at Vidin in October
'444·
108 Dobrotica was amid-fourteenth-century Bulgarian lord (d. 1385)
descended from the Cuman royal house of Terter, who had in-
tervened in the Byzantine civil war (1341-1347) and been re-
warded with the court title of despotes; it is after him that the
Dobrudja and the city ofDobric were named.
The Hungarians reached Varna in early November 1444. Kal-
liakra is a fortified headland northeast of Varna.
no This passage picks up from 6.46 above.
III The Ottoman army crossed over on October 27-28.
BOOK 7
Actually, Murad marched straight for the Hungarians and en-
gaged with them at Varna as soon as he reached them, on No-
vember 10, 1444.
2 "Vitez" means valiant (and so a soldier) in Hungarian.
3 Actually, Karaja was the beylerbeyi of Anatolia (Asia), not Rumeli
(Europe).
4 It is not clear what this means. It probably refers either to the
length of the blade being curved or straight, or to its cross-
section profile.
5 He is given different names in the various Greek and Turkish
sources.
6 This clause is obscure.
7 It is unclear when this refers to and to whom. Does it refer pro-
leptically to 7.13 or to a prior incident? Neither Hunyadi nor
Vlad II had been arrested by the other. At any rate, Hunyadi was
back in Hungary by February 1445.
8 Hunyadi tried to impose Dan (on whom see 5.54-55) on Walla-
495
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
BOOK 7
chia in late I447 but was not altogether successful (the events This is probably Murad.
27
are obscure). It is also not clear whether this Dan was the son of 28 Actually, in 1448, so it was "the following summer" only if we
Basarab II or of Dan II, probably the latter. At any rate, Vlad II
count from early 1447, when Murad returned from the Pelopon-
Dracul fled and was killed. nese.
9 Hunyadi was elected regent governor of Hungary on June 5, 29 Gjergj Kastrioti (1405-I468), better known as Skanderbeg, an
1446. Warfare with the Habsburgs (a complicated matter involv-
Albanian national hero; for his days at the sultan's court, see
ing the Hungarian succession) erupted in 1446-47.
504 0 .
ro Jan Jiskra held Slovakia with the help of Czech Hussite forces For Arianiti, see 5.40-42. Skanderbeg married Donika, Gjerg
30
and had supported the Austrian side in the Hungarian succes- Arianiti's daughter (among other marriage links between the
sion crisis. He was a constant problem for Hunyadi, and there two families).
was open warfare in late 1449 and again in I451, when Hunyadi
3' Skanderbeg rebelled in 1443 and reverted to Christianity. He
was initially defeated but managed to repel Jiskra during the
defeated Ottoman armies, and Murad marched against him in
pursuit. mid-'448.
II Or "among"; the sentence is unclear.
32 The siege lasted from May 14 to July 31, 1448.
'2 For Theodoros's transfer from the Peloponnese to Selymbria in
33 It is not clear what town this is. There is a Gjate north of Gjiro-
1443, see 6.32 and 6,47 above. kaster (Argyrokastron), but it is far to the south ofSvetigrad and
'3 Theodoras died inJuly '448. Kruje.
'4 See 6.47-48 above; this offensive had begun in I444. This was actually two years after the fall of Svetigrad, in 1450.
34
'5 This was in late 1446. The siege of Kruje lasted from 1v1ay 14 to October 26. Murad
,6 See 6.49 and 6.52 above. was accompanied by his son Mehmed.
'7 In October I446, Helene, daughter ofThomas Palaiologos, was Mehmed was born on March 30, 1432.
35
sent to marry Lazar, the son ofDurad Brankovic.
36 Murad II abdicated suddenly after the battle of Varna, in favor
,8 Miggiai is otherwise unattested. Dark6 emended it to Pagai on of Mehmed, who was not yet thirteen. It is possible that he had
the basis of an ancient city list.
decided to do this before Varna and before he had retired to
'9 Murad reached the Isthmos on November 27.1446. Manisa, from where he had to be recalled to fight at Varna; after
20 That is" the prophet Muhammad. the battle, he returned to Manisa.
2' Alternately, cerehor, serehor (irregular enlisted soldiers, often used Murad's son Aluned had died in Amaseia in 1437, and his son
37
to repair fortresses). Alaeddin Ali in 1443, also in Amaseia. He seems rather to have
22 These were provincial recruits, either settled nomads or peas- been strangled in his sleep.
ants, who by midcentury were being used for such auxiliary Seyyid is a honorific designation of Muslims who are recognized
functions. as descended from Muhammad's daughter Fatimah.
23 These sentences are obscure. Murad II left Manisain May 1446, was at Bursa in August 1446,
39
24 The waIl fell on December 10, 1446. and reached Edirne in September 1446, whereupon he marched
25 Human sacrifice is foreign to Islam, and the Ottomans generally against the Peloponnese: see 7.I7 above.
did not waste useful slaves. This episode is problematic, though Laonikos has duplicated the siege of Kruje (in I450) from 7.30
40
not impossible. above. There was only one siege under Murad.
26 It is unclear which city is meant here. Actually, this Hungarian invasion occurred two years earlier, in
4'

497
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
1448, and led to the second battle ofKosovo. In relation to Mu-
rad's Albanian campaigns, it followed the capture of Svetigrad
(see 7-30 above), Hunyadi had set out in September 1448.
Some kind of long barrage cannons or firelocks that fired leaden
balls.
See 5.37.
43
See 1.57-58.
44
Murad found Hunyadi on October 17, 1448, before Skanderbeg
45
could arrive. The battle was fought on the following day.
Jmas Szekely, the ban of Slovenia, was Hunyadi's nephew or
brother-in-law. He died in this battle.
Miklos Ujlaki (also known as Nikola of Ilok) was already ban of
47
Maeva and would become titular king of Bosnia in 1471; his pres-
ence at Kosovo seems to be otherwise unattested. Franko of
Talovac was ban of Severin. He would die in this battle.
For the vitiz, see 7.5 above and the note there.
This clause makes no sense.
See 6.40-42 above.
For the return of the bodies or, more likely, the counting of the
dead.
That is" at Smederevo.
52
Hunyadi's elder son, Laszlo, was required to remain temporarily
53
at Smederevo as a hostage while his younger son, .Matthias (Ma-
tyas), later king (1458-1490), was to marry Elizabeth (Erzsebet),
the daughter of Ulrich II of Cilli, Hunyadi's political enemy, and
granddaughter ofDurad Brankovic.
Ioannes VIII died on October 31,1448.
54
That is,Jelena G-Ielene) DragaS.
55
56 It is unclear what the courtiers are "in the middle" of, perhaps
between the imperial family and the populace (given the order
of the sentence).
That is, Demetrios Kantakouzenos and Loukas Notaras. The
57
mesazontes were the most powerful officials, acting on the em-
peror's behalf
Thomas arrived on November 13, 1448.
Konstantinos IX Palaiologos arrived on March 12, 1449·
BOOK 7
60 Demetrios was to have the southeast and Mistra, and Thomas
the northwest and Glarentsa.
6, For MatthaiosAsanes, see 6.32 above.
62 Murad II died on February 3,1451.
63 Murad II actually reigned from 1421 to 1451, with a brief retire-
ment from 1444 to 1446.
The son, Ahmed, is said to have been eight months old. His
mother was Tajiinnisa Hadije Halima Hatun, the daughter of
ibrahim II ~andarogIu (emir of ~andar 1440-1443) from the
isfendiyar dynasty. For Ahmed's death, see 7.65 below.
Actually, Mehmedgranted the Byzantines the revenues of some
cities along the Strymon River for the upkeep of Orhan, an
Ottoman pretender in Constantinople. He appears to have
been a maternal grandson of Siileyman I (d. 1411), the elder son
ofBayezid I.
That is, Mara Brankovic; see 5.31.
Doukas, History 33-10, says that the assassin was Ali Beg, son of
Evrenos, and he too was killed on the next day.
68 Hadije Halima's new husband was Ishak Pasha, the beylerbeyi of
Anatolia.
ibrahim Beg. The name Alishur actually belonged to the
founder of the emirate of Germiyan, Yakub b. Alishur (d. after
1320), but Laonikos often refers to the ruler of Karaman as
"KaramanAlisourios" (see note on 1.14).
In the autumn of 1451, ibrarum organized uprisings in the re-
cently conquered emirates of Aydm and Germiyan and in the
emirate of Mente~e, and invaded Ottoman lands.
7' Kandyloron is attested only in Laonikos and cannot be identi-
fied.
The bracketed clause does not appear in any of the manuscripts.
Darko says it was added by C. A. Fabrot, but I have not been
able to ascertain why he did so.
73 lt is not clear which brother is meant here.
74 That is, Karytaina.
75 See 3.72.
76 It is unclear what place Laonikos means by "Shemakha."
499
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION BOOK 8

No attack by Jahanshah of the Black Sheep against Ottoman 18 These negotiations took place probably on May 25. ismail, emir
77
territories is recorded at this time. of Sinope (1443-1460), was actually the grandson of isfendiyar
See 3-72. (d. 1440).
19 Probably on Monday, May 28.
20 See 8.12 above.
BOOK 8 Giovanni Giustiniani Longo (named in the next section), a Gen-
21

Bogaz kesen in Turkish. Rumeli Hisan was built in the spring and oese nobleman, had brought perhaps seven hundred soldiers;
summer of 1452, although preparations had begun the previous Kritoboulos, History 1.25.1 and 1.25.4, says four hundred men. He
winter. It was a fort but compared to a small town also by Krito- was one of the leading strategists in the defense.
boulos, History 1.11.4· 22 See 6.13 and 6.15 above.
2 The raid began in October 1452· 23 A liturgy celebrating Union was performed in Hagia Sophia on
His sons were Ahmed and Orner. December 12, 1452, but it was not accepted by many or even
3
This was the fateful spring of 1453. most of the people of the city.
4
Mehmed arrived on Aprils, 1453· That is, what the Romance languages call Tuesday, on May 29.
5
6 Zaganos was married to Mehmed II's sister Fatma. Neither of the two Kantakouzenoi involved in the siege (An-
A plethron was an ancient unit of length measurement, about dronikos and Ioannes) died in the fighting, so this one might be
7
thirty meters. a third.
8 See 5.15-17. 26 This clause is obscure.
The bombardment began on April 6 and lasted for more than 27 Orhan was an Ottoman pretender maintained by the Byzan-
9
six weeks. tines as a potential rival to the sultan. He tried to escape in dis-
IO Doukas, History 38.12, relates that an envoy sent to the Turks by guise but threw himself off the sea walls when recognized.
Hunyadi during the siege showed Urbanus how to triangulate 28 Isidoros was made bishop of Sabina (in Latium, Italy) only after
cannon fire for maximum effect on the walls. his escape and return to Rome.
II Mehmed used Serb miners from Novo Brdo, and they dug a to- 29 Actually Konstantinos XI reigned in Constantinople from
tal of seven tunnels, all of which were discovered and neutral- March 1449 to May 1453.
ized by the defenders. 30 The Venetian podesta Girolamo Minotto was executed along
12 These operations took place throughout the duration of the with the Catalan representative Pedro Juliano.
siege, mostly in May. 31 See 8.34 below.
This was brought up on May 18 but soon destroyed by the de- 32 The Genoese podesta was Angelo Lomellino.
13
fenders. 33 This section and the previous one refer to the Byzantine aris-
This operation began on Sunday, April 22. tocracy.
14
Albeit with significant delay, on Saturday, April 28, before dawn. 34 This story of Mehmed's infatuation is recorded only here.
15
16 Or about 12.5 miles (20 kilometers). Kritoboulos, History 1.28·3, 35 This took place in the summer of 1453 (the exact dates are un-
has 126 stades, or about 14 miles. clear).
17 Actually, this happened earlier, on April 20, and there were three 36 See 7.33 above.
Genoese ships, not one. 37 This is probably Mahmud PashaAngelovic, who would be grand

500 501
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
BOOK 8

kous (fearing the Turks, etc.). But the name "Turks" is rarely cor-
vizier from 1454 to 1468 and 1472 to 1473· He appears promi-
rupted in the manuscripts, and "laws" makes sense here.
nently below. Otherwise it is a reference to the Mihaloglu
Turahan arrived in October 1454; he had been preceded, in De-
family.
This refers to a series of prophecies circulating 'in the later Mid- cember 1453, by his son Orner with a smaller force.
49 This clause is obscure.
dle Ages that were attributed to the emperor Leon VI (886-
50 That is, in 1455. Laonikos has skipped over Mehmed's invasion
912); see also 6.29 above for Joachim.
of Serbia in 1454, which took many slaves but failed to capture
39 The unionist patriarch Gregorios III Mamas left Constantino-
Smederevo and led to vigorous Hungarian counteroffensives.
ple in 1451 for Rome and did not return; he died in 1459·
See 7.37 above.
That is, Pjeter Bua. The Albanian revolt broke out in September
Literally; "upturned cannons," invented by Mehmed during the
1453·
siege of Constantinople.
Manuel, son of Georgios, was possibly descended from the em-
53 Novo Brdo surrendered onJune I, 1455. The city was destroyed;
peror Ioannes VI. His rule as rival despot is dated 1453-54, and
only miners were left behind.
he fled to Ragusa, before being expelled from there in 1457. He
then attempted to enter Ottoman service but was dismissed. 54 Durad Brankovic had actually fled to Hungary the previous year,
1454, when Mehmed had tried (and failed) to take ,Smederevo.
Subsequent to being arrested at Venice and Ragusa, he died in
Hunyadi had marched to Serbia and defeated Ottoman forces
Hungary after 1469.
left behind.
For Thomas's marriage to Caterina, daughter of Centurione
55 Durad Brankovic, despot of Serbia, died on December 24, 1456,
Zaccaria, see 5.30. The rebel in 1453 was not Centurione, who
died in 1432, but his son Giovanni Aseno, correctly identified as at the age of 79, but after the siege ofBe1grade recounted below.
56 Lazar II Brankovic (1456-1458).
Caterina's brother (though other contemporary sources called
57 For the blinding of Grgur and Stefan, see 5.37. Kritoboulos, His-
him Centurione too). He had been imprisoned since 1446; see
tory 2.20.7-10, says that only one of the blind sons, Grgur, es-
8.36 below. He did not so much join the Albanian rebellion
caped to Mehmed at this time, while Stefan stayed behind qui-
as start his own. He was declared prince of Achaia at Aetos in
etly. He served as regent for his niece G..azar II's daughter)
1454, besieged Patras and Mistra in vain, and requested from the
sultan recognition as ruler of the Morea. Mehmed supported Marija in 1458-59.
The treaty between Mehmed and Lazar II was concluded in
the Palaiologoi instead, and when Giovanni Aseno lost Aetos to
Turahan Pasha (still in 1454), he fled to Venetian Modon. He January 1457.
59 This was in 1456.
died as a papal pensioner at Rome in 1469.
60 See 5.37.
43 For Loukanes, see 8.37 below.
61 An Ali Bey from this family (most prominent in the 1460s and
44 In 1446; see 7.18-28 above.
Manuel Bocharis was the son-in-law of Georgios Palaiologos, 1470S) was the son of HIZlf Bey (who died in 1465), the son of
45
Mehmed (who died in 1422), the "son" ofKose Mihal.
Thomas's cousin. Raoul (or Rales) cannot be identified with cer-
62 Htzrr's attack forced the emperor of Trebizond, Ioannes IV
tainty; as there were many individuals with this name active in
Komnenos (1429-1460), to consent to an annual tribute, and he
the Peloponnese at that time.
sent his brother David to the Porte with it; see 9.34 below.
His full name was Nikephoros Loukanes.
This was still Durad Brankovic; see 8.45 above.
Laonikos's modern editors have changed nomous here to Tour-

502
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
Meruned arrived at Belgrade onJune 13, 1456.
The king of Hungary at this time was Ladislaus V the Posthu-
mous (1444-1457), although he spent most of his life in captivity
at the hands of his cousin and guardian, the emperor Friedrich
III (1440-1493), who could thus manage almost all of the family
lands, until 14p. Ladislaus fled to Vienna before the Ottoman
advance; see below; note on 8.59. The commander at Belgrade
was Hunyadi.
This battle took place onJuly 13·
The Franciscan friar and popular preacher Saint Giovanni da
Capistrano (1386-1456); see also 8.58 below.
68 See 3.29 for the alleged paganism of the Bohemians, probably a
reference to the Hussites; also 8.58 below. Capistrano had been
sent on many missions by a number of popes, including against
the Hussites.
This was onJuly 21.
Hunyadi died on August II, 1456.
This sentence is obscure.
Capistrano had studied under Saint Bernardino of Siena 6380-
1444), another Franciscan missionary.
73 This clause is obscure. For the alleged paganism of the Bohemi-
ans, see 3.29 and the note there.
See 8.49 above.
74
75 Ladislaus V the Posthumous-Laszlo V of Hungary (1440 and
1444-1457), Ladislav of Bohemia (1440-1457), and Ladislaus of
Austria (1440-1457)-was the son of Albert (Albrecht II of
GermanyN of Austria) and Elisabeth of Luxembourg, the
daughter of Sigismund. Perhaps Laonikos misunderstood Latin
nepos as nephew rather than grandson. He was born in 1440.
See 7-10 above.
This is a mistake: Albert II, king of Germany, was Ladislaus's
father. Ladislaus was held by his second cousin once removed
Friedrich V of Austria from 1424 = Friedrich III as German
king from 1440 (replacing Ladislaus's father), named Holy Ro-
man emperor in 1452 (crowned by Nicolaus V; and replacing
BOOK 8
Ladislaus's grandfather Sigismund). The Hungarian estates
elected Ladislaus as king after Varna in 1444 (though his mother
had him crowned in 1440), but Friedrich did not give him up un-
til 1452.
See 8.61 below.
This may be what Friedrich claimed, but in reality he kept
Ladislaus in order to keep control over Lower Austria.
80 In 1446 Hunyadi marched against Vienna and, later, repeatedly
against Friedrich's allies in Slavonia and upper Hungary. Larus-
laus 'Was freed from Friedrich in 1452 by the Lower Austrian es-
tates and began to reside at Prague and Vienna, although not at
Buda until 1456. Still, Hunyadi remained effectively in charge.
8, Ladislaus V died on November 23,1457, ofleukemia.
82 Ladislaus was engaged to Madeleine of Valois, daughter of
Charles VII of France.
Ulrich II, count of Cilli, was Hunyadi's political opponent and
had upheld the rights of Ladislaus V. He was appointed captain
general of Hungary by him after Hunyadi's death.
Laszlo Hunyadi killed Ulrich on November 9,1456, in Belgrade,
in mysterious circumstances.
Laszlo was accused of plotting against the king, arrested at Buda
on March 14, 1457, along with his brother Matthias, and killed
two days later.
86 Matthias (Matyas) Corvinus was king of Hungary (1458-1490);
he began to reign at the age of fourteen.
Miklos Ujlaki (Nikola of Ilok) was ban of Maeva; see 7.41 above
for his presence at Kosovo in 1448. He was implicated in the ju-
dicial murder of Matthias's brother and opposed Matthias's ac-
cession. But he was soon reconciled to him and was made count
ofTeocak in 1464.
88 ':Albert" is again Friedrich III (see 8.59 above and the notes
there); Matthias fought a war against his supporters from 1459
to 1462-63. The ensuing settlement entailed the submission of
JanJiskra, whose territory Laonikos often calls Bohemia. Mat-
thias did not wage war against Bohemia proper until 1468, and
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
he conquered most of it by 1479, when the dispute was settled
with Poland; he took the title king of Bohemia (though he had
to share it; see below). There was war with Friedrich again from
1477 to 1487, during which 1v1atthias took Vienna. But Laonikos
is not referring to events after 1464. 1v1atthias never acquired
Prague, which was held byJifi (George) Podebrad, the rival king
of Bohemia, until 1471, and by his designated successor,
Vladislav II (of Jagiello), until 1516. But Matthias had spent
1457-58 at Prague with Podebrad before being made king of
Hungary.
Anumber ofItalian humanists exhorted Friedrich ('~bert") to a
Crusade; see 8.59 above. He was, apparently, moved by the news
of the fall of Constantinople and prepared to assemble an army.
He called for a diet in Regensburg in 1454 to which he also in-
vited foreign powers, but all it led to was the calling of another
diet.
Actually, the diet of Frankfurt, which met in September 1454,
decided to send an army forty thousand strong to fight the Turks
if the Hungarians matched it. The Hungarians were not op-
posed to this, but nothing came of it.
9' The Council of Mantua was convoked in 1459-60 by Pius II
(1458-1464) who had just come to the throne and wanted to call
a new Crusade. Its chief business was not the dispute between
the Hungarians and Friedrich, as the passage soon makes clear.
92 Pius II arrived on 1v1ay 27,1459·
93 See 8.64 below.
94 Nicolaus V issued a call for a new Crusade in September 1453·
He died on March 24,1455·
95 Actually, Pope Callistus III, 1455-1458 ("Eusebius" is oddly a
Greek translation of Pius). The papal fleet sailed under the com-
mand of Cardinal Ludovico Trevisano Scarampo, in 1456. For its
actions, see below and 9.38 below.
The papal fleet consisted of sixteen ships, to which Alfonso V of
Aragon added another ten.
97 Kritoboulos, History 1.75.1, claims that he himself sent an en-
BOOK 8
voy to Adrianople to surrender Imbros, Lemnos, and Thasos to
Mehmed after the fall of Constantinople. He then says (1.75.4)
that Mehmed promptly restored Imbros to Palamede Gattilu-
sio, ruler of Ainos (1409-1455), and Lemnos and Thasos to his
brother Dorino I Gattilusio, ruler ofLesbos (1427-1455; see 9.37
below). We do not know when Imbros had originally been given
to Palamede; Dorino I had held Lemnos since 1440 and Thasos
in some form since at least 1434.
On August 19, 1458.
See 8.62 above.
roo In 1460-61 Bessarion traveled to Nuremberg, Worms, and Vi-
enna but failed to promote a new Crusade. He did have some
success toward reconciling Matthias Corvinus and Friedrich
III.
roI That is, in 1457.
ro2 Evrenos had a son named isa (see 4.16 and 4.63), but isa Beg, the
future Ottoman governor of Bosnia, was the son of Ishak Beg,
governor of Skopje (see 6.34 above).
ro3 Laonikos has here conflated two invasions by isa, those of 1455
and 1457. The date matches the latter, but the events (described
below) match the former.
Aragonese soldiers were first sent to Skanderbeg in 1449 and
then periodically throughout the 1450S; in 1451 Skanderbeg
pledged to become Alfonso's vassal once Albania was cleared of
Turks. An Aragonese garrison held Kruje.
Svetigrad had been taken by Murad II in 1448; see 7.30 above.
But this passage actually refers to the siege of Berat inJuly 1455,
when a unit of one thousand men sent by Alfonso V to help
Skanderbeg (including artillery) was wiped out by isa Beg. Berat
had been taken by the Ottomans in 1449.
ro6 Actually, this was earlier still, in 1453, when Skanderberg went
to Naples and Rome (under Nicolaus V) to plan a Crusade after
the fall of Constantinople. In 1457 Skanderberg was named by
Callistus III captain general of the Holy See. He campaigned in
Italy in 1461-62 to support Ferdinando I (Ferrante) of Naples
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION BOOK 9

(1458-1494), Alfonso's illegitimate son and heir, against his An- 121 That is, the two heylerbeyis (bey of beys), ofAnatolia and Rumeli.
gevin rivals (see 5.69 and the notes there); Alfonso had died in 122 That is, the SUbtljlS.
1458. The campaign was a success. Skanderbeg also spent the 12) That is, the viziers.
winter of 1466-67 in Rome seeking aid from Paul II. 124 That is, the haraf (the poll tax paid by non-Muslims).
107 This is a generic description of Skanderberg's war with the 125 These were hereditary estates. The Slavic term (haftina) literally
Turks. On September 2, 1457, he annihilated isa's army at the means "patrimony."
battle of Albulena (also known as Ujebardha, or Tomoritsa). It 126 That is, royal property, crown lands.
was his greatest military victory, but it is not described by Laon- 127 For these ranks and positions, see 5.13 and the notes there.
ikos, who places the events of 1455 in 1457· 128 Holders of fiefs who owed military service.
108 This place cannot be identified. In 1456 Skanderbeg did defeat
an Ottoman attack at Oranik.
BOOK 9
109 That is, in 1457.
1I0 The sons to be circumcised were Bayezid (later sultan, 1481- This was during the winter of 1457-58. The despots had not paid
1512) and Mustafa, both under ten. tribute in three years.
III That is, the island in the Tunca (Tundza) River. Murad II had 2 Or, "ifhewaiveda third of the tribute."
begun to build a palace by it, which Mehmed completed. ) In 1458.
1I2 For the link between circumcisions and weddings, see 3.17. The 4 Mahmud's base was at Nis. At issue was the fate of Serbia after
Ottomans referred to circumcision ceremonies as weddings. the death of Lazar II on January 20, 1458 (see 8.45 for his ac-
1I) Derived from Persian, this meant "the area below the castle." In cession). It was contested between the Ottomans and Stjepan
both Edirne and Istanbul, it was associated with, and came to Tomas, the king of Bosnia (1443-1461), who had Hungarian sup-
stand for, the market areas. port.

"4 Derived from Persian, this means an acrobat. 5 On May '5"458.

The father ofMahmud PashaAngelovic, grand vizier from 1454
"5
to 1468 and 1472 to 1473, was likely a Serb prince of Byzantine
descent (Angelovic, descended from the Angeloi Philanthrope-
noi who had sought refuge in Serbia). Kritoboulos, History 1.77·'1.,
says that he was a Roman (i.e., Byzantine) on both sides, as his
paternal grandfather was a Philanthropenos, a ruler of Greece
with the rank of kaisar.
u6 See 8.31 above.
See 1.49, 1.51-52, '1..'1.5, and '1..'1.7·
"7
u8 The figure of Hlzrr in Muslim lore is often equated with Saint
George and also with Elijah, particularly in his association with
rain and greenery.
u9 Orneon may be a scribal mistake.
120 That is, provincial sancakheyi (sancak being a district).
6 For N1kephoros Loukanes, see 8.35-37 above. This Asanes was
again Matthaios, Demetrios Palaiologos's brother-in-law.
7 See 8.34 above.
8 Mouchli was actually near Tegea, which was called Nikli.
9 Demetrios Asanes was possibly a brother of Matthaios As~es.
10 The meaning of this sentence is obscure, and it can be trans-
lated differently. Perhaps it has been misplaced. The French and
Latin translators omit it.
u Actually, Mehmed first conquered Patras and then went back to
Corinth. This is a major omission in the narrative; but see 9.53
below, where Patras is already in Turkish hands.
12 This phrase is obscure. It is not an expression attested else-
where.
I) Corinth was surrendered on August 6, 1458.

508
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION BOOK 9

Mehmed stayed in Athens for four days: Kritoboulos, History 33 The daughter referred to here, the eldest of three, was also
3·9·7· named Helene (Jelena), renamed Maria, and she married Stje-
15 Nerio II had died in 145I. pan TomaSevic, the son ofStjepan Tomas (king of Bosnia, 1443-
16 The widow's name was Chiara Zorzi. Her son was Francesco I 1461), on April I, 1459. Her husband became the king of Bosnia
Acciaiuoli, duke ofAthens (1451-1455). onJuly 10,1461, whenrus father died. He was later captured and
This was Bartolomeo Contarini. executed by Mehmed in 1463; see 10.16-35 below.
'7
18 His father was Pietro Palmerio Contarini. 34 The grand vojvoda of Serbia Michael Angelovic represented
19 He married Chiara in 1453· Ottoman interests in Serbia. For the grand vizier .Mahmud's par-
20 Franco (Francesco) II Acciaiuoli, duke of Athens (1455-56), was entage, see 8.71 above.
the son of Antonio II and so the cousin of the child Francesco, 35 On March 3', 1458.
the son of Nerio II. 36 Smederevo surrendered onJune 20, 1459.
21 This was in 1455. 37 There is disagreement about the date of this campaign. Some
22 This was in 1456. place it in late 1458/early 1459, others in later 1459 or 1460. In
23 The acropolis ofAthens was surrendered onJune 4, 1456. Franco the latter case, which seems likely; the narrative here jumps
Acciaiuoli ruled Thebes and Lebadeia (1456-1460). For his fate, ahead to the late summer of 1460, after the Peloponnesian cam-
see 9.50 below. paign, and then comes back to the latter at 9.27 below.
24 That is, in 1458, after Mehmed invaded the Peloponnese (see 38 See 8.26-27 above.
9.14 above). 39 It is possible that the army was led by Mahmud, not Mehmed.
This was Helene, the daughter of Demetrios Palaiologos by 40 This is a reference to Uzun Hasan (1453-1478) and the White
TheodoraAsanina; see 9-47-48 below for her fate. Sheep (the ':Armenians"). In 1457, at the battle of the Tigris,
26 Loukanes persuaded Thomas to rebel in January 1459, and in Hasan defeated his brother Jahangir and his Black Sheep allies
February they began to take back some of the forts they had and consolidated his rule over the White Sheep.
surrendered to Mehmed and to fight against Demetrios's sup- 4' This is a reference to the 1458 campaign, recounted at 9.3-14
porters. above.
27 The Hungarian counteroffensive in Serbia was led in October 42 See 8.46 above.
1458 by Matthias Corvinus, who entered Smederevo and lay 43 Andronikos I Komnenos was torn apart by the people of Con-
claim to Serbia. stantinople in n85. His son Manuel, not Isaakios, was blinded,
28 It is unclear who the subject is here. and the latter's two sons were Alexios and David, the first rul-
29 Hamza was the son of Gjon Zenebishi, who had ruled Argyro- ers of the empire ofTrebizond. Andronikos's father was named
kastron (1387-1418). Isaakios, perhaps the source of the confusion.
30 The expression KCI.'TO: 'ToV~ SCl.K1"{iAOU~ is otherwise unattested 44 That is, the Georgians or the people of Trebizond, or both.
(except where it means "in dactylic meter''). Queen Tamar helped the Komnenoi establish themselves at
Lazar II, son ofDurad I, died onJanuary 20,1458. Trebizond.
3'
Helene, the eldest daughter ofThomas Palaiologos (ruler of the 45 There was a long tradition ofTrapezuntine princesses marrying
32
Peloponnese), governed Serbia as regent together with her blind neighboring Turkic leaders, especially of the White Sheep.
brother-in-law, Lazar II's brother Stefan. In 1427 Ioannes VIII Palaiologos married Maria (d. 1439), his

5II
 BOOK 9
NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION

ince) of Chaldia. At this time the Mesochaldion ("Central Chal-

third wife and the daughter of Alexios IV Komnenos ofTrebi-
dia') was a militarized territory under the hereditary control of
zond (1417-1429).
the Kabasites (or Kabasitanoi) family.
47 The passages printed here in brackets and smaller type (9.28-33)
59 For this attack, which took place in 1456, see 8.46 above.
were interpolated into the text soon after it was written, possi-
60 A reference back to the events of 1458, described at 9.27 above.
bly by Demetrios Angelos (one of its first copyists) or Georgios
61 The passages printed here in brackets and smaller type (9.35-36)
Amiroutzes.
were interpolated into the text soon after it was written, possi-
Ioannes IV Komnenos, the son of Alexios IV and Theodora
bly by Demetrios Angelos (one of its first copyists) or Georgios
Kantakouzene, became emperor ofTrebizond in 1429. These
Amiroutzes.
events are supposed to have taken place between 1417 and 1426,
62 That is, Bat'umi, a port on the Black Sea, south of ancient Petra.
but may not be entirely historical. The protovestianos was
63 Literally, New Fortress/Castle, still an important city in the
one of the highest officials of the empire ofTrebizond, often re-
south-central Georgian Republic.
sponsible for conducting diplomacy. The position would later
This is probably Qvarqvare III jaqeli, atabeg of Samc'xe (1451-
be held by Georgios Amiroutzes, but this one is not known by
1456), in southern Georgia. The king at this time was Giorgi
name.
VIII of Georgia (1446-1476), but his kingdom disintegrated
49 Alexandros (Skantarios) married Maria, daughter of Dorino
during his reign, until he was left with only Kakheti, in the east.
Gattilusio of Lesbos 6428-1455), but in 1437, after he had been
His daughter was betrothed to Konstantinos XI Palaiologos.
exiled from Trebizond by his brother Ioannes IV in 1429; see
In Kartli.
also 10.13 below.
A province in eastern Georgia, after'the 1460s a separate king-
In 1426 Ioannes married Bagrationi, daughter of Alek'sandre I
dom under Giorgi VIII.
of Georgia (1412-1442).
Mingrelia (or Samegrelo) was a principality in western Georgia,
5' In 1427.
on the Black Sea, ruled by the Dadiani dynasty, headed at this
52 A protostrator was one of the highest officials and aides of the
time by Liparit I Dadiani (1414-1470). Sebastopolis (ancient Di-
emperors; he commanded soldiers and had ceremonial duties.
oskourias, or modern Sukhumi) was to its north, where the Cau-
53 The Kabasitai were an influential Trapezuntine family, who con-
casus meets the sea.
trolled a number of fortresses defendingTrebizond.
68 Mamia II Gurieli (ca. 1450-1469), son of Liparit I and heredi-
54 Alexios IV was murdered on April 26, 1429.
tary aater independent) ruler of Guria (mentioned below). Gu-
55 His name was Junayd, not ArdabillErdebil, which was his city
ria was ruled by the Dadiani separately from Mingrelia.
of origin, east ofTabriz. He was the ruler of the Safavids 6447-
Brother of Mamia II (see previous note), later ruler of Dadiani
1460) and ancestor of that Iranian dynasty. The date of his at-
tack on Trebizond, possibly in the 1430S, cannot be determined.
(147 0 - 1474).
70 Guria was a principality in western Georgia, on the Black Sea
It may have been in 1456.
south of Mingrelia.
Possibly Syria, from Semitic Sham. Other places have been sug-
7' At this time '1\lans" could be used to designate the Ossetians,
gested, including Samsun.
among other highland peoples. I do not know who the Emboi
57 Pansebastoswas a high military office in the empire ofTrebizond,
are.
often held by a member of the Kabasites family.
72 That is, the Iberian Peninsula.
The empire of1rebizond occupied the former theme (or prov-

513
51 2
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION BOOK 9

73 This is Saint Nino, who, according to legend, preached Chris- 93 Manuel Bochales's wife Eugenia was related to Mahmud Pasha
tianity in Georgia in the early fourth century. (as his stepsister or second cousin).
74 The Mongols invaded and conquered Georgia in the 1230S. 94 Theywere namedTheodoraAsanina and Helene.
75 It is not clear who the Sasoi are. 95 He was named Manuel Palaiologos.
76 Matthaios Asanes, brother-in-law of Demetrios Palaiologos, 96 French Escuel, a fort north of the plain ofEIis.
had surrendered the Acrocorinth to Mehmed; see 9.12-13 above. 97 See 9.48 above.
77 Kritoboulos, History 3.14.1-3, says that this took place in the 98 His full name was Graitzas Palaiologos.
winter of 1458-59. 99 Astathmoswas about a days march (150 stades).
78 This is confusingly stated and probably corrupt. See 8.63 above. 100 See 9.50 above.
79 Palamede Gattilusio, lord of Ainos (1409-1455), and his son 101 See ?16-18 above.
Dorino II Gattilusio, lord ofAinos (1455-January 1456). 102 See 9.37 above for Ainos.
80 Mehmed set out on January 24, 1456. Dorino was on Samo- 103 This sentence is obscure.
thrace at the time of the city's surrender (Kritoboulos, History 104 Graitzas Palaiologos withstood the Turks until the summer of
2.15·3)· 1461.
81 This was the fleet mentioned in 8.63 above, which sailed in 1456. Thomas arrived at Kerkyra onJuly 28, 1460, and entered Rome
Laonikos had not there mentioned the cardinal. on March 7, 1461; he died in 1465. His wife, Caterina Zaccaria,
82 This was in 1459· whom he left on Kerkyra, died in August 1462.
83 This was in 1459. With Turkish help, Asanes was fighting 106 The envoy was Georgios Raoul; he was back by August II, 1461.
Thomas on behalf of Deme trios. 107 That is, of 1461.
This passage is obscure. ro8 This sentence is confusing, and it is not clear who Amarles was.
Zaganos reached the Peloponnese in March 1460. ismail of Sinope's brother KIztl Ahmed is said to have been agi-
Thomas had been besieging Patras since 1458. tating against him. Mehmed had just given him Kastamonu,
Pope Pius II had sent, with help from Bianca Maria Sforza of namely half the previous territory of the emirate.
Milan, three hundred Italian soldiers to Thomas under the com- ismail had married a sister of the future Mehmed II in 1440. His
mand of the Milanese Gianone da Cremona. uncle Kasim had married a sister of Murad II in 1425, while Ka-
88 Actually, many of the inhabitants of Patras had fled to Naupak- sim's sister Halima had married Murad II himself A daughter of
tos when Mehmed took their city in 1458. Kasim and Halima's uncle had married Murad 1. So the families
This was in the spring of 1460. of the isfendiyarogIu and the Ottomans had intermarried for
Demetrios was expected to present himself to Mehmed, and three generations by that point.
this perhaps was why Matthaios Asanes was arrested; see Krito- IIO It is not clear what O1Jv'1cr8'1cr6~evoo; means in this context.
boulos, History 3.20.3. III See 4.20 and 5.35.
91 Mehmed arrived at Mistra at the end of .May 1460; the citadel II2 Apithos was literally a large wine jar, so a unit of storage capacity.
was surrendered on May 30. II3 This refers to the treaty ofLodi, April 9, 1454, and its follow-up
92 The local commander was Proinokokkas; he was either flayed treaties.
alive or sawed in half II4 This experiment dates to the intense ship and harbor building

5' 4 515
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION BOOK 9

during the years 1461 to 1463; see 10.15 below and Kritoboulos, 81) were interpolated into the text soon after itwas written, pos-
sibly by Demetrios Angelos (one of its first copyists) or Geor-
History 4.13.
Uzun Hasan of the White Sheep married the beauty Theodora gios Amiroutzes.
I15
Komnene, the daughter ofIoannes IV. 134 That is, szpahi-children.
This was Bayezid, later Sultan Bayezid II 6481-1512). 135 Anna; for her see 9.76 above; for her later history; see 10.13 be-
I16
This clause is obscure. low.
I17
Turgut (a tribe in central Anatolia) is a mistake, perhaps for the 13 6 This was Alexios; see 9.74 above, and 10.13 below.
I18
Dulkadir emirate (to the east of Karaman), one of whose prin- '37 He was three years old, but he later escaped to Georgia and re-
cesses Mehmed married in 1449 (Sitt Batun). But Mehmed did verted to Christianity.
not favor her, and her father, Siileyman Beg, died in 145+ The Theodora, the daughter of Ioannes IV of Trebizond, was mar-
wife referred to here was probably "second" after her. The sul- ried to Uzun Hazan in 1458; on her see 9.70 above.
tan's matrimonial history was complicated and not always open 139 Georgios Amiroutzes, on whom see 9.74 above. He was likely
to public view. the author of these words.
The name is missing. The place was probably Koyunlu Hisarl. They were arrested on March 26, 1463, inAdrianople.
I19
This was Sara Hatun, sent by Hasan on many diplomatic mis- They were executed on November I, 14630 David's son Geor-
120
sions. gios, who was raised a Muslim, was not killed (see above).
121 This sentence is obscure. '42 That is, the winter of 1461-62.
'43 This was Vlad III, known also as Draculea and Tepe~ (the Im-
122 In 1458.
This was Alexios, the son of Alexandros (Skenteres), so ac- paler), ruler of Wallachia (1448, '456-'462, 1476).
123
tually Ioannes's nephew: see 9.28 above, and 9.79-80 and 10.13 '44 Radu III the Handsome, ruler of Wallachia after Vlad III
(1462-1473, and on and off again from 1473 to 1475), though
below.
Trebizond surrendered on August 15. 1461. never named by Laonikos.
124
125 For Mahmud's ancestry; see 8.71 and the note there. Georgios See 7.66 above.
Amiroutzes was a scholar and an advocate of Union at Ferrara- It is not clear whether this is Vlad or the sultan; probably the
Florence. former.
'47 Thomas Katabolinos, named in the next section; he was also
126 See 9.59 above.
In fact, David decided to surrender only when Mehmed ap- known as Yunus Beg.
127
proached; he was otherwise preparing to resist. 148 The meaning of V1tep~aAet,[,aL is unclear.
128 This was Anna; see 9.79 and 10.13 below. '49 For this Hamza, see also 9.21 above.
129 For Mamia II Gurieli, see 9.35 above. David's empress was He- 15 0 This passage is obscure.
lene Kantakouzene. '5 ' This was in the winter of 1461-62.
On August 15, 1461. 152 That is. the spring of 1462.
13 0
This was Kasim Pasha. 153 No reason is given. This was Stefan III the Great, prince of
131
This was Alexandros Kabasites. Moldavia (1457-1504).
13 2
The passages printed here in brackets and smaller type (9.79- 154 This later became famous as the Night Attack ofJune 17, 1462.
133

51 6 517
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION
That is, Targovi~te.
This does not make sense, as the inhabitants were prepared to
surrender the city. Possibly Laonikos meant to say that Mehmed
"did not even see" artillerymen on the walls.
157 See 9.93-94 above.
BOOK 10
:."fj
See 9.83 above.
2 That is, Matthias Corvinus (1458-149°)'
3 We are still in 1462.
4 Mehmed set out against Lesbos in August 1462.
5 This was Niccolo Gattilusio (1458-1462),
6 Baltoglu raided Lesbos in 1449·
7 Yunus led an attack on Lesbos, Chios, and New Phokaia in the
summer of 1455. But it wa~ ismail, Yunus's successor as pre-
fect of Gallipoli, who unsuccessfully besieged Molyvos in 1456 ,
in response to the attack of the papal fleet (see 8.63 and 9.3 8
above),
8 Actually; the younger son of Dorino Gattilusio (who ruled Les-
bos 1428-1455) was Niccolo (1458-1462) and it was he who over-
threw and murdered his older brother Domenico (1455-1458).
See 10.14 for another accomplice in the coup.
9 Francesco Gattilusio aided Ioannes V Palaiologos against 10-
annes VI Kantakouzenos in 1354 and was given Lesbos as a re-
ward along with an imperial bride, Maria, a sister ofIoannes V.
IO Niccolo Gattilusio, brother of Francesco I of Lesbos, had ruled
over Ainos since 1384 at the latest,
II Domenico Cattaneo, lord of Phokaia, attacked Mytilene in late
1333 or early 1334, He was forced to surrender it by Andronikos
III Palaiologos and Ioannes Kantakouzenos in 1335-3 6 .
12 It was Benedetto I Zaccaria, lord of Phokaia (1288-13°7), who
established Genoese rule on Chios, in 1304, holding it on behalf
of the emperor and paying tribute to him. Martino Zaccaria was
lord of Phokaia and Chios from 1314 to 1329· In 1329 the inhabi-
BOOK 10
tants of the island rebelled andAndronikos III was able to rees-
tablish Byzantine rule.
13 The Geneose reestablished their rule on Chios in 1346, during
the Byzantine civil war, but they were forced to recognize Byz-
antine suzerainty and pay tribute in 1349. The claim was relin-
quished by Ioannes VPalaiologos, after another civil war, in 1355,
and the Genoese took full control.
'4 Geneose Chios was a shareholding corporation, or .Maona, run
primarily by the Giustiniani.
IS The attack began on September I, 1462.
16 This was the Persian scholar also known as Musannifak ("the
little writer"), a prolific author and jurist. Kritoboulos, History
4.12.II, says that "Samios Ali," not his son, was placed in com-
mand of Mytilene (though the son's name may have been simi-
lar); see 10.35 below for a later story about him.
This phrase is obscure.
Alexandros (Skantarios) Komnenos ofTrebizond, son and co-
emperor of Alexios IV, and so brother ofIoannes IV and David,
married Maria, daughter of Dorino Gattilusio (ruler of Lesbos,
1428-1455) and sister of Niccolo and Domenico; see also 9.28
above. He died before 1459,
19 The son of Maria GattiIusio and Alexandros ofTrebizond was
named Alexios; see also 9.79 above. For Murad, the converted
Palaiologos, see 8.72 above.
20 See 9.76 and 9.79 above. Anna was the daughter of David Kom-
nenos ofTrebizond. This passage is likely interpolated, possibly
by Georgios Amiroutzes or Demetrios Angelos,
21 The name here may be a corruption of isa: Elvan's sons were isa
and Sinan. The former is mentioned at 10.36 below.
22 Luchino was the son, probably illegitimate, ofPalamede Gatti-
lusio, lord of Ainos (1409-1455), and brother of his successor,
Dorino II (1455-1456). See 10,4 above for another accomplice in
the coup at Lesbos.
23 For Rumeli Hisan, see 8.1 above.
24 Mehmed erected the Yedikule (Seven Towers) fortress in 1458.
5'9
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION BOOKIO

The bridge to Skopje is the still-extant (though repaired) "Stone 37 The principality of the PavloviCi was in eastern Bosnia, centered
25
Bridge" ov~r the Vardar. on Rogatica.
26 For this palace, see Kritoboulos, History I.12 (who dates it to Durad Brankovic (1427-1456) intervened in the Bosnian wars in
1452)· 1433·
Forts rather than towns, they are mentioned also by Kritobou- 39 This happened on many occasions.
los at exactly the same point in his narrative, after the Lesbos 40 The river between the Drina and Bobovac (see below) is the
campaign (1462): History 4.14.3-5. The facing forts are called Kl- Krivaja.
ltdiilbahar (on the European side) and Sultaniye Kalesi (on the See 7.4, 7.22, and 8.4 above.
Asian side). The Ottoman armies reached Bobovac on May 19-20, 1463. It
28 For the war with Venice, see IO.36 below. surrendered on the third day.
29 That is, the summer of 1463. 43 It is unclear whether this is Mehmed or Mahmud.
The king of Bosnia was Stjepan III Tomasevic (1461-1463). For 44 This seems to repeat the information in 10.23 above.
30
his marriage to Helene (Maria), the daughter of Lazar Brankovic, 45 Tvrko was actually the son of Stjepan TomaseviC's uncle Radi-
ruler of Serbia, see 9.24 above. vo;.
The origin of the Slavs is discussed in many places by Laonikos: It was the river Sana.
31
see also 1.38-39. Stjepan TomaseviC's wife was Helene Oe1ena), the daughter of
That is, Sandalj Hranjic, ruler of Hercegovina (1392-1435). This Lazar Brankovic and of Helene, the daughter of Thomas
32
duchy was nominally subject to the kingdom of Bosnia. At this Palaiologos: see 9.24 above. Ragusa is also known as Dubrovnik.
point it was ruled by Sandalj's nephew and successor Stefan Stjepan VukCic, duke of Hercegovina and successor of Sandalj
Vukeic (1435-1466). Hranjic (d. 1435), invaded Ragusan territory over a trade dispute
That is, against both Bosnia and Hercegovina (Sandalj); see be- inJune 145I.
33
low. 49 Stjepan VukCiC's first wife, whom he married in 1424, was Jelena
That is, the 1461-62 war against Vlad III: see 9.82-109 above. BalS:it (d. 1453); his son was Vladislav Hercegovic, born in ca.
34
Stjepan III Tomaievi': ('46,-1463) was the son of King Stjepan 1427. When he fell out with his father over the issue recounted
35
Tomas (1443-1461) and Vojaca, a commoner subsequently re- below; in the summer of 1451, the Ragusans paid him to fight
jected by the Bosnian nobility; the marriage was annulled after against his father.
the birth of the son Stjepan. But the rest of the passage is vague; Other accounts say that she was brought from Siena as a bride
as most of his predecessors were illegitimate, it is not clear to for Vladislav.
whom all this refers. The last clause is obscure.
This sentence has many confusing referents. Stjepan Tomase- In the initial phases of his revolt, Vladislav seized many forts
viC's accession was not contested by his half-brother Sigismund. and territories from his father.
It is possible that Laonikos is referring instead to a complicated 53 An Ottoman raid at this time attacked the kingdom of Bosnia,
series of civil wars in Bosnia that started in 1413 and continued weakening Vladislav's position, as the Bosnian king was his ally.
on and off to 1446. Ishak Beg, governor of Skopje (1415-1439), 54 Mehmed invaded Hercegovina inJune 1463-
played a decisive role in some of its phases. 55 This was Blagaj, the duke's capital, in the region of Mostar.

pI
52 0
 NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION BOOK 10

56 I have been unable to identify these lords. This sentence is obscure.

This was Ali Bistami, the Persian scholar also known as Musan- There appears to be a gap in the text at this point.
57
nifak ("the little writer"), and a prolific author and jurist; see also This sentence is obscure.
10.12 above. He is notorious for having issued the opinion that This sentence is obscure.
Mahmud's oath of safety to Stjepan Tomasevic was not binding The Venetian commander, Alvise Loredan, sailed to Lemnos in
on the sultan. early 1464.
58 Argos was surrendered from within on April 3, 1463. 79 The Tzamplakones were a powerful late Byzantine family, origi-
Se04.35· nally from Macedonia. The prose breaks down at this point.
59
60 This is documented in Kritoboulos, History 3-9.8-10, for 1458. 80 Laonikos ends with a Thucydidean dating formula.
6, War was declared onJuly 28,1463.
62 For the synod of Mantua, see 8.62-64 above.
63 For most of his reign, Pius II (1458-1464) was engaged in a feud
against Sigismondo Malatesta, the lord of Rimini (1432-1468).
By 1463 Malatesta was almost completely defeated, whereupon
in 1464 he joined up with the Venetians against the Ottomans in
the Peloponnese. Pius was actually a great proponent of crusade
against the Turks, and in 1463 was laying down plans to lead one
himself, in 1464, with the Venetians' assistance. But he was re-
luctant to join them in 1463 when they began operations in the
Peloponnese.
64 This was Matthias Corvinus 6458-1490), son ofHunyadi.
65 The agreement was concluded on September 12, 1463. The Hun-
garians invaded northern Bosnia in late 1463, after the sultan's
armies had departed, and retook Jajce by December.
66 For the defeat ofSihabeddin by Hunyadi, see 5.47-50.
67 This was Alvise Loredan.
68 The Venetians retook Argos on August 5,1463.
69 That is, the Venetians at Argos.
70 This man's name was actually Gerolamo Valaresso; see Mali-
piero, Annali lfmeti s.a. 1462 (pp. 15-16).
71 For Pjeter the Lame, see 8.34 above. This Rales canno~ be iden-
tified, given how common the name was in the Peloponnese.
72 That is, the winter of 1463-64.
73 Orner, who had marched down from Bosnia, arrived at the Isth-
mos on September 25, 1463. He had been shot at, and backed off.

523
 CLASSICAL ETHNONYMS AND PLACE-NAMES

CONVERTED CLASSICAL NAMES AND OFFICES

Modern-day tenns are listed first, followed by Laonikos's terms.

Aragon = Tarakon

Appendix Adriatic Sea = Ionian Sea

Apulia = Japygia
Laonikos's Classical Ethnonyms Azov, Sea of = Maiotis, lake
and Place-Names Black Sea = Euxeinos Pontos

Bulgarians = Mysians
Byzantion = Constantinople (1 have left this as is)
Most of Laonikos's vocabulary is borrowed from the classi- Cairo = Memphis
cal authors, especially Herodotos and Thucydides; he largely Castile = Iberia (but sometimes this is the peninsula)
avoids postclassical terms and demotic Greek. The same is
Crimea = Taurike
true of his names for peoples and places, though he will
sometimes explain that, for example, Bulgarians is what Danube = Istros

people who do not use "the better sort of Greek" call Don = Tanai's
Mysians (1.39). He knows the vernacular terms; he just pre- Durres = Epidamnos
fers not to use them. As a result, his narrative seems to take
France = Galatia
place in the classical world, on largely the same stage and
with the same cast. To make the narrative accessible, I have French = Celts
translated almost all of his classical ethnonyms and place- Genoese = IanyIoi (fromJanus)
names into their contemporary or modern equivalents.
Hungarians = Paionians
Readers who want to see what Laonikos's own terms are can
always glance over at the Greek, but for the benefit of the Hungarian Wallachia = Paionodakia (= the later Oungrovlachia)
Greekless reader I have listed the major ones here, first Kyparissia = Arkadia
those that I have "converted" (names and then offices) and Lombardy = Ligoria
then those that I have left in place, either because they are
Mistra = Sparta
unclear or so as not to introduce into the narrative technical
terms that Laonikos chose to omit (again names first, then Monemvasia = Epidauros
offices). Naples = Parthenope (though Naples too)

524 525
 CLASSICAL ETHNONYMS AND PLACE-NAMES
APPENDIX

North Africa = Libya

Parthians =Seljuks (?)
Russians = Sarmatians Skythians = Mongols, ancient Skythians, other Central Asian groups
Salento = Mesapia cavalry raiders (hippodromoi) = akznct
Salona (Amphissa) = Delphi general of Europe = beylerbeyi of Rumelia
Serbs = Triballoi general ofAsia = beylerbeyi ofAnatolia
Serres = Pherrai prefect (hyparchos) = Ottoman provincial governor
Thessalonike = Therme

Wallachians = Dacians

bishops = archpriests
monks = Naziraioi

janissary = ndlys (up-and-coming young man; except at 9·79)

pontiff of the Romans = archpriest of the Romans

vizier = prytanis (explained at 5.12)

CLASSICAL NAMES AND OFFICES LEFT IN PLACE

Armenians = Black Sheep Turks (sometimes, but not always)

Asia = Anatolia (in Ottoman administration)
Assyrians =?
Byzantion = Constantinople

Celtiberians = Navarrese (?), Catalans (?)

Europe = Rumeli (in Ottoman administration)

I1lyrians = Slavs and Bosnians (explained in brackets)

Kolchis = empire ofTrebizond (he uses both)

Massagetai = unclear <3.3: Moghuls?)

527
52 6
Tyrrhenian Sea

Map by Ian

52 8 529
 <!
:::J
o '"
'Ii
~

Black Sea

:::J
~

j
Cyprus ~
Mediterranean Sea
~
_ ..-"i~i.~~Jstfs.~ii~0
~,fruamagusta
,:~~~'0
v"~massol
,
 Bibliography

EDITIONS

Bekker, Immanuel. Laonici Chalcocondylae Atheniensis Historiarum lihri de-

cem. Bonn, 1843- In the series Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzanti-
nae, with Latin translation (see below),
Dark6, Eugenius. Laonici Chalcocandylae Historiarum demonstrationes. Buda-
pest, 1922-1923.

TRANSLATIONS

Conrad Clauser's Latin translation of 1556 accompanied the Bonn Corpus

edition (above) and the older (1650) edition that was reprinted byJacques-
Paul Migne, in v. 159 of the Patrologia Graeea (1866).

A French translation was made by the cryptographer Blaise de Vigenere

and published in 1577 (it does not follow the text closely):

de Vigenere, Blaise. Lllistoire de ta decadenc de !'empire gree, et establissement de

celuy des Turcs,par Cha!condileAthenien. Paris, 1577.

There is a German translation of the digressions on Western Europe:

Grabler, Franz. In Europa im xv. Jahrhundert von Byzantinern Gesehen, ed-

ited by idem and Giinther Stokl, II-97. Graz, 1954.

There is a complete Romanian translation:

Grecu, Vasile. Laonic Chalcocondil.· Expuneri istorice. Bucharest, 1959.

533

BIBLIOGRAPHY
There is an English translation of Books 1-3 (with commentary), though
it is sometimes inaccurate:
Nicoloudis, Nicolaos. Laonikos Chalkokondy!es: A Translation and Commen-
tary ofthe ''Demonstrations ofHistones" (Books I-Ill). Athens, 199 6 .
There is a Turkish translation of Books 5-7:
Mollaoglu, Ferhan Kll"lrd6kme. Laonikos Chalkokondyles'in Kronigi ve deger-
lendirilmesi (V-VII. bOlumler). Ankara, 2005·
There are translations in many languages of the beginning of Book 8,
wruch recounts the Fail of Constantinople, including Italian, Greek, and
English.
STUDIES OF LAONIKOS'S MANUSCRIPT TRADITION
Mondrain, Brigitte. "Demetrios Angelos et la medecine: contribution
nouvelle au dossier." In Storia della tradizione e edizione dei medici greci
(Atti del VI Cotloquio Internazionale Paris I2-I4 aprile 2008), edited by V.
Boudon-Millot et al., 293-322. Naples, 2010.
_ _ . 'Jean Argyropoulos professeur it Constantinople et ses auditeurs
medicins, d'Andronic Eparque it Demetrios Angelos." In rrOAY-
1IAEYPOL: NOYL:: Miscellanea for Peter Schreiner zu seinem 60. Ge-
burtstag, edited by C. Scholz and G. Makris, 223-50. Munich, 200~:
Wurm, Herbert. "Der Codex Monacensis gr. 307a: Ein Beitrag zur Uber-
lieferungsgescruchte des Laonikos Chalkokondyles." Jahrbuch der 6"ster-
reichischenByzantt"nistt"k 44 (1994): 455- 62 .
. "Die handschriftliche Uberlieferung der ATIOb.EI8EIL
ILTOPI!lN des Laonikos Chalkokondyles." Jahrbuch der osterreichis-
chen Byzantt"nistt"k 45 (1995): 223-3 2.
SCHOLARSHIP ON LAONIKOS
Ab§:tk, Aslihan. "Self and Other in the Renaissance: Laonikos Chalkokon-
dyles and Byzantine Intellectual Tradition." PhD diss, Harvard Univer-
sity, 2013.
534
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ba§tav, ~eri£ "Die tiirkische Quellen des Laonikos Chalkondylas." In Ak-
ten des XI. internationalen Byzantinistenkongresses, Miinchen, I9S8, edited
by F. Dolger and H.-G. Beck, 35-42. Munich, 1960.
Ditten, Hans. "B«p~apOl, "EAAf]vec; und Pw~aTol bei den letzten byzanti-
nische Gescruchtschreiber." Acts of the XIth International Congress of
Byzantt"ne Studies, 2:273-99. Belgrade, 1964.
- - . "Bemerkungen zu Laonikos Chalkokondyles' Deutschland Ex-
kurs." Byzantinische Forschungen 1 (1966): 49-75.
- - . "Bemerkungen zu Laonikos Chalkokondyles' Nachrichten iiber die
Lander und Volker an den europruschen Kiisten des Schwarzen Meeres
(15·Jahrhundertu. Z.)." Klio43-45 (1965)' 185-246.
- - . Der Russland-Exkurs des Laonikos Chalkokondyles interpretiert und mit
Erliiuterungen versehen. Berlin, 1968.
- - . "Laonikos Chalkokondyles und die Sprache der Rummen." InAus
der byzantinistischenArbeit der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik, edited
byJ. Irmscher, 1:93-105. Berlin, 1957·
- - . "Spanien und die Spanier im Spiegel der Geschichtsschreibung des
byzantinischen Historikers Laonikos Chalkokondyles (15. Jahrhun-
dert)." Helikon: rivista di tradizione e cultura classica 3 (1963): 170-95.
- - . "Zwei verscruedene 'Wlen' bei Laonikos Chalkokondyles." Byzan-
tt"nobulgan"ca 5 (1978): 323-28.
Ducellier, Alain. "La France et les lIes Britanniques vues par un byzantin
du XVe siec1e: Laonikos Chalkokondylis." In Economies et sociites au
MoyenAge: Melanges offerts aEdouard Perroy, 439-45. Paris, 1973.
- - , "La peninsule iberique d'apres Laonikos Chalkokondylis, chroni-
queur byzantin du XVeme siec1e." Norba: Revista de histona 5 (1984):
163-n
Harris,Jonathan. "Laonikos Chalkokondyles and the Rise of the Ottoman
Empire." Byzantt"ne and Modern Greek Studies 27 (2003): 153-70.
Kaldellis, Anthony. A New Herodotos: Laonikos Chalkokondyles on the Otto-
man Empire, the Fallo/Byzantium, and the Emergence ofthe West. Washing-
ton, D.C., 2014.
- - . "The Date ofLaonikos Chalkokondyles' Histories." Greek, Roman,
andByzantine Studies 52 (2012): 1II-36.
- - . "The Greek Sources of Laonikos Chalkokondyles." Greek, Roman,
andByzantt"ne Studies 52 (2012): 738-65.
535

BIBLIOGRAPHY
- - . "The Interpolations in the Histories ofLaonikos Chalkokondyles."
Greek, Roman, andByzantt'ne Studies 52 (2012): 259-83-
Markopoulos, Athanasios. "Das Bild des Anderen bei Laonikos
Chalkokondyles und das Vorbild Herodot." Jahrbuch der b'sterret'chischen
Byzantinistik 50 (2000): 205-16. , Konstantin the Philosopher, Life of Stefan Lazarevic: edited by M. Braun,
Nicoloudis, Nicolaos. "Observations on the Possible Sources of Laonikos
Chalkokondyles' Demonstrations of Histories." Byzantina 17 (1994):
75- 82 .
Nimet, Akdes. Die tiirkische Prosopographie bei Laonikos Chalkokandyles.
Hamburg, 1933.
Philippides, Marios. "Early Post-Byzantine Historiography." In The Clas-
sics in the Middle Ages, edited by A. S. Bernardo and S. Levin, 253-65.
Binghamton, N.Y., 1990.
Vryonis, Speros. ''Laonikos Chalkokondyles and the Ottoman Budget." In-
ternationalJournal ofMiddle East Studies 7 (1976): 423-32.
Wurm, Herbert and Ernst Gamillscheg. "Bemerkungen zu Laonikos
Chalkokondyles." Jahrbuch der osterreichischen Byzantinistik 42 (1992):
21 3-19.
PRIMARY SOURCES CITED IN THE NOTES
This section does not include texts available in the Loeb Classical
Library.
A~tkpa§azade, History of the House of Osman: translated by R. F. Kreutel,
Vom Hirtenze!t zur Hohen Pforte; Frlihzeit und Aufstieg des Osmanenreiches
nach der Chronik "Denkwiirdigkeiten und Zeitliiufte des Hauses 'Osman" vom
DerwischAhmed,genannt !Asik-Pasa~Sohn. Graz, 1959.
Bruni, Leonardo, Constitution ofthe Florentines: edited by Athanasios Mou-
lakis, "Leonardo Bruni's Constitution of Florence," Rinascimento 26
('986), '4'-9 0 .
Doukas, History: edited and translated by Vasile Grecu, Istona Turco~
Bizantina. Bucharest, 1958.
Enveri, Diisturname (section on Umur Beg): edited and translated by I.
Melikoff-Sayar,Le Destan d'Umur Pacha. Paris, 1954·
~(-
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gregoras, Nikephoros, Roman History: edited by L. Schopen and 1. Bekker,
Nicephori Gregorae Byzantina Historia, 3 vols. Bonn, 1829-1855.
Kantakouzenos, Ioannes, History: edited by L. Schopen, Ioannis Cantacu~
zeni eximperatoris Historiarum Libri IV, 3 vols. Bonn, 1828-1832.
Lebensbeschreibung des Despoten Stefan Lazarevic. Wiesbaden, 1956.
Khwandamir, Muhammad: translated by W M. Thackston, Habibu'Hiyar,
Tome Three: The Reign of the Mongol and the Turk, 2 vols. Cambridge,
Mass., 1994.
Kritoboulos, History: edited by D. R. Reinsch, Critobuli Imbriotae Historiae.
Berlin, 1983.
Malipiero, Domenico, Annali Veneti: edited by T. Gar and A. Sagredo, in
Archiviostorico italiano 7 (1843-1844).
Manuel II Palaiologos, Funeral Oration for His Brother Theodoros: edited and
translated by J. Chrysostornides, Manuel II Palaeologus: Funeral Oration
on His Brother Theodore. Thessalonike, 1985.
Plethon, Georgios Gernistos, Corrections to Some of the Mistakes in Strabo:
edited by A. Diller, '~ Geographical Treatise by Georgius Gemistus
Pletho," Isis 27 (937): 441-51.
Sphrantzes, Georgios, Chronicle: edited by R. Maisano, Giorgio SJranze:
Cronaca. Rome, 1990.
537
 Index

The Index does not include the following extremely common

names: Asia, Asia Minor, Black Sea, Byzantioo, Danube, Europe,
Greeks, Italy, Peloponnese, Turks, and patronymics (e.g., Mehmed
in "Murad, the son of Mehmed"), unless the father's name is not
mentioned elsewhere separately. Most individuals are listed under
their family surnames, even in the case of the Palaiologoi and
Komnenoi emperors and despots. If a surname is a patronymic
(e.g., in Slavic names), then the individual is listed under his first
name. Passages may mention the relevant name more than once, so
they should be read to the end. References are by book and section
number. Books 1-5 appear in volume I (DOML 33).

'Abd-al-Latif, 3.69-70 Achantos (suburb ofTrebizond),

Abraham, the name, 8.72
Acciaiuoli, Antonio I, 4.56-59;
6.50
Acciaiuoli,Antonio II, 6.50-52
Acciaiuoli, Francesco I, 9.15
Acciaiuoli, Francesco II (Franco),
9·,6-,8,59
Acciaiuoli, Nerio I, 4.49-51, 56-57i
5-23
Acciaiuoli, Nerio II, 6.47, 48-Pi
7.17-18i 9.15-16
Achata/Achalans, 4.49, 56; 5.28-30;
6.48; 7.26, 28; 8.36, 38; 9.13, 21, 23,
39-40,49, p, 54; lO.p, 56
9. 2 9
Acheloos River, 4.56; 5.23
AddaRiver, 6.21
Adami family, 5.58
Adrianople, 1.34-35.37; 4-4. 7; 5·5;
6.57; 7.15, 17, 64; 8.31, 46, 69-71;
9.60,77,89; 10.15, 19. See also Or-
estias
Adriatic Sea, 1.29. 38, 39; 2·3, 10;
3.31; 4.20-23, 38, 41; 5.39. 42, 61,
64; 6.54; 7.29, 34; 8.65, 68; 10.16-
17, 20, 28, 38, 48
Aegean Sea, 1.8, 12; 2.31; 4.23, 38, 41;
5.61; 8.12, 25. 63; 9.37; 10.6, 48

539
 INDEX INDEX

Aetas (in the Peloponnese), 8.40 Ali (father/son of Muhammad?). AIdabi! {ErdebiD, 9.30 azap, 5.6, 8, 14, 45; 8·53; 9·45, 77. 105;
Africa, 1.3-4. See also North Africa 3.15,18 Ardeal, 2.22; 5.45-51; 6.57; 7.13, 41 10.12,22
Aga Pasha Ganissary commander), Ali (son ofEvrenos), 4.16, 63; 5.38, Ares, 8.18 AzoV; Sea of, 3.25, 32
7. 6 7 4 1-42 ,5 0 Arezzo, 6.12
Agincourt, 2.37 Ali (son ofHayreddin), 2.25, 27; Argos/Argives, 2.44-47; 10.36, 38, Babur, 3.70, 72
Ahmed (admiral), 6.31 HI; 4-13 (?); 8.71 49-5 0 ,55 Babylon. See Baghdad
Ahmed (son of Murad II), 7.63, 65 Ali, the name, 8.72 Argyrokastron, 4·52; 5.40-42; 6·54 Baghdad, 3.4, 23, 72; 7.69
Ahmed (son ofTurahan), 8.2; 9.21- Ali MihalogIu, 8.46; 9·ro2, ro7 Arianiti, Komnen, 5.40-43; 7.29, 39 Balaban, 4.11
23,37 Alishur, 2.9; 4.12; 5.32; 7.66. See also Arkadia (Kyparissia), 8.2 Baltoglu (admiral), 8.12, 16; 10.2
Aigina, 4.59; 10.50 Karaman Armenia/Armenians (sometimes Baltos, +56
Aigion, 7.27; 9.13,55 Almeria, 5.76 the Black Sheep Turks), 2.8, 9; Barak (son ofEvrenos), 4.16, 63
Ainos, 1.12; 9·37, 59, 75; 10.4, 14 Alps, 2.30 3.18,37,40,50,52,55,71-72; 5·33; Barcelona, 2.31; 5.64, 71
Aitolia, 1.29, 31; 4.51, 54; 5.23-25; Alvaro de Luna, 5.74 7. 6 9; 9. 26 , J2 Bari,5·64
9.21,52; 10.16 Amarles (?), 9.63 Arsenal (in Venice), 4.37 Barl§ Atay Aga, ].42-43
Ajems, 3.71. See also Persians Amaseia, 8.46; 9·34, 71, 77 Arta, 4.52-54; 5.23 Barsakids (?), 5.33
Akarnania, 1.29; 4.51-55; 5.23-24 Amastris, 2.8; 9.25-26 Artemis, 3.29, 66 Basarab II, 7.14
Akesines River, 3.66 Ambrakia, 5.23 Asanes, Demetrios, 9.8 Basel,6·7
Akova (in the Peloponnese), 9.5 amiral-a'lam, 5.12 Asanes. Matthaios, 6.32; 7.62; 8.2, Basilike tower (in Constantinople),
]Va' al-Din (Seljuk sultan), LI2, 13; amirhor, 5.12 38,42; 9·3, 9-13, 37, 39, 4 1, 52; 6.6
2·9 Amiroutzes, Georgios, 9.74. 80 10.58 Basilitza pass (Zlatica), 6.34
Alaeddin (son of Murad I), 7.31 Angelokastron, 4.56 Aseno, Giovanni, 8.35-38, 40 bttjtina tax, 8.75
A1ans, 9.35-36 Ankara, 3.55; 8.7 2 Assyrians, 1.4, 9; 2.8; 3.10,13.23,27. Bathys (Bat'umi), 9.35
Albania/Albanians, 1.29, 52; 2.3. ro, Anna of MoscoW; 4.46 36 ,37,68,7 0 -72 Battista (a Genoese man), 10.4
26,47; 4·52-54; 5.26, 40-44; Aphrodite, J.I5 Athens/Athenians, 1.3; 4.19, 49, Bayezid (vizier), 5.2, 5; 8.71
6·48,54; 7.15, 29-30~ 34-36; 8.25, Apollo, 3-29, 67; 8·49 56-59; 6·47, 49-52; 7.17-18, 19; Bayezid. the name, 8,72
34-43.66-68; 9.1, 4-7. 20, 22, 49, Apulia, 1.~9; 5.64, 67, 69; 6.18, 26, 9. 14-18 ,59 Bayezid 1,1.56,59; Book 2passim;
51,57-58; ro.16-17, 51, 54 30; 8.66 Attaleia, 7.43 3. 1,25,43- 65,69,72; 4·9, 57, 58;
Albert II of Germany, 8.59-61 Arabaioi, 6.48 Attica, 1.12; 2.12; 4·49, 57; 6·49-50; 5-43,50; 6.38, 53; 8.7 1; 9.72
Aleppo, 3-41-43 Arabia/Arabs, I.ro; 2.33; 3.13-20, 39, 7-17; 9.14, 18; 10.50 Bayezid II, 8.69; 9.71
Alek'sandre I of Georgia, 9.28 41,42 Atzileia (possibly corrupt), 2.15 Baysunqur, 3.69-70
Alexander the Great, 1.3, 4; 3·49, Arabia Felix, 3.13, 15 Austria, 2.15 Belgorod Dnestrovskij (Akker-
53 Aragon/Aragonese, 1.18, 19, 20; Avignon, 2.31 man), 3.26, 30
Alexandria, 3.41; 4.38 2.12,32-33; 5.61-64, 67-71, 74-76; Axalc'ixe (in Georgia), 9.35 Belgrade, 5.36-38; 7-57, 59; 8.46-56,
Alexandros, the name. 8.72 6.21; 9.69; ro.3 Axios River, 1.31, 42; 2.49; +63; 60; ro.I, 47
Alfonso V of Aragon,,5.62-64, 67- Araxes River, 3.n, 21, 43, 66, 68 8.65-66; 10.15 Bergamo, 6.21
71,74-75,79; 6.21; 8.63, 66-67; Arbakes (i.e.,Arsakes), 1.4 Aydlll, 2.9; 3.72; 5.34. See also Bernardino of Siena, 8.58
9. 69 Arctic Ocean, 1.38; 2.16; J.26 Smyrna Bernardo, Gerolamo, 10.50

54 0 54 1
 INDEX
Berroia, 4.11; 6.54
Bessarion, 6.13-14; 8.62, 64
Beyce (son ofEvrenos), 4.16
Biscay, 5.72
Bistami,Ni, 10.12, 35
Bithynia, 1.14, 24, 26; 5.19
Black Bogdania. See Moldavia
Black Sheep Turks, 7.69. See also
Armenia/Armenians
Blagaj (in Hercegovina), 10.34
Bobovac (in Bosnia), 10.23-24
Bochales, Manuel, 9-45
Bogdan, 1.31,42,52; 4.11
BohemialBohemians, 2.14, 17; 3.29;
5·5'; 6·55; 7-'4; 8-49, 57- 60
Boiotia, 1.20; 2.12; 3·44; 4·49, 56-
57; 6·47, 50-51; 7.17; 9.17-18, 48,
52,59; 10·54-55
Bologna, 6.11, 14, 30
Bordonia (in the Pel0polUlese), 8.40
BosnialBosnians Ollyrians), 2.3, 10,
49; 4.62; 5.38-4°; 8.46; 9. 2, 24;
10.16-3 6 ,4 1,44-45,57
Bosporos, 8.1. See also Propontis
Bosporos (Crimean), 3.25, 32; 6.3-5
Brilla (in Wallachia), 9-9'
Branko Mladenovic, LJI
Brass6, Mount, 2:22, 24; 5.45; 7.13;
9.9 2
Bremen, 2.15
Brenta River, 6.19
Brescia, 4.28; 6.17
BritainlBritish, 2.14, 30-31, 35-40;
3. 27; 4·30, 38
Bruges, 2.31
Buda, 2.17, 21; 7.60; 8.48, 60
542
Bulgaria/Bulgarians, 1.8, 24, 25, 32,
37-42,52,56; 2·47; 3.31; 4.15; 6·57;
7.57; 10.6, 16
Buondelmonti, Esau, 4.54-55
Burgundy, 2.19, 31; 6·53; 7.37
Caffa, 3-25, 32; 6·3-4; 9.28
CagIiari,5·71
Cairo, 2.51; ).21, 38-42
Calabria, 5.64, 68; 6.30
Calais, 2.35-37
Callistus III (pope), 8.63
cambaz, 8.70
Cambyses, 1.4, 42; 3.66
cannons, digressions on, 5.15-16;
8.6-7; 9.11
Caopena, Nioto, 4.59
Capello, Vettore, 10.37-43
Capistrano, Giovanni, 8·49, 53, 58
cardinals, digressions on, 6.13, 27-
28
Carlos ofViana, 5.70, 79
Carmagnola, 4.31-32; 6.17, 20
Carrara family, 4.28; 6.19
Casimir (Kazimierz IV), 2.22; ).25
Caspian Sea, 3.10-11, 29
Castile, 2.33; 3.28; 5.71-74; 8.62
Catalans. See Aragon/Aragonese
Cattaneo, Domenico, 10.5
Caucasus, 3.24, 34, 37; 9·35
Caucasus G-lindu Kush?), 1.3
Celtiberians, 2.33; 4.49-50, 56; 5.72
Cernomen, 1.34
Cesarini, Giuliano, 6.55; 7.12
Chaghadai, 3-24, 49, 5), 56-57, 59,
66
INDEX
Chalkis, 10.39
Chalkokandyles, Georgios, 6.50-
51; 7.19
Channel (British), 2.35
Charioupolis, 4.13
Charlemagne, 2.32-33; 5.79
Charles VI the Mad, 2.29, 44
Chersonese, 1.16, 18, 19, 28, 33, 36;
2·49; $.I, + See also Gallipoli
Chersonese (Crimean), 6.4
Chieti,5·64
China, 3.66
Chioggia War, 4.25-28
Chios, 5.61; 10.2, 5-6
Chlemoutzi,8·35
Choaspes River, 3.11
Circassians, 3.32
Cologne, 2.14-15
Colonna family, 6.27
Condulmer family, 6.25
Constantine the Great, 1.5
Constantinople, called that, 6.4;
9.36; 10.41. ''Byzantion'' is not in-
dexed
Contarini, Bartolomeo, 9.15-16
Contarini, Pietro Palmerio {called
Priamo),9·15
Cordoba, 5.72
Corinth, 4.19, 49-50, 56; 7.25; 8.42;
9.3,9-13,19,37,41-42; 10.51-55
Corsica, 5.64, 71
Council of Ferrara-Florence, 1.7j
6'7-'7
Crete/Cretans, 4.23, 40; 10.42, 48,
53
Crimea, 3.25. See also Bosporos
543
Croatia (White Croatia?), 1.38
Cyclades, 10.3
Cyprus, 3.42
Cyrus the Great, 1.4, 42; 3.68
Czechs, 2.17; 5.52. See also Bohemia!
Bohemians
Dadiani (Georgian dynasty), 9.35
Dalmatians, 10.16
Damascus, 3.38, 43
Dan (?), 5-54-55; 7·'4, 4'
Dan I, 2.23
Dan II, +4, 7, ,8 (?)
Darius I, 3.22
Darius III, 3-49, 53
Davia (in the Peloponnese), 5.26
Davud (son ofSavcl), 7.47-48
Demetrios, the name, 8.72
Denmark, 2·14, 31; 3.27
Depas (Albanian leader), 543-44
Didymoteichon, 1.47
Dionysos,1.3
Dobrotica the Bulgarian, 6.57
Domokos, 2.11
Don River, 1.9; 3.21, 23, 25, 27, 34,
36; +38
Doria family, 4.4; 5·58, 60, 62
Doxas (Nbanian leader), 9.4, 49
Dragas, Dejan. See Zarko
Dragas, Helene (Jelena; empress),
7.6,
Dragas,)ovan, 2.26
Dragas, Konstantin, 2.25-27
DragaS, Konstantinos. See Palaiolo-
gos, Konstantinos XI
Drina River, 10.20, 22

INDEX
Durad Brankovic, 5.31, 36-37; 6.2,
33,43-45,53,56,58; 7.3 6 -3 8 , 56 -
60,65; 8.45-46; 10.21
Durres, 1.29; 2.3; 8.66, 68; 10.16
Ecrunades Islands, 4.51
Egypt, 2.51; 3.13, 18, 23, 28, 35, 39-
42; 4.38; 5. 13
Elias, the name, 8.72
Elis, 4.49; 5. 28 - 29; 9. 22 , 49
Emboi (a Caucasian people), 9.35
Enetoi, 4.21. See VeniceNenetians
EnglandlEnglish, 2.31, 35-37. See
also BritainlBritish
Enrique IV of Castile, 5.78
Epeiros, 4.51; 5.24, 28, 30, 40, 42;
10.16
Ephesos, 6.16
Epikernaioi,2.10-11
Ertogrul (Ottoman ancestor), 1.12
Ertogrul (son ofBayezid), 3.44-
47
Ertogrul, the name, 8.72
Erzinjan, 2.8, 9, 49; 3.72; 5.20; 7. 6 9;
9. 26
Este family, 6.8, 26
Euboia, 1.12; 4.23,50, 56-57, 59;
8.25; 10·39, 50, 59
Eugenikos, Markos, 6.16
Eugenius IV (pope), 6'7-8, II, 13,
15-17,25,33,53,55
Euphrates, 2.9, 49, 56; 3.50, 72
Euripos (Euboian), 10.39
Eurotas River, 9·43
Eusebius (pope), 8.63. See Callistus
III
544
Evrenos, 2.24, 44, 47; 4.8, 15-16 ,
62-63; 5-2 6
Famagusta, 3.42
Fatuma (officer), 7.15
Felix V (antipope), 6.7
Ferdinando I (Don Ferrante), 5.69
Ferrara, 6.8-11, 26
Firuz (general), 8.46
Firuz fjanissary), 7.10, 15
Firuz (prefect), 6.54
Flanders, 2.31, 38
Florence, 4.49; 5.65-66; 6.11-12, 30,
50,52; 8.33; 10.3 0
Foscari,]acopo, 4.40
FrancelFrench, 1.6, 53; 2.13, 14, 17,
18-21,29-40,44; 3. 27, 4 2, 53;
4.29,49-50; 5.58, 60, 64-65, 67,
7'-73, 76, 79; 6.38, 53; 8.60, 62
Fregosi family, 5.58
Friedrich III of Germany, 8·59-
61
Gabriel (angel), 3.17
Gaeta, 5.62,64
Galatas, 2.4; 6.3-6, 32; 8·4-5, 24,
26-28; 9.25-26
Gallipoli, u8, 19, 33, 37; 4.4 1-42;
5.1-2,4,6,9, II; 7.67; 9·37-39, 77;
10.2
Ganges, 1.3; 3.66
Ganos, Mount, 5.9
Garda, Lake, 6.17
Gardiki (in the Pe1oponnese), 9·45,
48
garip, 5.12; 8.77
INDEX
Gascony; 5.72
Gattilusi family; 10.4-5
Gattilusio, Domenico, 10.4
Gattilusio, Dorino (Lesbos), 9.28;
10-4
Gattilusio, Dorino II (Ainos), 9.37
Gattilusio, Francesco II, 1.55
Gattilusio, Lucruno, 10.14
Gattilusio, Niccolo, 10.2-4, 7-14,
45
Gattllusio, Palamede, 9.37
Genoa/Genoese, 2.4, 28, 31; 3.25, 32;
4.4,25-29,4 1,49; 5·9, 57-63, 69,
75; 6.3-6, 18, 30; 8.12, 17-20; 9.25,
28; 10.4-6
Georgios, the name, 8.72
Germany/Germans, 1.6; 2.13-20,
30,31,39,44; 3. 27, 28-30; 5.15,
50-53; 6·7, II, 15; 7.8, 14; 8·49, 57,
59- 62 ,64
Germiyan, 1.14; 5.34
Getai,2.17
Getia (in Albania), 7.30
Ghent, 2.31
Ghlbellines, 6.18
Giannitsa, 4.63
Giorgio family, 4-59
Giovanni II of Naples, 5.67-69
Giusdniani Longo, Giovanni, 8.17-
'9
Glarentsa, 5.28-29
Golden Gate, 2.6; 8.4; 10.15
Golden Horde, 1.10; 3.21-38
Gorgouros (Qvarqvare IIrJaqeli of
Samc'xe?),9·35
Gori (in Kartll), 9.35
545
Gotthia/Goths, ).25; 5·56
Granada, 2·33; 5-72-73, 76-77
Gregorios III Mamas (patriarch),
8·33
Grevenon (in the Peloponnese),
9·49,53
Grgur (son ofDurad Brankovic),
5.3 6 -37
Gritzas (a Greek), 10.52
Gue1phs, 6.17-18
Guido Oord of Naples), 4.51
Giindiiz-Alp,l.lI
Guria (in Georgia), 9.35
Hagia Sophia, 8.21
Haimos, Mount, 2.17, 49; 4.7, 14
Hajji Giray, 3.25; 6.3-4, 54
Halil (raider), LI8, 28
Halil Pasha (vizier), 5.31; 6.42-43;
7.1,15,32-33,51,64,66; 8.31-32
Hamburg, 2.15
Hamid (emirate). See Metin
Hamza the Falconer (general),
9·21-23, 56, 85-87
has (royal property), 8.76
Hasan Ganissarycommander), 4.8,
'5-'7; 8·54
Hasan the Tall, 3..72; 7.69; 9.26, 40-
41,63,66,70-73,80
Haydar (associate ofTimur), 3.3-4,
6-7,12,36
Hayreddin (vizier), 1.49, 51, 52, 55;
8.7 1
bazine (royal treasury), 8,76-77
Hebros River, 10.4, 15. See also
Tearos River
 INDEX
Hedervari. Laurentius, 8.60
Hellespont, 1.16; 2·49; 3.44, 58;
4.14,41-42; 5.1, 7-8. 19; 6·53-55,
59; 8.25; 10.15. 60
Hera, 3.29,66
Herakleia,1.8
Herakleia Pontike, 5.56; 9.68
HerakleS,1.3
Hercegovina. See Sandalj
Hieron, 4.14; 5.18; 6.59
Hlzrr (janissary). 7.24
Hlzrr (prefect of Amaseia), 8.46;
9·34,77
Hlzrr. the name, 8.72
Hospitallers of Rhodes, 1.41; 2·45;
3. 28
Hundred Years' War, 2.35-37
Hungary/Hungarians, 1.56; 2.13, 17-
22,44; 3.29, 30. 53; 4. 62- 6 3; 5.3 6 -
38,45; 6.1-2, 15,33-46,53-57; 7. 1-
15,31,36-60; 8.45-62, 64-65; 9. 2 ,
21,24,60,83-84,95-97. 10 9;
10.1,20-21,36.42-48,53,60
Huns, 9.35-)6
Hunyad (city), 5-49
Hunyadi,Janko, 5-48-55; 6.2, 33,
40-41; 7.3, 5-9, 12-14, 36 - 60 ;
8.45,49,51-52,56 -57,60
Hunyadi, Laszlo, 8.60
Hydaspes River, 3.66
Hydraotes River, 3.66
Hyphasis River, 3.49, 66
HyrkaniaIHyrkanians, 3.10-12, 21,
70
Hystaspes,3· 22
Iakobos, the name, 8.72
Iberia/Iberians (Caucasian), 3·37;
9.28,33-3 6 ,68
Iberian Peninsula/Iberians, 2.18-
19,30-33; 3.18; 4.56; 5. 6 4; 9.3 6
ibrahim (son or brother ofAli),
3·52-53
ibrahim, the name, 8.72
Ikonion, 1.4; 5.32, 34; 6·58
ilyas (son ofBarl~Atay Aga), 7.42-
44
ilyas, the name, 8.72
ilyas the WIDe Pourer, 5.19
Illyria/Illyrians (i.e., Slavs), 1.29,
38-39,56; 3.26, 31; 4. 21 ; 5·40;
10.16-17. See also BosnialBos-
nians
Illyrisos River (Krivaja?), 10.22-
23
Imbros, 1.8; 4.45; 8.63; 9·37-)8
IndialIndians, 1.4; 3.24. 29, 43, 49,
64, 66-68, 69, 70
Indian Ocean, 3.11, 66
Indus River, 3.66
Ine (generaO, 3-54
Infland, 3.27
Ioannina, 1.31; 4.54-56; 5.23-24
Ionia, 1.14; 2.9; 3.19, 58,61,65
Ioseph, the name, 8.72
isa (son I ofBayezid), 3·59; 4.1-3,12
isa (son II ofBayezid = Yusuf),
4.1,12
isa (son ofElvan), 10.36,56
isa (son ofEvrenos), 4.16, 63; 6.34,
38
INDEX
isa (son ofIshak Beg), 8.65-68;
9.9-11,47,53; 10.20
isa, the name, 8.72
Isaakios.4·52
isa Beg, 5.38-39
isfendiyar. See also ismail of
Kastamonu;Jandarids of
Kastamonu
Ishak (general), 7.65; 9.101
Ishak (prefect), 6.34; 10.19-21
Ishak-Ali (governor), 9.53
Isidoros of Kiev; 6.13, 15; 8.17, 24
Iskender. See Kara Iskender
Islam, 3.13-20, 41. See also Muham-
mad
ismail (prefect), 9.38
ismail ofKastamonu and Sinope
(isfendiyar), +20, 44; 5·35; 8.1)-
14; 9.63-70
Isthmos of the Peloponnese, 4.18-
19.60; 5.26; 6.1, 47-48; 7.17-28,
68; 8.36; 9·3; 10·48, 51-55, 58-60
Istria, 10.17
Itaia. See Sogut
!thome, 5.30; 8.2, 40; 9.22
Ituraeans, 3-41
IvanAleksandar, 1.25, 40-41
Ivan SiSman, 1.40, 56
lyon (isa?; son ofElvan), 10.13
'Izz al-Din, 1.18, 19
Jacobites, 3.40
Jahansbah, ).72; 7.69
Jajce, 5·39; 10.23-25
Jandarids ofKastamonu and Sin-
547
ope, 1.I4. 22; 2·9; 4.3, 20, 44; 5.35;
7.63,65; 8.13; 9.63-70
Janids, 2.8; 3.72; 9.77
Jean the Fearless, 2.19-20
Jelena (wife ofStjepan Ill), 10.28-
30,33
Jerusalem, 3-41
Jesus, 2.50, 55; 3.17, 26, 28, 29, 40-
42; 4. 12; 8.49, 58; 9·35; 10.14
Jesus, the name, 8.72
fISkra,Jan, 7.14
Joachim of Fiore, 6.29
Joan (pope), 6.27
Joan of Are, 2.37
Juan II ofAragon, 5·70, 74, 79
Juan II of Castile, 5.74, 76-78
Juki, ).70-72; 7.69; 9.27
Junayd (lord of Smyrna), 4·45; 5-4,
5-6
Junayd (Safavid sheikh), 9.30-33
Justinian, 4.19
Kabasitanai family; 9.29, 74, 77
Kado~sioi, 3-10-12, 14, 24, 43, 70
Kaginos, 3.71
Kakheti (in Georgia), 9.35
Kalamata, 7.68; 9.40
Kalamshah, 1.14; 2.9
Kalavryta, 9.13,49
Kalliakra, 6.57
KaHone (on Lesbos), 10.2
Kandyloron, 5.33; 6.1; 7.66
Kanina, 5.43
Kantakouzene, Helene, 2.10-12
Kantakouzene, Theodora, 9.28
 INDEX
Kantakouzenos, Demetrios, 7.61
Kantakouzenos, Ioannes VI, 1.27,
28,4 0 -4 1,53
Kantakouzenos, Manuel (son of
Giorgios), 8·34; 9.7
Kantakouzenos, Manuel (son of
Ioannes VI), 1.41, 55
Kantakouzenos, Matthaios, 1.41,
55
Kantakouzenos, ).lllidentified, 8.19
Kapanion (byTrebizond), 9.30
KappadokialKappadokians, 1.9,
24; 2·9; J.I, 44, 50-51; 4- 2; 5-33;
9.7 1,74
Kara Iskender, 2.8, 9; 3.72
Karaja (general), 5.23-24; 7·4, 7-9,
15,40; 8,5°
Karaman, 1.14;,2.9; 4.12; 5.18, 32-34,
43,45; 6.1-2, 46, 58; 7.66; 9.82- 83
Karasl, 1.14
Kara Yiiliik, 2.8; 3.71:"'72; 5.33
Kara Yusuf, 2·9; 3.72; 7.69; 9.27
Karia, 1.9, 14; 2·9; 5.3 2-33, 43
Karnerian Gulf (Quarnero), 10.16
Karytaina. See Skortoi
Kasim (general), 6.34, 36, 40-43;
].56
Kasim Pasha, 9·77
Kassandreia, I.19
Kastam onu, 4·3; 5·35; 9.63, 67
Kastoria, 1.30, 31, 56; 4·$2; 6·54
Kastrimenon (in the Peloponnese),
9·54
Kastrioti, Gjon, 5.40; 7.29
Kastritsi (by Mistra), 943
Katabolinos, Thomas, 9.84-87
Kenchreai, 7.26; 9.3
Kent, 2.40
Kephallenia,4·51
Keramareioi,8.10
Kerkeda (on Lemnos), 10.60
Kerkyra, 4.23,53; 5.42-43, 61; 9.62
KhatailKhataians (Cathay?), 3.21,
23,36,43,66-69
Kherie crimur's city), 3. 23, 37, 45,
64,69; 4. 1
Khorov (Rostov? Pskov?), 3.26
Kiev, 3.26
Kilia (in Wallachia), 9·93-94, I05
Kilikia, 1.14; 3.19; 5.43
Kithairon, Mount, 10.55
Kline (in the Peloponnese), 8.38
Kljuc (in Bosnia), 10.23, 25-27
Kolchis, 2.8, 9, 26; 3.13, 37, 72; 5.56;
8.46; 9.27, 35, 69, 76 , 78; 10.13. See
also Trebizond
Kolophon, 2.9
Komnen, 540
Komnene, Anna, 9.76-77, 79-80;
10.13
Komnene, Theodora, 9.70, 80
Komnenos, Aiexios, 9·74, 79-80;
10.13
Komnenos, Alexios III, 2.26
Komnenos, Alexios IV, 9.27-29
Komnenos, Andronikos I, 9.27
Komnenos, David, 9.27, 34, 70, 74-
81; 1044-45
Komnenos, Georgios, 9.79-80
Komnenos, Ioannes IV, 9.27-34,
70 ,74
Komnenos, Isaakios, 9.27
INDEX
Komnenos, Skandarios (Alexan- Lazar I Hrebljanovic, 1.31, 56-57;
dros), 9.28; 10.13 2.2; 3.59, 62; 4·9; 5·36; 7.38
Komnenos ofLemnos, 10,60 Lazar II Brankovic, 7.1]; 845; 9.24
Kordyles (byTrebizond), 9·30, 32 Lebadeia, 3·44; 4-57; 10·54
Korone (in the Peloponnese), 2.44; Lemnos, -1.8; 4.45; 5.1-, 4; 6·31; 8.63;
9.48,51 9.37-38; IO.6o
Kosovo, battle of (I), 1.56-58; 2.2; Lentares, Ioannes, 6.6
7.3 8 Leodorikes (?), 9.9
Kosovo, battle of (II), 7.38-57; Leon VI the Wise, 8.33
10.4 6 Leontarion (in the Peloponnese),
Kotzinos (on Lemnos), 6.31 9.21-23,39,45-46; 10·49, 56. See
Koudougeroi,5·40 also Megalopolis
Koudounidas (?) (Venetian gen- Leontaris, Bochalis, 8.36
eral),6.24 Lesbos, 1.55; 5·61; 6.31; 10.2-4, 7-15,
Kraikos (lord in Hercegovina), 45. See also Mytilene
10·34 Ligyans (Ligurians), 5.70
Kruje (in Albania), 7.30, 34-36; 8.66 Limassol,3.42
Kiimlii, 6.34 LithuanialLithuanians, 3.25, 26,
Kyparissia (in the Peloponnese), 30
5.30; 8.2; 9·47; 10·49. See also Livonia. See Intland
Arkadia Lodi,6.21
Kyrene (?), 4.23 Loidorikion, 6.48
LokrislLokrians, 2.II; 6·48; ].I7
Ladislao of Naples, 5.65-67 LombardylLombards, 2.19, 29-31;
Ladislaus V of Hungary, 8·48, 58- 4.28-32,39,50; 5.57, 60, 61, 63-
60 64; 6.10, 17-18, 20-26; 9.69. See
Lakedaimonians, 1.3; 9·3, 12, 19 also Milan; Visconti, dukes of
Lakonia, I.38; 4·47, 49; 6.1; 7.25; 9.8, Milan
13,4 0 ; 10·49, 58 Lomellino, Angelo, 8.26
Lala Shahin Pasha, 1.40 London, 2.38, 40
Lamia, 2.II; 4.7 Lopadion, Lake, 5.7
Lampsakos, 4.43 Loredan, Aivise, 10.48
Laodikeia, 3.13 Loredan, Pietro, 4.41-43
Laonikos, 1.1 Loukanes, Nikephoros, 8·35-38, 42;
Laranda, 5.32 9.3,12-13,19
Larissa, 10.54 Lucca,6.II-12
549
 INDEX T
I
INDEX

Luis Fadrique, 2.10-12
Lydia, 1.9, 14, 23; 2·7; 3-49
MacedonialMacedonians, 1.3, 4,
20,29-31,37,41,49,55,56; 2·3,
10,25,47,49; 3·49j 4· II , 52; 6·54;
7·34; 8.2, 65; 9·3; 10.13, 17
Madytos, 1.28; 10.15
.Mahmud Pasha, 8.31, 71j 9.2, 21, 24,
42-43,61, 65-67,74-76,80,88,
98,101-102,105-106; 10.8-9, 23,
25-27,32,35,52-56,58-60
Malatesta, Cleope, 4.48
Malatesta, Sigismondo, 10.43
Malatesta family, 5.29; 6.8, 26
Mamia II Gurieli of Guria, 9.35, 76
Mamluk sultanate, 2.51; 3.38-42
Mamonas ofMonemvasia, 2.25
Manichaeans, 3.40
Mantineia, 4.47; 8.2; 9.7, 8, 40
Mantua, 6.26; 8.62, 64; 10.43
Marche, +48; 5.68; 6.18, 26
Mardonios, 3.53
Maria (Kyratza), 1.40-41
Maria (the Virgin), 3.17
Mariangeli, 4.29-30. See Visconti,
dukes of Milan
Marie d'Enghien, 5.69
Marsilio da Carrara, 6.19
Massagetai (Chaghadai?), 3.3,10,
21,29,36,43,66,68
Matthias Corvinus, 8.60; 10.1, 44-
47
Mavrokostas (official ofTrebi-
zond),9·3 1
Mazak (commander), 9.106
Mazak (father ofKasim), 6.37
Mecca, 3.18
MedialMedes, 1.4, 9; 3.23, 71-72
Medina del Campo, 5.67
Megalopolis (in the Pe1oponnese),
9.21; 10-49. See also Leontarion
Megara, 9.16
Mehmed (attendant ofHali1), 8.32
Mehmed (son of Mandromenes),
8.72
Mehmed I, 3.59; 4.1, 12-20, 41-45,
58,61-63; 5.1- 2, 5; 7.26
Mehmed II, 7.31-33, 63-69; Book 8
passim; Book 9 passim; Book 10
passim
Meliares (byTrebizond), 9.30
Meliaresi (lord of Naples), 4.51
Melitene, 2.49-50, 56-57; 3.44
Mente~e, 2·9; 3.72; 5·34
mesazon, 7.61
Mese (in Constantinople), 6.6
Mesembria, 1.8; 6.32
Mesene, 4.49; 5.30; 8.2; 9.40
MesochaldionlMesochaldioi (by
Trebizond), 9.31, 33, 74, 77
Methone, 2.44; 9.51; 10.36,56
Metin (emirate of Hamid?), 2.9
Metochites (father and son), 8.22
Mezid (general), 5-45-47
Michael (furkish general;
MihalogIu?),4· 62
Michael Angelovic, 9.24
Michalikon (Mihalig), 5.7
MihailAsen III, 1.25, 32
Milan, 2.29; 4.29-32, 39; 5·57, 64, 75;
6.17,20-26,30; 9.40. See also
LombardylLombards; Visconti, Murad I, 1.28, 37, 38, 40-60; 2.1-2,
iI dukes of Milan 47,49; 7.38; 8.71; 10.2
Milos (Serb hero), 1.57-58; 2.1-2; Murad II, 4.61; Book 5.1-57 passim;
7.3 8 Books 6 passim; Book 7passim;
Mingies (?), 7.18, 20 8.5,46; 10.2
Mingrelians, 3.32; 9.35 Murcia, 5.72
Minorca, 5.71 Musa, 3.59, 69; 4. 1, 3-1], 20, 44, 55,
Minotto, Girolamo, 8.25 58,63
Mircea I, 2.21, 23-24; 4.3, 18 (?), 44; Muslims, term used, 7.11
5054 Mustafa (Kiic;:Uk Mustafa), 4.61;
Mistra, 1.41, 55; 2.13, 25, 45; 4·60; 5. 18 - 19,3 2
5. 27; 6.1, 47; 7.25; 8.2; 9.8, 13, 19, Mustafa (rebel), 4.1, 44-45; 5.1-9
41-44; 10·52, 58 Mustafa Mousplachasites, 8.72
Mizra (associate ofTimur), 3.3-9 Muzaka family, 6.37
Mladen (Serb lord), 1.31 Mycenae, 8.2
Moldavia, 2.22-23; 3.30; 5·55; 9.93- MysialMysians (Bulgarian and Ana-
94, 10 5 tolian), 1.13, 14, 15, 22, 32, 39, 43;
Molyvos (on Lesbos), 10.2 2·9; 3. 1 9, 55
Monemvasia, 2.25; 4·45; 9.8, 47-48, Mytilene, 9.28, 80; 10.5, 8-12. See
62; 10.49, 58 also Lesbos
Mongols. See Skythia/Skythians
Monothelites, 3.40 Naples, 449, 51, 53-54; 5.64-69, 75;
Montferrat, 4-46 6.26; 8.63. See also Parthenope
Montferrat, Sophia of, 4.46 Naupaktos, 4.56; 9-40; 10.36
Morava River, 7·37, 56; 8.44 Nauplion, 2·45; 9·3, lSi 10.49
Morezini (pirate), 9.39 Navarre, 2.32-33; 4-56; 5.70-72, 78-
Moscow, 3.26 79
Moses, 3.29 Neokastron, 8.2
Mouchli (in the Pe1oponnese), 9.8, Neopatras, 2.11-12
22-23 Nestea (Nis?), 1.56
MouIgerios (a Greek), 7.27 Niccolo III d'Este, 6.8-10
MrksaZarkovic, 5.43 Niccolo Piccinino, 6.17, 21
Muhammad, 2.34, 50, 52-54, 56; Nice, 2.31
3- 14-20,29,4 1,60; 7.21, 31, 44; Nicolaus V (pope), 6.'4; 8·59, 63, 67
8.17,32; 9.65-66, 72 Nigeti,3'71
Murad, the name, 8.72 Nikaia, 1.6, 22, 24, 26; P9; 6.13

550 55!
 INDEX INDEX

NikolaAltomanovic (?), I.31, 56 Oristano, 5.71 4.46-47; 5.2-4, 6, 8, 27-28; 6.3, 6, 6.21,30; 8.63, 66-67. See also Na-
Nikola Bagas Baldovin (?), 1.3', 56 Orlando (= Roland), 2.32-33 7- 8 , II, 13, 15, 31-33, 47,53,55,59; ples
Nikopolis, battle of, 2.20 Orsini family, 5.67; 6.27 7.1,16,61-62; 9.27 Parthians, 1.9, 10
Nile, }40-41 Osman, 1.13, 14, 15, 17, 22; 2·9 Palaiologos, Konstantinos (son of Patras, 5.28-3°; 7.28; 8.38; 9.13, 19,
Nineveh, }23 Ottomans (name used), 1.13, 15; Manuel II), 4-46 21,53-54; 10.56
Nino, Saint, 9.36 2·59; 4.16; 6.36; 7·47, 66; 9.9-10, Palaioiogos, Konstantinos XI Pavia, 4.29
Nis, 7.37 72 (Dragas), 5-27-30; 6.31-32, 47-48; PavloviCi, realm, 10.20-21, 34
NorthMricalNorthAfricans Oxy, Mount, 7.26 7.17-28,61-62; 8.5, 12, 17-18, 22, Pazeniki (in the Peloponnese),
(Muslims), 2.32-33, 58; }18, 20, Ozgiir (general), ].I5, 40 24, 33; 10.41, 44 9·7
28,41,42,61; 4.38; 5.13, 72-73, Palaiologos, Manuel (illegitimate Pedro (duke of No to), 5.67
76-n,79 Padua, 4.27-28; 6.19 son),4·10 Peiraieus, 9.14
Notaras, Loukas, 5.27; 7.61; 8.22, Paladins, 2.32 Palaiologos, Manuel II, 1.41, 49- Pellenians (in the Peloponnese),
28-29 Palaiologina, Helene {wife of Lazar 50 .52,54-55; 2·4, 6-7, 20, 25-29; 10·49
Novgorod,3·27 II), 9.24 3061; 4.4-5, 18-19, 45-48, 60-61; Peneios River, 10.54
Novo Brdo, 7·37; 8·44, 71 Palaiologos, Andronikos (son of 5-2-3 Peraibia (lake?), 6.1
Nuremberg, 2.15 Manuel II), 4.46-47 Palaiologos, Michael IX, 1.17 Permians, 3.27
Palaiologos,Andronikos II, 1.17, 18, Palaiologos, Murad, 8·72; 10.13 Perraiboi, 6.54; 8.66. See also Thes-
Ocean, 1.3, 38; 2·14, 30-31, 33, 35, 38, 21,30 Palaiologos, Theodoros I, 1.41, 55; saly
4°,43,58; 3.11, 26-28; 4.38; 5.72- Palaiologos,Andronikos III, 1.17, 2.10,13,25,27,29,45; 4.48-5°, Persians, 1.4, 5, 9; 3.10, 13, 22, 24, 36,
73 24,25,26,27; 10·5 56,60 43,53,54,56 ,68,71
Ochrid, 1.31, 56 Palaiologos,Andronikos IV; 1.40- Palaiologos, Theodoros II, 4.19, Perugia, 6.11-12, 21
Oguz, 1.11, 12, 13, 23 41,44-48,53-54,55; 2.4- 6 46,48,60; 5.27; 6·32, 47; 7.16; phakze, 7.5
Oguz-Alp,l.11 Palaiologos, Demetrios (son 000- 8·37 Phanarion, 6.48
Oliverio, Franco, 5.30 annes V), 1.41 Palaiologos, Theophilos, 8.22 Pharsala, 2.11
Oliviero, 2.32 Palaiologos, Demetrios (son of Palaiologos, Thomas (son of Man- Phasis River, 3.13, 37; 9.35
Olympos, Mount (in Bithynia), Manuel II), 4-46; 6.32; 7.6,-62, uel In, 4-46; 5.30; 6-47; 7.17, 25, Pheneos (in the Peloponnese),
1.14,22 68; 8.2, 33-43; 9.1, 8, 13, 19-20, 23, 62,68; 8.2, 33-43; 9.1, 8, 13, 19-23, 9.56 -57
Orner (son ofTurahan), 6.49; 8.2; 37,40-42,47-48,52,59-60,75; 37, 39-41, 51, 62; 10.41 Philadelpheia, 1.14, 18, 22, 27; 2.7
9.13-14,17-18,20-23,39,106; 10-41 Palermo, 5.67 Philip of Macedonia, 1.4
10.26,32,3 6,54,56,58 Palaiologos, Graitzas, 9.55, 61 Palestine, 3.28, 39, 41 Philippopolis, 1.35; 2·49; 8·73; 9.38,
Orestias, 1.35. See also Adrianople Palaiologos, Ioannes V, 1.27, 40-41, Panion (paristrion"), 4.4 66-67,9 1
Orhan, Ll8, 22, 23, 24, 26-28 44-45,48,49-50,53-55; 2.6-7, pansebastos, 9.30-31,77 Philokrene, 1.26
Orhan (grandson ofSilleyman 1), 26; 10.4 PaphlagonialPaphlagonians, 1.14; PhliasialPhlious (in the Pelopon-
8.22 Palaiologos, Ioannes VII, 2.4, 6, 25, 9. 68 nese), 9.3-4, 6, 58
Orhan (son ofSiUeyman I), 4-II 28-29 Paris, 2.30, 35, 37 Phoenicia, 3.41
Orban, the name, 8.72 Palaiologos, Ioannes VIII, 1.7; Parthenope, 4.51, 54; 5.64, 67, 69, Phokaia, 10.5

552 553
 INDEX
T
I INDEX

Phokas, Saint, monastery of (by
Trebizond),9·29-3 1
Phokis, 2.IO, 12; 4.49,57
Phrygia, 1.9, 14, 27; 2.9; 3.19, 49-51,
53;5·33
Piacenza, 4.29
Pikridion, 1.46
Pillars ofHerakles, 2.32, 58; 3.61;
4.23; 5.7 1-72
Pindos, Mount, 1.38; 6.47-48; 7.17,
28
PisidialPisidians, 5.33; 8.72
Pius II (pope), 8.62-64; 10.42-43
Pjeter the Lame (Eua), 8.34; 10.51
Plataiai, 10.55
Poitiers, battle of (1356), 2.36
PolandlPoles, 1.38; 2.17, 22; 3-30-31;
5-52
popes (in general or unnamed), 1.5,
6,7; 2.15, 18-19; 3.26; 4.24, 49;
5. 28-30; 6.27-29; 8.17, 49, 59,62-
64,66-67; 9.62. See also names of
individualpopes
Pordapas (at Sinope), 9.64
Po River, 4.25, 27, 29; 6.8, 17
Portugal, 2.32; 5.72-73, 78-79
Prague, 2.14; 3-29; 8.49, 60
Preljub, Grgur, 1.31
Preljubovic, Torno, 4.54-55
Prilep, 1.31
Pristina, 1.56; 7·38; 8,44
Prokonnesos, 4-42; 5.8
Propontis (usually Bosporos), 4-14;
j.I; 6·59; 8.1, 3; IO.15
Prothymos (?), 4.50
protostrator, 9.28
protovestiarios, 9.28,74,80 Rumeli Hisan, 8.1, 3; 10.15
Prousa, 1.15, 17, 22, 55, 58; 3·50, 55, Russia, Black, 3.26-27
59; 4. 1, 12; 5. 1; 7.32 Russia, White, 3.26-27
Provence, 2.31; 5.58, 67-68, 71 RussialRussians, 1.9, 16, 38; 2.22;
PrussialPrussians, 1.38; 3.28-30 3.25,26-28,30-32,33; 4.46; 6.13;
Pydna, 1.19 8.17; IO.16
Pylos, 4.49; 9·47, 51-52
Pyrenees, 2.14 Sabina (in Italy), 8.24
Sakai, 3.IO, 24
Quran, 3.20 Salamanca, 5.72
Salento, 5.64
Radu III of Wallachia, 9.82, 96-97, Salmeniki (in the Peloponnese),
107-9; IO.I, 44 9.54-56,61
Ragusa, 10.28-31, 33 Salona, 2.10-12
Rales (a Greek), IO.51-52 Salvarion (in the Peloponnese),
Raoul,8·36 947
Ravenna, 4-23 Samandavle (Georgian lord), 9.35
Red Sea, 3.13, 41 Samarkand, 2.9, 54, 59; 3.4, 6-7, 10,
Rene the Good, 2.31; 5.67-69 21, 23, 7°";;'72; 7.69
Rhodes, 1.41j 3.28, 42; 5.34; 8.63; Samion (1),9.30
9.3 8 Samogitians, 3.28-29
Rimini, 6.26; 10-43 Sarnos (1),).42
Rinaldo, 2.32-33 Samothrace, 9.37-38
Rodope, 1.19, 40, 52 Sandalj (Hercegovina), 10.19-21,
Romanos Gate, 8.6, 19 29-32,34
Romans (ancient and "Catholics"?), Sandalj Hranjic, 5.40; 10.16
1.5,6,7; 2.13, 16-19, 23-24, 32; Sangal crimur's father), 3.2
3.3°,4°,63; 4.19, 22, 24, 49; 5·64; Santamerion (in the Pe1oponnese),
6.7,8,13-14,16,53,55; 8.17, 30, 9.5°,52,5 6
59-61; 9.62. See also popes; and Santiago,5·72
names ofindividualpopes Sara Hatun, 9.72-73
Rome, 2.19; 4.24, 6.11, 14, 17, 26, 27, sarahor, 7.21, 23
33,53; 8.62. See also popes; and Saraja (general), 5.31; 7.15, 66; 8.3
names ofindividualpopes faraptar, j.I2, 19; 7.65
Rosso, 4.51 Sardanapalos, 1.4
Roupe1e (in the Peloponnese), 9.6 Sardinia, 5.64, 67, 71
Sarmatians. See RussialRussians
Saruhan, 1.14; 2·9; 3.72; 5.34
Sasoi (Caucasian people), 9.36
, Sava River, 1.30, 56; 5·37; 8.46-47;
10·47
SavcI (son of Murad I), 1.44-48, 55;
7047
Savoy; 2.31; 4.29
Scaligeri family; 4.28
Scholarios, 6.16
Sebasteia, 2.56-57; 3.1, 44-47; 7.69;
9.7 2
Sebastopolis (in Mingre1ia), 9.35
Selymbria, 2.28; 7.16
Semele, 1.3
Semiramis, 3.66
Serbia/Serbs, 1.8, 16-18, 23, 25, 28-
34,37,38,4°,42,52,56-58; 2.1-3,
17,26,47,49; 3.31, 49, 51, 56; 4·5,
9, II, 13-14, 18, 53-55; 5.31, 36-37,
49-5 0 ; 6.2, 33, 35, 43-45, 56, 58;
7.17,24,36-38,46,56-60,65;
8.44-46,71; 9.2, 24; 10.6, 16, 20-
22,44,45,47
Serres, 1.31, 33, 40, 49; 2.25. 27; 7.17,
19; 8.2, 65; 9.60
Seville, 5.72
seyyid, 7.32
Sforza, Francesco, 4.31-32; 5.68;
6.20-24
Shahrukh, 3.36, 56, 58, 69-70
Shemakha, 2.8; 3.71-72; 7.69; 9.35
Shpata, +52-54
Sibiu, 5.45
Sibyl,8·33
Sicily, 5.64,67-69,75; 6·30

554 555

INDEX
Siderokastron, 8.2
Siena, 6.12
Sigismund (emperor), 2.13, 18-20,
24; 5.36, 50; 6·53; 8.59
~ihabeddin (general), 5-47-48, 50-
51; 10·47
Sikyon, 7.26-27
silahdar, 5013; 8·73; 9.79
Silver Mountain, 3.40
Sinope, 4.2-3, 20, 44; 5.35; 8.13;
9. 6 3-7 0 ,74
sipahi, 5013; 8·77; 9.79
Skanderbeg, 540; 7. 29, 34-35, 39;
8.65-68
Skekely,Janos, 7.41
Skender, the name, 8.72
Skopelos, 8.63
Skopje, 1.29, 30; 2·3, 47, 49; 5.38;
6·34; 8·73; 9.21, 53; 10.15, 19-20
Skortoi (Karytaina), 7.68
Skylolimne (byTrebizond), 9.74
Skyros, 8.63
Skythia/Skythians, 1.9, 10, 16, 34;
2.9,16,17,22,48; 3·18, 21-38, 49,
53,60,7 0 ; 6·3-5,54; 7.5; 8.72;
9.36; 10.16. See also Golden
Horde
Slavs. See Bosnia/Bosnians; Illyrial
Illyrians
Sluis, 2.31
Smederovo, 4·9; 5.36-37; 8·45, 46,
71 ; 9. 2 4-2 5
Smyrna, 1.14; 3.63; 4.45; 5.4, 5-6. See
also Aydm
Sofia, 2.49; 6.33
Sogut, 1.13, 15
1
Solomon, the name, 8.72
Soul of the Universe, 2.42
Spinola family, 5.58, 60
Sri Lanka. Seellaprobane
Stantes Oord in Hercegovina),
10·34
Stefan (son ofDurad Brankovit),
5-3 6 -37
Stefan I (son of Lazar I), 2.25; +5,
9,13-16 ,18; 5·49-50
Stefan Uros III Decanski, 1.25, 40
Stefan Uros IV Dusan, 1.29-32
Stjepan III Tomasevit, 9.24; 10.18-
36 ,4 1 ,44
Stjepan Vukcit, 5040; 10.28-31
Strasbourg, 2.14-15
Strates (a priest), 2.12
Siileyrmm I, J,59; 4.1-9, 58
Siileyman ("sultan'" 1.28, 33-37, 58;
2·49
Siileyman, the name, 8.72
Susa, 3.53
Svetigrad, 7.29; 8.66
Syria, 2.51; 3.15, 19; +23, 38; 5.33
Syria, Koile, 1.10; 3.13, 38-43
Tabriz, 3.71-72; 7.69
Tahtakale, 8.70
Tainaron, 1.38; 10.49,58, 60
Taj al-Din, 2.26
TajettinogIu, 5.20
Talovac, Franko de, 7.41
Tamara (daughter of Ivan
Aleksandar),1.40
Taprobane, 3.66
Taranto, 5.67, 69
INDEX
Targovi~te, 9.103-5
Tarnovo, 1.32, 39
Tarsos (in the Peloponnese), 9.4-6
Tartesos, 2.14
Tauros (forum), 8.20
Tauros, Mount, 1.12
Taygetos, Mount, 1.38; 6·47; 9.13, 43
Tbilisi,9·35
Tearos River, 1.12, 28, 34; 10.15. See
also Hebros River
llegea (Nikli; in the Peloponnese),
8.2; 9.8, 22, 41; 10.56
Teke, 1.14; 2.9
Teodora (Jewish convert), 1.40
llerra di Lavoro, 5.64,69
lleutonic Order, 3.28
Thasos, 9.37-38
Thebes, 1.20; 4.56-58; 6·47, 49, 51;
7. 18,28; 9.17-18
Theoskepastos monastery, 9.29
Thermopyiai, 2.11-12; 10.59
Thessalonike, 1.30, 49, 51, 54, 55;
2.10,49; 4·7, 9, II, 45, 47; 5.21-22;
6·54; 8·73
Thessaly (including Ottoman army
~ of), 1.20, 29, 38, 55; 2.10-11, 13, 47,
49; 4. 11 , 49, 52; 5·44; 6.1, 34, 40-
4 1,43,47-4 8,51":"'52;'7. 17,26,49;
8.2,65; 9·3, 13, 17, 20-21, 39, 49,
56,60,106; 10.16,,26, 54
Thrace, 1.5, 8, 16, 18-19, 24, 28, 33,
37; 3. 25, 32; 4. 13, 45; 6·34; 8.61;
10-4,16-17
Tieino River, 4.29
tides, digression on, 2.38, 40-43
Tiepolo, Bajamonte, 4.40
557
timareri,8·78
Timur, 1.59; 2·9, 28,5°-59; Book 3
passim; 4.1, 3; 9.72
Tocco, Carlo I, 4.51, 54-56; 5.23,28,
30
Tocco, Carlo II, 5.23-25
Tocco, Ercole, 5.23-25
Tocco, Leonardo, 5.23, 28
Tocco, Memnon, 5.23-25
Tocco, Torno, 5.23
Tokat (Anatolian city), 6,43
Toledo, 5.72
Torno Preljubovit. See Preljubovit
Tomyris, 3.68
Tourke (Asian city), 1.10
Trebizond, 6.13; 846, 62; 9.27-34,
7°,74- 81 ; 10.5, 13, 44-45. See also
Kolchis
'lleviso, +28
Trikala, I.JI; 5-44
Troy, 1.55; 8.30
Turahan (general), 4.63; 5.26, 44;
6.1,34,37,40-43,52; 7.17, 20, 26,
28,49,68; 8.2, 38-41
Turgut, 2·9; 5·33, 35; 9·68, 71
Tuscanytruscans, 4.49; 5·58, 65-66,
69; 6.11-12, 18, 21, 25-26, 30, 50;
8·33
Tver,3·26
Tyrrhenian Sea, 5.58
Tzamplakones, lords, 10.60
Tzyrruskes, the name, 8.72
Ugljesa,Jovan, 1.31, 33-34, 56
Ujlaki, Miklos, HI; 8.60
ulak,9· 89
 INDEX
Ulrich II of Cilli, 8.60
utuftci. 5-13; 8·77
Ulug-Beg, J.70
'Umar (Arab caliph), I.ID; 3.14, 19-
20
Umur, 1.14, 22; 2·9; 4.3
Urbanos (artillery engineer), 8.6
Urbina, 6.25, 26
Valaresso, Gerolamo. See Ber-
nardo, Gerolamo
Valencia, 5.64. 67. 71, 76
Varna, 6.57; 7.31; 8·59
Varna Crusade, 6.57-59; 7.1-13. 39
VeniceNenetians, 1.6, 8, 29, 39, 53-
55; 2.18-19, 29. 45-46; 3.31, 32, 42;
4. 20 -43.47.49-5°,56 -57,59,62;
5.21-22,26,4°,43,57.61,69,77;
6.7-8, II, 17-18, 20-26, 30; 7.28,
34-35; 8.20, 25, 63; 9·3, 15, 48, 51,
56,69; IO,I5, 36-60
Venosa, 5.69
Verona, 4.28
Vicenza, 4.28
Vidin, 1.39; 4.63; 6·43; 8.47; 9.85. 91
Vienna, 2.13-15. 17. 18; 8.59
Visconti, dukes of Milan, 2.19, 29;
4-29-32; 6.10, 17-18, 20-26. See
also LombardylLombards
Visconti, Filippo Maria, 4.30-32,
39; 5·57, 61, 63-64, 75; 6.17, 20-22;
25
vitez, 7.5, 41-42
VlachialV1achs, 1.38; 6.47; 9.96. See
abo~allactria~allacbrians
INDEX
Vlad II Dracul,5·54-55; 6.1, 33, 56; Zaccaria, Centurione, 5.30. See abo Zarko (= Dejan Draga§), 1.31, 42,
7. 12- 14,41 Aseno, Giovanni 52; 2.26
Vlad III Tepe!, 9.82-I09; IO.I Zaccaria, Martino, 10.6 zarobotane, 7.37
Vladislav Hercegovic, 10.29, 31 Zaccaria family; 4.49; 5.29-30 Zenebisbri, Hamza, 9.43
Vukasin Mrnjavcevic, 1.31, 33-34, Zaganos (general), 8.4, 9-10,26-28, Zenebishi family, 6.54
56 31,71; 9.3 8-4°, 49-5 0 , 52, 56, 59, Zeus, 3.29
Vuk. Brankovic, 1.31, 56 61; 10.13, 56 Zlatica pass. See Basilitza pass
Zagora, 2.49 Zorzi, Ctriara, 9.15-16
WallactriaIWallachians, 1.38; 2.13, zahid, 7.32; 8.17 Zvecan (Serb city), 7-57
17,19-24,48; 3.26, 30, 33; 4·3-5, 7, Zakynthos, H'
18,44-45,62; 5.26, 54-55; 6.1, 35,
45,47,56; 7.5-6, 12-15, 37, 41, 50-
H; 8.6; 9.82-109; 10.1, 7, 15, 19, 44
~allacbria (Hungarian; = Transyl-
vania?), 2.21-22; 4.62; 5.45-47. See
also Ardeal
~trite Sheep Turks, 2.8; 3.71-72;
5.33,35,45-48; 9. 27
Wladislaus ofHuugary, 6.33, 44-45,
57; 7·3. 6, 9-12, 15, 31, 39; 8·59;
IO·45-46
~ooden Gate, 8.4
Xerxes, 3.49, 53; +19
Xyllas palace, 6.6
Yakub (attendant ofHalil), 8.32
Yakub (general), 2.44, 46
Yakub (son of Murad I), 1.56; 2.1
Yakub, the name, 8.72
yayas, 7.21
Yunus (commander), 9.22-23, 37;
10.2
Yusuf (general), 9.105-6
Yusuf, the name, 8.72
559