the Prince of Tarente her new husband to make an attempt to remount the throne But the prudence valor and fidelity of the Transilvanian rendered their endeavors ineffectual till Pope Clement the sixth put an end to the war The signal services which the Vayvod had done to the King his Master both in Naples and to his friend and Ally Francis Carcarius Prince of Padoua made him dream of vaste recompenses wherewith his hopes fed him But he did but flatter himself for Lewis not only frustrated him of his great expectations but recalled him also from the Government of Naples jealous of the worth and vertue of so eminent a person P. Other great Potentats have done the like before and after King Lewis Narses and Gonzale have furnished matter enough to the Writers of their times to lay foul imputations on the Emperor Justinian and Ferdinand King of Arragon But how did Steven carry himself in this his disgrace G. This Transilvanian as accomplished a Courtier as he was a Captain dissembled his ressentiment till some favorable opportunity should be offered whereby he might with advantage revenge himself This proffered it self by the death of the King who left no other successor but a daughter named Mary affianced to Sigismond of Luxemburg King of Bohemia The non-age of this Princess the unconstant humor of the Hungarians and the practises of our Vayvod procured such a contempt of Mary that many said publickly They would not be governed by a Girle This Cabal knowing the dexterous adress of the Bishop of Zagabria who was an Italien both by extraction and inclination sent him to Charles the second King of Naples the son of Andrew and Cousin-germane of Mary The Bishop did exactly that for which he was sent He offers the Kingdom of Hungary to the King of Naples and prays him to come take possession of the Estates which as he said of right belonged to him Charles gave a favorable audience to the Bishop and finding his mind perplexed with passions of diverse natures required a time to resolve of a business of so great importance He broke the matter to his Queen who forgot not to disswade him both with reasons and tears from an entreprise dangerous for the wavering unconstancy of the people and shameful for the great injustice he should commit in robbing his near Kinswoman of her inheritance without any color of reason But at length both Equity Justice and Reason must yeeld to Ambition Charles equippeth a great Navy and accompanied with an army suitable to such a King he landeth in Dalmatia and in few days came to Zagabria where he was met with many of these Nobles who favored his entreprise From thence he marched to Buda and though he met with some resistence by the resolution of Nicolas Gara and some other faithful subjects of the Queen yet he was established in the Kingdom by the favor and assistance of the Transilvanian Vayvod Sigismund King of Bohemia and husband of Queen Mary seeing the loss of Hungary inevitable retired himself to his own Kingdom And then Charles thought he had struck a nail in the wheel of Fortune His joy notwithstanding was but short and his usurpation no longer lived then other violent actions are Sigismund is recalled by the enemies of the Usurper and having routed Charles killed or chased all that offered to resist him reestablisheth himself in the Dominions of Mary his Queen P. These were marvellous alterations and no question such as were of hard digestion to the Transilvanian G. The loss and defeat of the King of Naples made the Vayvod dispair and forget all that is dear and precious to men Religion and Countrey He trode upon all considerations divine and humane and hath his recourse to Bajazet King of Turks to whom he promiseth his daughter on condition that he should assist him to chase Sigismond and Mary out of their Kingdom of Hungary This was the beginning and original of the miseries of this till then flowrishing Kingdom and of the hopes the Infidels conceived to make it a part of their Empire Bajazet layeth hold on Occasion marcheth with a mighty army towards Hungary meeteth with King Sigismund near Nicopolis between whom was fought a fierce battel where twenty thousand Christians and three score thousand Turks were laid in the dust upon the 18. of September 1396. P. I believe it was there where John Duke of Burgundy was taken prisoner with the loss of a thousand Gentle-men whom he had carried with him to that war But if I be not deceived the Turk made no great progress in Hungary during the reign of Sigismund G. These Burgundians kept company with the Hungarians who died at that time But in Sigismund and his Successor Albert of Austrias reigns the Turk gained but little ground in Hungary He resolved to go softly and to be first Master of Constantinople before he would fix his thoughts else where But for all that he learned the way to give us visits Mahomet the first beat the Hungarians at Tautemberg in the year 1400. And the Infidels advanced by little and little immediatly after the death of Albert of Austria This Prince at his death left his Queen with child which occasioned great divisions amongst the Nobility Some thought it fit to wait till the Queen were brought to bed before any thing should be done in order to the election of a new King Others made difficulty to obey a child though she should be delivered of a son and therefore resolved to choose a King capable to govern them Hungary being thus divided a faction of the Great Ones sent an offer of the Kingdom to Vladislaus the son of Casimir King of Polen Another party preferred Ladislaus the son of Albert though he was yet in his cradle and in it they set the Crown upon his head P. Truth it self doth teach us what danger Estates are in when they are divided amongst themselves And assuredly Hungary hath suffered irreparable losses by its divisions G. This division of affections and forces moved Amurath the second to take the field and taking his advantage of the discords of Hungary pierced to the heart of the Countrey and besiedged Alba Royal. Yet he got not all done he desired but on the contrair he lost almost all his army and was forced to raise the siedge This affront did irritate the Tyrant who to have his revenge entered Hungary with new forces where he was defeated by John Huniades Corvin This action as it gained much reputation to Corvin so it enflamed Amurath with spite and rage and therefore opposeth to Huniades who was constantly General of King Vladislaus his armies two of his bravest Captains these were Isaac and Mezets who entered Hungary and Transilvany both at once and filled all places where they came with terror fire and confusion Huniades runneth to the rescue renconntreth them loaden with spoil chargeth them gallantly but unfortunatly for he was beaten back and put to flight
These and such like reasons pronounced with the authority of a Legat and by a person extreamly eloquent prevailed so far with the Hungarians that they agreed unanimously not to disert their Christian brethren in this fair occasion And for this effect their forces are rendevouzed and Huniades marching with the Vanguard is followed by King Vladislaus with the gross of the army On his march Dracula Vayvod of Valachia came to him who told him he wondered of his confidence that would with so inconsiderable troopes hazard to seek and provoke so mighty an enemy who used to go a hunting accompanied with as great number as those the King then had with him and counselled him to return His advice was rejected and so the Vayvod leaving four thousand horse under the conduct of his own son with the King retired himself Amurath being informed that Hungary armed against him left Asia and came to Europe drew his forces together as speedily as he could met Vladislaus at Varna a town in Bulgary and gave him a total overthrow The loss of this day so dismal to the Christians and so joyful to the Infidels did let us see by the death of Vladislaus of Julian the Legat a world of brave Gentle-men that faith should be punctually kept that God punisheth the perjured though they cover their perfidy with cloaks of specoius colors They say that Amurath seeing his men worsted at the beginning of the battel pulled out of his bosome the Treaty that was concluded between him and the Hungarians and looking towards heaven spake these words with much zeal and passion JESUS CHRIST Behold the agreement which the Christians made with me and swore to me by thy Godhead and by breaking it hath mocked thee and me Now O CHRIST if thou be a God as they say thou art revenge the injury they have done to both thee and me And make it appear to these who yet know not thy Name that thou knows how to punish such as violate the Religion of faithful promises confirmed and sworn by thy Divinity This prayer was seconded by the entire defeat of the Christians The head of the King was carried on a lance through many places of Greece and Asia as an assured testimony of a compleat victory The body of Cardinal Julian the detestable Author of the perfidy was found stark naked pierced and hacked with many wounds The Epitaph of this King both valiant and fortunate so long as he was careful to keep his promises is worthy your knowledge and it is this Romulidae Cannas ego Varnam clade notavi Discite mortales non temerare fidem Me nisi Pontifices jussissent rumpere foedus Non ferret Sciticum Pannonis ora jugum As Varo Cannaes fatal fields did dy With noble Roman blood so Varna I Stain'd with Hungarian gore Learn mortals then To keep your faith and promise made to men The Pope importun'd me the Truce to break Which I with Osmans faithless race did make Hence the brave men of fair Pannonias lands Must now obey the barbarous Turks commands This misfortune fell on Hungary the 11. of November S. Martins day 1444. P. You have often told me that the promises of men ought to be inviolable and I was ever of that same opinion and this sad example confirmeth me fully in it But did this mischance spread it self over the whole army G. It was then the Almighties pleasure only to chastise this unfortunate Kingdom but not wholly to ruine it and so preserved John Huniades Corvin who seeing all things in a desperate condition after the death of the King saved himself by flight The year following the Hungarians who till then had rejected Ladislaus the posthume son of the Emperor Albert of Austria unanimously acknowledged him for King though he was but five years old and because of his tender age they committed the management of affaires to John Hunniades who two years after increased Amuraths trophies with the loss of 22000 Hungarians which he had brought in the field against him Not long after Sultan Amurath died at Adrianople and left his son Mahomet to succeed him who surpassed all his Predecessors in greatness of courage and subtilty of spirit This daring Prince in the third year his reign beseegeth Constantinople and taketh it within the space of fifty days on the 29. of May 1453. As this loss discouraged the Christians so it raised Mahomets thoughts to a hie pitch and furnished him with hopes to add Hungary to his conquests of Greece To effect which he laid Mysia waste and laid siege with two hundred thousand men to Belgrade which in ancient times was called Alba Graeca But the place being notably defended by Hunniades who for that purpose had cast himself into it the proud Turk lost almost his whole army with an hundred great pieces of Canon Hunniades did not long survive this gallant action but died the 8. of September 1456. Mahomet carrying his hie designs to Persia and Italy gave liberty to Hungary to breath a while hoping the ambition of the Nobles and the non-age of the King would raise intestine troubles in time of Peace which would give him some fair opportunity to subdue the Kingdom sparing it for some smal time P. But it was no smal good fortune to King Ladislaus that the Tyrant did not molest him in his younger years after the death of Hunniades But tell me what did he when he came to age G. The History tells us that when Ladislaus was 19. years old he married Magdelene of France the daughter of King Charles the seventh and that he dyed of poison at Prague in the time of the solemnity of his marriage so that he had but little time to make either his vertues or his vices appear yet there passed some considerable contingencies between the death of Hunniades and that of his Master the King Hunniades having left two sons who were perfect imitators of the vertue of their noble father gave some occasion of jealousie to Ladislaus and of an earnest desire to his favorites to be rid of them both These being envyous of Hunniades his glory wrought the matter so with the King that he caused Ladislaus the eldest sons head to be struck off for killing the Count of Cilie in a combat to which the Count had appealed him About the same time they clapped Matthias the second son of Huniades in prison and not being able to suffer the children of that famous worthy who had saved the State they had assuredly made his process if the death of the King and the Almighty Providence which had ordained him to wear the Hungarian Crown had not put a stop to their malice The Kings death which fell out in the year 1457. occasioned a wonderful alteration Matthias Corvin the son of John Hunniades is brought out of prison where he expected a sentence of death and placed in the throne And all these who envyed both his fathers glory and his own could
you before I did ever believe and I hold it still for a certain truth that most part of men have more reason to be thankful to God for the good they receive from him then to petition him for a deliverance from the evils which afflict them And yet we hear more complaints then praises because we are more sensible of pain then pleasure A Prince is not so much contented to have been victorious all his life as he is afflicted to see Fortune turn her back upon him in one single rencounter A great Man who almost found nothing impossible to him till he was fifty years old and who had seen his most redouted enemies brought under his power said That Fortune was a woman and loved young men better then old And retired himself to a solitary life because he saw his ambition limited by one of the greatest Empires that ever was There are some who take a permission rashly to hazard on any enterprise that pleaseth their capricious humor and do excessively complain when these things which themselves began without judgement contributeth to their misfortune Certain it is that the Divine Providence which the vulgar nick-name Fortune often abateth the pride of the most successful to make them acknowledge that what they have obtained proceded from his Bounty and not from their prudence We see many States-men who see or think they see all things and yet are blind as moles to these calamities which threaten both their Countrey and their persons This I could confirm with infinit exemples but I pass them over in silence that I may hear your Demands and answer them as exactly as possibly I can P. Let us speak then of the present wars of Hungary And because a Discourse you had with me three years ago led us to the sight of a dangerous cloud which rose above Transilvany and that out of it since hath issued a tempest which hath dejected George Ragotchy and Janos Remin to mount Abaffion the throne entertain me with the cause and effects of that alteration that I may know whence it cometh that the Grand Seigneur who hath been but a pure spectator of the Tragedy which Europe hath acted full thirty years should now insolently invade our Neighbors and thereby give us opportunity to take armes and with joynt forces and affections make him repent his enterprise I am confident that this rupture hath so many circumstances preceeding accompanying and following it that I may with advantage spend some days to weigh and ponder them and that these who shal consider them after me may thereby reap both pleasure and profit G. I have always looked upon your will as a law which should over-rule me yet I am to obey you in this with some reluctancy because I fear I must speak more then perhaps willingly I would And because you must know from whence the remedies must be taken which are intended for application I shal endeavor to satisfie you And that you may have reason to acquiesce to what I say I will lead you to the source and fountain from whence sprung our miseries and will briefly represent to you what the Turk hath done in Hungary since Bajazeth came there to support the rebellion and foment the discord I know that these who know no better say when the Turk intendeth a war he hath little regard to justice that the smal difficulty he proponeth to himself to meet with in the prosecution of his enterprises is the principal cause of his undertakings For my part I profess that little faith should be given to an infidel and that the end of the Turks designs is seldom other then his advantage yet it is not impossible for all that but that he may many times find a specious pretext wherewith to cover the ugly face of these disorders which his ambition procureth in the world And therefore I will show you what reason the Otthomans conceive they have to keep the soveraignity of Transilvany whereby you will also learn the causes why we are now calling our forces together and begging assistance of Strangers to defend it against them And then I shal come to these resolutions that are now concluded at Ratisbone by which these will be satisfied who desire to know the manner our Princes use to contribute for the preservarion of Germany and for the maintenance of the war we are engaged in for our defence against so mighty an enemy P. I should not receive that contentment which I promise to my self by your discourse if you should only relate simply to me what is a doing on our frontiers how numerous our forces are and of what worth and merite the Commanders of them be for these who look upon any novelty desire to know the cause of all And this war of ours having had its rise from the disrespect was given to the Sultan of Turky by Ragotchy and the protection which the Emperor vouchsaved to give to Remin Janos I cannot choose but hear with much satisfaction the reasons why the Grand Seigneur offers to chastise these Princes of Transilvany who offer to raise a war without his consent and the causes which oblidgeth the Emperor to defend them against him Speak then to that as clearly and succinctly as possibly you can G. You demand two things of me which seem to be incompatible yet I shal not despair to reconcile them provided you be attentive In the year 1350. or as others write 1383. Lewis the first of that name reigned peaceably over the people of Transilvania Moldavia Valachia Mysia Dalmatia Sclavonia which were appartenances of his Kingdom of Hungary But his repose was interrupted by a mischief which he could not prevent because he could not foresee it Joanne Queen of Naples a Princess extreamly dissolute having preferred in her affection some young Neapolitanes to her husband King Andrew put him to a cruel death The news whereof with the letters of those who abhorred the parricide did quickly stir up a desire of a just revenge in the soul of King Lewis This generous Prince finding himself oblidged in honor and justice to take armes to avenge the death of his brother raised a puissant army and marched straight to Naples His expedition was fortunate for having chased away the Queen and routed her party he very soon reduced the Rebells to obedience and then punished the principal Counsellors of that detestable Regicide This being done supposing Hungary stood in need of his presence he bethought him of his return to his ancient Kingdom but not till he had provided for the preservation of his new acquired one He had brought with him many brave and noble persons both for birth and merite amongst the rest Steven Vayvod of Transilvany who though young had a very hie place in the Kings favor Him he appointed his Lieutenant and with him left sufficient forces to keep the new conquered Neapolitans within the limits of their duty The departure of Lewis encouraged Joanne
Frederick but he was excluded because Vladislaus his party prevailed During this interraign the Emperor recovered all that Matthias had taken from him in Austria and at length Vladislaus maugre all the Competitors mounts the throne The beginning of his reign was troublesom for his brother Albert assisted with his Uncles the brothers of Casimir King of Polen beseegeth Cassovia the capital City of the higher Hungary and so gave him work on that side Blaise Magger a dependent of John Corvin being offended that his Master was rejected refused to deliver the Crown which was in his keeping to the new King upon which he was beseeged at Vissegrad which he held bravely out and would neither deliver Town nor Crown till he had command so to do from his Master Maximilian having recovered his losses in Austria advanced towards Hungary and being assisted by these who had favored his election in the interreign made a successful progress Vladislaus fainting under the burden of so many troubles came to an agreement with Maximilian the tenor whereof was so hateful to the Hungarians that the Palatine Emeric Prini caused proclaim through all the streets of Presburg that he neither did nor ever would consent to it But this generosity of his lasted not long for being gained by presents he signed the articles of Peace by which the Crown and Kingdom of Hungary is entailed to the House of Austria if Vladislaus died without issue You may see here a disease cured by the application of a remedy odious to the whole Nation This tempest not yet well allaid ushered in another conjured up by Albert another Polonian pretender whose heart could not brook it to see his brother King of Hungary he takes armes and beseegeth Cassovia the second time But while he endeavors to take it he is taken himself and forced to give surety to suffer Vladislaus to live in quyet Shortly after Vladislaus married and within three or four years had a son and a daughter Anne and Lewis both of them famous in the Hungarian History Anne was married to Ferdinand of Austria Grand-child to the Emperor Maximilian who by her had a numerous issue whose posterity reigns yet in Germany and Hungary The accidents of the birth life and death of Lewis were extraordinare He was born without a skin which made his subjects fear he should be spoiled of his Kingdom He wore a beard when he was but fifteen years old and was gray haird of eighteen which made most men conclud his life to be short He died in a marish at Mohats when he was but twenty years of age at which time the greatest part of his Kingdom fell in the hands of the Mahometans Which makes us see that these preter-natural accidents proved truly ominous as we shal find hereafter Vladislaus making no more account of what had passed between him Maximilian of Austria caused crown his son Lewis at Alba Royal by the hands of Thomas Cardinal of Strigonium in the year 1508. And the year after he got him to be crowned King of Bohemia at Prague when he was but three years old The Emperor Maximilian was hugely dissatisfied with these things but Vladislaus entertaining peace with the Turk on the one side and supported by Polen on the other he was forced to dissemble his ressentment P. Ordinarly a great calm is followed by a great tempest and if it fell not out so with Vladislaus he hath been fortunate beyond his merite G. Towards the end of his life and after the death of Bajazeth a civil war began in Hungary which was like to ruine it entirely upon this occasion The King had a great desire to invade Selim Emperor of Turky who was kept busie at home disputing the Crown with his brother Achmet which design he communicates to Pope Julius the first The Pope approves of it and promiseth his assistance but prevēted by death left the management of it to his Successors Mean while Vladislaus bethinks himself better and renews with Selim the Peace he had made with his father Bajazet This Peace exceedingly displeased those who loved war and a little after Cardinal Thomas Legat for the Holy See came to Hungary with a Croisade to joyn the Nobility and Commons in a vigorus pursuit of a war against the Infidels The common people who had been ever till then used with much rigor thinking the time to recover their liberty was now come turned their armes against the Nobles Their numbers made them insolent and they elect one George Sekell first for their General and then for their King He and his rable having cōmitted a world of mischiefs laid siege to Themisware where his army is defeated and himself and brother Lucatius taken prisoners by John Zapoliha Vayvod of Transilvany This action put Zapoliha in so high credit with the better sort that Vladislaus was contemned and nothing more spoken of then degrading the King and mounting the Vayvod in the throne But Vladislaus prevented the disgrace by his death which fell out in the year 1516. P. By what you tell me I am perswaded the Hungarians are hugely loyal and affectionate unto their King when they are gallant and that they are easily moved to change him for another when he is not so G. A warlike people desires ever to see their King a horse-back when the preservation of his Estate requires him so to be And though experience ofteu teach us that the preservations of the persons of Kings preserves Kingdoms yet a people is ever desirous to see their King on the head of their army But for all that the Hungarians have reason to be of another opinion and their History will let them see what a misfortune it is to loose a King with loosing a battel Lewis in his tender years succeeding his father Vladislaus was vilipended by Sultan Soliman who knowing his weakness and the divisions that then were amongst Christian Princes thought this time convenient to bring Hungary under his subjection To this effect he makes peace with the Persian and rusheth upon Lewis with all his forces This young King knowing how unable he was alone to grapple with so mighty an enemy prayed other Christian Potentats to send him succours and not to permit the Bulwark of Christendom to fall into the hands of the common enemy of believers His prayers prevailed not for Christendom then was tearing it self in pieces so Lewis was forced to take the field yea even before these troopes were brought together of which his army was to be composed The Turk had already passed the Save and the Drave and meeting with the Hungarians both few in number and evil provided of a General did without any difficulty obtain the victory and that so compleatly that the King and the most part of these that followed him were lost one way or other either in battel or the flight P. I have heard say that two and twenty thousand Christians died at this fatal field and that besides horses
sickness which at Sassebs sent him to his grave a few days after his sons birth and in the fifty and third year of his own age His death was kept quyet as much as possibly might be done but at length it was published with the tenor of his testament by which he declared his son the universel heir of all his goods and George Martenusias or Frier George Tutor of the pupil Prince Some days before he died he exhorted the Nobility to have a regard to the honor of the Hungarian Nation and to prefer his son to any stranger whatsoever if they should fall upon the election of a new King assuring them that the grand Seignior would protect him if they had their recourse to him The desire of a dying King and the jealousie the Hungarians had of a strangers domination moved many of the great ones to set the Crown upon the head of the Infant the very day of his Baptism and to send to the Port to beg Solimans protection P. Hungary is most misfortunate yet little or no mischief hath come upon it which it hath not deserved What an eternal shame was it for a Christian King on his death bed to exhort his Subjects to have recourse to a Turk to free his posterity from that obligation himself had put upon it by a solemn Treaty What inexcusable folly was it in them to crown a Child and thereby render him the object of the indignation of a powerful neighbor Prince What insupportable impiety was it to run to an Infidel for shelter before they knew if he whom they feared would exceed the bounds of Reason Certainly the Hungarians had lived more happily and quietly if they had religiously observed the Treaties and Promises of their Kings and the faithless Turk would have found stronger bars to his Ambition if the House of Austria had not been so much traversed and crossed in its just pretensions G. When the ruine of great Estates approacheth all things contributes to their destruction Kingdoms that have changed Masters have been the principal framers of their own misfortune The condition of Hungary was so depraved that almost every one gloried to be inconstant and perfidious But let us follow the threed of our story that we may come near our own times King Ferdinand having heard of his Competitors death sent Nicolas Count of Salms to the Queen Douager to dispose her to the observation of the Treaty which had been made between him and her husband and willingly to grant that to reason which she would be constrained to yeeld to force That she and her son would find it a greater advantage to them to acquiesce to what the late King had concluded with mature deliberation then to draw upon Hungary the mischiefs and evils of an obstinatly sought for war That himself was ready to perform all he had promised and to use her with favor more then ordinary The Queens answer to the Earl was that her sexe her age and her grief rendred her incapable to fall upon any resolution in a business of so great importance till she had the advice of the King her Father and therefore intreated Ferdinand to allow her some few months for that effect That the Emperor Charles his Brother and Himself would reap but little honor to make war on a woman drowned in tears and a Child swadled in his Craddle This answer did not at all please Ferdinand who immediatly sent Leonard Baron of Velts with an army to bring her to reason The Queen in this extremity sends Embassadors to the Port who were well received by Soliman and graciously dispatched They returned with an embroidered scarlet robe a Mace of Iron the Pommel of which was of Gold a Shable the sheath whereof was set with precious stones as tokens of his Amity and Protection And at the same time ordered all the Governors of the neighbor places to draw to the field without delay to succour the Queen While these things are a doing Lasco who had changed his Master and taken himself to Ferdinands service and was then his Embassador at Constantinople demanded of the Sultan the Kingdom of Hungary upon the same conditions which were granted before to John Zapoliha which proposition did displease the Turk so much that he clapped the Embassador in prison and said he deserved to die for offering to mock him Soliman having absolutely refused Ferdinands demands and sending strong supplys to Queen Isabel Hungary became the Theatre of most horrible confusions and was dyed with the promiscuous blood of Germans Turks and Hungarians Rogendorff a new General of Ferdinands beseegeth Buda This siege put Soliman on his way to raise it But he might have saved himself the labor for his forces had done the work before his arrival Rogendorff having lost twenty thousand men saved himself by flight The Turk notwithstanding keeps on his Journey and being come near the City sends Presents to the young King But afterward desiring to have satisfaction for the great charge and trouble he and his forces had been at he desired the Queen to send her son to him assuring her he demanded it for no other reason then to oblige his children to love the young King more tenderly At the same time his messengers had order to tell her the cause why the Grand Seigneur did not give her self a visit was that he would not do any thing that might bring a blemish upon her reputation The Queen returned her humble thanks to the Sultan for his civility but wavered in her resolution whether she would send her son to him or not George Martinusias told her that she neither might or could refuse it Overcome by invincible necessity she puts him in a craddle worthy such a child and having commanded his Nurse and some other Matrones and a great many Lords to accompany him she sends him to the Turkish camp Soliman to do him honor caused meet him with a gallant troop of horse he looked upon him embraced him courted and dandled him and caused his children do so also And in the mean time caused seize one of the ports of the Town by which his troops entered and secured all the streets of the city Then were the Citizens commanded to deliver up all their arms if they desired to save their lives which was instantly done without any noise This being past Soliman sent back the young King to his mother but keeped the Lords who had convoyed him The Queen seeing her Town and Officers of State in the Turks power laments weeps and prays but her lamentations tears and prayers availed not nor did hinder the Infidel to put it to the debate in his Divan whether he should keep the Kingdom of Hungary for himself or restore it to the young King P. The great Turk is so absolute and formidable to his subjects that I presume in his Councels all speak according to his humor and inclination G. It was not so here for all the opinions which
these parts during the reign of Ferdinand This Arch Duke was the most zealous Catholick in the World and one who could least suffer the diversity of Religions which his predecessors had permitted in their Territories His zeal and good fortune moved his Cousine Matthias to prefer him to all the other Princes of his family And intending the succession of the Empire for him he caused him to be acknowledged King of Hungary and Bohemia before he died Ferdinand begins his reign with the oppression of the Protestants he caused shut up some of their Churches and demolished others in Bohemia He recalled the Jesuits to Hungary and rejected all these articles which favored any other Religion then the Roman Catholick in all the Treaties that had been made by the former Emperors with the Hungarians and Bohemians This action which bred much evil blood in a Body formidable at that time gave occasion to the Bohemians to reject Ferdinand and to elect Frederick Prince Palatine of the Rhine to be their King And Ferdinand was forced to see in a short time the Bohemians and Hungarians before the wals of his capital City of Vienne At the same time Gabor cloaths himself as all rebels do with the pretext of Religion and for the maintenance thereof enters in a League with the Bohemians and sets an Army a foot of eighteen thousand men and eighteen pieces of canon and with it enters Hungary where finding mens spirits prepared for rebellion his progress proved successful which furnished him with the confidence to proclaim himself King At this time Ferdinand was at Franckfurt where he was elected Emperor This high dignity administred to him both authority and forces neither did he think of any thing else then shortly to recover the Kingdoms which he had well near lost and to humble those who durst so insolently attack him He spoke loud of the wrong dishonor and injustice was done him he remonstrated to the Electors of the Empire to the Kings of Great Britain and France the just right he had on his side to look for his own He drew to his party all the Roman Catholicks of Germany and the Elector of Saxe also who was one of the great Pillars of the Protestants and endeavored withal to keep the swords of strangers within their sheaths Not long after the Elector Palatine whose forces were very considerable was put to flight Gabor made more resistance and had put the Emperors affairs in a bad enough condition if his associats had done their duty better at Prague Count Dampiere General of the Imperialists lost his life viewing the Castle of Presburg in which Gabor had put a garrison And Charles of Longueval Count of Buckoy having reduced Moravia to the Emperors obedience and made a great progress in Hungary died there after he had received sixteen wounds The death of this great person gave means to Gabor to recover many places to dissipate those who opposed his designs and to over-run all the Countrey But at length seeing his Confederates beaten and his own forces scattered he desired peace and obtained it in the year 1622 upon these conditions That he should retain all Transilvany Tokai Cassovia and seven other Lordships of Hungary That he should deliver up the Hungarian Crown and all the other Towns that he keeped in that Kingdom That he should absolutly quite the name of King and content himself with the tittle of Prince of the Empire with the Dutchies of Opeln and Ratibore and that he should re-possess the Jesuites of these places they enjoyed before the war This peace lasted not long Gabor gives Vaczia to the Turk who sends him fourscore thousand men which the Count of Torne had obtained for him With these he once more invades Hungary alledging the conditions of the Treaty of Odinburg were not keeped to him That his Religion was oppressed and that the money they owed him was not payed him The Emperor desirous to be at an end of this business caused remonstrate to the Grand Seigneur that Gabor did but abuse his authority and his forces and that he was invaded by him without any reason To his words Ferdinand added the powerful arguments of arms and by them constraineth his enemy to an accommodation less advantageous then the first By this Treaty in the year 1624 Gabor lost the tittle of Prince of the Empire and some of these Territories in Hungary which had been granted him by the former Treaty Shortly after this restless spirit joyned his forces with these of Charles Ernest Earl of Mansfield But forty thousand Tartars who were coming to him being defeated by the Polonians he left him to go and take care of his own Estates And having only for the space of four years enjoyed the company of Catharine Daughter of John Sigismund Elector of Brandeburg he died in the year 1628. having suffered incredible torment in his feet and at his death he made it known that he honored the Emperor and the Turk equally for he left to every one of them a horse whose Caparison was garnished with rich stones and forty thousand ducats in speces He left to the Princess his wife one hundred thousand pieces of Gold every piece of the value of ten shillings sterlin one hundred thousand dollars in silver and one hundred thousand Florins and three Lordships which she was to enjoy during her life P. This Princess having above four score thousand pound sterlin in coyned money and Jewels sutable to a personage of her quality had enough to help a younger brother of a noble family and it is probable it was for that that Francis Charles Duke of Saxon Lauemburg married her some years after the death of her first husband But I would gladly know who succeeded to Bethlem Gabor and what fell out in that Countrey after his death G. When the heir of a Principality is not certainly known the death of the last Prince is ever followed with trouble Princess Catharine the widow of Gabor not having learned the Art to reign nominated Stephen Czac to be her husbands successor and intreated the Turk to confirm him But this Election displeased all the Transilvanians who divided in two factions the one favoring Stephen Bethlem the brother of their late Prince and the other inclining to George Ragoski The first was so misfortunate that his own children rose up against him the second having overcome all opposition made an agreement with the Emperor and gained the favor of the Turk and so enjoyed Transilvany peaceably yet his good fortune was not constant Stephen Bethlem who had yeelded all his pretentions to him chanced to kill one of his kinsmen and fearing the punishment he deserved endeavored to shun it by a greater crime He demanded assistance from the Port from whence he received an army of Turks and Tartars with which he beseeged Giula Ragoski detesting the infidelity of the faithless Turk submits himself to the House of Austria who assisted him with three Regiments of
to serve himself with the one of them against the other and in the mean time by his dexterity to keep the absolute power of the Government to himself Such was the ambition of this petty gentleman who from a contemptible and underling domestick of John Zapoliha's Mother came to be a Monk from an ignorant Monk to be King Johns servant and then Bishop of Varadine and first Minister of Estate and could now suffer no equal He possessed the Queen with fears that he would do her self a bad office and dethrone her son The just apprehension of this danger moved Queen Isabel to represent to Soliman that the proud Monk had demanded assistance of King Ferdinand to bring about the design he had to establish himself in the Throne by the suppression and perhaps the death of her son Martenusias on the other hand represents to Ferdinand that having had infinite obligations to the late King John he could in gratitude do no less then employ all his power to procure the standing welfare honor and utility of the son of so deserving a father But that the quality of a Prelate did oblige him much more to have an eye to the preservation of Christendom That he had to do with a fearful woman who upon the least suspicion would not miss to implore the Turks succours And if the Government were not taken out of her hands then undoubtedly Transilvany would fall in the Turks hands To obviate which he intreated Ferdinand to offer the Queen a recompence to yeeld up her Estates and he conceived it would be prudently done to offer to her son all these advantages which were offered to his father Ferdinand who knew Martenusias well enough made no doubt but that he intended to cheat him for all that he resolves to make his profit of the Monks craftiness And therefore making fair weather with him he praised his Christian zeal and conjured him to persevere in so laudable an intention sends him some Canon and a thousand Horse payed for four moneths Things tending thus to a change every one of the parties endeavored to make his advantage of the present conjuncture of affairs Ferdinand acquaints his brother the Emperor with all that passed and of the hopes he had to be a gainer if he would be pleased to assist him with his counsel and his forces Charles relisheth the proposition and sends to his brother John Baptista Castaldo a Spaniard a prudent and valiant gentleman whom he might intrust with the conduct of the whole design Queen Isabel of Iagello who knew and apprehended the practises of Martenusias called a convocation of the Estates of the Countrey to gain the good will of the Nobility thinking by this mean to preserve to her self and her son that rank and dignity which belonged to them The Monk fearing the Estates should fall upon some resolutions which might diminish his greatness makes all possible haste to Agnabet where the Dyet was assembled breaks it up forceth the Queen to retire to Alba Julia and commenceth the war against his Master While this is a doing Castaldo arrives at Claudiopolis which the Hungarians call Calesvar and the Germans Clausemburg from whence in order to his instructions he intreats Martenusias to perform what he had promised to King Ferdinand This Prelate then knowing the Queens fears went and payed her a visit shew her her escapes and exhorted her to an accommodation with Ferdinand to which she consents To this effect the Transilvanian Estates are convocated at Claudiopolis where Don Castaldo lets them see the Commission he had to treat with the Queen He endeavored to make it appear to her that it was purely impossible for her and her son to defend Transilvany against the Turk That for the good of Christendom it would be expedient perhaps necessare for them both to make a resignation of it to the King of the Romans And in lieu thereof he promiseth to John Sigismund the two Dutchies of Opeln and Ratibore the revenue whereof extended to five and twenty thousand ducats a year and Joanne the daughter of Ferdinand with an hundred thousand crowns of portion and to the Queen fifty thousand crowns with the payment of all her debts This was Castaldo's proffer P. When I consider Transilvany I think this compensation was very insignificant yet it may be thought considerable enough in regard by the renunciation the Queen and her son did fairly rid themselves of an inevitable necessity to make war either with the great Turk or the House of Austria and the sexe of Isabel and the non-age of John Sigismund rendered them both incapable for that But did the Queen accept the proffers G. This couragious and prudent Princess being exceedingly desirous to free her self from the yoke of Martenusias acquiesced to what Ferdinand had offered and instantly delivered up all the Royal Ornaments to Castaldo and intreated that Spanish Lord to move the King of the Romans to perform without delay that which was promised on his part and immediatly retired her self to Cassovia which was given her for a retreat till the entiere execution of the Treaty Castaldo having now the Hungarian Crown in his hands believed they should all acknowledge his Master for King and therefore desired the Transilvanians to take the oath of fidelity to King Ferdinand who unanimously did it after George Martenusias who by the bargain had got the Arch-Bishoprick of Strigonium and a Cardinals hat procured by the King of the Romans The matter having passed so each party prepared for war the Hungarian well knowing the Turk would not so easily suffer a Province which had acknowledged his Soveraignty to fall in the hands of another without his consent The event made it appear they had made a right conjecture for he enters Transilvany with an army but made a sory progress so long as Martenusias lived or that the Queen had any hopes that Ferdinand would observe the agreement she had made with him As to Frier George it was observed he desired to serve the Christians without giving too much occasion of offence to the Turk for at the surrender of Lippa to Castaldo he saved Ulmani Bey whom they resolved to cut in pieces and protected within his Castle of Vivaria him who received the tribute which Transilvany payed to Soliman These actions cost him his life for Castaldo having entred in a deep distrust of him got Mark-Antony Ferrero his Secretary who because of his charge had frequent access to him to stob him with a dagger Sultan Soliman being informed of the death of Martenusias and of the oath the Transilvanians had made to the King of the Romans commanded Stephen Prince of Moldavia the Governor of Buda and some other neighboring vassals of his to take arms and fall upon them This order was no sooner issued out of the Port but it was put in execution And Transilvany in a short time had reason to say that the death of one Tyrant had not delivered it
from slavery Mean time Queen Isabel seeing she could not obtain the performance of the promises were made to her prayed the Grand Seigneur once more to have pitty of her son Soliman either moved with compassion of the widow Queen or touched with his own interests assists her powerfully and reduceth the Transilvanians to that necessity that they implored Ferdinand to permit them to treat with Soliman in favor of John Sigismund Ferdinand though much against his will gave his consent And they obtained for their Prince that same favor that was granted to John Zapoliha his father for these submissions duties and tribute that it should please Soliman to impose on him This fell out in the year 1551. The Queen having entred in repossession of her Estates her brother Sigismund August mediated another treaty between Ferdinand and her By it she obtained more advantagious conditions then by the former one Her son should espouse Joanne the daughter of Ferdinand and enjoy for ever in Soveraignty for himself and his heirs Transilvany the County of Abavivar Muran Huzth Marmet and a part of the revenue of the territories of Ceregh and of Ugocha P. I am of the opinion few Countreys are to be found which have changed their Masters so oft as Transilvany And I know not if I be obliged to believe that a King of the Romans brother to one of the puissantest Emperors that ever reigned in Germany and father of so many children should put on a resolution to part with a Principality which he had acquired partly by consent partly by right and partly by force G. I know that Potentats do not give away willingly that which they have gained It is notwithstanding true that Ferdinand gave up that Soveraignty whereof we speak and that he permitted John Sigismund to do what he pleased in Transilvany except the assuming the tittle of King Yea the business was carried on a greater length for this Transilvanian supported by the Turks forces demanded that the Danube should divide Hungary and Transilvany and that the Kingdom of Hungary should be entailled to him and his successors in case the masculine line of the Austrain family should chance to be extinct This insolent demand vexed Ferdinand he takes armes and constrained the Transilvanian Prince to be contented that the river Tebiscus should be the utmost bound of his Estates This agreement displeased either Sigismund or the Great Turk who prompted him to act because he might not enter publickly on the stage himself in regard of a truce he had made with Ferdinand for eight years Hereupon John Sigismund denounceth war against Maximilian the second who succeeded his father Ferdinand and took Zackwar Hudad and Corazzo and had taken Cassovia also if the rigor of the Winter season had not hindered him But these victories were short lived Maximilian grievously offended with these insolencies takes armes and attacks him vigorously regains what he had lost and forces his enemy to a Peace Soliman being returned from Malta where fortune had not favored him begins a new war in Hungary where he dies at the siege of Zigeth which was surrendered to Basha Mustafa his Lieutenant General the 7 of September 1566. Selimus who succeeded to his father made a truce with the Hungarians for eight years and in it comprehended the Transilvanian who by the recommendation of his Uncle Sigismund August King of Pole got an addition to his Dominions of some Territories which the Emperor yeelded to him and the town of Guila which he bought from the Turk in the year 1568. John Sigismund perceiving the dy of war run favorably for him offered to corrupt some Hungarians to carry on his designs with more advantage in that Kingdom But his endeavors and practises dyed with himself in the year 1570. and in the thirty and third year of his age And in him and with him ended the race of Zapoliha He had chosen Gaspar Bekez for his successor but he was rejected by the Grandees who put in his place Stephen Battori on the 14. of May 1571. This Prince acknowledged the Grand Seigneur for his Soveraign as his Predecessor had done And being elected King of Pole after the retreat of Henry of Valois he made it appear that vertue and fortune are not incompatible in one and the same subject This brave Gentle-man was within a very few years a Baron a Prince and a King and eminently worthy of the highest of these degrees Being chosen King of Polen he delivered up Transilvany to his brother Christopher Battori who not finding the House of Austria favorable to him because his brother Stephen in the election of Pole was preferred to Maximilian the second was forced to seek support at Constantinople This was a most vertuous Prince who having suppressed the boldness of Bekez who endeavored to supplant him reigned gloriously till his death which put him in his grave 1581. To him succeeded his son Sigismund being yet a child Stephen Battori his Uncle King of Pole having appointed him three Tutors sowed jealousie amongst them which gave him shortly occasion to thrust them all three out and to put the person and affairs of his Nephew in the hands of John Geczi Governor of Varadin This was a gallant and an orderly Gentle man who quickly made himself known to be a man of courage as well as conduct Scarce had he laid his hands on the reins of the Government of his pupils Estate when King Stephen dyes in the year 1586. The powerful factions which bandied one against another in Pole for the election of a new King gave Geczi an opportunity to show what worth was in him He joyned his forces with these of Samoisky who favoured Sigismund of Sweden against Maximilian of Austria his Competitor who was beaten taken and forced to quite his pretensions to the Swed In the mean time the Turk made a fierce war in Hungary against the Emperor Rodolp the second And though the Officers and Commanders of his Imperial Majesties forces were men of sufficient worth and gallantery who sold to the Sultan all the victories he obtained at a very dear rate yet in the year 1595. Sinan Basha Lieutenant General to Selimus reduced to his obedience the admirable fort of Javarin at that time deemed impregnable P. I have heard say that Sinan vaunted that he had brought the Emperor Rodolph to the necessity to beg Peace by the loss of that wonderful strength But Sansovia saith that Sinan lost there fifty thousand men and that a little after the war began again hotter then ever G. The Emperor had too much courage to seek Peace after so considerable a loss He knew he could obtain none but that which would have been exceeding disadvantageous and for that reason he resolved to continue the war and so sought the help of all those who were able to give it and got Sigismund Battori Prince of Transilvany to be of his party This Prince was easily moved to be pertaker of so