PART FOUR
1460
John of Tagliacozzo was one of the closest companions of John of Capistrano during his preaching tour across northern Europe in the early 1450s, as well as on the journey that ended at Belgrade (see document 12). Tagliacozzo was also later present at Capistrano’s death in Ilok in October 1456, and he brought his books and personal effects back to the friar’s home convent in 1457, where they have remained ever since. Tagliacozzo immediately became a champion of the memory of his mentor, and in that capacity he took the lead in the effort to have the friar canonized as a saint. He returned north of the Alps once more in 1459 to collect testimonies and lobby in Germany and Hungary for the cause. He was ultimately unsuccessful, but he left behind a series of important accounts of Belgrade and of Capistrano’s death. The longest of these is printed here. It takes the form of a letter, composed on the fourth anniversary of the victory at Belgrade. It is addressed to James of the Marches, Tagliacozzo’s fellow Franciscan and heir to Capistrano’s missionary efforts in Central Europe. The work is remarkable for its length, depth, and detail, and for the ways in which it combines what seems to be compelling “eyewitness” testimony of a battle with what is also obviously a Franciscan author’s effort to shape a narrative designed to advance the cause of a potential saint. Using as its foundation the core events of the summer of 1456, and the place of Capistrano within them, the narrative develops a hagiographical text that is best read not merely as a straightforward report of pure fact but rather as a story through which one Observant Franciscan author articulates a complex model of holiness for his audience. Here the vivid events of the battle for Belgrade are read through the prism of Franciscan piety. The suffering of Christ on the cross, defense of the faith, and heroic martyrdom on crusade; the name of Jesus, popularized by Capistrano’s mentor Bernardino of Siena; the cult of Mary Magdalene, on whose feast day the key moments unfolded – all of these are core Franciscan themes, here marshaled against what the narrative casts as the diabolical menace of the Turks.
Source: Trans. J. Mixson, from Giovanni da Tagliacozzo, “Relatio de victoria Belgradensi,” in Luke Wadding, ed., Annales minorum, 3rd ed. (Quaracchi, 1932), 12: 750–96.1
To the reverend father in Christ and noble elder brother, James of the Marches, most esteemed member of the Order of the Friars Minor of the Observance, and most fervent and distinguished apostolic preacher, worthy of all veneration, [I] the humble and abject brother John of Tagliacozzo, most unworthy member of the same order, kneeling in praise and fervent obedience, with readiness to serve, etc.
I am not ignorant, my noble elder, of the fact that Your Paternity (who is filled with the adornment of every doctrine) has no need of my uneducated pen. But since in your mature and venerable old age you rejoice all the more joyfully and fervently to the extent that you read or hear of the mighty works of God, unheard of in the present course of time, I have chosen to scribble and to write down for Your Paternity, in whatever manner I am able, the events of that miraculous victory, divinely delivered, over the Turks. I will tell of the beginning, the middle, as well as the end, which took place in that exalted kingdom of Hungary, at the castle of Belgrade, under the banner of the most holy cross, with the acclaim of the name of Jesus Christ, in the time of the crusade, a triumph of victory that can be attributed only to the immortal God, through the merits and the most fervent labors and prayers of that most blessed man, Brother John of Capistrano of the Order of the Friars Minor, who was at that time by commission of the holy Apostolic See leader and captain of all of those under the sign of the cross in the aforesaid kingdom; who was assisted by the goodwill and protection of the illustrious Lord John Hunyadi,2 governor of the aforesaid realm; and by the magnificent Lord Michael Szilágyi, most diligent castellan of the fortress of Belgrade.3 And though others could accomplish this much more eloquently and in greater detail than I, most devout father, since Your Paternity has asked this of me (who, as divine mercy would have it, and since Your Paternity compelled it, happened at that time to stand beside the same blessed man!), I now report on the matter more truly and with more dedication than words can express. I will not get caught up in the frivolous charm of words but will instead set out the truth of the story with plainspoken words alone.
May our most merciful God therefore sprinkle me, a sinner, with the dew of his grace, so that I may relate worthily, diligently, and truly those things I have seen with my eyes and touched with my hands; so that from these things that I will say before God, the holy and fearful name of Jesus might be magnified; so that the devotion of those who are faithful to that name might be more ardently inflamed; and so that the celebrated devotion of the most blessed father Brother John [of Capistrano], his zeal and fervor and obedience toward the most holy Roman Church might be made known, along with his most serene martyrdom. Hear therefore, noble elder, the story of the aforesaid victory, and as you learn it, proclaim it publicly to the people, as is your custom, with your most fervent voice.
When the blessed father [John of Capistrano] and his companions arrived at Nuremberg from the diet at Frankfurt in the year 1454, in the month of November, he was in agonizing doubt as to where he should preach next, and where he should do the most good for the Christian people. On the following night, after matins, when he had prayed and fallen asleep, he saw his impending bloodless death – indeed he longed for martyrdom in an astonishing way. Then, on the following morning, as he was celebrating Mass, he prayed intently regarding where he should set out, and in his vision innumerable voices in the church sounded from above, “to Hungary, to Hungary!” And while preaching in the square before the great church he often heard the very same from the heavens. Moved in this way from doubt to certainty, he resolved, in keeping with the will of God, to set out for Hungary.
[John of Capistrano] planted the word of God across Germany and established the family of the Regular Observance there; returned some sixty thousand heretics and Hussites to the unity of the church in Bohemia; and with God’s permission brought forth marvelous fruits in Poland. Then, in the month of May of the following year (that is, 1455), he hastened toward Hungary. Upon his arrival the whole realm was immediately stirred to action in a miraculous way. He was received by all as a second Apostle. He himself despised such honors, very often departing from his route, and changing the plan of his arrival or departure. But it also sometimes happened that he was unable to keep the appointed day and hour because he was honestly misinformed. All who waited for him were thus frustrated in their desire to see him, and he himself deprived of their honors. Nevertheless, what man keeps silent or hides, God reveals. For when he arrived there were clergy solemnly attired; cardinals, archbishops, bishops, abbots, and prelates of the church with relics; and on many occasions with the sacrament of the Eucharist, with many lamps and with both women and men bearing tree branches and lighted candles, carrying banners. With bells ringing, they came before this lover of humility and led him in with the greatest honors, songs, and tears of joy. Princes, barons, nobles, and commoners loved and honored him exceedingly, and such a great multitude rushed to him that nothing but the most wide-open fields or great city squares could hold them all. And when he preached the word of God to them the people came from the most faraway places, seemingly rushing like a mob, not to hear the sermon of one man, but to find great forgiveness. No wonder then, that when they had tasted the sweetness of his speech, received the salvific doctrine of his public sermons, and seen most publicly so many obvious miracles, all were compelled to admire him. He raged against vices and planted virtues. He was esteemed and welcomed by each and every prince, and all were blessed who found themselves able to stand near him, to speak with him even for a moment, or to hear him. Yet when honors of this kind were shown to him he always said with a humble heart, “Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory.”4 And when the king left the kingdom, leaving the illustrious Lord John Hunyadi as governor and defender of his realm, this man [Hunyadi] was so devoted and loving toward that man [Capistrano] that whatever matters had to be handled for the kingdom, whether in private discussions or in public diets, he along with other barons summoned the friar, admitted him into their circle, and deferred to him; they would do nothing without his counsel.
After the many labors of his preaching, after fertile fruits had been marvelously brought forth in Hungary, by the favor of the aforesaid Lord John [Hunyadi] he [Capistrano] traveled to the lands of Transylvania, to the Vlachs, to the schismatic Slavs and Paterenes.5 And in a span of three months some eleven thousand among them were led to baptism through his preaching, and were returned to the unity and obedience of the most holy Roman Church. Their teacher and confessor, too (after the burning of his house in Hunyad and the seizure of his goods) was overcome by [Capistrano’s] disputation, and with the consent of the most reverend lord legate [Juan Carvajal], was baptized publicly, before the barons and prelates in Buda, in the manner of the Roman Church.6
On the fourteenth of February, that is the first Sunday of Lent, he [Capistrano] received the cross sent to him by our most holy lord Callixtus III. He took it from the hands of the most reverend lord cardinal of Sant’Angelo [Carvajal], legate a latere,7 with great devotion and with a most fertile pouring out of tears, after a sermon at Buda. He then preached the crusade and gave the cross to others, both through apostolic letter and in person, with full authority through the commission granted him by the lord cardinal against the enemies of the cross of Christ. He took up the cause eagerly, prepared to die for the one who was willing to die on the cross for mankind. For although he foresaw that the crown of martyrdom through the pouring out of his blood would be denied him, he was nevertheless driven to lay down his life for his friends, and to win the martyr’s crown. He preached the cross in Hungary and, in a spirit of solemn preparation, tirelessly pinned the cross to their shoulders with his own hands. He then sent those under the cross back to their own lands, admonishing them to respond whenever they might be called. They in turn joyfully promised to obey the blessed father alone. Meanwhile rumors flew throughout the kingdom, and it was made known that both a Turkish army and fleet were soon to arrive at Belgrade – a fortress of great power and sophistication, and one that when captured would allow the occupation of other parts of Christendom. This was made known to the blessed father through repeated diplomatic missions and letters from Lord Michael, castellan of the same fortress. Belgrade is near the borders of the kingdom and the main gateway to Hungary, bound on two sides by the waters of the great Sava and Danube rivers – a fortress that the Turks had long tried to capture, so that entering and leaving the kingdom of Hungary might be more freely open to them.
The blessed father himself hastened to call the Hungarians to crusade and to place the cross on them, to impress on their minds the memory of the cross, and to raise both the cross and arms against the Turks. And so it happened that he and his companions, through their preaching over the course of about five months, gathered together a great multitude of those signed by the cross. After giving the cross, he sent everyone back to their own lands. But when our preacher of the cross became more certain (through both the letters and the ambassadors of the distinguished lords John and Michael), that the Turks were drawing near with their astonishing power, and that they would find the fortress without defenders; and when he [Capistrano] was encouraged to set preaching aside, and to hasten as quickly as possible with those under the sign of the cross to the defense of the city, he made arrangements for five ships, sought out provisions, inspired the Christians, and proclaimed the looming danger for all Christianity. He abandoned his preaching, and with the ships and a small band of those signed by the cross he began in the name of the Lord to make his way down the Danube toward the fortress. He did so with a heavy heart, since he knew the great power and strength of the Turks and saw how few and inept were those coming to the aid of the fortress. And although he knew that so few could be defended by God, he seemed rather sorrowful. For there was no one in Hungary who would at that time take up arms against the Turks. The king and the barons remained at home. Lord John remained at the fortress of Kovin with his customary household, so as to prevent the forces of the Turks from passing through. Those under the cross, who had begun to return to their homes, could not be brought up so quickly. Yet the imminent threat meant there was no room for any delay. And so that blessed captain [Capistrano] was pleased that the time of his martyrdom had come, even as he was terrified and saddened that while all of Christendom was asleep, the Turks were awake, poised to destroy Christianity and bring shame to the name of Jesus Christ. He wept for the insults to the Christian religion and lamented the destruction of the Christians, and especially the Hungarians, saying: “Now the tribulation is at hand, and there is none who can help.”8
But now God himself, wanting to offer some kind of consolation, filled him with happiness and joy, and showed him the future in a marvelous way: when the father [Capistrano] made his way down the Danube with so few soldiers, and when he arrived, mournfully, at the town of Petrovaradin, he celebrated Mass there, praying attentively that God would think it worthy to uphold his cause, paying no heed to the ingratitude of the Christians. And as he celebrated Mass, standing during the second Memento, with hands clasped and eyes closed, he had a vision of a certain arrow, sent from heaven, shot quickly in front of him and onto the altar. On it, in golden letters, could be read: “Do not fear, John, but march on and make haste, with confidence, as you have begun, for by the power of my name and the name of the most holy cross you will gain victory over the Turks.”
Cheered by these things, the father cast off his sorrow, put away his fear, became joyful, resolute, and agreeable, and from that point on was never seen to be downcast or disturbed. He then spoke openly of his wonderful vision while preaching his sermons; revealed it openly to his confessor; talked of it at mealtimes to many brothers, comforting them; and thereafter showed it to be true by the evidence of his deeds. And for that reason, all who were around him turned their sorrow into joy and their doubt into certainty. Resolved to follow such a courageous leader, they were now ready to be imprisoned and to die with him. Secure in the joy of this vision, and in the certainty of the future it promised, with his own hands the father pinned the cross on the shoulders of those who did not yet have it and signed all things with the sign of a red cross, from the portable altar to the priests’ vestments. He also nobly adorned with the cross a banner that had been fortified, or rather painted, with the image of Saint Bernardino, saying: “Since the enemies of the cross ought to be ruined and crushed by its power, all things conceded to our use ought to be signed with the mark of the cross.” He also often said repeatedly, “I should glory in nothing but in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”9
And so, at the request of the castellans, he now hastened to the aforesaid fortress with all those signed by the cross, with five ships as well as a large contingent that traveled on land. Upon seeing him from afar, the castellans as well as the citizens showed signs of their joy in the fortress and came out to greet him with various musical instruments, joyfully welcoming him with the aforesaid soldiers of the cross into the fortress itself, with the banner in front of the procession, on the second day of July, that is, on the feast of the Visitation. Now all who were in such great sorrow rejoice at his arrival; now days of joy come to those who were afraid. In his presence, none fear the Turks. Now those who had seen days of sorrow live in days of joy.
On the First Victory
Meanwhile messengers arrived, announcing that the Turks were very close. The governor, esteemed Lord John, while in the fortress of the town of Kovin (which is on the shores of the Danube some four Hungarian miles below Belgrade) was set up against the galleys of the Turks, lest by coming upriver they should be able to cross over. He also sent word to the holy father that he [Capistrano] should leave some of his followers behind in the fortress and lead the rest to him [Hunyadi] downriver (since at that time Lord John had none with him but his household).10 The father wished to comply with Lord John’s wishes and decided (upon arranging affairs at the fortress [Belgrade]) to go down to him. And so, on the day he arrived [at Belgrade], he celebrated Mass and exhorted all in a sermon on defense, fidelity, manliness, and martyrdom. After a meal, he then prepared to make his way down to Lord John, on three ships marked with the sign of the cross. The castellan [of Belgrade] Lord Michael [Szilágyi], knowing that the Turks would soon quickly appear by both land and water, asked the father not to leave, arguing that he would be safe in the fortress, whereas on the Danube he might encounter the Turks, and that he would be of more use in the fortress than out on the water.
But the father, wishing to satisfy and to serve Lord John (toward whom he was drawn in a marvelous way) began to make his way downriver. Michael then delivered a message to him, sending him a certain kerchief11 as a sign of reassurance, so that His Paternity would know for sure that he would soon encounter the Turkish galleys. But the father, desiring to make his way down to Lord John, thought little of the imminent danger. For the honor of God and the strengthening of the Catholic faith, he no longer feared for any bodily threat. He now longed for martyrdom even more fervently than was his custom.
But what he desired, God himself arranged for his own glory and honor, and the hand of the Lord was upon him.12 For around the hour of vespers13 the air was most bright and clear, the sun burned mightily in its heat and fire, and the Danube flowed most peacefully. But behold, the air then quickly became overwhelmed with the thickest of clouds; the sun was blocked out; great winds arose; the Danube churned and was agitated; thunder sounded, the rain clouds thickened, and such a great storm and commotion followed, as well as darkness, that one could not see the other on board the same ship. All were forced, unwillingly, to make their way to shore. Once they were led to land, peace and quiet soon returned, and the Danube fell quiet as before. And behold, the army of the Turks quickly occupied the place from which such a strong storm had driven the holy father.
What else is to be made of all this, most reverend elder, but that almighty God wished to preserve his most faithful servant to fight against and defeat the Turks, in the name of Jesus Christ, under the banner of the cross? For God did not allow that his body, wearied by such great labors, vigils, and abstinence, should be honored by a martyrdom of blood, but rather by the fire and desire of his mind; and that the martyr himself, full of merit after the glorious victory, should return in peace, and not be without the crown of martyrdom.14
Liberated now from the hand of the Turks, he returned to the fortress by night. But on the following morning, that is, the third day of the month, behold: the army of the Turks began to appear. Many among them broke from their ranks and ran here and there close to the fortress, as if they wanted to irritate the Christians. When the father saw them, now incensed in a remarkable way, he said, “Let’s go out to them! Who wants to follow me?” and similar things. But the one so longing for martyrdom did not find the same faith among his followers. On the fourth day they then began to lay siege to the fortress from a distance, and in a few days the full power of the Turks was settled there. As we have learned from these events, the Turks had never so powerfully, so cleverly, and so strikingly laid siege to a place as they did this one. Some 160,000 of the very best and strongest Turkish warriors – some say 200,000 – came together there, bringing with them innumerable camels and other animals weighed down with machines of war.
None could count the handguns, arquebuses, and springalds that were there.15 We also saw enormous cannons, the likes of which had never been seen, that could ground not only a fortress, but also the highest mountains into dust. Twenty-two of them in particular, each some twenty-seven feet long, the Turks had brought only with the greatest skill and expense. The smaller ones were innumerable. They also brought seven other machines that (in a marvelous way) threw great and round stones into the air to kill men day and night, without interruption, both in the fortress as well as in the city. These stones were most horrible when they fell among men standing very close together, or among houses filled with people. But they never killed more than a single woman. And I believe this fact to have been no small miracle, since no one could protect themselves at night. In the daytime, however, upon hearing the great noise, or upon a signal from the great bell tower, people came out of their homes, stood with some distance between them, and looked into the air for the stones. These were thrown, by a most vehement explosion, a full Italian mile in the air, and they came down with the mightiest force. But when they fell to the earth they were broken up by the ground and were seen no more.16
The Turks brought forth so many and such an array of munitions that they filled many places. Above all there was one large church, at a distance of an Italian mile from the fortress, said to have been dedicated to Mary Magdalene.17 This church was packed with gunpowder, enormous ropes, iron weapons, and all the things which they said were necessary for fighting. There were also lofty and grand pavilions, each arranged in a marvelous and beautiful way, and so large that the great landscape seemed to be covered with clouds rather than crowded with tents. There were incomprehensible banners, great, high, of various colors, and differentiated according to the status and dignity of the Turks. There was also the sign of the Great Turk, a half-moon on a field of green. Animals were continually led forth from Turkey, Serbia, and Bosnia, loaded down with arrows, bows, and rations, for the Turks had abundant numbers of camels, oxen, and cattle; these animals carried wood from the forests. The carts of bronze, iron, and wood with which they hauled their mighty cannons (with great ingenuity) could hardly be counted. Their trumpets and other instruments were innumerable. They brought their household gods, the books that contained their ceremonies, the textiles and other things related to their diabolical cult. Mills to grind grain, ovens to bake bread, and various vessels for their use – these too were infinite. All of these things, and much more besides, they brought forth not in one day, but over the course of many days, and not without great labor.
We also heard, through a most reliable report, that they brought dogs to the siege to eat the flesh of Christians, as well as beautiful women, led forth on horses and in carriages, to soften the Christians’ strength. Knights, foot soldiers, carters, miners, sappers, their elite and powerful master bombardiers, chosen from across the Turkish realm – all were there. The vice-emperor (who arrived with the first troops), kings, and princes established themselves there in such numbers that they seemed determined not only to take that one fortress, but to storm Hungary, and other kingdoms, and to live there as conquerors – and that was exactly their intention. For as we heard from those who fled to us, the great emperor of the Turks himself had sworn in the name of his devil Mahumeth, and in the name of his own salvation, that he would capture Hungary within two months, and dine in Buda, not thinking, most miserable one, that all he had brought forward would be turned to the use and triumph of the Christians, and to the death and defeat of the Turks. And so the camps of the Turks were set up not far from ours. And their emperor set himself up on a high place, which they surrounded and fortified with ramparts for his safety, along with the tents and banners of five thousand janissaries – those we in Italian call “provisionati,” who were his noblest, strongest, elite, intimate, and faithful followers.
The Turks led sixty-four galleys upriver, with many skiffs and other small ships. Neither Lord John nor any other could hinder their passage from the fortress at Kovin. In these galleys were men of various tongues and various nations, all skilled in naval warfare. The galleys also stored an abundance of arms, textiles, and other valuable things. The construction of these ships was a marvelous thing indeed, and a novel undertaking: cleverly designed for fighting and for assault, they flew through the water not like wooden ships, but like the swiftest of arrows. Among them, one seemed larger and faster than all the others. In this ship, which stood out so remarkably, were the most elite and most skilled fighters. It was decked out with many horns and banners and moved more boldly than the others. Seeking to ridicule and mock the Christians, it often made quick runs close to the city. In this way, the ship stood out as the commander and governor of all the others. To put it briefly, whatever the seasoned cleverness of the Turks could think up in order to defeat that fortress and occupy Hungary, the infidels brought it there both by land and up the Danube. But because the land forces had not yet established their place, the ships remained far from the city.
The commander of the people of God, blessed Father John, signed by the cross, saw the fortress besieged, the throng of Turks that arrived there daily, and how they prepared to overthrow it, so that they might capture all of Hungary. He considered their great power and their unimaginable ingenuity on both water and land, as well as the meager number of those signed with the cross who defended the fortress. He therefore decided he would summon the others whom he had signed with the cross. So, on the fourth day of that month, he celebrated Mass and preached a public sermon exhorting all to stand guard, to resist manfully, and to defend their position. He then took four brothers: the Hungarians George and Francis, Alexander of Ragusa, and Ambrose of Aquila, leaving behind the others in the fortress with instructions to be obedient, with exhortations to martyrdom and to works of mercy and piety. From there he made his way by ship to Petrovaradin, quickly and not without great danger, accompanied by two ships of the lord castellan.
Before leaving he said to the castellans: “Do not be afraid, but resist strongly; for with God’s favor in a short span of time I will call together such a multitude of those under the sign of the cross that it will astound both the Turks and the Christians.” He then commanded and persuaded us that we should prepare ourselves for martyrdom should the occasion present itself (though he also gave us great hope for a good outcome) and that we should persevere in works of mercy, saying, “Hear confessions, calm discord, heal the wounded and the sick, bury the dead, preach resistance. You who are priests, however, beware that you do not strike any of the Turks, nor that you provide or prepare for others any stones or arrows or even weapons to wound or to kill. Let your weapons against the enemies of the cross be prayers, sacrifices, and works of mercy, and the administration of the sacraments. But I do not place any rule on the lay brothers, or otherwise command them, except insofar as God might inspire them.”
But note here, venerable lord, the zeal of this most holy father for the salvation of souls. For when he was hastening upriver, he heard that there were many in a village not very far from the Danube who were fleeing from the Turks. Filled with a divine spirit and contradicting his sailors (for the fear of the Turks was very great), he turned aside to that village. Looking around and searching through the place, he found a certain girl, the daughter of a schismatic, who had been abandoned there. The zealot for souls took her with him and carried her by ship to Slankamen.18 She was baptized, and he found a spiritual father and mother for her; he gave the girl to them to raise and, in time, to arrange her marriage.
But when the brave and troubled captain of God was at Petrovaradin, he sent word to Lord John [Hunyadi] of the ruin and the danger threatening all of the Christian religion. He asked if, given such a great crisis, he wished to assist, for the love of God and the Catholic faith and for his honor. Lord Hunyadi, meanwhile, after the galleys of the Turks had passed, had withdrawn from the town of Kovin, and had maintained his customary and honorable household in a certain secure plain. He was always a great fighter for the Catholic faith, and a fierce defender and governor of the kingdom of Hungary. But he refused to assist for many reasons: because he was hated at the court of the king, and falsely accused of crimes; because none of the barons of the kingdom were moved in the face of such imminent and great danger; because he knew that such great power as the Turks had could not be overcome by unarmed crusaders; and because he himself did not believe he could trust in the crusaders. He was struck with great pain because of all of this, since the Turks would gain all of Hungary through Belgrade, and the city (although it belonged to the crown of the king of Hungary, who had not yet resigned it) was under his care. He had put Lord Michael in charge of the fortress and Lord John the town.19
Besieged by letters and messengers and pleas, however, he came to the blessed father, whom he honored and loved in a remarkable way. After many words (which I don’t care to write out) he finally set everything aside and took up the cause of defending the city. They also agreed that as many men under the cross as could be had, and ships besides, should gather at Slankamen. The blessed father himself also wrote letters, sent brothers, admonished barons, and asked of prelates that all should send as many crusaders as they had, and that they themselves should come. And he himself went to Kalocsa to the most reverend lord archbishop Raphael [Herczég], seeking his aid and bearing word of the great danger. The crusaders were directed, and it was decreed under pain of excommunication, that all should gather at Slankamen. They were given hope of victory and a longing for martyrdom, and word of the same began to spread through all the kingdom. The most reverend lord legate [Carvajal], preparing to come south to aid in the defense of the city, called together those under the sign of the cross. At Buda, where he was then maintaining residence, he inspired his followers to rise against the Turks, made arrangements for provisions, and prepared to make his way down. He also sent the lord bishop of Assisi [Francis Oddi] ahead of him to Petrovaradin, so that he might be more certain of events, and so that others would know he would soon arrive.
The crusaders now began to arrive, as they had agreed. The poor rose up; the rich and the noble sat at home. Rumor flew everywhere; letters were sent. The father, on fire with zeal for the defense of the city and seeing such a grave danger to the Christians there, was so burdened with care that he neither ate nor drank, nor even slept. But at his urging Lord John called together ships from nearby regions, and for ten days those crusaders who were close by made their way to the city.
Meanwhile the Turks besieged the city in a most powerful way. They arranged their greatest cannons in a threefold array, such that each part of the walls of the castle could be leveled by one alone. In between they placed ordinary cannons, and smaller ones for the defense of the larger. The towers were assaulted, the ramparts torn down, and over the course of about ten days almost every wall of the city was knocked to the ground (though the interior towers remained intact) since those frightful stones, with their unique strike, destroyed the better part of each wall, however thick. And the larger cannons were set up and placed in such a way that even a lone boy could turn them at will. They were readied to do their killing by day, and were attended to even by night, as it was said, to launch their stones. And all of the masters who worked them were Italians, Germans, Hungarians, Bosnians, and Slavs. They were most learned, chosen for knowing how to strike accurately with these cannons, as if with ballistae.
Nor were the others absent: those who carried the boulders in carts; those who made round stones from them; others who were in charge of the powder, still others the fire. And they made a great mound of earth in front of their position, so that whether firing or standing down (since their masters worked night and day to prepare them to fire) they would not be harmed by the cannons of the castle. For our part, although by day we could flee at the sounding of the bells to the thresholds of the doorways, or to the shelter of the arches of entryways, gates, and windows, by night we committed ourselves to the divine will, awaiting martyrdom and the sword – or the stones – of the Turks to come down upon us.
Then, reverend father, we began with confession and tears, then spiritual conversation, then sacrifices, then prayers, then we embraced contrition for our sins, then we observed strict silence. Oh holy time! Oh day, full of spiritual sadness! But the castellan was of good spirits, and the camp placed their hope in both Johns. He [Capistrano] came to us frequently and said, “Do not be afraid.”20 Then once, when I was in the church that was in the city,21 celebrating Mass and at the moment of communion, one of the huge stones of the large cannons of the Turks struck the roof of the church. At that moment everyone fled outside, leaving me alone, since I decided, reluctantly, to accept whatever might come, and did not flee with them. Thereafter we set up an altar in the palace and offered our sacrifices and prayers there.
Meanwhile, as the blessed father pressed on with the gathering of those under the cross, look! The galleys of the Turks, coming up most quickly and furiously along the Danube, blocked the crossing of the river. Thus, all hope of reinforcement and rescue was lost, and neither Lord John nor Father John now expected any help. Even though we were fully resolved to embrace martyrdom, all were filled with sadness. No aid could now be had from the Danube. The terror was overwhelming for all.
The galleys spread out across the Danube and revel in their glory. They anchor on the shore, and men disembark from them. They cut down the grain and shake out the chaff, wash the wheat, load down their skiffs, and carry it all back to their camps. Thus, in a few days all of the fields around the Danube, which had been filled with wheat, oats, and barley, were laid bare; all of this could be seen clearly from the city. And after this, the galleys landed about one Italian mile22 upriver, near a certain town called Semlin (this town, it seems, had once been a great city, but now the fires of the Turks had recently reduced it to a village, and after a few days its inhabitants began to flee the Turks). Now the city [Belgrade] is under siege by land and by water, surrounded by Turks on every side. Neither man nor aid could come to it or be carried to it; all hope of any rescue was lost. From among these ships many came downriver quickly against the fortress, or rather against the city,23 and the residents of the city took to their own ships and joined battle with them.
Then that most ornate ship, noted above, made its appearance: full of banners, horns, and noble Turks who mocked the Christians with their actions – as if they were saying, “Now you are in our hands, now your god cannot help you; now you will not escape; now Hungary is ours!” and similar things. Oh, almighty God! There was a certain most frightful stone, shot from one of the great guns across both the fortress and the city, farther than the ones who shot it intended – and it fell right on that ship of mockers and boasters! And soon, with no one able to escape, one part of the ship was underwater; the other part, broken up and about to go under, floated on the surface. The citizens [of Belgrade] quickly sailed out to it, killed all of those who were still alive, and seized all of the banners, clothing, and other things which had not already gone under. Most honorable father, I believe that stone was sent forth by the hand of God, who does not tolerate those who spurn him!
The pious father heard that the cannons were continually battering the fortress, and that the spirit of the Turks was more and more inflamed against it; that their galleys now held the crossing, and there was neither access to the fortress, nor any way to bring supplies or aid to those besieged there, no way to come to their rescue, unless the ships of the Turks should be first driven from the Danube, and the crossing recaptured. He advised Lord John [Hunyadi] that he should bring together as many ships as possible from the surrounding area, and have them brought together at Slankamen, a task for which the aforesaid Lord [John] was free. It was done quickly; for in a very few days almost two hundred ships designated for the task were brought there. And these, with the help of many masters,24 were immediately outfitted with planking for assault and for defense. The ships were also filled with bows, arrows, crossbows, arquebuses, and handguns.25 Stones were gathered, defense works erected, supplies sent in, the elite and the strong among the crusaders gathered together.
Then, after God’s herald [Capistrano] offered a public exhortation on the defense of the Christian faith, the full remission of their sins, and martyrdom, he commanded them to call on and to shout out nothing else but the name of Jesus, both on water and on land. Under cover of night, and not without danger from the Turks, both Johns advised the castellans that on the fourth day of the week to come, that is on the fourteenth day of the month, they should both prepare and deploy the ships and, when the others were seen coming downriver to a given position, they themselves should come upriver with their ships. Immediately [the castellans] brought together forty ships, assigned their command to the citizens [of Belgrade] alone, and ensured that only its citizens should fight on board. For although [Belgrade’s] citizens are schismatics, they are nevertheless bitter enemies of the Turks, indeed courageous, bitter fighters against them, and ones that the Turks fear more than others. They are also most skilled fighters on the water, and do not turn their backs. It was for these reasons that the aforesaid ships were filled with their ranks.
But Lord John [Hunyadi], not trusting in this array of ships great and small, designated one great ship as a kind of director, protector, and helper for all the others, filling her with arms, powder, munitions, and the members of his household. All hope was placed in this ship, in this ship was placed all trust and security. After these things had been arranged, when the established day had come, the greater of these armed ships began to descend boldly on the Turks; not far behind, the great guardian ship followed, as the commander and supporter of the ships that were in the lead. The father, patron of the crusaders, went alongside them on the shore of the Danube, where he could be seen by all and could inspire them with confidence. The nobleman Peter carried his banner eagerly. Lord John, further away, came along with many horses so as to defend the ships by land. When the Turks saw the ships they mocked them because they were so few. They drew themselves together and formed a line by tying their ships together in the manner of a bridge, readying themselves to resist, thinking indeed that they were certain to win the fight. The ships of the city, by now well armed, saw the others coming and began to sail boldly upriver.
Now, as the father, athlete of God, growled within himself, invoking the name of Jesus, the Christians joined battle. But the Lord John, decisively and wisely, turned his attention to ensuring that the Turks would not send any reinforcements from their camps; that they would not jump from their positions on the water to occupy the land, or even flee by land. The Turks resisted the Christians, and one side could not defeat the other. The blessed father, remaining on the shore, waved the banner of the cross in their faces, as if to say, “Behold the cross of the Lord! Be gone, evil powers!” and crying out the most holy name of Jesus in the manner of a most vigorous young man.26 Forty ships came up from the city, and everywhere the Turks were surrounded, everywhere enclosed by ships, everywhere attacked by them. As the Turkish lines were broken and their ships began (against their will) to separate from one another, the two sides joined the fight. Great noises resound; handguns and arquebuses fire on both sides; voices and cries rise to the heavens; they strike one another with swords, blades, and stones; the blessed father prays, hands joined, and eyes raised to heaven, that God himself would see fit to guard his cause, invoking the name of Jesus in aid of the Christians. There was even fervent prayer in the fortress. The galleys of the Turks were now being broken, scattered on the Danube, attacked with crossbows, arquebuses, and springalds.27 And so, for a stretch of five hours, this fierce battle raged on the river.
What more is there to say? When the battle was over, three great galleys of the Turks had been sunk, along with their crews; four captured with all of their munitions and adornments. The remaining ships fled back down the Danube to their earlier position, now holding back, with nearly all of their crews mortally wounded. More than five hundred Turks had drowned. Those ships that remained were so debilitated that they could neither pose a threat to the Christians nor be of use to the Turks. And though the blessed father did not know it, what the Christians gained here by plunder was burned in a great fire so as not to allow the nobility, who had not been involved in the fight, to take it all away. They saved from the flames only two most noble vestments that reached down to the ankles and that were artfully wrought with iron, made for battle. They had been seized by one of the crusaders and thereafter presented to the holy father. He in turn offered them to the most reverend lord legate upon his arrival.
There were also two most noble Turks, survivors of the battle, who (among others) were led before the holy father [Capistrano]. Despite so much persuasion, so many prayers, so much flattery, even so many threats, they refused baptism. So they were sent to Lord John [Hunyadi] as a kind of trophy for the naval victory. When that most bitter enemy of the Turks saw them, he commanded that they be decapitated before his eyes. When someone said to him, “Let us hold them for a few days and afflict them with prison and chains; perhaps they will be baptized,” he responded quickly: “Take their heads off and baptize them after.” And though the Turks argued and said that they wished to hold to the belief of their ancestors, soon their heads were cut off and they died, their bodies left in a faraway field to be devoured by animals and birds. No one accused the great lord of cruelty; rather, he was exalted for his enmity against those who offended the Christian religion. Though he did say they should be baptized after death, he did so jokingly; for he spoke as one who knows a little about the most harsh belief of the Turks, and that they would never convert. By “baptize them,” he meant, cut off their heads and throw them in the Danube. I have said these things, noble father, to excuse the magnificent Lord John.
Here, by the Lord’s favor, the way has been recovered; the Danube has been returned to the Christians. Now hope is given to the besieged; now those who had been in distress rejoice; now those who had been downcast cry out in joy; now the besieged have little fear of the mortars; now the ruined walls of the city can be repaired; now food falls like rain, grain and wine pour down; now hope of escape arrives; and so both the city and the fortress show signs of joy, while the Turks are downcast.
But note here, father, what God (wanting to show that this glorious victory on the Danube had been brought about by his hand, and not by human effort) allowed to happen, by his permission: our great ship, so skillfully prepared, and in which all our human hope was placed, caught fire when the powders of the mortars were set alight through imprudence (or rather by divine judgment). It was entirely burned up and dragged to the shore. The victory over the Turks on the Danube was won without it!
On the Second Victory
Meanwhile the Turks did not cease from assaulting the fortress. Much more intensely than usual, by day and night, they hastened in their work to bring down the walls and the towers. And the innumerable banners that our lord Michael had tied all along the walls of the fortress (set in sight of the Turks so as to weaken their courage) were now shredded by the strikes of the cannons; they fell from the walls and lay on the ground, trampled underfoot. Now the Turks gathered wood and dug up earth, carried chaff, put together dung and ashes, piled up stones and wood, all so that having thoroughly destroyed the walls they would now be able to fill the moat, which was great and wide; and having filled the moat that they might then have free access to the fortress. “Not so the wicked, not so! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.”28 For the cannons, as has been said, had been placed in three locations, so firmly and safely guarded by palisades, ditches, and hills that the whole world, if I may say, could not dislodge them.
But let me return from this little detour I have rightly made, most holy father. Having won the fight on the river, both Johns then entered the fortress with greatest joy. They see the ruined walls, they consider the enormous size of the Turkish army, and what it intends to do. On the holy father’s advice, John [Hunyadi] got ready to make repairs; he is filled with strength and inspired by the words of the father. But on the day in which they entered, when Lord John saw so many Turks walking around outside the fortress, as if they were trying to goad the Christians to fight, he ordered some of his household to take up arms and fight. Among them was one of his closer followers, called Farcas. He came before the father [Capistrano] and asked for his blessing, saying that he wished to obey his lord’s command and fight with the Turks. The father said to him, “Have you confessed?” And when he replied, “I have confessed and taken communion,” the father blessed him. He went out and fought fiercely, killing many Turks, though in the end he himself was killed, and his death was bitter and troubling to his lord. I have recounted this, father, because many enemies of the truth have dared to say that he went out of the fortress to fight with the Turks at the command of the blessed father.29
All who were in the fortress were filled with great joy because of the presence of both Lord John and the blessed father. But it was the blessed father himself who sent forth all who had been signed with the cross, and who brought in new and recent recruits. He also dutifully sent the wounded and the ill to cities upriver, arranging for them to be carried by ship, and hired, for a salary, two hundred Polish crossbowmen, so that the fortress might be guarded more safely. He inspired all to resist; encouraged John [Hunyadi] to repair the walls; consoled the brothers with his words, and enjoyed a brief but cheerful gathering with them. He brought joy to the downcast, assurance to the fearful, certainty to those in doubt. And after he had inspired and taught all, as he had done earlier, and having blessed all, he took me (whom he considered weak) with him and hastened back to Semlin, where the victory had been won. All of the crusaders were supposed to gather there; it was there that the father pitched his tent; there also that Lord John, having repaired the walls, established his camp. This is the place near the Danube and near the fortress, in sight of the Turks who were besieging it.
The blessed Capistrano stayed in this place, calling for, waiting for, and welcoming crusaders from everywhere, even those from distant lands. All of them obeyed the blessed father (and no other!) as their captain, indeed as the vicar of Jesus Christ. No wonder, then, that they were inspired by his preaching and exhortation, that they took the cross from him, and were ready to go with him to suffer captivity or death. And since they saw him leading such an angelic life among the crowd – performing marvelous wonders for the infirm; laying down his life for Christ; embracing those things which are above, not here below; working tirelessly for the liberation of the kingdom while others stood idle – all aspired to obey him; venerated him as an apostle; loved him as one sent to them from heaven in a marvelous way. He was the director, leader, judge, captain, and emperor of all who were signed with the cross.
Certainly it must be noted here, dearest lord, that by way of letters, nuncios, and rumors, all who had been inspired to take up the cross made their way to the blessed father, who had set himself up in the aforesaid place. And they all came in a wonderful, devout, and fervent way, arriving in cohorts from their various regions, lands, and locales, each contingent bearing its own banner. The banners bore the cross on one side, and on the other figures of blessed Father Francis, or of Anthony, or of Louis, or Saint Bernardino, so as to indicate that they had been gathered together as crusaders by one who was an outstanding follower of the Order of Friars Minor; or to indicate that theirs was a crusade only for the poor, and not the rich; or perhaps so as to conform themselves to the banner of their father; or so that by the patronage of these saints those fighting under their banners would be deserving of aid.
Nor did each contingent lack various musical instruments for exciting the spirit. There were tubas, there were horns, there were drums, there were guitars, there were bells in great number; there was a cacophony of sounds more suited to inciting animals than men. There were also two trumpeters with the father at the command of Lord John. Through these instruments our men remained vigilant, swift, and joyful, while the Turks were made fearful and sad. And they only took up their positions after they had first presented themselves for review in procession before the father and received a blessing from him, who as patron of the people assigned to them their place and assigned quarters. And indeed, they came before him so full of joy, so happy, so fervent in spirit, that they seemed to be running not to fight with the most vicious Turks, but to join a dinner party.
Thus, for ten days some sixty thousand crusaders came from everywhere to gather together, all of whom had taken the cross in Hungary, either from the blessed father himself or his Hungarian associates, though among them there were also many Germans, Poles, Slavs, and Bosnians. And among them there was nothing of laziness, nothing of softness, nothing of sexual impurity; there was no drinking, no feasting, no dishonesty, no cohabitation with women; there were no vain words, no games, no theft, no plunder, no backbiting, no murmuring, no whispering, no strife among them. Instead, there was devotion, prayer, and frequent Masses. For although many came to the blessed father’s Mass, each contingent had its own secular priest or religious, from whom each received the sacrament frequently. For there were many priests and religious signed by the cross who frequently sang Mass and the divine office. There was fasting; there was frequent talk of steadfastness in faith; firm intent to pour out blood for the love of Christ; frequent proclamation of the name of Jesus. The piety among them all was great, for many who found themselves without food now lived from begging and alms. Great was the patience among them, great was the peace, and great the concord. And all had the highest degree of obedience, for although many submitted to the blessed father, among themselves they also obeyed one another out of charity. And whether the father sent them into water or into fire, they all obeyed – like novice religious – without any sadness.
To note briefly one example of their prompt obedience: when the father cried out, all cried out; when the father lifted his hands, or extended them out in the form of a cross and held them there while praying, they did the same; when the father raised his banner, they all raised their banners; when the father walked, they also walked; and all happily followed the banner of the holy father himself. Indeed, he upheld the rigor of justice to the highest degree, and he allowed no wrong to go unpunished. For although each contingent or people had its own leader, every case was referred to the father himself as if to an impartial judge. And when someone happened publicly to commit some infamous crime, he was punished publicly, according to an impartial judgment, so as to set an example for others.
When one among them happened to have stolen something of little value, soon thereafter, late at night, there was a sermon, and his right ear was cut off. Another, after the crossing of the Danube had been recovered, sold bread at a higher price than usual. As soon as it came to the notice of the crusaders, all of his bread was thrown in the Danube. And if I and another friar (called Georgio) had not rescued him and taken him to safety, they would have drowned him. Instead, he was beaten with the most severe blows. Moreover, the crusaders wanted nothing to be done within their ranks that might distract their spirits from divine worship. “We came to shed blood,” they said, “and we have a holy, just, and pious leader; how then are we to commit such evil deeds?” There was a miraculous charity toward God, in that they were prepared to lay down their lives for his honor; and also toward each other, through service, through mutual obedience, in learning of doctrine, and in mutual defense. And in all of this the dictum of Ecclesiastes was proven true: “As the people’s judge is, so are his officials; as the ruler of the city is, so are all its inhabitants.”30 For the father was leader and judge of all the crusaders.
When some sixty thousand crusaders had arrived, and as they continued to arrive daily in their various contingents, the herald of God preached to them the way of salvation, exhorted them to martyrdom, to courage, and to the defense of the Christian religion. And with the voice of a herald he commanded all of them, whether they were coming or going, striking or being struck, that they should often call on and cry out the name of Jesus. The man of God affirmed that there was no salvation in anything else but this most holy name. He commanded them to fight manfully with the enemies of Christ, and to take no part in robbery or plunder. He proclaimed that everything was to be set on fire, and that anything they captured, except those things taken for self-defense, was to be considered stolen. Indeed, the leader of the camp said this:
Keep your hands clean from plunder; fight against the enemies of Christ; drive them out; do not allow them to occupy Christendom. We will be easily conquered if we insist on plunder alone; we will be overwhelmed by the Turks if we pursue them in the name of plunder. God will deliver them into our hands, and all their goods will be ours. Fight manfully in the name of Christ, and you will see God’s aid come to us. When we overcome them, whatever they have brought against us will be ours. Be strong in war and fight against the ancient serpent, and you will gain the eternal kingdom.31 Confess your sins; the holy pontiff grants you full remission. Oh my sons and most devout Hungarians! Oh poor ones! To the Turk!
The patron of the people said these things often, and other things like them. He admonished them, moreover, that they should disturb none but the Turks. “All who wish to come to our aid against the Turks,” he said, “are our friends. Serbians, schismatics, Wallachians, Jews, heretics, and whatsoever infidels who wish to fight with us in this storm, let us embrace them as friends. The fight now is against the Turks, against the Turks.” And so the father, inquisitor general of heretical depravity, although one who had always persecuted, uprooted, and confounded these kinds of people most severely, now refused to make any trouble for them as long as they took up arms against the Turks. He also made them proclaim the name of Jesus as often as possible. All these things he did in the open field, with the Turks looking on and listening in from their camps and siege positions.
Moreover, most fervent herald, it must be noted that although such a great crowd came together in this place, no baron appeared there apart from the illustrious and distinguished Lord John the governor of the kingdom, along with his household; for he had not yet reinforced the army – with God and his angels as my witness, I am not lying about these things – although some of his subjects and vassals and nobles remained with the army at that time. But his counsel and aid alone were enough to take the place of all the others. The distinguished baron Lord John Korogh (perpetual Count of Cassellis and the ban of Macsó, also Count of Vrbas and of Pozsega) offered aid. He came with many knights, since Belgrade was under his ban.32 Here he proved himself a man of great fervor, of wise counsel, and great discretion and devotion.
Regarding the nobles and vassals, although many had been signed with the mark of the cross, since it is the custom in Hungary for those under the authority of a lord to go out to battle while the lords themselves do not, none of them came; or to say it more accurately, very few of them appeared. Rather, all who came were commoners, rustics, paupers, priests, secular clerics, students, monks, brothers of various orders, mendicants, those from the Third Order of Saint Francis, hermits. Among them hardly any weapons could be seen, unless among the vassals. We saw no horses there except those used to carry supplies, and no lances. Those who appeared covered in armor looked like David armed by Saul against Goliath. They were fully armed with swords, clubs, slings, and staves like those that shepherds usually carry, and they all had shields. They had among them crossbows, bows, arquebuses, lead-ball springalds, iron hooks for grappling.33 Oh, if you could have seen a certain prior of the Order of Hermits34 with seven brothers of his convent, burning with the zeal of the faith and love of the martyrs, wearing armor under their habits, girded with swords, protected with helmets, and shields across their shoulders, running to martyrdom – father, you would have wept for devotion! And as has so often been said, the leader and director of them all was the blessed father, like a second Moses or a second Joshua. Oh, if only Your Paternity could have seen so many of these men arrive – so well-equipped, some of them singing, some of them saying the Pater noster, others begging – you would have indeed judged them to be armed by the grace of the Holy Spirit and the zeal of martyrdom!
Meanwhile the Turks did not cease from besieging and leveling the fortress. They now began to fear, as we later learned from the Turks themselves, when from their camps they saw the crusaders begin to come together. They saw not the few and the poor, not the unarmed, but the whole world, resplendent and armed with every kind of weapon, now united against them. They thought that the father himself was the emperor of the whole world. Oh God, how the Turks were struck down with fear! They now worked all the more quickly to destroy the fortress, and they pretended to be joyful from time to time in order to strike fear in the Christians.
One night, trying to frighten the Christians, though in fear themselves, they built many large fires throughout their camps. In doing so they tried to show that because they had destroyed the walls of the fortress, they would be victorious. On another night, the captain of God then commanded that many fires be lit in his camps. The people obeyed and lit so many and various fires that when they had been lit in various places the whole great plain of the Christian camps seemed like one great fire. The man of God then turned to the Great Turk and said: “Greatest dog! You wanted to frighten us with your fires; by fire you will now be terrified, by fire expelled, by fire you will flee!” – as if he were able to tell the future. In this way he comforted the people and persuaded everyone that they should not say “emperor of the Turks,” but “greatest dog,” and took it poorly if he was called by any other name.
Then on the following night the sounds of various instruments could be heard in the camp of the Turks, with such joy that it seemed they were on the verge of victory rather than defeat. Then the commander of the crusaders, inflamed with holy envy, ordered with a herald’s cry that everyone in the camp should have an instrument to play – or rather, to terrify; that after midnight they should play, and terrify, and keep watch until the morning. Those who did not have instruments were to make their own enormous and most frightful noises by striking mightily on their shields and pole arms with sticks and stones, and they did not forget their slings. With the light of day, all of the army then lifted their banners in the sight of the Turks, and shouted with joy and delight. And so it was not some little crowd that was seen there, but rather what seemed like all the world, spending a sleepless night making sounds and noises with different and varied kinds of instruments, and with loudest acclamations of the name of Jesus Christ.
When the day had become bright, at the command of the man of God they lifted their banners before the eyes of the Turks and sounded their flutes. Some sang, some cried out, others led dances, others lifted their hands to heaven with cries and jumped about. In doing so they softened the boldness of the Turks, struck fear into their hearts, and showed contempt for their pride. When the Turks saw and heard these things, they suggested to their emperor that he should retreat, saying, “Let us withdraw, since it seems that the whole world comes to the aid of the Christians, and as we can see, they mock our power.” But that most savage dog, fired with greater and greater anger and fury against the Christians, commanded – more fiercely than was his custom – that the bombardments continue, and that the task of leveling the walls to the ground should be hastened. He commanded that underground tunnels be made, and that the earth removed from them should be hauled out and placed alongside the moats, so that on the established day the moats could be filled to allow them a level path and free access to the fortress.
And here it must be noted, most illustrious elder, that in these nine days after the naval victory, when the blessed father was in this place with the crusaders, as has been said, he often went into the fortress. He sent the weak, the timid, the sick, the wounded, and the poor away; and if any died, he had them buried. He also led into the fortress new crusading troops, lively and strong and resolute, whom Lord Michael recommended. He preached to them, as to the others before, to guard the fortress, to embrace martyrdom, and to remain steadfast. And having properly arranged affairs in the fortress, he always returned to the [crusader] army.
What kind of army he had in his camps can be surmised from this: that he did not eat; that if he happened to find an occasion to rest, the naked ground served as a bed for his weakened little body; that if he was thirsty, he drank either wine made scalding hot by the sun and mixed with muddy and stinking water, or water alone. He did not sleep. And although he was seventy years old, in his labors, his vigils, in the evils he suffered, he was like the strongest of young men. By turns he went into the fortress and came out of it; by turns he taught, admonished, encouraged, corrected, commanded. It was also his duty to watch over the people both in and beyond the fortress, to post guards, to set watches, and to send scouts. He had so many labors, hardships, worries, and cares that there was no strong young man, especially in these times, who could keep up with him. Not even the knights could match him in such great labors. The strongest and most experienced failed in their efforts.
What more? Lord John the governor, seeing him burdened with such great labor, and seeing that so many cares weighed him down, gave him a horse better than any other as a gift. Within a few days, it was so exhausted by its incessant labor that it collapsed, skinned raw, in the middle of the crowd, not without inspiring great astonishment and compassion among them all. And although he too should have been worn out by such incessant labor, as the days wore on, he only seemed to grow stronger. He celebrated Mass every day, and with their collects: “Do not despise your people, Lord, etc.” as in the missal, Pro quacunque tribulatione; or “Crush, Oh Lord, we beseech thee, the pride of our enemies,” as in Contra persecutores et male agentes; or “The Holy Spirit, most pious God, in whose hands, etc.” as in Contra paganos.35 He also exhorted the people in the same spirit, as noted above. Oh father, consumed with age, yet most unwearied! Oh blessed man, worthy of being followed with all honor and reverence! Oh athlete of Christ, conquered by no task! Though you are failing with age, yet you do not grow old in your constant labor! In you is love, in you hope, and in you the strongest trust; in you an inexplicable faith, in you the zeal for martyrdom, in you shines forth that most ardent fervor, which shows us the way.
Lord John stood strong with Lord Michael. And whatever the Turks’ siege engines destroyed in the night, they repaired the next day. He was busied each day with repairs, spent sleepless nights in his tent, and worked tirelessly to save the fortress. And however many crusaders were needed for the defense of the fortress, he made it known to the holy father either personally or through an emissary. Meanwhile the father gathered defenders and led them into the fortress by way of the Danube or the back gate of the fortress. In this way the fortress was saved in these days. But Lord John, even as he continued to work to repair the destroyed walls, believed along with Lord Michael that the fortress would soon fall into the hands of the enemy, and he told the blessed father so. The father, knowing what would come, assuaged his fears and offered hope of victory and liberation; moreover, he exhorted him to continue the work of repairs, saying, “Do not fear, noble lord! God is able to liberate his people,” and similar things.
It must be noted here that in these days the reverend lord legate [Carvajal] sent letters to both Johns from Buda. In them he announced that they should under no circumstances join in battle with the Turks, since he himself was about to move south with great force. His concern, namely, was for so many, unarmed and unaccustomed to war, that were said to be gathered there; he feared that all would fall into the hands of the Turks. It is certainly reasonable, and with good reason it was thought at the time that two things should happen: that is, the movement [of troops] south should be made quickly, and that it should be done with a strong hand. (I would add a third: that the Turks not begin an assault, and of course not enter the fortress. But since, etc. therefore, etc.)36 It is for this reason, father, that the detractors of the blessed father argue he was disobedient, insofar as he attacked the Turks by divine impulse. Oh! If the crusaders had been conquered, what these barking dogs would say against this most obedient father! But these people do not take note that it was only by the diligence, prayer, preaching, encouragement, and labors of such a father that all of Christendom has been liberated. Certainly, the most reverend lord legate is owed obedience as much as the holy pontiff. But because he [Capistrano] was provoked by God and by the Turks, God allowed his case to be made, as is explained below.37
Now to return to my purpose: when the blessed father heard from Lord John about the preparations of the Turks, and that the Turks would soon obtain the fortress, he still sought to extend charity even toward his enemy. Moved by divine spirit, he gathered together a very few crusaders and went alone with a Hungarian friar, Brother Francis, Brother Ambrose [of Aquila], and Brother Alexander of Ragusa. He went to the Sava and, standing on the bank of the river, alongside a small boat, he cried out with a mighty voice, speaking through an interpreter to the Turks who stood across the river: “Oh, enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ! Send word to your great dog that he should reconsider his most evil intention, retreat, and abandon this fortress. And that if he does not do so, the hand of the Lord will soon be upon him, and he will be torn by a twofold sorrow: that of defeat and damnation, the likes of which Christians have never seen!” These words were said on the day before the vigil of the glorious Magdalene.38 On that day, when the Turkish bombardiers saw him returning by way of the plain, immediately they sought to kill him with the stones of the larger cannons. But the servant of God returned to the Christian camp and did so joyfully. And although he said these words in a way that foretold the future, he nevertheless did not intend to engage in warfare with the Turks, unless God should otherwise dispose, both because of the letters of the lord legate (which, as has been said, he sought to obey) and also because it was thought rash (by human judgment) to deliver such a multitude of people into the hands of the more numerous Turks.
By now every wall had been leveled to the ground, and the great tower, though like lead, had been cut in two. This was the tower where they kept watch and sent out warning signals for incoming rounds, from which they mocked the great dog by shouting words through a kind of great horn, and from which they inflicted great loss on the Turkish camp; in fact, in my presence a certain priest and chaplain of the fortress killed seven Turks with three rounds from a springald. Now the most cruel Turks resolved among themselves to capture the besieged fortress with all of their power. They announced that those who first entered would receive great gifts, the second and third smaller prizes, and so on, and they resolved to do it quickly. They saw the army of the Christians growing and (as has been said) it seemed to them that the whole world was coming together there against them. Thus, they armed themselves, so that on the following day, that is, on the vigil of the holy Magdalene, it would be done; and yet those miserable ones did not think of the fact that in arming themselves to take the fortress they were readying themselves for death, confusion, and defeat.
Now the cannons and handguns fell silent; now the enemy ran anxiously throughout the camp. Seeing and considering these things, Lord John abandoned the repair of the walls and, quite exhausted from the night before, came to the blessed father, saying: “Oh! Behold, father! We are conquered; we will indeed yield to the Turks. Many times now I have brought news of our victories over them, and I have worn them down not with a great number of soldiers, not with the strength of warriors, but through industrious talent, wise effort, and cunning attention to detail – and I know well their ways of war. But now I have no genius, no effort, and no attention to detail left to use against them, and I have no plan left for either offense or defense. I have done what I could. Now I have nothing at all left, and there is no longer any way of defending the fortress. It can no longer be repaired; its walls and towers are destroyed, and the way is open for the Turks. We are so few against such a great multitude, and we have inexperienced men – poor, weak, and timid; the barons [to fight] only when they arrive. What more can we do?” To which the father responded with words of consolation, “Do not fear, noble lord! God is able to overwhelm the power of the Turks with the few and the unarmed, to defend our fortress and to defeat his enemies,” and similar things. But almighty God wanted the stern and noble Lord John to say these things so as to show that the wondrous works of God cannot be comprehended by human power, experience, or wisdom; and that the hidden judgments of God cannot be known, because they are a great abyss. God himself wished that through these words it would be made clear that the future and excellent miracle would appear more clearly, certainly, and wonderfully to mortal minds, and that a thing which would be done by the right hand of God, not man, would be seen as the result of divine power.
John [Hunyadi] no longer came into the fortress, but a number of his followers remained behind to defend it. He himself said, “Tomorrow, indeed, the fortress will no longer be ours; the Turks will take possession of it.” When the father heard and understood this, he said joyfully “Do not fear! It will still be ours,” often repeating that “God’s cause will be advanced, the name of Christ will be defended; I am certain that God will take good care of his cause.” Oh, most confident father! Who does not shower him with praise and acclaim? He then summoned, strongly, four thousand of the crusaders, and especially those who seemed stronger, more spirited, more faithful, and better armed. He reviewed them, and led them into the fortress, with his banner going before them. And no wonder they followed the banner of the blessed man with such joy, so much that it seemed they went forth not to shed their blood and to die, but as if they were servants who had been invited to a meal, or to receive great wealth. And so it was indeed, since earthly things were exchanged for heavenly things, and bodily for eternal things. When the blessed father led them there, both the citadel and the city met them willingly and with great joy. Everyone was also filled with great fear, but the father exhorted everyone to diligent watchfulness, to martyrdom, to defense, to perseverance, and to fidelity, as he was accustomed to do before, but now even more fervently, asserting that the Turks were now about to join battle and to besiege the fortress with clever tactics. “Therefore,” he said, “fight manfully, be strong, and obey the commands of the castellan Lord Michael.” He then sent away the weak, the wounded, the timid, and the useless. Those who were ill he sent to the cities to the north to be cared for, as it had been earlier. Those who remained he commanded to invoke and cry out the name of Jesus, preaching to them in the power of this most holy name that the Christians would indeed have victory over the Turks.
With all that he had, he inspired Lord Michael through exhortation and preaching. He then entrusted the crusaders to him, directing him to assign and establish them in the proper defensive positions. Lord Michael himself was a stern man, well experienced in arms, a spirited warrior who for many reasons was a most fierce defender and champion of the fortress – by reason of his Christian faith; by reason of his kingdom; by reason of his close ties to Lord John (whose wife, Lady Elizabeth, was Michael’s sister) – as well as by reason of his own honor and fame.
As has been said, Lord [Sesch] was also there, a most noble knight and a man distinguished for his talent, cunning, and instinct.39 But the father also left behind five brothers whom he commanded, as before, to continue to do works of mercy and to accept martyrdom quickly should it come to pass, since the time of its crown was close at hand. When he had properly ordered all of these affairs, he offered a blessing to the city, and to everyone in it. He then proclaimed the name of Jesus publicly and loudly, and with his banner going before him he returned safely and happily to the army of the Christians that was waiting on the nearby plain. All the while his hope remained in the one who does not abandon those who trust in him.
It was on that day as well that women made their way from the city to the citadel, especially the stronger women and the virgins, so that they would not be taken captive and given as gifts or abducted along with the others. In their judgment, they would be safer in the citadel than in the city, by virtue of both the protection of the crusaders as well as the presence of the friars, and also because they did not believe that the citadel, which the holy father had strengthened with so many defenders, would fall easily into the hands of the Turks.
And no one should wonder, most distinguished lord, that the blessed father wanted to stay that night in the camp. For since the great army obeyed none but him, he drew from those who were stationed outside and deployed them among those who would guard from within, as needed. He also knew that the great army was disordered and ignorant, constantly in need of a teacher and a leader, especially since in his absence (the one, as has been said, to whom they referred all judgments) any quarrels that might arise among them would become a scandal for the crusade. Moreover, he had been present for those in the camp both in spirit and prayer as well as in body, aiding them through prayer, correcting them, and reining them in by his most pleasant commands. For he said to them fervently, “Oh Lord, save thy people.”40
Around the third hour of this vigil the Turks prepared for the main fight to take the castle.41 As was their custom, they sent up prayers and poured out petitions to their devil Mahumeth. Then, after sounding their various instruments, they cried out as loudly as they could, with sounds more like the lowing of cattle than human voices. In the camp of the Christians, on the contrary, there was the singing of songs with acclamations of the name of Jesus, with banners lifted high. Then in the fortress there was also the loudest of cries, and the crusaders deployed themselves on the walls of the ruins, readying themselves to give their lives for Christ and to stand their ground until they either died for Christ or saw their fortress liberated from their enemies.
Finally, around the hour of vespers on the same day,42 by squads and with great cries the Turks rushed the castle from all sides like bees, running like roaring lions ready to pounce on their prey, one after the other, so that they could attack with the others who waited behind. And so the Turks reach the moats.43 Some throw in bundles of wood, others straw, some throw in earth, others manure, some ashes, others place beams and timber. There are even many who come up from underground tunnels, starved, like rapacious and hungry wolves, to bring down the walls. In this way they tried to fill the moats and gain access to the fortress. But the crusaders held their positions on the wall, and at the orders of the castellan, fought back with handguns, cannons, arquebuses, and crossbows, wounding and killing many of the Turks. And though many were killed by the Turks, the Christians were not able to stop them from filling the moat about halfway (though not yet all the way to the top).
Thus, the Turks joined battle amid the ruins of the walls, and filled the moat like so many innumerable ants. They shot arrows and handguns; others threw stones and rocks by hand; others dug out the earth or excavated hidden tunnels, while still others lowered beams across the ruins. Some tried to climb the walls, while others sought to strike the Christians with lances, javelins, or terrible swords. Archers, too, stood at some distance and never ceased to launch their arrows, wonderfully crafted, against the Christians, some casting two, even three arrows at a time from one bow, such that the air seemed clouded with arrows. And thus, the most hostile Turks struggled bitterly in the fight to enter the castle all the way to the first hour of the night; and many of them were killed or mortally wounded by the Christians through arrows and other weapons, as noted above.
As for the Christians, while they were on the walls and ramparts few of them fell, since they stood above the Turks and could only be attacked by stones. But when the walls were gone the Turks rushed in, not without great loss to their own ranks, and surrounded the fortress closely on all sides. They fought harshly and closely with the Christians, and after killing many of them gained entrance to the fortress. Some of the city’s defenders were wounded; others, protected by the name of Christ, remained uninjured, and rushed upon the enemy, invoking the name of Jesus. Many Turks were killed and were forced into a confused retreat. The cry among those who were in the fight was great; those outside called on the name of the devil Muhammad, those inside cried out the name of Christ. The father stood amid the crusaders like a second Moses, praying and speaking: “Lord, save your people,” and similar things. The people stood and prayed with him. But the Lord John, as has been said, was quite convinced that the fortress would soon fall – and in truth, at least by human judgment, he was right to think so.
They tried a third attack around midnight on the vigil of the most blessed Magdalene. All of them arrive with their various instruments and machines, surround the fortress on all sides, engage in the fiercest of fights, and do not fear death; these Turkish fighters, who now seem infinite in number, long to be struck down. The Christians resist, and they, too, long to be struck down and to die for Christ. They drive back the Turks, break the Turks with stones, do not cease from pressing the Turks. And coming repeatedly to their aid were women, who seemed to be not human but like lionesses, for they were armed, and carried themselves in a certain distinguished, manly way. They aided those in the fight by providing arrows, stones, and other instruments of war. They inspired the men, whether attacking or defending. They also carried the wounded down from the walls and into the castle, using their hands and their teeth to pull out the metal of the arrows. These women appeared often, engaged for long hours in this warlike work. They did not move about in the way typical of women; rather, they pressed on about their business in the fortress with manly strength. And no wonder, since “necessity makes for good soldiers.”44 For in such business they defended the modesty, chastity, and virginity they feared to lose, because they knew the ways of the Turks. Meanwhile the friars within the castle, for their part, focused all the more fervently on their prayers.
And because the Christians, continuously engaged in the fight, could resist no longer – worn out now through labor, sleepless nights, and hunger, exhausted and afflicted by all of these things; many among them killed in the fighting, and all of them rendered weak – the Turks again came in waves (though many were struck and killed) and began to enter and to occupy the castle – or rather the field – of the outer castle.45 Here it must be noted, though it is difficult, that the fortress of Belgrade (as Your Paternity knows) has a three-part structure.46 The first consists of a great outer wall enclosing a plain, where there are many dwellings for noblemen. The walls of this outer fortress were destroyed. And since the approach (or the descent) to the city is from here, as well as the approach to the two inner fortresses (without which nobody can occupy the others) the Turks fought to take this position, to enter here, and to occupy the plain. The second is small, but it is extremely well fortified and sits beside the first, guarded with great ditches and difficult towers and ramparts, to which there is no access from the broader plain except through one gate with a drawbridge.47 And here is that tower called “Do Not Fear,” which was noted above.48 It is here that the royal lodgings are found, as if it were the most secure of places. Here are also high windows facing the city, as well as the rear gate, through which there is a way down to the city and also access to the Danube. Here were the books of the blessed father, the relics, and here the larger cannons. Were the citadel to be captured, the people could be saved through this gate; and through this gate, if the city were not taken, reinforcements could be sent to the besieged. Here the brothers made their stand, and here they stood guard over all things.
The walls of the first fortress had been flattened to the ground, though some portions of the towers still stood in ruins. The towers of the second fortress, though badly damaged by the blows of the cannons, had nevertheless not fallen.49 The Turks now stormed into this outer plain, with great slaughter from their strike. Yet the Christians did not retreat from their assigned positions; although they were more spread out than usual as the Turks poured in, they did not hold back from slaughtering and brutally massacring them. Now there are around seven hundred Turks on the outer plain, some of them wounded, others paralyzed by fear because they could not move forward without death raining down from above. But they now believe they have taken the outer fortress; they fix five of their banners on the ruins of the walls; they encourage those who remain outside, and cry loudly. The Christians do not retreat, but resist manfully and hold on in the fight, impeding the Turks’ entrance as they are able. They do not stop striking them and cutting them down.
When Lord Michael and the other nobles and followers of Lord John saw all of this, they arranged to have all the goods in the interior fortress loaded into boats, sought to save themselves by way of the back gate of the citadel, and fought to make their way to safety. The guards stopped protecting us; knights fled; vassals made their way to the Danube; and those to whom the gates were not accessible for escape willingly jumped from the highest windows. The women who with such great labor had fled there from the outer fortress now stood firm, their locks of hair resolute: “Alas,” they said, “we fled the Turks, and now we will fall into the hands of the Turks.” Meanwhile the friars, praying on bended knees and with covered faces, awaited martyrdom. So now it was only the crusaders inside who held and protected Christ. The number of Turks on the outer plain began to grow, although many were killed by the Christians as they entered. But the lord John, hearing that the Turks had begun to enter the fortress and that it would now be lost, was disturbed and saddened. He said to the blessed father: “Alas, now the fortress is lost; now the Turks, as I have always said they would, are taking hold of it!” But the father comforted him and retreated in silence. Again he chose several thousand crusaders from among the people and led them with him right away, entering the fortress through the [rear] gate. Returning to the army he placed all of them at the ready and commanded them to watch and to pray; he himself also commended the cause of God to God himself, through both silent and verbal prayer.
But as the Turks grew in number on the outer plain, and when they saw the citadel held only by unarmed commoners, believing they could now capture it, they rushed the drawbridge (which had not yet been raised) so that they could capture the inner fortress.50 There was no other way to approach it without violence other than by way of the bridge. The crusaders stood their ground inside, especially those whom the holy father had just recently led in, and resisted mightily. At this bridge, the fiercest of fights was now joined, the greatest of battles. The Turks struggled to take it, the Christians to guard it fiercely, and indeed to be killed by the Turks in defending it – because if the Turks were to obtain this bridge, without doubt they would be victorious indeed.
As dawn approached, when the crusaders who remained along the circuit of the outer fortress saw and heard of the bitter fight at the drawbridge; that there was such a great force of Turks now in the outer plain; that the moat now seemed completely filled with Turks; and the number of invaders was constantly growing, they feared that they would be able to resist no longer. Led inwardly by the Holy Spirit, they began to take countless bundles of timbers, branches, vines, and other flammable things, to set them alight with sulfur, and to cast them – as if with one hand, as if every bundle were held in one hand – onto the Turks, both those standing in the moat as well as those climbing through the ruins. Oh, God! None could flee from the face of the fire; all who were in the moat, a number that could hardly be counted, were consumed by flame, and not one of them remained alive. Those who were about to descend into the moat all retreated in fear. But those who were already in the fortress and who were struggling so mightily to take the drawbridge, seeing that they were now surrounded on all sides by such walls of flame, abandoned the fight. Terrified, and with great cries, they rushed to escape the fortress. Some, struck by a certain fear and blindness and confusion, believed that they could escape by leaping off the walls; they jumped into the fire, and were consumed there. Others, who feared to make the jump, were miserably cut down by the crusaders in the outer plain. But those who had not yet descended into the moat, those who manned the diabolical instruments for the attackers, gave a great bellow to the heavens and ran in retreat back to the positions of the cannons, as if they were the safest of strongholds.
As the Turks saw all of these things unfold, all of their camps were struck with sorrow; their audacity crushed; their pride cast down. Now there are not a few who begin to say among themselves, “Let us fall back, because the god of the Christians fights for them.” They are mired in confusion and struck by fear. Nor are they singing now or calling out. They are keeping silent, and their trumpets and other instruments cannot be heard. Oh, father and elder! Where do we think that fire came from, unless from the bosom of our great God at the intercession of the blessed father [Capistrano], who was one with his people in praying without ceasing, asking God to uphold their cause and to save his people? Who does not believe that glorious Mary Magdalene was there on the ruins of the walls to aid the Christians in casting the fire? Who doubts that you were the defender of this cause against its enemies, you who after your conversion were such a sweet disciple, and who were worthy of receiving such blessings, oh most blessed father John of Capistrano? Was it not your ministry, your industry, your work, your command, and your prayer that did all of these things? Who could be tempted by such a satanic suggestion that they would dare detract from your sanctity, or bury you in their own fictions? It is only to fulfill what is said through the prophet: “The wicked (that is, the detractor and the envious one) watches the just (or just deeds, virtues, etc.), and seeks to put him to death (that is, to afflict with pain)”; but God does not allow it. He says, “The just shall be in everlasting remembrance,” etc., and Proverbs 10: “The memory of the just is with praises.”51
This glorious liberation of the fortress and this naval victory, beyond all human understanding, prudence, and reason, was accomplished by God alone, reverend lord! And all the world is compelled to acknowledge the virtue of the most blessed father, through whose happy prudence, skill, care, persuasion, confidence, and most fervent prayer it happened that Hungary and the other nations of Christendom were liberated from the Turks. For if that fortress had fallen into their hands, without doubt they would have first taken Hungary, and then other nations.
Now there is great joy in the fortress and in the camps of the Christians. Those who had left returned. Michael took heart, and others embraced their resolve and strength anew. Those who were sad now rejoiced; now there is joy where before there was fear; now the women who had been lost in fear rejoiced, while the brothers gave thanks to God. In the growing light of the new day, oh most noble elder, we could see the Turks burned and slaughtered, blood splattered everywhere. Indeed, the moats were full of piles of Turkish bodies. In only a small area you could see many Turks charred by fire, and indeed there was no easy way to approach or cross for all of the bodies. Among the Turks the powerful, the brave, the noble Turks were all dead indeed. But among the Christians hardly sixty won the crown of martyrdom for Christ, with many more struck and wounded. And no wonder: they had fought so bitterly, resolutely, tirelessly with the Turks, these unarmed, inexperienced ones; to those who are of sound mind, it is only because they were guarded from above (which is miraculous) that they were not killed. They themselves were the walls, the towers, the bulwarks. Oh, most glorious father! If you could have seen the multitude of arrows that they shot, so skillfully, in the fight against the Turks! Indeed, the whole outer suburb of the fortress was so filled with arrows that you could not walk without stepping on them. For the women as well as the others gathering them made quite a number of bundles, as they are accustomed to do when collecting small reeds into larger sheaves. The walls, or rather the ruins of the walls, were so stuck with arrows, and so thickly, that you would think it had been done on purpose. Trunks, beams, and other wooden objects were sticking out in countless numbers. I will say nothing of the other machines of war, which could not be counted.
On the Third Victory
Your Paternity has now heard the story of the liberation of the fortress, and the victory brought about there by divine intervention. I have perhaps told the story in a more verbose way than Your Paternity might have desired. But I have omitted many things, and I have only touched on those things which without doubt are lacking, and which others might have reported in a confused or inconsistent way, so that Your Paternity might avoid any disdain and have what you asked of me. I now come to the victory over the Turks beyond the fortress, in the great field. In this victory the omnipotence of God will appear much more marvelous than in the first two, and in it will be revealed the power of the most holy name of Jesus and of the holy cross, as well as how much favor the oft-mentioned blessed John of Capistrano (through whose ministry all of these things came about) found with God.
But here it must be noted that after the liberation of the fortress, so wondrously brought about by divine intervention, very early in the morning Lord John [Hunyadi] entered the fortress. He was filled with amazement and admiration and considered the events to mark the liberation of all of Hungary. He also considered them to be to the glory and honor of God, and an enhancement of the reputation, praise, and merit of the blessed father. But because he was afraid that this moment of honor could be turned into one of confusion and fear, like a good governor and defender of the kingdom he directed Lord Michael that no one should be allowed to leave the fortress and move against the Turks. He also commanded the sailors that they should carry no one across the Danube or the Sava. The fear, as has been said, was that such a great crowd of unarmed and inexperienced people should be destroyed by the Turks, who were now driven by anger and desperation. All believed as well that the Turks would soon return to the fortress once more and try to conquer it. Oh, man resisting with all prudence! Oh, man full of shrewdness! For in order to defeat the Turks, he did not wish to lose Christians. But in this case, in a way beyond human understanding, by divine will, things turned out differently. Instructing Lord Michael to guard the fortress diligently, he put on armor and with two men set out in a small boat and moved now on the Danube, now on the Sava. Here he was scouting out the extent to which these might be blockaded, thinking it would be safer for him on the water than in the fortress, even as all the crusaders believed he would remain in the fortress to arrange a response against the Turks.
Meanwhile, the most blessed captain [Capistrano] came with all the army of crusaders, with all of their banners raised, and his banner going before them, not without various sounds and noises and the loudest acclamations of the name of Jesus. And all took up positions in the field by the Sava and the Danube, precisely where the Sava enters the Danube. Here they fixed their banners, shouted insults at the Turks. The Turks were mocked by the Christians, and a great terror took hold of the Turks. Although their cannons were at this point still in their possession, since we were so close to them they stood still, as if there was peace between them and us; but the Christians did not stand still, nor did they keep silent.
Meanwhile outside the fortress some crusaders were seen armed with bows and arrows. A great multitude of Turks rushed against them on horseback with lances lowered; the crusaders, however, standing on a certain mound of earth, drew their bows and repelled the Turks with volleys of arrows. The Turks, turning their backs to the blows of the arrows, returned to their lines pierced and defeated. Others attacked to cries of the name of Jesus, which the most blessed father made and to which all responded. They [the Turks] either fell from their horses or their lances fell from their hands, or the horses themselves fell prostrate to the ground. And no wonder, since at this name, “every knee shall bow,” according to the Apostle.52 Most glorious father! The acclamation of this most holy name was so great that when all responded at once to the voice of the blessed father, it seemed like the sound of thunder. Many more now went out, without the knowledge of the castellan, and when the Turks came near them, they were not only unharmed by the Turks but indeed seemed to walk unharmed before their eyes. They went forth boldly, as if they had weapons before them, and they remained unharmed, like angels, although they appeared as men. Who doubts that they were indeed angels showing the Christians the victory that they would have over the Turks, and on that day drawing them into the fight with the Turks?
But the blessed father, commander of the people, looked out on these things and, while burning for martyrdom in a marvelous way, said, “This is the day of victory we have been waiting for; let us cross over and go up! Do not fear the Turkish people since we can devour them like bread!” What else should we think, noble elder, but that a voice spoke divinely to him – the same one which Gideon heard, that is, “The Lord is with you, strongest of men. Go, and in that strength and faith of yours, you will save Israel, and the Christian people, out of Midian’s hand,” that is, of the Great Turk.53 And when he doubted, in humility, because of the paucity and inexperience of his fighters, Gideon heard, “Do not fear; I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites as one.”54 And so the father took with him two brothers as well as the nobleman Peter as his standard-bearer, and had two sailors carry him on a small ship across the Sava to the opposite shore, where the Turks were positioned.
Here, most religious father, a most astonishing miracle must be noted: when the father had made it part of the way across the river with the two friars (that is, John of Tagliacozzo and Ambrose of Aquila) it seemed to the Turks that an innumerable multitude of soldiers was moving against them, even though it was in reality only six people: the father himself and the two friars, the standard-bearer, and two sailors. For although there were many friars present in the camp, none had crossed over with the father. The aforementioned Brother Alexander of Ragusa was there, and to him the father said, “Wait here and take care of the equipment,” etc. There were also others from Hungary, who did not cross over.
One might wonder why the army of the Christians did not follow its prince and its captain in crossing the river, since it had always followed his command and advice. It must be said that God arranged it such that the sailors, bound by the commands of their superiors, took no one across, so that the miracle to come should appear more marvelously, and so that the glory of such a father would be more clear – the one who, with the few and the unarmed, under the favor of our Lord Jesus Christ, was destined to crush the great power of the Turks.
When the future confounder and destroyer had made his way across with the abovementioned two friars and his standard-bearer, he began to climb on foot from the riverbank to the moat of the fortress. He was fasting, or rather had for many days taken very little food, and was exhausted from his labors. All through the night he had run here and there, never able to sleep, and for many days and nights he ate nothing except as a little child might eat, and took no rest at all. It was around 4:00 p.m. When those who were outside the fortress and who had first gone out now saw him, they were soon filled with joy and ran to him like a father. And when those who were inside saw this, although forbidden by command not to exit the fortress, they began to make their way to the blessed father – some climbing over the ruins, some through the holes in the walls – and before long many had joined him. He first made his way to the moat and saw the wonders that had taken place there, both in the night and on the following morning. He saw the innumerable bodies of the Turks, which lay there burned and reduced to almost nothing, in the ashes of the extinguished fire. He also thought of the great danger that all of Christendom had escaped on the previous night, and joining his hands and raising his eyes to heaven he glorified God, giving him thanks and saying repeatedly, “He who begins it will also bring it to an end.”
He then took up a position between the fortress, or the moat of the fortress, and the cannons. When the Turks saw him, they seemed more and more afraid, restricting themselves to the area of the tents and of their emperor and of the cannons. They also readied themselves to defend in the event that the Christians chose to either attack or to seize their cannons. They took up arms, arranged their arquebuses, and joined together their handguns. But the number of crusaders approaching the father continued to grow, and it could not be helped that soon perhaps two thousand were gathered around him. He then sought out an interpreter, and a certain old priest who had taken the cross by the name of Paul, a canon of the greater church of Székesfehérvár who had long been devoted to the father, offered his services.55
The leader of the army of God now looked at the great number of crusaders following him, knowing that “It is not on the size of the army that victory in battle depends, but strength comes from heaven.”56 With his banner going before him, he began to walk slowly toward the forward position of the cannons, propped up by a little staff on which was carved the name of Jesus, the same staff that the blessed old man had always used, whether riding or walking, exhausted by such long labor and unremitting sleeplessness, with his old head uncovered, crying the name of Jesus as loudly as he could. He was the first to go, and then perhaps a thousand crusaders followed behind. When the Turks, holding their ground, saw and heard him, they were terrified. They retreated to the more secure cannons and camps and tents. Thus, the forward cannons were captured and held, and upon seeing that, all were filled with astonishment and joy. Oh, who might then have seen the blessed father, full of joy, happy, rejoicing! Who could have put a worthy price on the value of these things? Certainly, if nothing had been captured beyond these forward cannons of the Turks, it would have been to the great honor and enrichment of the renowned kingdom of Hungary.
After taking these first cannons, this tireless plunderer of the Turks made his way to the next. Again the Turks, unable to resist the name of Jesus, the father, or his banner, abandoned them without resistance, along with their apparatus, and retreated to a third group.57 But the father, as fierce as a lion, made a gesture of enormous joy before the eyes of the Turks and now moved toward these [cannons], which were defended by various guards. Mortars and various machines were also set up in this position for their defense, and it was also most strongly defended by the ditches, palisades, and earthworks that surrounded it on all sides. Everyone was afraid to approach it, both because the Turks were so near and because they [the crusaders] were so few in the face of such mighty defenses. But our intrepid captain, calling many together, inspiring them with thoughts of plunder and profit, sent his banner before him, called mightily on the name of Jesus, and made his way toward the third position. When the miserable Turks saw him, they put up no resistance; with iron keys they closed the openings through which they usually fired their cannons, called out as if cursing themselves, abandoned the cannons and many other things that cannot be written about, and then these sorry ones retreated back to their emperor.
Oh, holy and fearful name of Jesus Christ! Oh, aged and unarmed father, beloved by grace of every holiness! Oh, marvelous power of the cross, with whose imprint were marked the blessed father, all of the others who stood with him, and his banner! Oh, sweetest name of Jesus! Oh, most holy Bernardino!58 His image is depicted on the same banner, offering the name of Jesus by his hand – and it was this image that the holy father showed to the Turks, and that terrified them.
Think of this, Your Paternity: how great the joy was toward the father; how great the sadness of the Turks; how great their confusion, their loss, about which there will be more discussion below. But here it must be noted above all that though the Turks be most spirited and warlike, and because of their overbearing pride they are willing to yield to no one, nevertheless they chose to flee from the furor and the face of the most blessed father rather than to fight, and this because, as the Turks themselves later confessed, it seemed to them that bright and shining rays of the sun went forth from the face of the man of God, striking them in the face, and they could in no way withstand it; nor could they withstand the banner, which seemed to them filled with the rays of the sun. It was for this reason that they fled from the face of the holy father.
Yet there are others, most pious father, who disagree concerning the capture of the cannons. There are some who say what I have proposed here: that the Turks fled from one position to the next and were expelled from each one in turn, as has been said. Others say that when they saw the father cross the river with a countless multitude of armed soldiers, and saw those soldiers taking up their position next to the moat, banner raised high and prepared to attack in such great numbers (when in truth there were not two thousand of them all told) the Turks became terrified and abandoned the cannons and retreated to their army.
The friars who were there in person are more of this opinion than the first: although they walked with the father and heard great cries, they did not see the Turks fleeing from the positions of the cannons; but almost without any delay they [the Turks] went from one to the other. In fact, they think that while the father moved alongside the Sava after crossing it, and when he moved from the river to the moat and looked in astonishment on the burned bodies and thereafter stood with the banner about to move against them, the Turks were filled with fear and abandoned the cannons. Both opinions are wonderful and both are circulating among the people. Your Paternity can believe whichever one you like.
Now that the Turks had retreated, the Christians held cannons that were as great as they were secure. The Turks were now in part deprived of their munitions and machines of war. Now they shamefully lost all the things in which they trusted. Great carts of bronze, wood, and iron, along with the apparatus with which they had operated their great machines, where the powder and stones and fire were prepared, and everything related to this – all of this was found there.59 There was great joy among the Christians before the eyes of the Turks; there was singing, there was rejoicing, there were cries of the name of Jesus. The Turks, seeing and hearing all of this as they came from other places, both fleeing and gathering together, were met with great pain and confusion. Those compelled to flee had no place to make a stand. In fear that they might fall into the hands of the Christians, they were so desperate while fleeing that they were almost compelled to arm themselves to fight (though here I have some doubt: I do not know if they first intended to attack the Christians, or rather to defend themselves if they were attacked; I tend to believe the second opinion).
Those who had been far away now came near, and the unarmed now armed themselves with their typical weapons, that is, arquebuses, bows, and quivers of arrows, slender lances and the sharpest of swords, according to their custom, unimaginable and indeed so terrible that they could cut a man in half with one blow. They mounted their incredibly swift horses, sounded their trumpets, sought to restore their spirits, and drive away their mournful fear. They accepted the arms ready for them and feigned joy as if they were victors who were soon to escape, when in truth all of them were petrified with fear and stood there like deserters.
Meanwhile the number of crusaders coming to the father from both of the other groups continued to grow. They were in three different positions: in the fortress there were about four thousand; with the blessed father, in the field beyond the fortress, perhaps three thousand; and the rest around the Sava and the Danube. These were quite close, though they were separated by the water. But there were others, especially the nobles, who roamed on the two rivers while they awaited the outcome of the events. Lord Michael (who is most cunning and gifted with astonishing talent) remained in the fortress, thinking through how he could harm the Turks if the fight should be joined again. The governor Lord John as well as Lord John Korogh were on board a ship moving here and there on the Danube and were being advised regarding the losses of the Turks.
Thus, from the other two positions about three thousand came to the father, all of them quite inexperienced in war, poor, unarmed, shoeless, old, decrepit, beggars, some priests and some religious – in brief, from the groups of crusaders mentioned above. These were the most incapable and incompetent, such that some Italians call them the “little stick brigade.”60 The nobles did not bother to come, lest they be cut down alongside the few and the poor. And this is not without mystery, that God should choose the poor, the sick, and the weak in order to break and confound the strongest with the right hand of his power. But this little army had a great many wooden slings and metal staves, and there were crossbows and bows among them, etc., as I have described above. Father, I can say with a clear conscience that they had no arms that would cause even an animal to flee, as I say; nor did it seem that anyone should fear them.61 But God, as has been said, wished to demonstrate his power through men of this kind, and they did all of these things, according to the Lord’s will, so that the triumph of the future victory for the glory of God through the power of the most holy cross and the shining merits of the most blessed father Friar John might appear more gloriously and more marvelously to all mortals.
After capturing the cannons and their apparatus, when the father saw the nature and size of the force that now surrounded him, driven like a hungry lion he now resolved to go against the Turks with this little force. But there were certain ones standing there to whom this seemed unwise, due to the Christians’ small numbers and ineptitude. They were astonished, as if they might have said what the people of God said to Judas Maccabeus: “How shall we, being few, be able to fight against so great a multitude and so strong, and we are exhausted by labor and fasting?” And then as if the father responded in consolation, “It is an easy matter for many to be shut up in the hands of a few; and there is no difference in the sight of the God of heaven between many and few. For the success of war is not in the multitude of the army, but strength is from heaven. They come against us as an insolent and arrogant multitude, to destroy us, and our wives, and our children, and to take our spoils. But we will fight for our lives and our laws: and the Lord himself will overthrow them before our face; but as for you, fear them not.”62
And so, leaning on his staff, forgetting his old age and his labor, thirsting for martyrdom, he ran as if he feared nothing from the infidels, aflame like one of the seraphim, and with an incredibly intense passion. But a certain brother63 from among his associates, seeing him start to move so boldly against the Turks with the kinds of fighters he had and so few of them; seeing the innumerable Turks so ready to fight and raging more bitterly against the Christians than usual; seeing them flood in from all sides, gathering for the attack, joining one to another; and uncertain of the future, said to the father: “Don’t go, don’t go! Stay! Look, the Turks are preparing to devour us like lions; we will all be killed, and there will be great confusion and loss.” The father responded to him, his face all afire, and in a terrifying voice: “If you are afraid, run away! If you are afraid, run away! I have longed for, waited for, sought this moment for forty years.” He had in fact served God that many years in religious life, and for that whole time he had longed for martyrdom. But this friar, even though he had often heard from him how there would be a great victory over the Turks (first on the Danube and then two victories, glorious ones indeed, in the fortress), now could not be turned from his belief that the father would die and that the Christians would not escape without great slaughter. Most terrified and uncertain of his future, he found himself like Peter, who tried to turn Christ away from saving humankind.
When the father discerned that the hour divinely appointed for him had come; saw that the full power of the Turks was now deployed; and saw that he had with him around three thousand crusaders; he climbed on to a certain elevated place, where he could be seen by the Turks and heard by the Christians. With many words he again exhorted his army to be fervent in their defense of the faith and to embrace martyrdom. Above all he said, “Behold, my sons, now is the acceptable time, now is the time of the crown, now is the time of redemption from sin. Defend the name of Jesus Christ manfully and boldly; charge against the enemy of Christianity; fight to defend the Catholic faith. Behold, the dogs are ready to erase the name of Christ from the earth, and to invade, occupy and strike down Christendom. Trust now that God will help his cause. They are in disarray and have lost much. But he who has begun it will see it through to the finish. Do not fear those who kill the body, but who cannot kill the soul.” He then added, “Blessed is the one who is struck for the love of Christ; more blessed is the one who sheds his blood for Christ’s defense; and most blessed is the one who lays down his life and dies for Christ’s honor. Whether you conquer on earth or are conquered, you will be victorious in heaven. Oh Hungarians! Oh my poor sons, strengthen Christians in their weakness; come to the aid of Christendom; take a stand against your enemies. All of you have now confessed; and if by chance there are some who have not, though they have committed great sins, let them be contrite and well-disciplined, avoiding plunder and rape, turning instead to defense and resistance, because ‘charity covers a multitude of sins.’” 64
When he had said these and many other things, he took his banner and said, “Follow me; the Lord has given our enemy into our hands.” Then he gave the banner to his standard- bearer Peter and said, “Lift up the cross and put it before the eyes of the Great Turk, the enemy of the cross,” as if he had said, “Behold the cross of the Lord! Be gone, evil powers!”65 Then, standing on the same elevated ground, so that the soldier of Christ might join hands with all in the fight, he blessed and cried out the name of Jesus. As he did so, the crowd wept bitterly with devotion, though more at the words of the interpreter, that is the aforementioned Lord Paul, who had been the interpreter of all these things. Each prepared himself to fight. But I myself, confessing the misery of my condition, stood far off, like Peter, so that I could watch the outcome – I who, when the blessed father had so often asked me whether I wished to follow him, and especially when he wished to give me the cross, was accustomed to respond in earnest, “I am ready to go to prison with you, and to die.”66
It must be noted that the father was never heard to say “Kill, strike, wound, destroy,” and so on, but “Resist the Turks; drive back the injuries of Christ that the Turks are trying to inflict.” The pious father loved the conversion and humiliation of the Turks, but not their death.67
As the father was saying these and many other things, the Turks who had been standing far off were now closing in on all sides. Their arrows came first; knights bearing lances came next; others came with swords unsheathed, still others armed with harmful machines, roaring like swift lions. And though they strove to wound all Christians, everyone sought with arrows and other machines to kill the most blessed father as their special enemy. But the prince of Christ stood on a higher place near the Turks, in sight of all, like a “target for their arrows.”68 He prayed and cried out, now joining and lifting his hands to heaven, now extending them out in the form of a cross, all the while anxiously awaiting martyrdom. The Turks tried to strike and to kill him with arrows and arquebuses, but their arrows were driven away as if by the wind and missed the father, as if they were guided by a kind of reverence and reason. These same arrows were indeed joined together so thickly in the air that only the arrows could be seen. I think, reverend father, that this was a special miracle: though the father was close to the Turks, elevated above all, and holding his banner high, such an abundance of arrows could harm neither him nor the banner. And when the aforementioned canon69 offered his shield so that the father would not be wounded, the father, consumed by a certain most holy furor, tossed it away, as an obstacle to his martyrdom. And in fact, when the people of God who were with the father saw the Turks near them, they were armed with the zeal of faith, afire with divine honor against the enemies of Christ. They now shoot arrows and crossbows, cast spears and stones, throw, strike, wound, kill, behead, and drown. Meanwhile the father stands like a second Moses, his hands joined, and eyes elevated to heaven. And when he cried out the name of Jesus in the strongest of voices, like the strongest of young men, such that all around him responded, whether in the fortress, in the camp by the Sava, or nearby, the Turks turned their backs.
The Turks now came against the Christians in a great wave, their lances lifted up, or lowered under their arms and poised to attack. With the swiftest of horses and their terrible noise they hurled insults and ran about, crying out. Meanwhile the blessed captain called on Jesus, and when everyone around responded – oh, God, how wonderful! – some Turks fell from their horses. Others were lifted from their horses. Others let go of their lances unwillingly. Others have their heads pressed down and hang over their horses. Others suddenly died, and still others became so weak and deprived of strength that if they were on horseback, they were no longer able to direct the horses, or if they were on the ground, they could no longer get up.
And it is no wonder, for it has been learned from a reliable report that the brightest rays of light, like terrible lightning, went forth from the face of that servant of God and struck the Turks, and that a horrible darkness followed. They were terrified because of it, and it could truly be said that “fear and trembling are come upon me, and darkness hath covered me.”70 But they did not dare flee. They saw their death and destruction. And since they could not escape, they said among themselves, “Woe to us, because the God of the Christians fights for them.” And so, in their confusion, they held back. And as further insult to their pride, as their great numbers pressed in and they came close to the Christians, behold, the unarmed people of Christ, armed with a most faithful confidence, rose up against them. Some attacked them with dung,71 some with powder; and with the iron or wooden hammers that were carried in the hands of the Christians, everyone either killed or left [the enemy] robbed of strength.
With God as my witness, for whose honor and glory, beloved father, I have written these things, I am not lying, nor do I suffer from a guilty conscience, except insofar as I am unable to capture in an appropriate style all of the things that I have seen with my own eyes and touched with my own hands. Oh, poor, miserable me, who when I should have gone forward, pitifully retreated! Oh, judgment of God, fathomless abyss! Such is my state after all of these things have come to pass.
The Turks now fell into confusion and did not know what to do. They remained pressed together and tried to charge at the Christians. But in the meantime, the cannons they had left behind had been secured and readied. Stones were hurled toward them, using the powder and fire that were found there prepared. And thus, the Turks suffered a great slaughter from their own instruments of war. For at this point they were still so close by and joined together that the shots could hardly miss. The eminent father stood fast in the same place, his eyes and hands lifted up, while the most vigorous Lord Michael, in command of the fortress above, directed the fire of the cannons. Their terrible stones flew over the heads of the Christians and miserably devastated many Turks, who stood close together in their formations – so much so that from one and the same shot or stone many Turks and many tents were thrown here and there into the air and destroyed. These shots came indeed not from the cannons of the Turks, but from the castle. And by the divine will they seemed to cast their stones much farther and more fearfully than usual. Perhaps it was Mary Magdalene, on whose feast day these things were done, who prepared the fire and the stones for the cannons. Now the banners, and especially the most valued ones, once abundant, were no longer seen; and those who buried the dead, or who tried to, as was their custom, were either killed or wounded.
The victory grew, as the father continued to pray and to cry out; he himself in fact awaited martyrdom, and God brought death upon the enemies of Christ. He stood his ground, joyful, defenseless, and like the strongest of men. Then there came a fresh charge of most terrible and swift horses from the more distant parts of the enemy camp. With their lances extended they sought to fall upon the Christians, and while charging seemed to want to tear down mountains, making such a tremendous noise that it seemed there was an earthquake. Then the blessed father set himself against them again, crying the name of Jesus, and all the Christians responded. The Turks were suddenly confounded and turned back, unable to come near the blessed father or the Christians across such a great plain, as if there were a ditch or an obstacle between them. And from this it was proven true: “A thousand will fall by your side,” etc.72
Here is another miracle, and an astounding one, that was gathered from the reports of the Turks themselves: at the acclamation of the name of Jesus, they were struck not only by the greatest fear and terror but were also struck down and killed by that most holy name, as if from javelins cast down from heaven. And indeed, it seemed all the more miraculous to them that what seemed like liquid lead rained down on them, and they fell dead without the work of any machines of war. Again and again the Christians clung to their faith in the Lord and came against them boldly in hand-to-hand combat. And so this vicious battle raged on, across the space of some five hours; and with God protecting his own, though they were unarmed they emerged as the victors; and after suffering such a great slaughter the Turks stood off at a distance, in disarray.
As these events, with the Lord’s favor, were so happily unfolding, the Turks began to tear down their pavilions. Others began to prepare their carriages, still others to gather together their baggage and tools, all of them crying out for fear, in confusion, and for the losses they had suffered in such a short time from such an unarmed rabble. I myself was absent for a time from the blessed father for fear of death, weakened by fatigue, and even more by fear, having left the father in the field.73 I now returned in great haste to the fortress, like a second John, who had fled alone and naked. I found beloved Ambrose [of Aquila] there, who was both my companion and also one most dear to the father himself, whom I thought had stayed in the field with the father. I said, “Oh my! We have both left the father alone!” But when we wanted to return to him there, we came across him near the moat, returning from battle like a second David after the slaughter of Amalek, so happy and joyful in the victory that God had brought about in his presence. And so, it seemed as though he was not worthy of martyrdom; but giving thanks to God, he often repeated that verse, “I will praise thee, for thou art fearfully magnified; wonderful are thy works, and my soul knoweth right well.”74 Oh arrows of the Turks, why among so many did you not find me, so that I could pay more fully for the miseries of my life? Why did you not kill me, so that even if I could not voluntarily be a martyr, at least I would be deprived of life?
But after the slaughter of the Turks, and their confusion and fear, the father returned to encourage both Lord John and Lord Michael to pursue them with all of the crusaders. He said, “He who makes a beginning will see it through.” For when he saw the slaughter and fear of the Turks, and that they were now preparing to flee, he wanted to insist that they be pursued. And it was an idea that would not leave his mind. When he said this to Michael, when John was absent, Michael responded through his interpreter, the Polish priest, that this kingdom of Hungary had never had a greater victory over its enemies, or greater gain, and that this was by divine power and the merits of [Capistrano]. But if he commanded such an unarmed and unlearned crowd to go after the Turks, the kingdom would suffer infamy and loss as it had never seen, nor ever would see. And he attributed it all to [Capistrano], adding that this would not be pleasing at all to Lord John. When the father heard these things, he abandoned his proposal and climbed the walls to recall the crusaders from the field, with Brother Blasius acting as an interpreter. And when some of them, unwisely, went against the will of the father and came too close to the Turks, around ten of them accepted the crown of martyrdom.
That evening, in the camp and among the troops there was great joy, singing, solemn and celebratory dances, and the sound of both drums and other instruments. And all the crusaders hoped that in the morning they would give chase to the frightened few who remained, wear them down, and finally destroy them. All were in the spirit of lions on the prowl, and like elephants reddened with blood. And that night, after such tremendous and terrible slaughter, the Turks buried those they could and left behind almost all of the things they had brought with them to fight the Christians. They ran in retreat, terrified and confused, and in a carriage took along with them the Great Turk himself, who was wounded in the left side by an arquebus. They also drew along with them 140 carriages weighed down with those noble Turks who had been mortally wounded, many of whom they buried wherever they could along the way. They did not stop for a full ten days, until they had returned safe and sound to their own lands, constantly in fear that while on the run they would be attacked from behind and reduced to nothing by the Christians. They also either destroyed or set on fire the many goods they could not keep or carry with them, so that they would not fall into the hands of the Christians – especially all the galleys that remained from the battle on the Danube. They also took special care to set fire to their great store of munitions, from powder to arrows to ropes, as well as the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, in which they had stored these things.75
But the father, now in the fortress and seeing the slaughter there, gave thanks to God. He was deeply astonished at all that had happened and all that was told to him by others. He saw the Christians who had won the crown of martyrdom, whom he now commanded to be buried in three mass graves. The most holy victor then consoled all with joy and said, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!”76 He then went to find his brothers inside the fortress, and as he approached them, they all rejoiced. He glorified God’s power, the power of the cross and the most holy name of Jesus.77 Lord John [Hunyadi], most worthy governor of the kingdom, came thereafter, and was surprisingly astonished that all of these things had happened, in defiance of all human prudence. Together with Lord Michael and the magnificent Lord [John] Korogh and with many other nobles, they were flooded with great joy, and filled with glory; they also proclaimed the blessed father most worthy of all praise, honor, and reverence.
On the following morning, the day after [the feast of] Mary Magdalene, that is on Friday, the blessed father himself together with the aforementioned nobles made their way with all of the crusaders to the place of the victory, where they saw the wonders of God and were astounded.78 They saw the tents of the Turks wonderfully arranged and variously adorned. They also saw all the things that the Turks had brought with them with such labor and industry in support and aid of the [fight against the] Christians, and which they had to leave behind against their will. They saw those twenty-two astonishing cannons, the likes of which (so they said) they had never before seen, as well as countless munitions. There were stones arranged or ready to be arranged in marvelous ways; frightful carriages of wood, iron, and bronze; the church full of powder, rope, arrows, iron bows, and wooden instruments, all of which had been destroyed in a great fire. The ships so wonderfully arranged along the shore of the Danube had also been set on fire. There were tents and marvelous banners, and such an abundance of wood carried from the forests in support of the Turks that there was enough to support all of their needs for repairs and fires for quite a long time. There were shields, bucklers, arquebuses, springalds, handguns, and various other equipment; mills (which they had now destroyed) to grind grain; clothing; ornaments; books containing their diabolical deceptions – one of which I kept for myself, and which thereafter astonished all who saw it. There were various and costly garments, tools, and herds of beasts – cattle, camels, buffalo. Thereafter they saw the countless graves of the dead, and the innumerable bodies that lay across the great plain. Many leaders were among the dead there: their vice-emperor and kings, as they acknowledged, as well as janissaries, who were both buried and also crushed under the stones of the castle. Among the dead were the more noble, the princes, the stronger, the wealthier, the more faithful. Many of them had been exhumed and despoiled of their goods, and now lay there naked, allowing all to see their circumcisions, and their weakness.
And so that I might sum all of it up briefly, all of the strength, the power, and the bravery of the Turks, all of their defiance and pride, their nobility, effort, and malice were now so shattered by the right hand of God that after this battle the Turks were never able to fully regain such great strength.
So here we can exclaim: Oh, glorious victory! Oh, great conflict, never to be forgotten in coming ages! Oh, most holy father! Oh, tireless old man! By your energy, zeal, prudence, initiative, and labor, you in your old age – with cries of the name of Jesus – have freed all Christendom from the brutality and savagery of the Turks! Oh, noble, exalted, and faithful kingdom of Hungary, to be truly honored by all Christians and lifted up by the praises of all! Oh most holy and fearful name of Jesus, holy indeed to the faithful and fearful to the infidel, under which the Turks, wondrously, lie dead. Oh, banner of the most holy cross, under which the crusaders, fighting tirelessly, emerged the victors! Oh, most illustrious prince, true protector of the Catholic faith and strong governor of the kingdom of Hungary, John Hunyadi, who through your labor and energy restored the walls of the fortress of Belgrade, which the Turks had leveled to the ground; whose command sent those small ships against the galleys of the Turks; in whose presence those galleys were driven away and sunk; by whose counsel and through whose anxious letters, sent to the father, saved the fortress! Oh, most illustrious Lord Michael Szilágyi, most tireless and most spirited guardian of the same fortress, who was even wounded in the fight! Oh, you poor soldiers, signed with the mark of the most holy cross, to whom God saw fit to grant the triumph of victory over the enemies of the cross of Christ! Let all offer their praise and say, “Great is the Lord and great is his power,” etc.79 Then the aforesaid Lord John, together with Michael, not without great solemnity and joy, had the cannons led into the fortress, where they remain still today, to the astonishment and admiration of all who see them.
Such a distinguished victory as this, reverend elder, can be compared to the victory of Abraham, who with only a very few of his allies fought against four powerful kings;80 to the victory of Joshua, with Moses praying, against Amalek, who stood against the sons of Israel, in which Moses did more by praying that Joshua did by killing;81 to the victory of Joshua, who [was] against the kings, who came to destroy the Gibeonites, when “the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them from heaven, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites,”82 and then, at Joshua’s command, the sun stood still; to the victory of Deborah, who said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into our hands” and “the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots”;83 to the victory won in the time of Gideon, when through the three hundred men who drank water by bringing their hands to their mouths the Lord delivered Israel from the hands of Midian and Amalek, whose force was a great multitude;84 to the victory won when Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel and offered a sacrifice, and “the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines”;85 to the victory won in 1 Maccabees 3 and 4. Certainly, when considered carefully, this victory without doubt seems similar to or even more wonderful than all of these. Happy was this day, on which the enemies of the cross of Christ retreated and Christendom was liberated! For if the Turks had been victorious, first Hungary would have been occupied, and then they would have invaded other lands the very next day.
And now, honored elder, hear the truth concerning all of the dead on both sides. First it must be noted, as has been said, that in this storm of events the Turks were met by the Christians with a threefold noble battle – that is, on the Danube, in the fortress itself, and outside the fortress on the wide plain – each of which has been treated in turn above. The power of the Turkish ships was broken and crushed. In the fortress, the inestimable multitude of those killed by both fire and iron, as well as those crushed by stones, could never be counted. For in the smallest of spaces there were four and five Turks whose bodies lay burned up and broken into small pieces. And in the field beyond the fortress there could be seen many Turks whose bodies lay there like animals shredded by wolves in a sheepfold. Some were decapitated, others slashed by swords, others killed by arrows or cannons, others shot through by arquebuses; many who died seemingly without any wounds; others missing arms and legs; many killed by wooden hammers or by earth and powder; others killed by catapult stones; others who had been overcome by the intense heat of the summer and who lay scattered across that broad field. Still others had drowned in the water, for at that time the turbulent waters of both the Sava and the Danube ran red with blood. Graves were also dug here and there, in such a way that no vintner who had ever planted vines could have made a straighter and longer row; these graves were then filled with the bodies of the Turks. And since it is their custom to bury their dead with all of their belongings, when they were buried, the bodies were exhumed and despoiled by the Christians, then left to be consumed by beasts and birds. It was then that all could see their circumcisions, their softness, the effeminate fatness of their flesh.
Having seen and considered all of these things, and taking into consideration all of those who died in the fortress, on the morrow of the Magdalene, or the day after the victory, some five thousand Turks (without any certainty) had been killed. Many wondered at the time that the number of the dead was so small, and no one could be persuaded to believe that the number was not greater, whether because of the innumerable multitude of the Turks; or because so many had been struck down right before the eyes of the Christians, who saw many more killed than this; or because from such a small number of losses the Turks would not have fled in fear, nor would they have retreated from the siege of the city, leaving behind so many things and so many of their goods, though all ascribed their fear and flight to a great miracle. Accordingly, the blessed father himself wrote to the pope from Slankamen.86
In fact this letter, reverend elder, was the one in which the father claimed to lead the army of the crusaders as a poor man, like Joshua.87 And many enemies of the truth ascribe this claim to the pride of this humble father; but these miserably envious ones do not recognize that the blessed father said this in order to speak the truth, to exalt the glory of a great God, to hold dear this divinely authored miracle, and to bring joy and happiness to the pope by whose commission and command all of these things were done. For this preacher and defender of truth would never cling to a lie; nor was there ever a hurtful word to be found in his mouth. He spurned honors and abhorred pride, knowing that those who put on prideful airs never dwell in the house of the Lord. And whenever he was honored by the world, reluctantly and unwillingly, he said, as it is said, “Not to us, Lord,” etc.88 Let the dogs stop their barking, then, since by virtue of all of the wonders that, with God’s favor, this blessed father worked while he was still alive, after he began to serve God, all Christians now lift him up, honor him and proclaim him a distinguished man worthy of every veneration.
There was a certain noble youth among the Turks who secretly slipped away while the rest were in retreat.89 He fled to the Christians and was baptized on the morrow of the Magdalene, and from him we have a most reliable report that in these days most of the Turks were killed and hastily buried apart from the rest in the forest by night. Those who remained and who were in flight were so struck and shaken by such fear that the smallest of armies utterly destroyed them.
Here he says90 that the Great Turk was wounded in the left side by an arquebus and has gone insane.
Here he says that the same great dog had furiously decapitated five of his men, whom he had sent as scouts to discern whether an army would be raised against his move against Hungary. They had reported that no army was to form in Hungary, only a certain monk leading many Hungarian commoners under the sign of the cross. But he sent them back because it did not seem true to him. And indeed, they encountered no unarmed rabble but a great one: the most learned captain Friar John with his crusaders, an innumerable multitude of people and arms, had been seen by the Turks themselves.
Here he says that the vice-emperor was killed by the stone of a cannon before the conflict,91 and that other kings and most noble leaders across the whole army had been killed by the various war machines of the Christians.
Here he says that five thousand janissaries, with whom (as was noted above) the emperor of the Turks surrounded himself, and in which he trusted greatly, were killed to the last man by fire, iron, and cannon.
Here he says that many Turks said – as he himself heard – that the faith of the Christians was the true faith because their God fights for them, as we have clearly seen.
Here he says that many Turks long to come to the Christian faith, and that they would do so indeed, if they were not afraid: “But I say this having seen and heard such things, and though I have not disclosed it for fear of death, I have decided to become a Christian; and many of my companions long to join me, though I have not called them, lest they betray me.”
But here he says that as he retreated the Great Turk himself cursed his posterity, if they should ever thereafter presume to move against the fortress of Belgrade, since his predecessors had gone against it and were never able to conquer it despite their great power. [He says] “But I, with all my power and genius, with all of my skill in war and even with all of my industry and countless numbers of knights and cavalry and a multitude of foot soldiers, have arrived here stronger than any who came before. And look: I am in retreat, in disarray, crushed and destroyed and deprived of all my goods. Woe to me, driven away not by Christian princes and dukes, nor even by knights, but by a man who is a monk, by farmers, commoners. I flee from tricksters and from an unarmed rabble.”
Here indeed the youth, who told of these and many other things aboard the ship of the blessed father in the presence of the lord governor John, was perhaps fourteen years of age, though in manner and gesture he was like an old and mature man. He came from the innermost circle of the court of the emperor of the Turks. And all of these things were later confirmed by many others who were more advanced in age. And in fact this young man, as if a reward for the triumph of victory, was first given a golden cross, and then baptized by the father’s own hand. Thereafter he was sent to the lord pope with the lord Jerome of Padua, from whose holiness he was most gratefully received, endowed with many goods, and established [in a castle].92
After the great battle discussed here, the most illustrious lord despot of Serbia, George [Branković], announced to the blessed father that three of his scouts had returned to him from the camps of the Turks. The scouts brought word that such a great multitude of the Turks’ leaders had been killed in the siege that they had been reduced to almost nothing, and that they had fled, filled with fear, from before the Christians. The scouts added that the Turks were never so weakened and close to their ultimate destruction than after this conflict. The most serene king of Bosnia, a tributary to the Turks, in these days gave letters to the blessed father in which he announced that the power of the Turks, with all of their nobility, had been completely overthrown; and that if the Christians should now pursue them, they would be victorious over them. And though it is asserted by many who are most worthy of faith that the great part of the Turks died in the conflict, nevertheless for greater certitude of the truth it has been confirmed that twenty-four thousand Turks, and indeed many of the more powerful among them, were killed by water, fire, and iron and various other machines during the siege. Indeed, Lord John Hunyadi asserted this, along with the castellan Lord Michael. And so the blessed father himself wrote to the same pope a second letter from Slankamen,93 asserting that twenty-four thousand Turks had been killed at the time, with the rest struck with fear and in disarray, and leaving behind all of their clever machines and their goods and taking flight with rapid steps back to their own lands.
Indeed, experience shows that many [Turks] died from these events; for from that battle up until now, the Turks have never been able to accomplish or even to plot anything against the Christians militarily, even if from time to time, according to their custom, they run around here and there like robbers, despoiling those whom their malice finds unawares in the dark of night. But because we Christians lie sound asleep, and no one raises a single weapon against the Turks, they are renewed; they become bolder; they recover their strength and are inspired again to rise up against the Christians. But in this threefold conflict hardly three hundred Christians, killed in various ways, received the crown of martyrdom: forty-nine who, as noted above, fought the Turks from the bridge, were wounded in the great press of the battle, and fell dead, and all of their souls returned quickly to heaven. The rest, whom the Turks were able to kill grimly, were staked to the ground in the form of a cross and decapitated. To these their executioners said, “You have taken up the cross against us, carried it and fought for it; so you will die in the shape of a cross.” But the first seven, seized when off guard, were taken from the walls of the castle, first decapitated, then despoiled, and thereafter trampled under the hooves of horses, their shredded bodies left to be eaten by dogs, who did indeed quickly eat them down to the bones, while the Christians watched from the fortress.
Indeed, there were among the aforementioned martyrs many religious and priests who, fighting manfully in the defense of the name of Jesus, found themselves worthy of the crown of martyrdom in various ways. Oh, how happy are those who, in this fleeting life, fought for Christ for such a short period of time, and who by his blood accepted a life that will have no end. The faithful were distinguished from the infidels by the manner of their deaths, by their dress, by the cross, by circumcision, and similar things. Of those who were in the fortress and in the citadel, countless among them were struck and wounded, but they had the iron of the arrows removed from their wounds and were soon healed. Oh, most fervent and truly Catholic Hungarians, who neither fear being wounded, nor fear suffering death for Christ!
After such a glorious victory against the enemies of Christ, the crusaders saw that they would not be allowed to pursue the Turks as they fled – and they did not take it well. In fact, on the day following the victory they had it announced publicly that the victory the Lord had given them on the previous day had not been by labor or effort on the part of any baron of Hungary, but by the power of the most holy name of Jesus alone, and of the most holy cross, and by the merits and labor and sweat of our most blessed father John of Capistrano. And when some who were standing there heard this, they took it hard, became quite disturbed, and wanted to rise up against the lords.94 The blessed father, who was at that time having a private conference on board a ship with Lord John [Hunyadi], sensed the commotion among the people. Not wanting Lord John to leave the ship, the father slipped away and left him behind. He went out and sought after the cause of the disturbance, rebuked the lords, calmed the disturbance, and commanded all to keep silent. And unless the holy father had been there to stop it, many crusaders would have been killed. And the lord Jerome of Padua, noted above, can very well attest to all of these things, since he was there to witness them.
Then finally the crusaders received from the most blessed father, as if he were their captain, license and blessing to depart. All returned to their own lands filled with joy, in wonder and amazement over all these things which God himself had done through the ministry and service of the most blessed father. And so, the crusade came to an end.
The most reverend legate, cardinal of Sant’Angelo, then came down from Buda. He was armed with a most ardent zeal and desire and equipped with all things necessary for war against the Turks. But seeing that the crusade had already come to an end, he did not take it well. Seeking to restart it from Petrovaradin, where he was then established, he now came down to the place of victory. But neither he nor the father himself were able to accomplish anything. Now all the crusaders went away tired and weakened from their labors, and indeed many of them had no food. And yet they would have patiently borne all of these troubles, and others besides, had they been able to pursue the Turks after the battle.
And here let no one doubt the father’s choice to grant the crusaders license [to disband] and his blessing. He would never have given them license to leave had they wanted to stay, even as they suffered from hunger, thirst, and many other unpleasant things. And let no one accuse the father of disobedience, insofar as the reverend lord legate instructed him not to join battle with the Turks, as was noted above, and yet it came about by his deeds that they were so miserably and wonderfully defeated, both in the fortress and in the open field, as has been written. If someone is so consumed with envy that he must object to the holy father in this way, let him close his mouth, beat his breast, look at himself, and ask God for mercy, since he seeks to cast blame on someone he ought to join with others in magnifying and lifting up. Anyone who would not wish for the holy father, led by the spirit of God, to succeed, is surely guilty of wanting Christianity to perish.
Here, that is in Petrovaradin, at that time the bishop of Assisi, colleague of the lord legate, fell ill, died, and was honorably buried.95 From there the reverend lord legate and the father himself made their way to the fortress of Belgrade, where after the victory the governor Lord John had established himself after the dispersal of the crusaders. When the lord legate saw such destruction in the fortress, and the cannons and all of the other things that had been done in his absence, he was struck with both grief and wonder. Thereafter he went out to see the positions of the Turks and the places where the slaughter had been the greatest. In admiration he said, “Truly, there were more than two hundred thousand Turks here.” But the rumor was that there had been 140,000. He praised the divine power and the right hand of our exalted God.
Then the barons, upon hearing the rumor of the defeat of the Turks, began to arrive: the illustrious Lord Nicholas of Ilok, voivode of Transylvania; Paul [Sechar]; and many others. But it was all over.96 The lord governor, who had led the cannons and other war machines abandoned by the Turks into the castle with great solemnity, and who had just begun to repair the castle, fell ill of disease on the fourth day of August, and on the eleventh day of the same month passed from this world and received his eternal reward for his tireless labors. Let all of faithful Hungary lament the loss of such a protector; indeed, may all of Christendom lament his death, for he was a terror of the Turks and a most faithful protector of the cause of the faith. But let there also be rejoicing, for he has been crowned and now claims his most faithful reward.
By now such a stench had begun to rise from the bodies of the Turks lying all around, and such a multitude of birds of prey had begun to flock there, that the lord legate and other leaders were forced to leave the fortress. The holy father, too, though he had begun to fall ill, followed the lord legate on the sixth day of the month, and they both stayed many days in the oft-mentioned Semlin. In that camp, too, there were many who had taken ill from the most horrible stench. At the command of the lord legate, I myself once went out into the field to see if I could find any place beyond it where both the lord legate and the blessed father might escape the stench; but I only got so far before I had to come back in, on a galloping horse, hardly alive.
Finally, most reverend father, it would be necessary to bring forth the witnesses and various confirmations of this most astonishing victory, since so many – whether in reporting about it, writing about it, or even reading or hearing about it – ascribe it to someone other than God and the merits of the blessed father. For I have discovered many letters and various songs in which, as if he had never existed, there is no mention of the blessed father; and which are so stuffed with lies and with usurpations of his honor that they should be thoroughly disregarded and, for the lies they contain, consumed by fire! But because there are innumerable confirmations and attestations of this kind to be had beyond those recorded in this letter, for the sake of brevity I will not bother to note them here at present. I will, however, not omit this: that this great victory is attributed to the merit of the blessed father John of Capistrano by all: by the Turks; by the schismatics; by the Greeks; by the infidels; by the Roman emperor; by kings, and especially by the most serene lord King Matthias of Hungary;97 by the prelates and all of Hungary. All of this is made most abundantly clear from all that has been said, and from all of the letters of witnesses carried from Hungary to Italy.
But here the magnificent Lord Paul, mentioned above,98 does not allow me to remain silent: for when he came here at that time right after the victory, as I have described, and I asked him why, in a time of such great difficulty, the barons of Hungary never came together, he answered me in Latin that it was God’s judgment that we [the barons] should all stay at home and that none should come, so that such a triumph and such an honor should be ascribed to God alone, and to the power of the most holy name of Jesus, and to his most holy cross, and alone to the merits of the most blessed father, Friar John. For if we [the barons] had fought here militarily, everyone who had fought with the Turks would have wanted to claim the honor of the victory for himself. Thus, he [Capistrano] would have been deprived of his glory, and his labor and efforts and the zeal of this blessed father would have been deprived of their due honor and reward, which God did not want. And so all Hungarians believe that this blessed father was the liberator of the whole kingdom.
Thus, may the tongue of every detractor stay stuck in his throat, if he will not remember such a most holy man; a man who – just as he was distinguished while on earth with every gift of grace, now, having returned to heaven to be among the crowd of the blessed – remains glorious and praiseworthy, to be imitated by all the faithful.
Certainly, reverend elder, I could have satisfied Your Paternity with fewer words. But what I have related here is true. I have recorded nothing that I have not seen with my own eyes, touched with my hands, or that I myself have not received by certain report, either from the most holy father himself, or from others who are most worthy of trust. I obligate myself to be thrown rudely into prison, or to suffer some other woeful penalty, if each and every thing that I have written here is not found to be true. I want this letter to be read by those who were present for all that has been described here, and who are dispassionate about these events; they will agree that every single thing is most true.
I ask those into whose hands these writings may perhaps come that they neither cut anything out nor diminish them. They might expand or add to them, should they learn something from me in fuller detail, but they should change nothing of the substance of these things. And because I am accustomed (both because of inertia and because of the truer style of my teachers) to write in plain and rough and common grammatical terms, those who wish, and who know how to, may transform this work into a more polished and graceful style. Before God and his angels, I have written these things to Your Paternity, and I humbly pray and beg that you at some point pour out prayers, at least mentally, to the highest God for this most unworthy servant of the servants of God; for now, more than ever, I am in need of the support of your prayers and those of others.
Thus, most pleasant father, you now have enough to further exalt the sweetest name of Jesus and the power of the holy cross, as I have always done. You also have a witness to the holiness of the life of the most holy man, Brother John of Capistrano, a venerable man like you, your associate and your companion, one with a burning passion for the Catholic faith and a burning desire for martyrdom, through whose ministry, diligent care, and energy the power and the malice of the pagans was brought low, and in whom ancient miracles were renewed. Exalt him, too, father, in the church of the people, and praise and magnify him “in the cathedral of the elders.”99
It now remains for me to write to Your Paternity concerning the most faithful passing of the most blessed man, at which (by the Lord’s will and with your power encouraging, indeed compelling me) I was present. But at present I do not wish to take up the task. I will wait to write about his death, one filled with all sanctity, and in doing so hope to do right by Your Paternity, to please devout men, and to receive intercession from the one whom we know rules with God in heaven.
1 The history of Tagliacozzo’s text is complex, and Wadding’s edition of it, though at present the most easily accessible, remains problematic. For an overview of the many unresolved issues, as well as a sophisticated account of the hagiographical dynamics at work in the text, see Daniele Solvi, “Un agiografo osservante alla crociata (Belgrado 1456),” Chronica 13 (2017): 247–58, and more broadly the essays in Solvi, Il mondo nuovo: L’agiografia dei minori osservanti (Spoleto: Fondazione Centro italiano di studi sull’alto Medioevo, 2019).
2 To distinguish between John of Capistrano and John Hunyadi, Tagliacozzo consistently refers to the friar and priest Capistrano as “father” or “paternity” and the military captain Hunyadi as “lord.”
3 Michael Szilágyi of Horogszeg (d. 1461), who was married to Hunyadi’s sister Elizabeth.
4 Cf. Psalm 115:1.
5 These broad references seem here to refer to the Greek Christian (and hence “schismatic”) territories and peoples of southeastern Europe.
6 Here Tagliacozzo makes brief reference to the career of the Greek Christian prelate John of Caffa. For details and context see Iulian M. Damian, “The Greek Rite Transylvanian Church in the 1450’s: Archbishop John of Caffa and the Crusade in East-Central Europe,” in Extincta est lucerna orbis: John Hunyadi and His Time, ed. Ana Dumitran, Lajos-Loránd Mádly, and Alexandru Simon (Cluj-Napoca: IDC Press, 2009), 143–55.
7 A special designation for a papal representative sent on a particular diplomatic mission and granted specific powers. See Antonín Kalous, “Papal Legates and Crusading Activity in Central Europe: The Hussites and the Ottoman Turks,” in The Crusade in the Fifteenth Century: Converging and Competing Cultures, ed. Norman Housley (London: Routledge, 2017), 75–89; and in more depth Kalous, Late Medieval Papal Legation: Between the Councils and the Reformation (Rome: Viella, 2017).
8 Psalm 22:11.
9 Galatians 6:14.
10 Familia, i.e., his closest followers and advisers.
11 The reference to a “kerchief” here (Tagliacozzo’s word is sudarium) is somewhat cryptic. It seems to describe a sash or bit of cloth, apparently sent as a symbol of warning and encouragement. In the middle of this sentence, somewhat awkwardly, the original text inserts an explanatory phrase: “knowing that he gave me this kerchief today.”
12 Cf. Ezekiel 37:1.
13 That is, in the early evening, perhaps around 6:00 p.m.
14 The phrasing here is awkward, but Tagliacozzo is working to anticipate and to emphasize Capistrano’s status as a “bloodless” martyr, since the friar was not killed by the Turks in the battle.
15 The terms used here are pixides, scopetos, and spingardas. A spingarda, or “springald,” could refer to a wide variety of ballistic weapons that cast large stones or darts. By the fifteenth century, however, they had become long-barreled gunpowder weapons, mounted but also increasingly hand-held, that shot small stones.
16 Tagliacozzo offers here a vivid description of a mortar attack. See n. 15 in this document and the introduction, n. 27.
17 A suburban church to the south of Belgrade. See Map 2: The City and Fortress of Belgrade, c. 1450, on p. 283.
18 A town on the south bank of the Danube roughly a day’s journey (some 30 miles or 50 km) northwest of Belgrade. See documents 8 and 13.
19 Here bastida is taken as “fortified town,” instead of the editor’s improbable reading of the word as a last name (“Johannem Bastidam”). The figures referred to here are Michael Szilágyi and likely John Korogh. See document 11, n. 1.
20 Cf. Luke 12:7 and 12:32.
21 The church in the Lower Town. See Map 2: The City and Fortress of Belgrade, c. 1450, location 4b (in the Lower Town), p. 283.
22 1.5–1.8 km. See document 12, n. 5.
23 Here a distinction between the fortified Upper Town and the Lower Town. See Map 2: The City and Fortress of Belgrade, c. 1450, on p. 283.
24 That is, master craftsmen or artisans, here presumably carpenters and those trained in shipbuilding.
25 The terms here are scopetis and pixidibus. See n. 15 in this document.
26 Tagliacozzo here seems to have Capistrano recite a prayer of exorcism attributed to the Portuguese Franciscan Anthony of Padua (d. 1321). See Bert Roest, “Demonic Possession and the Practice of Exorcism: An Exploration of the Franciscan Legacy,” Franciscan Studies 76 (2018): 301–40.
27 See n. 15 in this document.
28 Psalm 1:4.
29 See the introductory remarks to this document. These lines reflect the highly contested, politicized circumstances surrounding Capistrano’s potential canonization. The author is here working to shape Capistrano’s posthumous reputation.
30 Sirach 10:2.
31 Tagliacozzo here invokes a liturgical song, Estote fortes in bello, which had apocalyptic overtones (cf. Revelation 20:2) and a broad resonance in sacred music and drama.
32 “Cassellis” corresponds to no known county in the region, so it may be a scribal error. For Korogh’s role on the defense of Belgrade, which was under his authority (“ban”), see Pálosfalvi, From Nicopolis to Mohács, 168, 179, and 183. See the introduction, n. 5.
33 See n. 15 above in this document.
34 Presumably the Augustinian Hermits, an order of mendicant friars established in the thirteenth century. For an overview see Gert Melville, The World of Medieval Monasticism: Its History and Forms of Life (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2016), 256–62.
35 Here Tagliacozzo cites a series of standard prayers associated with particular Masses. For general context see Gaposchkin, Invisible Weapons. See the introduction, n. 37.
36 The parenthetical phrase seems to be an odd addition to the text.
37 Tagliacozzo is again working here to preserve Capistrano’s reputation. See n. 29 in this document.
38 That is, on July 20.
39 The editor’s rendering here is unclear. Perhaps a reference to Szilágyi.
40 Cited here is another common liturgical song, a portion of the ancient hymn attributed to Saint Ambrose, the Te Deum. Cf. Psalm 27:9.
41 That is, around midmorning on July 21.
42 That is, toward evening, around 6:00 p.m.
43 Reference here is likely to the southern and eastern walls of the Upper Town, which at this time rose above both a glacis and a moat that was some seven meters (about twenty to twenty-five feet) deep. See Beogradska Tvrdjava [The Fortress of Belgrade] (Belgrade: Beograd Arheološki Institut, 2006), especially the three-dimensional reconstruction on p. 126 and the English summary at pp. 325–6. See the introduction, pp. 10–12, as well as Map 2: The City and Fortress of Belgrade, c. 1450, on p. 283.
44 Tagliacozzo renders the phrase in Italian: “per che la necesitade fa buoni fanti.”
45 A wordplay (castrum/campum) that first appeared in Hunyadi’s earliest letter. See document 10, n. 1.
46 See Map 2: The City and Fortress of Belgrade, c. 1450, on p. 283.
47 Reference here is to the drawbridge that guarded the eastern entrance to the inner fortress. See location 1 on Map 2: The City and Fortress of Belgrade, c. 1450, on p. 283.
48 Tagliacozzo here references the main tower at the center of Belgrade’s inner fortress. See location 2 on Map 2: The City and Fortress of Belgrade, c. 1450, on p. 283. After its destruction, another tower was built around 1460, protecting the Danube port in the Lower Town. It survives as the Nebojša Tower (“Fearless” in Serbian), now a museum in modern Belgrade.
49 The reference here is to the citadel – see locations 1 and 2 on Map 2: The City and Fortress of Belgrade, c. 1450, on p. 283.
50 See n. 43 in this document, and location 1 on Map 2: The City and Fortress of Belgrade, c. 1450, on p. 283.
51 Psalm 36 (37):32; Psalm 111 (112):7; Proverbs 10:7.
52 Philippians 2:10.
53 A paraphrase of Judges 6:12–14.
54 A paraphrase of Judges 6:16.
55 This same Paul is mentioned later in the narrative. See p. 198 in this document.
56 1 Maccabees 3:19.
57 “Apparatus” here is a loose translation of attinentiis, designating what must have been the housing and other elements put in place to guard and to operate the cannons during the siege.
58 Bernardino of Siena (d. 1444) was a leading Franciscan preacher and reformer and John of Capistrano’s mentor, and also an avid promoter of the cult of the Holy Name. After Bernardino’s death Capistrano took the lead in working for his canonization (proclaimed in 1450) and Bernardino’s posthumous miracles were central to Capistrano’s preaching campaign across northern Europe in the early 1450s.
59 For “apparatus” see n. 57 above in this document. The word translated here as “operate” is conduxerant, literally “joined” or “assembled,” perhaps a reference to the joining of multiple chambers as part of the firing process.
60 Tagliacozzo notably renders his vivid phrase in Italian, “la brigata della mazeta.”
61 Perhaps for rhetorical emphasis, Tagliacozzo renders this sentence in Italian.
62 Cf. 1 Maccabees 3:17–22.
63 In these dramatized lines Tagliacozzo refers to himself.
64 1 Peter 4:8.
65 Another invocation of Saint Anthony of Padua’s prayer of exorcism. See n. 26 above in this document.
66 Luke 22:33.
67 Another instance in which Tagliacozzo is at work curating Capistrano’s reputation. See the introduction to this document as well as n. 29.
68 Cf. Lamentations 3:12.
69 See n. 55 above in this document.
70 Psalm 54 (55):5.
71 The wording as it appears in Wadding’s edition of the text: “alii fimo … eos affligunt.”
72 Psalm 90 (91):7.
73 These lines are key for judging the extent to which Tagliacozzo can be read as an “eyewitness” to the events he describes.
74 Psalm 138 (139):14.
75 The suburban church to the south of the city. See Map 2: The City and Fortress of Belgrade, c. 1450, on p. 283.
76 Psalm 117 (118):24
77 Cf. document 7.
78 Friday, July 23. See document 8.
79 Psalm 146 (147):5.
80 Genesis 14.
81 Exodus 17.
82 Joshua 10:11.
83 Judges 4:14–15.
84 Judges 7:7.
85 1 Samuel 7:10.
86 See document 8.
87 See document 8, p. 90 and n. 1: “like a Joshua working among the ruins of the walls of Jericho.”
88 Psalm 114 (115):1.
89 See document 8, p. 90, and p. 210 and n. 92 in this document. The discussion here concerns the “noble boy of Bosnia” that Capistrano sent to the pope.
90 “Hic ait,” repeated throughout this section of the text. It is a curious phrase in this context, perhaps indicating some kind of written testimony or record of hearsay, now lost, that Tagliacozzo inserted into his account.
91 Reference here is to Karaca Bey, whose death is mentioned several times in Ottoman and other accounts. Among others see the account of Jacopo Promontorio in document 29, n. 8.
92 See document 8, p. 90.
93 See document 13, pp. 104–7.
94 Here “banditores,” “bans,” i.e., secular princes.
95 Francis Oddi. See document 3.6, n. 2, as well as documents 3.9 and 3.10.
96 The phrase here, given in Italian, seems to be an idiomatic expression: “Ma date erano le candele.”
97 King Matthias Corvinus (d. 1490), son of John Hunyadi and successor to Ladislaus V as king of Hungary from 1458.
98 Reference here seems to be to the baron Paul mentioned on p. 213.
99 A phrase from liturgies associated with the feast of the Chair of Peter.