Yoghurt and the Topkapi Palace

History up to 1492

The Ottomans arose from the obscure reaches of Anatolia in the west of Turkey; these Western Turks were called the Oghuz. They had come primarily as settlers during the reign of the Seljuks in Turkey (1098-1308); the Anatolian frontier was largely hostile to Islam Some of them were warriors to the Islamic faith carrying out jihad, or "holy struggle," to spread the faith among hostile unbelievers. It was a tough life in Anatolia; the Seljuks had been the first to maintain power over the area.


1281 - 1299

The founder of the Ottoman Empire, Osman Gazi (or, as he is known, Osman Khan or Osman Bey) was descended from a line of great leaders who had, in turn, led the Kayi Tribe, the most famous of all the 24 Turkish tribes.

Osman Khan's father, Ertoghrul Gazi, had been appointed Uchbey on the Byzantine Frontier by the Seljukian Sultan, Alauddin. The land was given to him to control and lay along the boundaries of Brusa, Kutahya and Biledjik. Ertoghrul Gazi captured the town of Saegut from the Byzantine Empire and made it the capital city of the region. The duties of the Uchbey were to defend the frontiers of the Empire and to fight against the attacks of the Crusader Knights.

On the death of Ertoghrul Gazi in 1281, his son Osman Gazi, despite being the youngest member of his family, was elected Uchbey to succeed his father.

Osman Gazi, through a clever mixture of diplomacy and warfare, gained large tracts of land from the neighboring Byzantine Emperors. Faced by an alliance of the Byzantine Emperors of Brusa and Nice on the one hand, and Yarhisar and Karadjahisar on the other, Osman Gazi declared war. He attacked Nice and in 1291 captured Karadjahisar. He changed the Castle Church into a mosque and assigned a judge to rule the area.

After further victories at Biledjik and Yarhisar in 1299 he married his son, Orkan Gazi, to the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor of Yarhisar.

In 1299 Osman Gazi declared independence, granting fiefs to his Moslem army veterans and appointing wardens, judges and magistrates to take charge of castles and strong points.

1301-1399

In 1301 Osman captured Yenisheheer and Youndhissar, making the former the capital of the territory. After besieging Iznick in 1303 and gaining numerous minor victories, he siezed the city of Brusa in 1326. Shortly afterwards, Osman Gazi died.

He was succeeded by his son Orkan Gazi (or Orkan Bey) who continued to extend the boundaries of the new country, adding Izmit and other places to his territories. Orkan gained a notable victory over a Byzantine army which attempted to lift the siege of Nice and added the principality of Karesi to his lands. Angora was regained from the Ahi Tribe and Cheembi Castle, Gallipoli, Bolayir, Malkara, Chorlou and Tekirdagh were added to Ottoman territories.

During the reign of Orkan Gazi coins were used for the first time in the Ottoman Empire. Orkan died in 1360, being succeeded by his son Amurath the First.

Amurath captured Chorlou and Lulebourgaz and regained Angore from the Ahi Tribe once more in 1363. His generals Evranos Bey and Jadji Ilbey annexed Malkara, Keshan, Ipsala, Dedeaghach and Dimetoka while Edirne, Philibe and Gumushhane were also taken.

The Crusader armies attacked Edirne but were defeated by Hadji Ilbey. After further victories the Bulgarian Kingdom was annexed to the Ottoman Empire and Amurath married Maria, the sister of the Bulgarian King.

After the Serbian Tribe was defeated in 1371 their leader acknowledged the overlordship of the Ottoman Empire and

agreed to pay 50 okkas of silver to the Sultan. He also agreed to send troops to fight for the Empire as and when needed. Following this victory Amurath returned to Brusa and married his son, Bayezid, to Solyman Shah's daughter, receiving Kutalya, Tavshanh, Simav and Emet as dowry.

Aksheheer, Karaaghach, Eghirdir and Hamidogllou were purchased from Hussein Bey and, in 1385, Ishtip, Monaster and Ohree were conquered by Timourtash Pasha. Sophia and Nish in Bulgaria became mandates of the Ottomans but there was a setback when the Kings of Serbia and Bosnia and the Princes of Albania and Crotia defeated Timourtash Pasha at Ploshnik with an army of 30,000 troops.

In an attempt to take advantage of this reversal, several European nations formed a Union of Crusaders, but before they could launch an assault the armies of the Ottoman Empire, under Ali Pasha, defeated the forces of the King of Bulgaria and the Prince of Dobroudja, thus preventing a Crusader attack. Amurath then passed on into Roumelia and in 1389 put the Crusaders to rout.

Tragically, Amurath was slain by a Serbian soldier after the battle and was succeeded by his son, Bayezid.

Tribes such as the Menteske and Hamid Oghoullari seized the opportunity to declare war on the Ottoman Empire but Bayezid the Yilderim (Lightning) quickly moved against them and put an end to their challenge. Beysheheer was ceeded to the Empire and peace was declared.

Sultan Bayezid Khan now besieged Istanbul, an action which led to a new Crusade. At the Battle of Nighbolou the Crusaders were utterly defeated and the siege of Istanbul continued. The Anatolian Castle was built and Bayezid, leaving the siege in the hands of the Vizier Ali Pasha, passed on to Anatolia and annexed Koniah. Burhanuddin and Malatia were also conquered.

While Bayezid was away, a fleet under the command of Boucicant raised the siege of Istanbul and regained the castles. Bayezid renewed the siege in 1400 but the invasion of Anatolia by Timour caused him to lift it again.


1400 – 1452

Timour plundered Siwas and moved into Western Anatolia and Syria. Bayezid gathered his forces and attacked Angora in 1402. However, he was routed by Timour and taken prisoner and died in captivity in 1403.

On Bayezid's death, his sons declared separate, independent sultanates - Solyman in Romelia, Isa Chelebi in Balikeseer, Chelebi Mehmed in Amassia and Mousa Chelebi in Brusa.

Subsequently, Chelebi Mehmed became the sole sovereign in 1413. After his death in 1421 his son Amurath the Second took his place.

He supressed a rebellion led by his brother Moustapha, attacked the Byzantines, made war with Venice and besieged Eghriboz and Morea. In 1430 he regained Salonica from the Venetians and Wallachia and Serbia joined the Ottoman Empire once more. In 1437 Hamidili, Tashili, Koniah and Beysheheer were conquered.

Amurath left the throne to his young son Mehmed but this resulted in new attacks by the Crusaders. However, the invaders were routed and Amurath took the throne once more. He defeated another Crusader force in 1448 and then attacked Albania. Akcha-Hissar was besieged but not taken.

On Amurath's death, his son Mehmed succeeded him. Having built the fortress of Roumelia he then besieged Istanbul. After a siege of 53 days the city fell on May 29th, 1453.



1453 – 1492

Shortly afterwards Serbia and Morea were taken, as were the islands of Limni, Tashos, Midilli, Imros and Eghribos in the Aegean Sea. Mehmed next put an end to the Greek Empire of Trebizond in 1461 and siezed Geonese Colonies in the Crimea. The Crimea was subjected to the Ottoman Empire.

Mehmed declared war against the Akkoyun Empire in 1473 and at the Battle of Otlukbeli he defeated Ouzoun Hassan, the Akkoyun Emperor. With that victory Mehmed the Conqueror annexed the whole of Anatolia as far as the River Euphrates.

In 1480 Gedik Ahmed Pasha began a campaign against Italy. He captured the citadel of Otranto but his own death prevented a complete conquest. Mehmed the Conqueror set out for Egypt but, on his way to do battle at Gebze, he died.

Mehmed was succeeded by his son Bayezid. His brother Djem rebelled against him but was eventually defeated and took refuge in Europe. Bayezid added Herzegovina to his Empire and here is where our tale begins…

Topkaki Palace

On a hill overlooking the meeting of the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn, and the Sea of Marmara, the Topkapi Palace. Built by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror in 1453, and the nerve center of the entire Ottoman Empire.


"Topkapi" means Cannon Gate, and probably came to designate the palace because of the two cannons that guarded its most important water-gates. Before that it was called the "Grand Seraglio" by the Europeans, and simply "saray" (the Persian word for palace), by the Turks. All who dwelt within these walls lived to serve their lord, the Ottoman sultan. He was answerable to no one save himself, to God, and, occasionally, to the mobs of Istanbul.

The palace is actually a group of buildings and courtyards connected by gates. There are three distinct areas, the Outer Palace, the Inner Palace, and the Harem. Anywhere from several hundred to several thousands of people worked and lived on palace grounds, a veritable city within a city. Various craftsmen, gardeners, and guards all had their own dorms and wore distinctively color-coded garb for ease of identification. It was no doubt a busy and colorful place Topkapi even had its own zoo, replete with elephants, lions, and bears.

It was in this complex Bayezid, the Ottoman Sultan, sleept when suddenly, a white flash appearead in the middle of his room and a dark voice was heard.

”You are blessed by Allah, Bayezid, Slave of God. As a lonesome wanderer shall walk up towards the gates of this Palace and ask for an personal audience. It will not be an ordinary man, but a learned and by Allah blessed one. Listen to him carefully and your Empire will expand tremendious and you, your self will enjoy the marvelous life in Paradis for an eternitity…”

After this ”shocking” experince, Bayezid shook his head in disbelief, was it a dream or had he realy experienced a vision, a vision granted to him by Allah the All-Mighty!? Well the morning would show him if this was merely a confused dream or if it would be fullfilled…

Meanwhile, Yoghurt, laughted loudly in a nearby house, which he had rented for this sole purpose to establish contact with the Sultan. The holoprojector aswell as the voice enhancer had done the trick, by creating a virtual man standing in the Sultans room, surrounded by light and thus convincing him of the mans immortal status as a messenger of Allah...

Tomorrow Yoghurt would walk up the Palace gates and he was sure of that the Sultan would recieve him well.

Singleton Mosby said:

What a ferocious set of warriors those Otto's are, did they do anything other then fighting...Oh, they where very able sientists and historians....

Did Serbia and Wallachia truelly chose to enter into the Otto empire voluntairly?

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Voluntairly!? No iirc they didnt join the Ottoman Empire voluntairly. The text above just say "joined" but not how... so Im rather sure it wasnt a peacefull democratic vote wether to join or not

The historical background above btw is just to get the reader in a mood.

The first morning light

As the first morning light hit the city, Yoghurt took some of his gear, a multi language translator, a mini holo projector and some other nice stuff that could be in handy, and walked down the street towards the Gates of the Topkapi Palace. When Yoghurt came to the gates he heard himself saying ”Konichiwa!” to the guards. The Guards just looked at him and Yoghurt relised that he had set the translator on the wrong language… ooppps!

Well, nothing that cant be fixed right away he thought, stretching for the central unit which sat on his belt, but that was a misstake…

Believing it was a weapon he stretched for, two ottoman guards jumped him and pulled him down to the ground, kicking some dirt in his face aswell just to expand his humiliating experience. Then dragging him up on the feets again, they searched him, but when they didnt find any weapon they had a little discussion between them, a discussion which Yoghurt couldnt follow as he had set the translator on the wrong language... Apparently they had decided to put him in a ”safe place” as they opend the gate and escorted him to a smaller wood house and put him in arrest there. Unfortunally for Yoghurt they also stripped him of all his things, including the translator, so there he sat, Yoghurt, and spend the first hours of, what should have been a glorious day, in a wodden ”safe house” in the Topkapi Palace…

Bayezid – The historical figure



Bayezid II siezed power from his brother in 1481 , after their fathers death, by the help of the fearfull janissaries. His brother fled to Rhodos where he was imprisoned by the Knights of St John. Rumours of the history tell us that Bayezid payed the Knights of St John an annual sum in gold, for their “hospitality” against his brother. One of Bayezid worst nightmaers was that his brother would return and claim the throne. Bayezid went to history as a promoter of economical growht and for enforcing the law.

Bayezid

While Yoghurt was imprisoned, Bayezid, the Sultan walked down to the Gates to investigate if there had been a man at the gates, this morning. Asking the guards if any man of esteeemed dignity had arrived, they just answered. ”No Most Honorable Sultan, just a lonesome maniac, probably sent out to lure us from the gates so that some hideaous assassin could enter… He is in a safe place now.”

The Sultan nodded and clapped the men on their shoulders, expresing how proud he was to have such loyal and quick minded guards. Walking back to his quarters he thought that the ”dream” last night, indead must have been a dream. Now he had more important matters to tend to as a metting about the Empires future expansion was to be held in the Grand Hall…

In the Grand Hall

Bayezid sat on the peacock throne, listening to his advisors. In front of him was a large map, showing the Empires full stretch.




Having a large army and not using it was madness, Bayezid knew this. A large army within their nations own borders was to make war against yourself…

Thus the question this Diwan had to decide wasnt if there should be any war, but towards which direction. Some spoke about Hungary, others about the hated shiites in Egypt and others about the mercantile Venetians. Bayezid himself, decided to support the last proposal. The Venetians had always been a thorn in his side and they sooner they where dealt with the better. Besides better to deal with them now when their capital could be reached via land then wait and risk the land connection being cut of by the even more hated Emperor in Vienna. He had always had a good eye to Istria and Istria and Dalmatia was the path to Venice unless they wanted to challange the Venetian navy on the open sea…

So the decision was made… Venice was the target!

Meanwhile, in his wodden ”safe house”, Yoghurt began to get very thirsty and trying to call for attention just made him thirstier… He cursed they day he decided to jump back in time in order to forge the Ottoman Empire togheter and then he suddenly relised… that he could be trapped here for ever, here in the late 1500 century… Without any means to get back to his time and dimension machine he might be forced to endure the rest of his life as an ottoman prisoner… a dreadfull thought. This made Yoghurt to shout even louder…

The Venetian War

As the decleration of war against Venice was issued, the Ottoman forces marshed towards their set destinations. Meanwhile Yoghurt had been transfered to an even less welcoming place, a stone mine in the Bulgarian mountains, where he was put into labout until he´s case was presented before a kadi in Constantiople. Luckily they had atleast given him his translator back when they transfered him, but his mini holoprojector ahd been broken when the guard had tossed him, that day, outside the gates of the Topkapi Palace. With no means to repair it Yoghurt had it in his pocket until such a moment would come…

So, one day, Yoghurt was brought back to Constantiople to be judged. It was the same day Kemal Rais defeated a venetian navy just outside Crete when he was to unload an Ottoman Depatchement there who was to put the island under Ottoman ruling.

Entering the Court Hall, Yoghurt made sure of that his translator was put to the right language. He didnt want to make the same misstake twice…

In the Trial, the two guards who ahd arrested him, earlier this year, testified that Yoghurt had tried to assulat them. Yoghurt denyed everything instead claimed that he had a meeting with the Sultan. When the kadi asked for his documents, Yoghurt in his stupidity claimed that he had no documents and didnt need any as the Sultan had had a revelation which said that he would meet with him. Hearing that the kadi simply decided that Yoghurt, indead was a mad man and better be put under carefull care so that he may not injure himself or any other living thing. Yoghurt was brought back to the stone mining….

1495

Been imprisoned and put into labout in a stone mine for 3 long years, Yoghurt never though he would leave this place or century alive. Meanwhile the ottoman war waged on against Venice, slowly pushing the venetians backwards and claiming one province at the time. Also another war had its beginning this year. A war against the Emirate of Dulkadir, a pure conquest mission in order to put more land under the feets of the Sultan. Both Vencie as Dulkadir was alone in their defense and had no allies, and since that day that Kemal Rais had been victorious over the venetian fleet outside Crete the Ottomans was unbeatable both on land as on sea. It was just a matter of time before everyting had falled into the hands of the Sultan…

Yoghurt on the other hand had, as we already know, been less victorious. On a sunny summer day a slave trader had been passing by and bribed the commendant and thus got the option to purchase prisoners and turn them into slaves. Yoghurt was one of them who was brought away in this maner. He didnt know if he was to be feel lucky or not. When they approached Constantiople he decided absolute not… as he then was told what his fate would be… he was to be castrated in order to serve as a eunuch in the Topkapi Palace…

Hehe well yea this Yoghurt is sure a miserable character...

Hopefully the Empire will still stand when he, if he ever will be able to, get his hands on it.

Yoghurt – the Eunuch!?

Yoghurt pledged for his mandom but for no use, two steady nubian guards, serving the slave trader, brought him, between them, down the street. Yoghurt was to be led to a well known ”castrater”. Skilled in handle the knife aswell as the scissor…

While trying to fight against his ”escorters” Yogurt and the nubians passed the house which he had used as a base that day when he ontacted the Sultan. It looked deserted and with a final effort, Yoghurt, liberated himself from the grips of the nubians and ran as fast as he could into the house with the nubians running after.

Entering the house, Yoghurt saw that everything was as he left it. Yoghurt thanked his lucky star and tossed himself into the time-dimension machine and vanished infront of they eyes of the nubians….

Plan B

Being able to rescue himself from a more horrific destiny then death, Yoghurt sat at home, in the 2100-centrury and thought of how he could put things right again. He was determined to yet, once gain, try to influence the Ottoman Sultan and thus be participating in the creation of the worlds largest Empire…

Suddenly he came up with a great idea. If he was to transport himself to the ”Star Treek” dimension, ”steal” an android and controll it from a safe place… that could work…

Said and done, Yoghurt used the time-dimension machine to transport himself to the legendary starship Enterprise…


When aboard Yoghurt, in a plit second, used a home made beaming time-dimension gun to ”steal” ”Data” away. Back in the 2100- century, Yoghurt gave ”Data” a elecric shock so that he could modify him in peace...

Stroph1 said:

I was a bit concerned for that Yoghurt fellow. (Stroph shudders at the thought of becomming a Eunuch!)

Nice set up!

Click to expand...

Well I was rather concerned myself

And thanks Im trying to write the story in a way I havent done before

1496

Being satisfied with the modifications done on ”Data”, Yoghurt set his time-dimension machine to 1496, a year ahead from where he left the Ottoman Empire the last time. That should be enough, both for the slave trader to forget about Yoghurt but still near enough the leaving date, that Yoghurt could jump into the action once again, just following the ”recent” events.

Returning to the house, Yoghurt discovered it had been turned into a tee-house. His appearance in the middle of the room on broad day light with a funny looking guy, ”Data”, at his side made people to gaze of amazing.

Yoghurt quikly took ”Data” along and found a less crowded place at the end of a alley. There he told ”Data” to wait while he strossed away to find another location to put up his HQ in.

While passing a marketplace, Yoghurt heard the rumors that Dulkadir had been vassalised and the venetian war was still going on. Only Venice itself as well as the island Corfy seemed to be holding out, but it was just a matter of time until they would fall as Ottoman forces besieged them both.

It was first at one end of the city, that Yogurt found a suitable location, a house or more like a ruin. The location was preferable as it had a basement. A basement that expect for some rats was empty. Yoghurt used his ear communicator and called upon ”Data” which arrived within 15 minutes, with the time-dimension machine on his back. Yoghurt fellt lucky that he had though of making the machine able to fold, so that in its smallest form wasnt bigger then an ordinary back pack…