CHAPTER 19 – A FIRE DOUSED
"Run! Run! Save our lives!"
A large group of rebels tried to flee from a failed ambush. They had been patiently waiting in the lush forest on a vital pathway in Southern Dobrudja to strike at small contingents of Ottoman troops or supply trains, a tactic they utilized to great success in the past.
However, time had passed and circumstances changed. The Ottomans were now well-aware of the guerilla tactics used by the rebels, and made great efforts at adapting and countering them.
A lightly guarded supply train moved along the way, attracting attention from the ambushing rebels. They saw it as an opportunity to strike and sprung into actions. A couple of the Ottoman guards were surprised and killed by crossbow bolts, the rest spread out and used their horses to break away from the fight. Then, instead of panicking or fighting the rebels, they sounded their horns and remained at distance and shadow rebel move.
The rebels, lacking sufficient cavalry, couldn’t close their distance against the numerically inferior Ottomans, and were pinned down by their constant harassment. Within half an hour of the blazed horns, a large contingent of Ottoman cavalry reinforcement arrived at scene, and regained battlefield advantages. As more Ottoman reinforcements arrive, the rebels seeing their ambush exposed, began to panic, their lines shaken, and then the Ottomans struck.
Horse archers send arrows flying into chaotic formation, a devastating heavy cavalry charge killed many on impact, and dispersed the rest. They tried to flee into the dense woods, but the Ottomans now accustomed to the environment, dispatched from their horses and gave pursuit on foot, with archers picking down fleeing rebels one by one.
By the end of the encounter, over two hundred rebels lie dead, against only a dozen of Ottoman casualty.
The city of Zagora, situated in southern Bulgaria, is the largest settlement the rebels controlled, and now isolated due to retreating rebel forces and fully surrounded by Ottomans, became the victim of relentless bombardment. A total of 1500 rebel defenders in the city fought heroically against an overwhelming Ottoman force for forty days, killing many times their number before all perishing under Ottoman fires.
Inch by inch, the Ottomans relentlessly moved forward. Devastated by defeat after defeat, and seeing their proven guerilla tactics become ineffective and dangerous, slowly the rebel morale began to crack. Units that once were brave and courageous now fled at the sight of Ottoman cavalry. Local populace utterly tired and manpower pool exhausted no longer flocked to the rebellion, instead mass desertion began to appear, and as a result of battle casualties and desertions, the rebel’s number shrank rapidly.
During its zenith Bedreddin had over 20.000 men under his banner, now that number has reduced to around 4.000 men, retreating further and further into the dense marshes of Deliorman, back to the birthplace of rebellion, a place where many die-hard rebels intend to fight a last stance, hoping to recreate the great victory of Deliorman at the beginning of the rebellion three years ago.
The advancing Ottomans, knowing they had arrived to the final stage of their operation, and learning from past mistakes, advanced carefully and cautiously, denying the rebels their chance of major ambush or weakening efforts. On late June of 1419, despite suffering considerable casualties due to the tough terrain and some difficult skirmishes with rebels on high ground, the Ottomans under the command of Turahan Bey managed to encircle the rebels into their final base camp in Deliorman. A very defensible small town on a cliff, where most of the rebels and their family were located.
This is where the final battle of the rebellion of Bedreddin happened. Ottomans showered the town with projectiles and small firearms days and night, regardless of the costs. Due to the rough terrain cannons couldn’t be brought up, so the Turahan Bey decided to use the age-old tactic of storming the fortified town with ramps and ladders.
Many Ottoman soldiers died during the assault, many more pressed forwards, and their overwhelming numbers soon flooded the rebel’s defenses. Walls collapsed, gate smashing open, three days of relentless assaults day and night managed to break through rebel defense at last. As the Ottomans poured into the town, seeing their cause lost, their belief broken, in desperation some of the rebel survivors retreated into their barracks, then set their own camps ablaze, and a quick fire engulfed the remnants of the rebellion.
The final rebel resistance died on the fateful day of 21 June 1419. However, once Turahan noticed the absence of Sheikh Bedreddin, he immediately sent all his men on a thorough manhunt. He knew well the serious consequence for him if Bedreddin managed to escape - if not captured, this dangerous man giving time and opportunity could yet again threaten the Ottomans once more.
It seemed the fortunes had indeed turned. Five days later, an Ottoman searching party along the Danube River noticed a group of cloaked men near an edge of a forest pushing a small fishing boat into the river. Alerted, the party of cavalrymen rode towards the suspicious men, and when these men began to panic and flee, they knew they’ve caught up with a group of fleeing rebels.
The few rebels that drew their weapons were quickly cut down, and a couple armless men were captured and brought to the commander of the searching party. When the hood came off of one of the captives, they instantly realized that good fortune had dawned upon them. For they have captured the rebel leader Sheikh Bedreddin alive.
The news of Bedreddin’s capture quickly reached Mehmed. Excited, exhilarated, then exhausted, Mehmed had a very complex feeling. On one hand he was relieved by the end of a three year long struggle, that had seen him pushed back and suffered greatly, so a final victory seemed ever so sweet; yet on the other hand, a huge cost was paid to reach this point - his ever deteriorating health, his own men that he were forced to execute for failure, men he had to sacrifice for strategic gains, his own people he had to slaughter to deny the rebels their resources, all of these hard decisions weigh so heavily on Mehmed that the victory seemed more bitter than sweet.
Mehmed hid his depressive emotions deep within himself, and ordered Bedreddin be brought around the important cities inside the Ottoman Sultanate for parades as a warning to others. Although another important rebel leader Ivan was nowhere to be found, with Bedreddin the leader of the rebellion captured, everyone including Mehmed knew the largest commoner rebellion the Ottoman Sultanate had ever seen was finally over.
However, the jubilant mood in Edirne was not to last long. Just as the captured Sheikh Bedreddin were paraded in the streets of Tirnovo, and were escorted by Hamza Bey and dozens of Sipahis toward Serres in Macedonia, a hastily arrived herald from Edirne intercepted the group, and gave to Hamza Bey a direct order from Mehmed.
“Sultan Mehmed wants Bedreddin to be executed immediately and on the spot?” very surprised by his new order, Hamza Bey asked the herald for confirmation.
“That is the will of the Sultan, yes.” The herald, a young guard named Mahmud which Hamza Bey had known from the palace in Edirne before, answered affirmatively.
“Tell me, my friend Mahmud, did something unexpected happen in Edirne? Or in the Palace?” Hamza Bey smiled and placed a small bag of coins into the sleeve of Mahmud, not turning a hair.
Mahmud hesitated for a while, before slowly revealing a news that shocked Hamza Bey to his core.
“Sultan… Our great Sultan, he is gravely ill…”
“How could this be…?” the news came so shocking that Hamza Bey almost refused to believe. Yet it all made sense to him now, that a gravely ill Sultan would want Bedreddin ridded from this earthly world before anything unforeseeable happened.
Mehmed could no longer afford time to stick to his original plan to parade Bedreddin across the country as an example, and give Bedreddin a proper religious trial before execution to soothe the mood of the religious community, which still saw Bedreddin as a genius Islamic Jurist.
Bedreddin must be eliminated by all cost, now.
Despite being an arch adversary to his Sultan, and causing so much pain and suffering across the lands, Hamza Bey had come to respect the elderly Bedreddin for his collected demeanors and deep wisdom shown along the way. Yet, understanding the Sultan’s purpose behind the order, the ever-faithful Hamza Bey will execute that order without any questions.
Bedreddin was sitting on the grassy ground, his hands tied, his mouth whispering words of prayers. As he noticed Hamza Bey walking towards him with sword half-drawn, he knew his time to leave the earthly realm had arrived.
“Dear Hamza, you have received an order to kill me, no?”
“Unfortunately, wise sheikh, I have received…”
“Say no more, young man, I commend you for your honesty, and I am ready to return to Allah. Please be quick with my old bones.”
Hamza Bey took a deep breath, then suddenly swung the sword in his hand. The blade cut through the air in a sharp arc, whistling loudly as it approached Bedreddin’s head.
The elder Bedreddin’s face remained serene, as if everything was within his expectations. He made no attempt to dodge or beg for mercy, simply waiting calmly for the moment to arrive.
Minutes later, Hamza Bey jumped back on his horse, then he cried to his men with all his strength: “All men on horse, full speed to Edirne immediately!”
"Run! Run! Save our lives!"
A large group of rebels tried to flee from a failed ambush. They had been patiently waiting in the lush forest on a vital pathway in Southern Dobrudja to strike at small contingents of Ottoman troops or supply trains, a tactic they utilized to great success in the past.
However, time had passed and circumstances changed. The Ottomans were now well-aware of the guerilla tactics used by the rebels, and made great efforts at adapting and countering them.
A lightly guarded supply train moved along the way, attracting attention from the ambushing rebels. They saw it as an opportunity to strike and sprung into actions. A couple of the Ottoman guards were surprised and killed by crossbow bolts, the rest spread out and used their horses to break away from the fight. Then, instead of panicking or fighting the rebels, they sounded their horns and remained at distance and shadow rebel move.
The rebels, lacking sufficient cavalry, couldn’t close their distance against the numerically inferior Ottomans, and were pinned down by their constant harassment. Within half an hour of the blazed horns, a large contingent of Ottoman cavalry reinforcement arrived at scene, and regained battlefield advantages. As more Ottoman reinforcements arrive, the rebels seeing their ambush exposed, began to panic, their lines shaken, and then the Ottomans struck.
Horse archers send arrows flying into chaotic formation, a devastating heavy cavalry charge killed many on impact, and dispersed the rest. They tried to flee into the dense woods, but the Ottomans now accustomed to the environment, dispatched from their horses and gave pursuit on foot, with archers picking down fleeing rebels one by one.
By the end of the encounter, over two hundred rebels lie dead, against only a dozen of Ottoman casualty.
The city of Zagora, situated in southern Bulgaria, is the largest settlement the rebels controlled, and now isolated due to retreating rebel forces and fully surrounded by Ottomans, became the victim of relentless bombardment. A total of 1500 rebel defenders in the city fought heroically against an overwhelming Ottoman force for forty days, killing many times their number before all perishing under Ottoman fires.
Inch by inch, the Ottomans relentlessly moved forward. Devastated by defeat after defeat, and seeing their proven guerilla tactics become ineffective and dangerous, slowly the rebel morale began to crack. Units that once were brave and courageous now fled at the sight of Ottoman cavalry. Local populace utterly tired and manpower pool exhausted no longer flocked to the rebellion, instead mass desertion began to appear, and as a result of battle casualties and desertions, the rebel’s number shrank rapidly.
During its zenith Bedreddin had over 20.000 men under his banner, now that number has reduced to around 4.000 men, retreating further and further into the dense marshes of Deliorman, back to the birthplace of rebellion, a place where many die-hard rebels intend to fight a last stance, hoping to recreate the great victory of Deliorman at the beginning of the rebellion three years ago.
The advancing Ottomans, knowing they had arrived to the final stage of their operation, and learning from past mistakes, advanced carefully and cautiously, denying the rebels their chance of major ambush or weakening efforts. On late June of 1419, despite suffering considerable casualties due to the tough terrain and some difficult skirmishes with rebels on high ground, the Ottomans under the command of Turahan Bey managed to encircle the rebels into their final base camp in Deliorman. A very defensible small town on a cliff, where most of the rebels and their family were located.
This is where the final battle of the rebellion of Bedreddin happened. Ottomans showered the town with projectiles and small firearms days and night, regardless of the costs. Due to the rough terrain cannons couldn’t be brought up, so the Turahan Bey decided to use the age-old tactic of storming the fortified town with ramps and ladders.
Many Ottoman soldiers died during the assault, many more pressed forwards, and their overwhelming numbers soon flooded the rebel’s defenses. Walls collapsed, gate smashing open, three days of relentless assaults day and night managed to break through rebel defense at last. As the Ottomans poured into the town, seeing their cause lost, their belief broken, in desperation some of the rebel survivors retreated into their barracks, then set their own camps ablaze, and a quick fire engulfed the remnants of the rebellion.
The final rebel resistance died on the fateful day of 21 June 1419. However, once Turahan noticed the absence of Sheikh Bedreddin, he immediately sent all his men on a thorough manhunt. He knew well the serious consequence for him if Bedreddin managed to escape - if not captured, this dangerous man giving time and opportunity could yet again threaten the Ottomans once more.
It seemed the fortunes had indeed turned. Five days later, an Ottoman searching party along the Danube River noticed a group of cloaked men near an edge of a forest pushing a small fishing boat into the river. Alerted, the party of cavalrymen rode towards the suspicious men, and when these men began to panic and flee, they knew they’ve caught up with a group of fleeing rebels.
The few rebels that drew their weapons were quickly cut down, and a couple armless men were captured and brought to the commander of the searching party. When the hood came off of one of the captives, they instantly realized that good fortune had dawned upon them. For they have captured the rebel leader Sheikh Bedreddin alive.
The news of Bedreddin’s capture quickly reached Mehmed. Excited, exhilarated, then exhausted, Mehmed had a very complex feeling. On one hand he was relieved by the end of a three year long struggle, that had seen him pushed back and suffered greatly, so a final victory seemed ever so sweet; yet on the other hand, a huge cost was paid to reach this point - his ever deteriorating health, his own men that he were forced to execute for failure, men he had to sacrifice for strategic gains, his own people he had to slaughter to deny the rebels their resources, all of these hard decisions weigh so heavily on Mehmed that the victory seemed more bitter than sweet.
Mehmed hid his depressive emotions deep within himself, and ordered Bedreddin be brought around the important cities inside the Ottoman Sultanate for parades as a warning to others. Although another important rebel leader Ivan was nowhere to be found, with Bedreddin the leader of the rebellion captured, everyone including Mehmed knew the largest commoner rebellion the Ottoman Sultanate had ever seen was finally over.
However, the jubilant mood in Edirne was not to last long. Just as the captured Sheikh Bedreddin were paraded in the streets of Tirnovo, and were escorted by Hamza Bey and dozens of Sipahis toward Serres in Macedonia, a hastily arrived herald from Edirne intercepted the group, and gave to Hamza Bey a direct order from Mehmed.
“Sultan Mehmed wants Bedreddin to be executed immediately and on the spot?” very surprised by his new order, Hamza Bey asked the herald for confirmation.
“That is the will of the Sultan, yes.” The herald, a young guard named Mahmud which Hamza Bey had known from the palace in Edirne before, answered affirmatively.
“Tell me, my friend Mahmud, did something unexpected happen in Edirne? Or in the Palace?” Hamza Bey smiled and placed a small bag of coins into the sleeve of Mahmud, not turning a hair.
Mahmud hesitated for a while, before slowly revealing a news that shocked Hamza Bey to his core.
“Sultan… Our great Sultan, he is gravely ill…”
“How could this be…?” the news came so shocking that Hamza Bey almost refused to believe. Yet it all made sense to him now, that a gravely ill Sultan would want Bedreddin ridded from this earthly world before anything unforeseeable happened.
Mehmed could no longer afford time to stick to his original plan to parade Bedreddin across the country as an example, and give Bedreddin a proper religious trial before execution to soothe the mood of the religious community, which still saw Bedreddin as a genius Islamic Jurist.
Bedreddin must be eliminated by all cost, now.
Despite being an arch adversary to his Sultan, and causing so much pain and suffering across the lands, Hamza Bey had come to respect the elderly Bedreddin for his collected demeanors and deep wisdom shown along the way. Yet, understanding the Sultan’s purpose behind the order, the ever-faithful Hamza Bey will execute that order without any questions.
Bedreddin was sitting on the grassy ground, his hands tied, his mouth whispering words of prayers. As he noticed Hamza Bey walking towards him with sword half-drawn, he knew his time to leave the earthly realm had arrived.
“Dear Hamza, you have received an order to kill me, no?”
“Unfortunately, wise sheikh, I have received…”
“Say no more, young man, I commend you for your honesty, and I am ready to return to Allah. Please be quick with my old bones.”
Hamza Bey took a deep breath, then suddenly swung the sword in his hand. The blade cut through the air in a sharp arc, whistling loudly as it approached Bedreddin’s head.
The elder Bedreddin’s face remained serene, as if everything was within his expectations. He made no attempt to dodge or beg for mercy, simply waiting calmly for the moment to arrive.
Minutes later, Hamza Bey jumped back on his horse, then he cried to his men with all his strength: “All men on horse, full speed to Edirne immediately!”
