and this Croatian source (longer) as well as this Croatian source (shorter)
Please note: This is my own poor translation from the Croatian source that uses old Croatian that is difficult for me to translate. It is good enough to get the essence of what he said but not god enough for academic use. I can't find a copy in English anywhere.
After the Ottomans learned of the death of
Ferdinand they asked Maximilian if he will pay the Porte the tribute that his
father had agreed to and owed and to announce if they are willing to live in
peace with the sultan under the terms his father had agreed to. In such an
important issue Maximilian can't decide on his own. Maximilian calls together
his representatives and advisors and
asks them what should be done about the peace of 1562 and the annual tribute of
30,000 ducats.
Most advisors, from the church and military
men, said that the peace must be continued and that nothing should be done to
raise the anger of the enemy, powerful on the land and waters, who has already
done so much damage to the Christian lands.
They said that it was easier to lose the money than to return and suffer
as they had in previous battles.
Nikola Zrinski, one of the best and most
famous military leaders of the time, was whole-heartedly in support of ending
the peace and going to war with the Ottomans. (He stood like a man not a
coward). He explained that it is more honorable to
fight, even if you have to fall for our sacred faith in Jesus, for our people
and home - pro aris et focis (for home and hearth) - than to live in an
insulting (humiliating) peace.
He said the following
"If we look at the situation honestly, our
enemy today acts as if there is no peace, he continues to burn and plunder our
lands, and the poor people have to suffer the hardships every day. They take our towns and fortresses either by
force or deception and cunning enlargening their area of control. They do all that to us but we must abide by
the truce agreement. But if we complain
about their actions or if we defend ourselves with force against their force
then they speak of righteousness and justice and claim we are violating the
peace and act like an executioner towards a powerless prisoner/slave under
their control.
Towards their own wrongdoers the Turks do
as they please, make and break laws, not caring about anything. There is no benefit to our complaints because
our enemy continues day after day to act with greater malice leaving a blooody
path of destruction by their paganism destroying our Homeland, abusing our
brothers and comrades, and because of our weakness and inaction they become
more brazzen and we suffer more.
Therefore, I believe, it is time that we stand
up with courage and take the embarassing yoke off our necks and recover the
dignity of our nation. So there will
not be any complaints from the Ottomans we give to Suleiman all the tribute
that is owed to him under the agreement so that he remains calm and has no
reason to think we are cheating him. But he is willful and brazen, I believe
that we will get the same results if we caress or beat him. He is insatiable
for our suffering and blood.
After we have paid him what is owed let us end this peace
and friendship - which he keeps and breaks.
There can be no trust in deceit nor peace with a hungry dragon. The peace that we have had with the Ottomans,
through unceasing plunder, has exhausted
our private and public resources more
than any open warfare. Therefore, while there is time let us all prepare for
war so that with God's help we may be able to stand up to and defeat the enemy.
It is true that Suleiman leads a large force but we know
that people exaggerate him into a black demon than tell the truth. I saw the Ottoman army that the sultan
himself led: first when I was a youth of 22 years when he in vain attacked
Vienna ('29) and later when he failed in his siege of Koszeg ('32) and again
when due to our negligence (softness and cowardice) we lost Esztergom and
Székesfehérvár ('43). For that reason I
can say that the Ottoman army is not as great as what is spoken of it. Believe me when I tell you that the image of
his army is based on gossip and superstitions of ignorant people and the lies
of his allies telling the world a greater story than is real. It is clearly known that in his personal
guard, as the Janissaries are called, there are no more than 12-14,000 and
quite often they do not even reach that number much less go over it. The number
of his cavalry from Asia and Europe is about 25,000 and rarely reached
30,000. The cavalry from the provinces
has little bravery and even less skill.
His personal cavalry might be the same number.
The core of his army are his personal guard and the
Hungarian and Serbian mercenaries. The
rest of the multitude that the Ottomans take with them do not enter battle but
stay in the camp and carry out various services and even if they entered battle
they could do little harm because they have no real weapons aside from maybe an
axe and some do not have even that. The rest take care of the livestock,
supplies and those that dig, unarmed Greeks and Bulgarians with only one job to
take care of the camels and horses, put up the tents, carry water and wood and
other services in the camp - that is their mass, people who on their should
have only a cudgel, pole or stick.
Knowing this about the Ottoman army, with confidence
because I have seen it, I can say with faith in God that all we need is about
70,000 cavalry and infantry to meet the proud and arrogant enemy on the field
of battle and be victorious. It is
impossible that the meriful Creator and those in Heaven are so angry at us
Christians that we fall in spirit and can't raise an army, in the name of
Christ, of 70,000 soldiers equal in courage and strength to the Janissaries and
the Sipahi.
But this will be futile work without your shining crown. If you begin to lead in your own lands and
those of your uncle, the king of Spain, we can make a great army. The Spanish
soldier is in no way inferior to the Janissary, either in weapons or heroic
heart. To our air will also come the
Pope, the father of all Christians, as well as other Christians rulers who will
help to guarantee our success.
To lead us we need no other but you. You lead us into battle, unflinching, full of
virtue and glory, eclipsing the accomplishments of our ancestors with your
nobility, selflessness, soldierly skill, caution and prudence as well as your
natural kind and wise leadership. This
says all about your knightly and masculine spirit, which you have in abundance,
your ability to lead a war as it must be.
We will find money, boats, cannons, ammunition and other military
materials; bountiful Hungary will provide the food and the Danube offers itself
to us to carry all that we require
If God and fortune provides, victory will be ours, of
this I have no doubt. Once we take from
the faithless (infidel, unbeliever) enemy the laurels of victory then all the
suffering, all the grief and sorrow, will be replaced by glory and pride in the
name of Christianity. We will heroically
push away the shame of previous defeats that the barbarous hand has given us
and then we will rejoice when we return to our Homeland it's natural shining
face.
We do not worry about a leader; that goes to you, mighty
king, by the sublime dignity of your wisdom and ability. If we move forward in such a way - if we
defeat the enemy - in which I firmly believe, we will be repaid for all the
damages that we have suffered from the Ottomans. We will take vengeance on our
enemy for all previous defeats and we will return to the Homeland its previous
might and glory.
Finally, our strong faith encourages us, which not even
the mightiest king or ruler can subdue, to go with you not only by blood but by
heart and caring spirit, so you may use your forces for the welfare of
Christianity. The Christian world knows, mighty king, that to make this vow and
take a stand is not a crime or any sort of wicked deed. It is not a crime for
my tourbled heart to ask you to as soon
as possible save the Pannonian lands of your Hungarian crown, torn to pieces, taking
away suffering and ruin, and at the same time guarantee the freedom (safety) of
Germany and all of Europe from the Muslim (Islamic) storm.
That is what we must do and in no way be tempted by his
treacherous peace - in which our Homeland will be more harmed than helped -
that we gain peace from a just war. With that done there will be no mortal man under
the heavens more glorious or celebrated; no one's voice of heroism will spread
farther to all people's of the world.
Your efforts and sacrifices in the defense of the Christian nations will
be abundantly fruitful and memory of you will remain vivid and glorious for all
ages. That is the foundation stone, that
is sought in the life of a leader, if they desire with humility to work
publicly with an honorable name.
Were can you find a more worthy and exhalted (sublime)
task?"
But Zrinski's word, full of true love for
Homeland and God, were for nothing. The
selfish majority, with Vrančić in front, did not feel as did Zrinski. Maximilian himself then announces that peace
be kept until all Christian lands have not decided to attack the Ottomans with
all their might.
After that Vojko Viški (de Vyss-Višević)
was sent to Constantinople with the tribute that was owed. Not long afterwards a messenger comes saying
that Suleiman also desires to live by the terms of the peace agreement.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.