Eski Saray ( Turkish for "Old Palace"), also known as Sarây-ı Atîk-i Âmire , was a palatial building in Constantinople during the period of Ottoman rule , and it was the first such palace built in the city following the conquest of 1453 . It was located in the Beyazıt neighborhood of the Fatih district, in an area now housing the main campus of Istanbul University , between the Süleymaniye Mosque and the Bayezid II Mosque .
41-404: Construction of the palace commenced shortly after the 1453 conquest, and it was completed in 1458. Although historians of the period such as Doukas and Michael Critobulus stated that it was completed in 1455, the general opinion is that by then various parts such as the harem and mansion were finished, but it was not fully completed until 1458. Evliya Çelebi stated in his Seyahatnâme that
82-440: A nearby monastery . Although the death of Apokaukos did not bring about the immediate collapse of the regency, it removed the main instigator of the civil war and one of its chief protagonists, and resulted in dissension and defections in the regency's camp. It therefore marked the beginning of the war's end, which would come with Kantakouzenos's entry into Constantinople on 3 February 1347. However, less than five years later
123-580: A particularly valuable source since he was an eyewitness to many of the events included in his history, knew Italian and Turkish and was thus able to draw upon Genoese and Ottoman sources. Doukas is also the only Byzantine source to mention the revolt of Börklüce Mustafa . The editio princeps by I. Bullialdus (Paris, 1649), with a Latin translation on facing pages and copious notes, was based on one manuscript, currently in Paris , Bibliothèque Nationale MS. Gr. 1310 (Grecu's P, dated 16th century). A folio edition
164-427: Is known that Doukas survived this event, but there is no record of his subsequent life, and he may have died at about this time. Doukas was the author of a history of the period 1341–1462; his work thus continues that of Nikephoros Gregoras and John Kantakouzenos , and supplements George Sphrantzes and Laonikos Chalkokondyles . There is a preliminary chapter of chronology from Adam to John V Palaiologos . After
205-511: The prōtostratōr Theodore Synadenos , which aimed to depose the aging Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos in favour of his grandson Andronikos III. Under the threat of war, the Emperor surrendered Thrace and some districts in Macedonia to the rule of his grandson. When Andronikos III became sole emperor in 1328, his close friend Kantakouzenos became his chief minister, and Alexios was awarded with
246-492: The Hesychast controversy divided the pious Byzantines , and, despite some important exceptions, the supporters of Hesychasm also supported Kantakouzenos. A few days after Kantakouzenos's coronation, the inhabitants of Adrianople rebelled against the aristocracy and declared themselves for the regency, with Apokaukos sending his younger son Manuel to become the city's governor. In a similar development in 1342, Thessalonica ,
287-570: The Topkapı Palace ("New Palace") , from this moment on, the imperial harem of Ottoman sultans would remain permanently in Topkapi palace. The mother of deceased sultans were sent to the Eski Saray at the request of current mother sultan, disgraced concubines, women of former Sultans or şehzade accused of treason (such as Şehzade Süleyman ) continued to be sent or exiled in the Eski Saray's harem. When
328-536: The 200 prisoners murdered in retribution by hiding in the underground chamber of the New Church . He and five others disguised themselves as monks and managed to escape Constantinople . Michael met Isa, the grandson of Aydin , who became his patron and established him at Ephesus . He remained there even after the end of the civil war, convinced that sooner or later all of the remnants of the Byzantine state would succumb to
369-462: The Empire's second-largest city, was seized by a group known as the " Zealots ". Their anti-aristocratic beliefs made them enemies of "Kantakouzenism", and earned them the support of the regency. Apokaukos himself arrived with a fleet of 70 ships to aid them, and appointed his elder son John Apokaukos as the city's governor, although the latter's authority would remain only nominal. In the first years of
410-509: The Italian translation was made from a more complete copy of Doukas' history, but Harry J. Magoulias has argued that it is more likely "that the translator may have simply borrowed from another source in order to supplement the account of the siege of Mitylene in 1462. A fourth edition of this was prepared by Jacques Paul Migne for the Patrologia Graeca series, vol. 157. For many years it
451-532: The Kantakouzenos camp. In early 1345, Apokaukos and Kalekas rejected offers of reconciliation conveyed by two Franciscan friars. Trying to bolster his waning power, Apokaukos began a series of proscriptions in the capital, and even ordered a new prison constructed for political prisoners. On 11 June 1345, Apokaukos suddenly decided to inspect the new prison, without being escorted by his bodyguard. The prisoners immediately rose up and lynched him, and his head
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#1732848553902492-528: The Sultan carried out state affairs, and its grounds included an area for hunting. Later on in his reign, Mehmed II began to build the Topkapı Palace , and when the palace was completed in 1478 he settled there. Although the Sultan lived in the Topkapı Palace, he continued to visit the harem at the Eski Saray on some days of the week. In subsequent years, the palace and its grounds went through numerous changes. In
533-615: The Turkish onslaught. Although his grandson claims so, it is unknown how, if at all, Michael was related to the old Byzantine imperial dynasty of the Doukai . All we know of the younger Doukas is what he reveals about himself in his history. His earliest autobiographical allusion is dated to 1421, when he lived in New Phocaea and served as the secretary of the local Genoese governor, Giovanni Adorno . From New Phocaea, Doukas found employment with
574-527: The city, however, the Patriarch and Apokaukos seized power. Kantakouzenos's family and friends were imprisoned (Kantakouzenos's mother Theodora would eventually die in prison) and the Patriarch was declared regent, while Anna named Apokaukos as urban prefect ( eparchos ) of Constantinople. Kantakouzenos responded by having himself declared emperor at Didymoteicho in October 1341, while his opponents followed with
615-402: The civil war is inaccurate, and largely the result of distorting propaganda by Kantakouzenos and Gregoras. However, she acknowledges Apokaukos as Kantakouzenos's "most redoubtable adversary" during the war, and the dictatorial nature of his regime after 1343. According to the historian Angeliki Laiou , Apokaukos can also be seen as the exponent of a radical change in the nature and direction of
656-470: The complex of the Süleymaniye Mosque was constructed in 1557, it once again took up part of the Eski Saray's area. In the years 1625-1632 during the reign of Murad IV the palace was restored, but in 1687, a large fire broke out near the palace. By the next evening the fire had engulfed the Eski Saray. The fire burned for five hours and many places of the palace burned down. Most of lives of people in
697-470: The construction of the palace began in 1454 on the site of an old church and that the palace was surrounded by a solid rectangular wall covered with a blue lead that had a perimeter of 12,000 arşın , approximately equivalent to 9 kilometres (5.6 mi). Historian Tursun Beg , a contemporary of Mehmed II , mentioned that the palace housed mansions, a harem, the Imperial Council , the throne room where
738-522: The coronation of John V in November. The two coronations finalized the split, and ushered in a civil war that would embroil the Byzantine Empire and all of its neighbours until 1347 with Kantakouzenos's victory. In its course, it would devastate the remaining imperial possessions, and create a deep rift in Byzantine society: the aristocracy and the propertied classes generally supported Kantakouzenos, while
779-404: The cousin of the megas stratopedarchēs Georgios Choumnos . His first marriage produced three children and his second two: One of his sons married a daughter of John Vatatzes . As a self-made " new man ", Apokaukos was mistrusted by the scions of the aristocratic families who dominated the imperial government. The only accounts of the period of the civil war, Kantakouzenos's memoirs and
820-477: The early 1500s, Sultan Bayezid II built the Bayezid II Mosque partially on the grounds of the palace. Matrakçı Nasuh depicted the palace in miniature, with two walls and residential buildings along the inner wall. In 1540–1541, the Eski Saray was largely destroyed by fire before being rebuilt by Kanuni. After the fire, which destroyed the harem of the palace, the harem of Suleiman was permanently moved into
861-514: The first English translation in 1975 based on Grecu's critical edition. Alexios Apokaukos Alexios Apokaukos ( Greek : Ἀλέξιος Ἀπόκαυκος ; died 11 June 1345), also Latinized as Alexius Apocaucus , was a chief minister and head of the navy in the Byzantine Empire , during the reigns of emperors Andronikos III Palaiologos (r. 1328–1341) and John V Palaiologos (r. 1341–1357). Although he owed his rise to high state offices to
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#1732848553902902-681: The fortress of Rumeli Hisar. In 1455, Doukas twice acted on behalf of the Gattilusi to the Ottomans, first delivering gifts to Hamza the Ottoman admiral, then in August delivered the annual tribute to the Sultan, a visit that required Doukas to bring his new master, Domenico Gattilusio before the Sultan. He was still living on Lesbos in 1462, when it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire by Sultan Mehmed II. It
943-401: The history of Nikephoros Gregoras , with their pro-aristocracy bias, paint a very negative picture of the man, which has been adopted virtually unaltered by most modern historians as well. In a dissenting view, the historian Eva de Vries-Van der Velden believes that the image of Apokaukos as the ungrateful protégé of Kantakouzenos and an inveterate schemer who was responsible for the outbreak of
984-442: The lower and middle classes, primarily urban, as well as the merchants and sailors, supported Apokaukos and the regency. This gave the dynastic dispute and civil war strong social overtones: during the war, the excessive wealth and perceived indifference of Kantakouzenos and the aristocracy towards the common people became a standard fixture of Apokaukos's propaganda. In addition, the conflict acquired religious significance as well:
1025-466: The palace were saved by aghas and other servants of the palace, but Muazzez Sultan was affected from the fire and she died the next day. Today, no remains of the palace have survived. 41°0′40.37″N 28°57′50.84″E / 41.0112139°N 28.9641222°E / 41.0112139; 28.9641222 (See also: Ottoman architectural decoration ) Doukas (historian) Doukas or Dukas ( c. 1400 – after 1462)
1066-510: The patronage of John VI Kantakouzenos (r. 1347–1354), he became, together with Patriarch John XIV Kalekas , one of the leaders of the faction supporting Emperor John V in the civil war of 1341–1347 against his one-time benefactor. Apokaukos died when he was lynched by political prisoners during an inspection of a new prison. Alexios was of humble origin, and was born in the late 13th century somewhere in Bithynia . He nevertheless studied under
1107-466: The positions that Kantakouzenos himself had formerly held: head of the imperial secretariat ( mesazōn ) and in charge of the state's finances. These positions allowed him to amass a considerable personal fortune, which he used to construct a personal refuge, a fortified tower-house at the site of Epibatai near Selymbria , at the coast of the Sea of Marmara . In early 1341, shortly before Andronikos's death, he
1148-506: The preliminary chapter, he begins his work on history with description of the Battle of Kosovo . Doukas considered the Ottoman conquests as a divine punishment , criticised Mehmed II's immorality and cruelty, and ardently supported the union of the Greek and Latin churches as a prerequisite for saving what was left of the Byzantine Empire. His work is thus "generally considered biased but reliable" and
1189-614: The ruling Gattilusi family on Lesbos . They employed him in various diplomatic missions to the Ottoman court. In 1451, he was in Adrianople when Murad II died and Mehmed II first entered the capital. In 1452, when Mehmed's army was beginning the siege of Constantinople, he was in Didymoteicho where he saw the corpses of the Venetian crew and their captain executed for failing to stop at
1230-496: The scholar Theodore Hyrtakenos , and became a tax official. By 1320 he was director of the salt pans , from which he later advanced to the position of domestikos of the themes of the West. He rose in the bureaucratic hierarchy until, in 1321, he was appointed the imperial parakoimōmenos (chamberlain). His position made him useful to John Kantakouzenos, who included him in a conspiracy, together with Syrgiannes Palaiologos and
1271-416: The support of Andronikos's widow, Anna of Savoy . Kantakouzenos did not claim the throne for himself, but demanded the regency, based on his close association with the deceased emperor, and with the support of the capital's troops secured it. His position, however, was weakened by the adherence of Apokaukos to the Patriarch's camp; Kantakouzenos, in his own account, relates that Apokaukos had urged him to seize
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1312-671: The throne in hopes of his own advancement, and when he refused, the powerful chancellor switched over to his opponents' camp. As soon as Kantakouzenos left Constantinople in July 1341 to campaign against the Empire's enemies who were assaulting it, Apokaukos made his first moves. Although as commander of the fleet it was his duty to guard the Dardanelles against any attempt by Turks to cross into Europe, he deliberately allowed this to happen in order to cause disruption in Thrace. Apokaukos tried to kidnap
1353-462: The war would resume , removing Kantakouzenos for good, reinstalling John V Palaiologos and bringing further devastation to the Byzantine Empire. Alexios Apokaukos had two brothers, John and Nikephoros, of whom very little is known. Alexios himself married twice. His first wife was the daughter of a priest of the Hagia Sophia called Dishypatos , and the second, whom he married sometime around 1341,
1394-628: The war, the tide was in favour of the regency, until, in the summer of 1342, Kantakouzenos was forced to flee to the court of Stefan Dušan of Serbia. However, from 1343 onwards, with the aid of his friend, Umur Beg of Aydin , Kantakouzenos began to reverse the situation. With the initial support of Stefan Dušan, Kantakouzenos regained much of Macedonia, and despite his failure to take Thessalonica, his Turkish allies enabled him to return to his old stronghold of Didymoteicho in Thrace. Gradually, Apokaukos's supporters abandoned him, including his son Manuel, who deserted his post at Adrianople and went over to
1435-462: The young John V, but failed and was forced to flee to his house at Epibatai . However, when Kantakouzenos returned victorious to the capital, instead of depriving Apokaukos of his offices, and against the counsel of his friends, he pardoned his protégé. Apokaukos put on an exaggerated display of deference to Kantakouzenos, who allowed him to resume his offices and return to Constantinople, while Kantakouzenos left on yet another campaign. Once back in
1476-528: Was a Byzantine Greek historian who flourished under Constantine XI Palaiologos , the last Byzantine Emperor . He is one of the most important sources for the last decades and eventual fall of the Byzantine Empire to the Ottomans . The date of Doukas's birth is not recorded, nor is his first name or the names of his parents. He was probably born somewhere in western Asia Minor in the 1390s, where his paternal grandfather, Michael Doukas, had fled. Michael Doukas
1517-452: Was eulogized by his grandson as a learned man, especially in matters of medicine. He had played a role in the Byzantine civil wars of the mid-14th century as a partisan of John VI Kantakouzenos . Michael Doukas had been arrested by Alexios Apokaukos , and was one of the prisoners at the palace where Apokaukos was murdered by some of the inmates. Michael Doukas narrowly avoided becoming one of
1558-615: Was published in Venice by the Javarina Press in 1729. I. Bekker (1834) produced an edition for the Bonn series , which includes a 15th-century Italian translation by an unknown author, found by Leopold Ranke in one of the libraries of Venice, and sent by him to August Bekker ; this translation continues where the Greek text ends in mid-sentence, completing the account of the Ottoman conquest of Lesbos. This addition has led some scholars to conclude
1599-491: Was rewarded with the high office of megas doux , giving him the high command over the Byzantine navy . He re-equipped the fleet, paying from his own pocket 100,000 hyperpyra . Upon Andronikos's death, two factions emerged at court: the supporters of Kantakouzenos, chiefly provincial magnates from Macedonia and Thrace , and those opposed to him, led mainly by the Patriarch John XIV Kalekas , who obtained
1640-580: Was severed and stuck on a pole. The prisoners believed that they would be rewarded by the Empress Anna for getting rid of the hated Apokaukos. She, however, was so shocked and dismayed at the loss of her principal minister, that she gave Apokaukos's supporters, who were joined by the Gasmouloi , the fleet's marines, free rein to avenge their leader's death. As a result, all prisoners, some 200 in total, were massacred, even though some attempted to seek refuge in
1681-500: Was thought that Doukas' history existed in a single manuscript in the Bibliothèque Nationale; however in the same library Vasile Grecu discovered a second manuscript containing Doukas' work, Bibliothèque Nationale MS. Gr. 1766 (Grecu's P1, dated 18th century), which allowed him to publish a new critical edition (Bucharest, 1958) with improvements on prior editions to which Grecu added a Romanian translation. Magoulias published