Other causes for anxiety alarmed the travellers; for a report reached Tergovist that
the Turks, in alliance with the Tatars, were marching against Hungary; and that they might
make a punitive expedition through Wallachia and Moldavia on account of the Cral of
Hungary having forced the Beys of those countries to furnish him with troops. The seething
condition of the country make Kyr Macarius and his son desire to put themselves within
reach of the Hungarian mountains where the Wallachians were accustomed to take refuge in
time of need. The proposed visitations of the convents gave an ostensible reason for their
movements towards this goal.
On June 18 they set out, taking all their luggage with them. Their route followed the
bank of the great river Aluta and led them to the farnous Monastery of Kozia, by a narrow
pass overhanging the river, through a deep ravine full of rocks and roaring waters. On the
farther side were vast, impassable, wooded mountains. As we ascended the ravine we passed
under a perpendicular rock, the side of a high mountain. A wooden bridge, resting on the
frightfully steep bank, stretched over the river. It was nailed on one side to two tall
trees and rested on the other on the mountain precipice. When any danger threatens the
convent the monks remove the bridge, leaving an impassable gulf. We were afraid to cross
it on horseback, so we alighted and crossed on foot. The road was very narrow and close to
the edge of the precipice. It led to a large open plain of fields, gardens and vineyards,
in the midst of which stood the convent, a handsome strong edifice, guarded by the river
and high mountain summits and pathless woods. It is situated at the extremity of
Wallachia, and Hungary lies north and south of it. Its name Kozia means natural fortress.
The travellers reached the convent on June 28 and there deposited their luggage by
command of the Bey. A visit to this convent had been specially planned, because they had
heard that there was deposited a most valuable book from the imperial collection of S.
Sophia at Constantinople, viz. an exposition of the Psalms of David, compiled by S.
Nicetas in the eleventh century from all the holy doctors of the Church and others, 300
folio pages. This book was believed to be unique, as no copy of it existed in the Pope's
library nor in that of any European city library. The Archdeacon wrote: AHaving heard the praises of this book, I exerted
myself to the utmost; and by the aid of my father, I got it home to our lodgings, and
having found a priest, Papa Yani from Scio, a fine writer of Greek, we engaged him to make
a copy. As the love of wine is an innate propensity of every Greek I did not cease to
steal away his senses >till we had carried
him up to this convent of Kozia, where we forced him to stay and write. Each day we sent
him an allowance of two okas of wine for his dinner and supper; his senses were sobered
and his powers of mind shone forth in all their brightness, and he completed his copy of
the book... Our design was, if it pleased God, sooner or later to send the book to be
printed in the country of the Franks, as well for our own benefit as for that of the whole
Church of Christ. We obtained from the aforesaid Metropolitan of Gaza leave to copy
another book, the contents of which he had gathered in every country and from many authors
perfectly unique, as no other copy of it existed. He had named it the Book of Prophesies.
He consented with difficulty to its being copied. But afterwards, in the war, he was
robbed of it and of everything that he possessed, and he wrote to Kyr Macarius, entreating
us to get a copy written out for him, from ours.@
With visits to several more convents in ravines and on lakes, the tour of eighty-two
days ended by the travellers' return to Tergovist on September 10. There the Bey
Constantine still detained them. On November 8 the Patriarch married him to a Circassian
slave, whom they named at her baptism Nadala. The ceremony was performed within the
palace, in the harem. Two months later Constantine received the news from Constantinople
that he was deposed from his governorship, with the result that Wallachia was reduced to
utter desolation and ravaged by the invasions of its enemies. The deposition of the Bey
Constantine was an act of revenge of the Grand Vizir, as punishment for the successful
appeal to the Sultan, made in the previous year by the Beys of Moldavia and Wallachia,
against the Vizir's exorbitant demands on them for tribute. They had paid the full tribute
in 1657, but the Vizir repeated his demand for additional payment of five hundred thousand
sheep, three hundred horses and an increase of the money tribute. While negotiations were
going on, he cut them short by deposing Constantine and appointing in his place a son of
the late Radzivil Voivode. He also despatched one of his officers to the Khan and his
Tatars, enjoining them to march on Moldavia and Wallachia.
Constantine, hearing this, sent warning to all his subjects, AThe whole country, in consequence, was thrown into
confusion, the wretched inhabitants fleeing from their farms and villages in the severe
frost and deep snow.@ This was followed by an
order from the dreaded Turks to Constantine to depart immediately from the principality.
The Bey and his grandees determined to offer resistance to their tyrants. Troops were
enrolled. The Metropolitan, standing from morning to night in the church, swore them on
the holy gospel and the cross. These additional troops brought the number of soldiers
available up to a hundred and ten thousand. Constantine proved a despicable leader of his
army. His vacillating policy led him to retreat from Tergovist, leaving the town to be
defended by twelve thousand of his troops to whom he gave permission to seize all
provisions and liquors left in the town. These miserable defenders, in an intoxicated
condition, were seized with panic at the approach of three hundred Tatars and fled,
leaving the city at the mercy of this handful of invaders. After plundering, they set fire
to it, carrying away a vast number of its inhabitants into captivity. They slew one
hundred and sixty of the monks at Stalia Convent, and burned its church, that was packed
with possessions of the people, among which was the property of Kyr Macarius. They broke
open the tombs of the late Bey and his family and of Constantine's domina, stripped the
bodies and flung them naked to the winds. Other tombs were also desecrated. The fire did
not cease its ravages >till the greater part
of the city was destroyed.
The new Bey, accompanied by the Pasha, entered Tergovist on February 23. After setting
its walls on fire (in retribution for Constantine's having ordered Bucharest to be burned
before the Turks could advance upon it), they marched to that stricken city. As for
Constantine, he fled to Hungary to a castle in the city of Brashob, where he remained with
all his adherents. May God deny him eternal salvation for the deeds he perpetrated. His
situation was very ignominious because of his running away without fighting. As soon as we
were assured of Constantine's flight, we departed in haste from Kimpolung on February 21,
and fled to a small ancient convent oalled Gharadas and there deposited all we had brought
away with us. The carriages, too, we gave up to be burried in the thickets. Our horses we
kept saddled day and night. A hiding place was found for us in the heart of the woods.
Notwithstanding the depth of the fallen snow and the intense frost no one dared to light a
fire for fear of the smoke betraying our presence. Then we heard that Michael Voivode, the
new Bey, had taken up his residence in Bucharest, and that the people and military were
tendering him their allegiance, and he was readily pardoning them. He sent letters
throughout the province, proclaiming peace and pardon and calling on the fugitives to
return to their homes. We, like the rest of the people, took courage and returned to
Kimpolung, though we still left most of our goods with the peasants of Gharadas. It cost
all the money we had to pay the expenses on them.
I rode with a number of others to Tergovist, where we saw bodies of the slain lying
strewed about the streets....We heard that the Tatars had gone off with their captives,
reported as being from seventy thousand to a hundred and fifty thousand. Many were
redeemed by the new Bey, who did not allow the Turks to make a single captive....Our Lord
the Patriarch sent a letter of congratulation to the new Bey, which he received most
graciously. We were told that he had resided twenty-five years within the Sultan's
seraglio among the Turks; yet no one had seduced him to deviate from his Christian creed.
He was a student of ecclesiastical writings, and a linguist in the Polish, Hungarian,
Greek, Turkish, Persian and his native Wallachian tongues. Encouraged by these tidings we
went to Bucharest. After the burning of it, nothing remained but the churches; and in them
the people of rank were lodged. On Pentecost Sunday, May 30, 1658, the Patriarch crowned
the Bey, according to the form in the great Prayer Book. On the altar was laid a braided
girdle and a gilt mace; also a crown made for the Bey at Constantinople, resembling the
headdress of the Seleucians. It was decorated with a plume of feathers, in crystals and
jewels.
When the Bey entered the church the great Ban and the logothete took him by the arms,
the clergy preceding him, and advanced to the royal doors, whence came forth two bishops
who, taking the Bey by the arms, conducted him to the Sanctuary. There he knelt, with his
head uncovered, while I said the liturgical formula, ALet
us Attend@. Our master then laid a part of his
pallium on the Bey's head, saying: AThe grace of
God, which ever heals what is weak and supplies what is deficient, promotes the Christian
Prince Michael, son of Radzivil Voivode, to the rank of a Sovereign. Let us, therefore,
pray for him, that the grace of the all-holy spirit may come upon him.@
The Patriarch then raised him up and invested him with the girdle, hanger and sword. He
clothed him with the robe of sovereignty, a brocaded mantle trimmed with sable fur, and
crowned him with the Constantinople crown. Then he blessed and kissed him, and the two
bishops delivered him to the two archons at the door of the Sanctuary, who led him up to
his throne. Our master first, then the bishops, the twelve great archons, priests, monks,
deacons and the rest of the State archons all congratulated, blessed and prayed for him.
The concourse of the people was very great. The Bey was immediately plunged into
preparation for war, having received orders from Constantinople to march with the Sultan's
army against the Majars. Despite these activities he spent his mornings and evenings in
the company of Kyr Macarius, discussing all manner of religious and other matters with
him.
Meanwhile ex-Bey Constantine, with a fresh army, was threatening to re-enter Wallachia;
while the Pasha of Silistria and his Tatar troops invaded the country. This renewal of war
brought fresh anguish upon the unfortunate people, who again quitted their homes and fled
for refuge to the mountains. Despairing of our personal safety, we could see nothing for
it but to quit Wallachia; even if we had to leave our property behind. On July 9, 1658,
the Bey left for the camp, and our perplexity was extreme. His deputy found for me two
carrilages, which we loaded with our heavy luggage and goods and I went with them to
Galatz, where we found a vessel from Trebizond about to return. On it I shipped our goods
and our companions with a store of provisions and they set sail. Then I hired some men
with muskets and set out on my return, fearing lest I should come across the Turks, who
were on their march, robbing and murdering on their way. I found not a single person, not
even a dog or any other animal, between Galatz and Bucharest. I stumbled on some dead
bodies in my path. The whole world was a blank. I reached Bucharest on July 31, but did
not find the Patriarch there, he having retreated, in fear and alarm, to Piteshti, where I
joined him.
After spending nearly two months on horseback, going hither and thither, recovering all
I could of our property, we started from Bucharest on September 9 for Galatz, reaching it
on September 17. We stopped there twenty-two days, seeking for a ship to take us to
Sinope, but found that the Vizir had taken all the ships to carry his stores and munitions
to the Danube. Through our fears of traversing the Black Sea, we had waited these two
years, hoping to be able to travel by way of Roumelia; and thence by good fortune to
embark on some ship belonging to Christians on the White Seas. But to go by that route
had, up to the present time, been utterly impossible. We saw from Galatz the fires on the
mountains of the Majars and knew what they meant. At length we found a ship belonging to a
Christilan from Sinope, laden with barley; and we agreed to give him two hundred piastres
[about ,3] to take us to that port. We could
scaree credit our senses when we had, at last, stowed our luggage on board the ship and
found ourselves embarked clear of immediate danger from the invaders.
We left Galatz on October 13, and passed down the Danube to Kilia, a large castle at
the mouth of the channel of the Black Sea. Here we heard the Mahometan azan (call to
prayer), having for six years heard only bells. Here they catch sturgeons. At the opening
into the Black Sea we found about seventy vessels that had been waiting more than two
months for a wind to sail forth. On October 24 a favourable wind sprang up, and we got out
to sea. In two days and a night we sailed two hundred and fifty miles to Varna Port. Here
we passed a most wretched night ready to die of sea-sickness, for it blew a gale. At break
of day we went on shore and stayed with a priest till the 29th, when the people of the
ship fetched us back and we went with them, as going to the slaughter. The wind had
ehanged and we sailed four hundred miles, crossing the channel of Constantinople from the
Roumelian side to the coast of Anatolia, to Heraelea, where S. Theodore, a
commander-in-chief, su,fered martyrdom....
Source:
From: Paul, Archdeacon of Aleppo, The Travels of Macarius, Patriarch of
Antioch, F. C. Belfour, trans., (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1836), pp. 96-109,
reprinted in Alfred J. Bannan & Achilles Edelenyi, eds., Documentary History
of Eastern Europe, (New York: Twayne Publishers, 1970), pp. 104-111.
Scanned by Jerome S. Arkenberg, Cal. State Fullerton.
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