Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume I.djvu/478

 4A6 AMUEATH the men obeyed, and Amurath put his son Saudji to death (1375). In Asia Minor he had to contend with several insurrections. Lazarus, prince of Servia, in conjunction with Sisman, prince of Bulgaria, Amurath's father-in-law, renewed the effort for independence, and dur- ing Amurath's absence in Asia gained several advantages over his generals in Europe. The arrival of Amurath, however, turned the tide of victory, and at length he took Sisman prisoner, whom he deposed and confined. Laz- arus, however, continued his resistance, and the armies met on the high plains of Kosovo, between Novi Bazar and Pristina. Amurath, under the influence of a dream that he had been assassinated, was at first unwilling to hazard an engagement, especially as his troops were far inferior in numbers to the Servians. But the counsels of his son, the fiery Bajazet, prevailed, and the signal for the engagement was given. After a bloody contest the Servians were totally defeated at all points, and Lazarus himself was taken prisoner. Amurath examined the field after the battle, and while congratu- lating his attendants upon the victory was struck by the hand of a wounded Servian. The wound was mortal, and Amurath's dream was accomplished. The Servian fell under the blows of the janizaries, but sold his life dearly. He proved to be Milosh Kobilovitch, son-in-law of Lazarus. Before expiring, Amurath, who is otherwise renowned as equally generous and wise, ordered the execution of Lazarus. II. Born about 1404, died Feb. 9, 1461. He was the son of Mohammed I., and in 1421 succeeded his father on the throne. He at once concluded an armistice for five years with Sigismund, king of Hungary and Bohemia, and emperor of Germany. Manuel, the Greek emperor, re- fused to conclude a peace unless Amurath gave his two brothers as hostages, failing which he threatened to set at liberty Mustapha, son of Bajazet Ilderim, the legitimate successor to the throne. Amurath refused, and the Greek ad- miral, Demetrius Lascaris, was at once sent to land Mustapha near Gallipoli, to which Deme- trius laid siege. Mustapha himself advanced toward Adrianople with a constantly increasing army, and encountered Amurath's troops under Bajazet Pasha, who laid down their arms on his making himself known to them, and Ba- jazet was taken prisoner and put to death. Mustapha, however, was soon afterward be- trayed to Amurath and executed. Manuel, now alarmed for himself, sent an embassy to the sultan to settle terms of peace. Amurath, however, was not to be appeased. He appeared with a powerful force before Constantinople in 1423, and increased his army by a proclamation of his intention to abandon the city and all the booty to the assailants. The assault was at length made, and the city was in deadly peril, when, according to Greek writers, a beautiful virgin dressed in a white robe appeared in mid air, and threw the Mohammedan army into such a panic that Amurath was obliged to retire. On the death of Manuel (1425) a treaty was concluded with John Palffiologus, his successor, by which the Greeks consented to pay tribute to Amurath, and surrendered several towns on the Black sea and on the Strymon. The treaties of peace with Wallachia and the emperor Sigismund were also renewed. In 1429 Amurath made himself master of Thessalonica, and in 1431 of Janina. Notwithstanding the armistice be- tween Amurath and Sigismund, their friendship was only superficial ; and Amurath, who had suppressed the revolts of Caramania and Servia, and made satisfactory arrangements with other provinces of his growing empire, turned his at- tention to the politics of central Europe, and endeavored to influence the election of Oasimir, son of the king of Poland, as king of Bohe- mia. Failing in this, he laid siege to Belgrade (1439), which was defended by the Hungarian warrior, John Hunyady. Amurath was re- pulsed, and the Ottoman arms now sustained a long series of reverses from the invincible Hunyady. Amurath at last purchased a 10 years' truce of the Hungarians by great sacri- fices. The death of his son Aladdin, to whom Amurath was tenderly attached, now plunged him into such distress of mind that he abdicated in favor of his son Mohammed, who was only 14 years of age (1442), and retired to Magnesia, in Asia Minor. The Christians, in the belief that their opportunity had now arrived, broke the solemn peace, for which the papal legate gave them absolution, and poured into the Turkish dominions under the command of La- dislas, king of Poland and Hungary, and his general, Hunyady. Amurath was recalled from Magnesia, and forced to take the command of the army. Hoisting the treaty at the end of a lance, he encountered the Christians (1444) at Varna, on the Black sea. In a personal contest he dismounted Ladislas, whose head was cut off and displayed on a lance to his sol- diers. Affrighted at the sight they fled, not- withstanding the efforts of Hunyady to restore the battle. Again Amurath sought retirement, and was again called out to put down a revolt of the janizaries. Hopeless of gratifying his wish for ease, he marched against Greece. After subduing the Morea, and putting it to tribute, he encountered stubborn resistance in Albania from the heroic George Castriota (Scanderbeg), who, with the assistance of the Venetians, was able to postpone for a time the fall of his native country. A new irruption of Hunyady into Servia compelled Amurath to retire from Greece, and a battle was again fought on the plains of Kosovo, in October, 1448, in which the Hungarian army, after a desperate defence of their intrenched camp for three days, was entirely routed with prodigious loss. Amurath did not long survive this crown- ing victory, dying suddenly of apoplexy, on an island near Adrianople. III. Born in 1545, succeeded his father, Selim II., in 1574, died Jan. 17, 1595. His first act was to put his five brothers to the bowstring. His reign