Chapter II: Book XVI: A.d. 1291-1396

ATTEMPTED CRUSADES AGAINST THE TURKS.

Pope Nicholas IV. attempts to revive a fresh
crusade against the East—Sends missionaries to the
Tartars—Their contests with the Mussulmans revive
the hopes of the Christians—Argun, the Tartar
chief—Conquests of the Tartars—Cazan, the Mogul
prince, sends ambassadors to the Pope—Clement IV.
proclaims a crusade at the council of Vienna—Exploits
of the Hospitallers—Conquests and wealth of the
Templars—Accusations against them—Philip le Bel
of France takes the cross—His death—Philip le
Long—His death—Charles le Bel—His death—Raymond
Lulli preaches a fresh crusade—Philip of Valois
convokes an assembly at Paris for reviving a fresh
crusade—Renewed persecutions of the Christians
in Palestine—Brother Andrew of Antioch—Petrarch
an apostle of the holy war—Humbert II., dauphin
of Viennois, takes the cross—Hugh of Lusignan,
king of Cyprus—Political troubles of France—King
John taken prisoner at Poictiers—Engages in a
fresh crusade—Urban V. convokes a meeting at
Avignon—Peter de Lusignan, and Charles IV., emperor
of Germany, engage in the crusade—Alexandria
captured and burnt by the Crusaders—Barbary
invaded by the Christian forces—Tripoli captured
and burnt—Towns of Syria destroyed—Origin and
history of the Turks and the Ottoman empire—Their
conquests and invasion of Greece—Constantinople
menaced by the Turks—Its tottering state—The
emperors of Constantinople—Amurath, the Turkish
sultan—Bajazet—Two popes at the same time—Crusade
against the Turks determined on—Bajazet defeats
the Christian forces with great slaughter—Defeats
the Hungarians—Manuel, emperor of Constantinople,
visits France—Distracted state of Europe—History
and conquests of Tamerlane the Tartar—The Turks
defeated, and Syria overrun by the Tartars—Bajazet
raises the siege of Constantinople, and is defeated
by Tamerlane—Smyrna captured and destroyed—The
Ottomans reconquer the provinces overrun by
Tamerlane—The Greek Church submits to papal
authority—The barbarities of the Turks towards the
Christians—Pope Eugenius exhorts the Christian states
to another crusade—Cardinal Julian preaches in its
favour—Amurath enters into a treaty of peace with the
Crusaders, which being violated, they are defeated
with great slaughter—Ladislaus, king of Poland, and
Cardinal Julian, slain—Battle of Warna—Accession
of Mahomet II. to the Ottoman throne—His extensive
empire—Besieges Constantinople—Character of
Constantine Palæologus, the Greek emperor—His great
efforts in defence of his capital—Mahomet takes the
city by storm—Death of the emperor and destruction of
the Greek empire pp. 92-158.