Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/225

Rh wisdom of the choice. He had no sooner assumed the duties of government than he was called upon to join in a general European Crusade against the foe already alluded to.

Bajazet, or Bayazid, a descendant and successor of Othman, had overcome in succession most of the petty sovereigns by whom he was surrounded. His ambition increasing in proportion to his successes, he threatened an irruption into Hungary. Thence he openly boasted that he would push his way into Italy, where, after having planted his standard on the Capitol at Rome, he would convert the altar of St. Peter’s into a manger for his horse. The Pope became terrified at these menaces, which the power of Bajazet’s army and the feebleness of the eastern portion of Europe rendered by no means impossible of execution. He therefore invoked the aid of Europe to crush the proud dream of the aspiring chieftain. In obedience to his call a league was formed, comprising Charles VI., king of France, Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy, the republic of Venice, Michael Paleologus, the Greek emperor, the knights of Rhodes, and the chiefs of sundry other petty principalities in the East.

This expedition, of which the greater part. was composed of Frenchmen, marched through Germany, Bavaria, and Austria into Hungary, where they were joined by de Nai]ac, with a large contingent of his fraternity. The count de Nevers, eldest son of the duke of Burgundy, commanded the French contingent, whilst Sigismond, king of Hungary, attached the Hospitallers, with whose worth he was well acquainted, to his own forces. The army which had thus assembled was so powerful that throughout its ranks an overweening confidence and a fatal sense of security prevailed. It was deemed impossible that Bajazet, with his wild hordes, could for one moment stand against the proud array advancing to overwhelm him. Their march, in consequence, resembled more a triumphal progress than a critical movement in the face of a bold and wary enemy.

During this time Bajazet had been engaged in the blockade of Constantinople, a city which he was most anxious to subdue, but which at the moment he did not feel sufficiently strong to attack openly. He remained quietly with his troops, not