[(4.)] “Werterwaywod.”—Schiltberger evidently alludes here to John Mirca (John Mirtcha), prince or voyevoda of Walachia, called John, by Mme. de Lusson (Engel, Gesch. d. U. R., iv, 160: iii, 5), and Marcus, by the Byzantines (L. Chalco, 77). He was the son of the voyevoda, J. Radul, and having succeeded his elder brother, J. Dan, added the Dobroudja to his domains after the short reign of Ivanko or Iuanchus, “filius bonæ memoriæ magnifici domini Dobrdize”, as he is styled in the treaty concluded with the Genoese in 1387 (Not. et Extr., etc., xi, 65; and Mem. de l’Inst. de France, vii, 292–334). There is no difficulty in recognising the Bulgarian despot, Dobrotitch, in the person of the father, who, after the death of Alexander, declared his independance in the Dobroudja, whence, in all probability, its name. (Bruun, Journ. du Minis. de l’Instruc. Pub., St. Petersburg, Sept. 1877.)—Bruun.
[(5.)] “he had come a great distance with six thousand men.”—The force commanded by the Comte de Nevers, son of Philip, Duke of Burgundy, consisted of 1000 knights, 1000 soldiers, and 6000 mercenaries. The Count was supported by the flower of the French nobility. Aschbach (Gesch. K. Sigmund’s, i, 98) places the total at 10,000 men.—Ed.
[(6.)] “Duke of Iriseh, known as the despot.”—Stephen, prince of Servia, is here designated the despot of “Iriseh”, because Servia at that time was also known as Rascia. Thus—“ipsum regnum Rasciæ—regno Hungariæ; ab antiquo subjectum”, etc. (Engel, Gesch. d. U. R., iii, 370). Windeck, the contemporary biographer of Sigismund (Aschbach, Gesch. K. Sigmund’s, i, 234), likewise states, that the king advanced “gegen Sirfien und Raizen, und bedingte mit dem Tischbot”, that is to say, the despot. As the Turks are in the habit of preceding with an I, all foreign names commencing with a consonant, so may Schiltberger’s comrades, as Magyars, have converted Rascia into Iriseh.—Bruun.
[(7.)] “Duke of Burgony.”—This Duke of Burgundy was the valiant Comte de Nevers, aged 22 years only, afterwards surnamed Jean sans Peur; he was uncle to Charles VI. “Hanns Putzokardo” is easily recognised as the John Boucicault already noticed. As to the lord “Centumaranto”, Fallmerayer believes this person to have been Saint Omer, without, however, stating any reason for this belief; it is, therefore, more probable that Châteaumorant should be substituted for the name given by Schiltberger.
We read in Boucicault, that one Jean Chasteaumorant arrived in Turkey, with the money for the ransom of the French knights. It is very possible that a namesake, and even a near relative of this Châteaumorant, was among them, to whom the marshal afterwards entrusted the defence of Constantinople against the Turks, upon his own return to France.—Bruun.
CHAPTER II.
[(1.)] “Hannsen of Bodem. “The Marshal Boucicault (Petitot Collect., 465, 471) confirms Schiltberger’s statement, to the effect that Bajazet consented to spare the lives of a certain number of great lords, hoping “to receive from them much treasure and gold”. Henri and Philippe de Bar, cousins-german of the king, the Constable Count d’Eu, the Count de la Marche, and the Lord de la Trémouille, were of the number. No clue is given to the correct name and nationality of Stephen Synüher, but as he and the lord of Bodem (Widdin) are distinguished from the twelve French nobles whose lives were spared, it is pretty certain that allusion is made to Stephen Simontornya, nephew to Stephen Laszkovitz, voyevoda of Transylvania (Hurmuzaki, Fragm. zur Gesch. der Rum., 225). Aschbach informs us, that the uncle and nephew, who had both assisted at the battle of Nicopolis, were the first to take to flight; but it is very possible, that the nephew happened to be among those who failed to reach the river in time to enable him to embark, and was thus made a prisoner. John of Bodem was undoubtedly John Sracimir, king of Western Bulgaria, whose capital was Widdin.—Bruun.
[(2.)] “Kalipoli.”—Gallipoli, is mentioned (Ducas., Hist. Byz.) as being the first town occupied by the Turks (1356) on the European continent. By the treaty of Adrianople, 1204, upon the fall of the Empire, Gallipoli, which had been strongly fortified by the Byzantine emperors, fell to the Venetians; but the possession of an important stronghold commanding the entrance to the Marmora and Black Sea, was continually disputed by the Italians and Greeks, until the year 1307, when the Genoese and Greeks having, as allies, vanquished the Catalans in the Sea of Marmora, laid siege to Gallipoli, to which place those mercenaries of the Empire had been sent, who, after destroying the town and devastating the country around, withdrew into Attica and Bœotia. The Turks rebuilt the fortifications, which were greatly strengthened by Bajazet, who also constructed a port for his galleys. The Count de Nevers and 24 of his illustrious companions in arms, were detained in captivity at Gallipoli, and afterwards at Broussa, until ransomed for the sum of 200,000 golden ducats. (Heyd., Le Colonie Commer., i, 347; Hammer, Hist. de l’E. O., i, 106.)—Ed.
[(3.)] “Windischy land.”—According to Froissart (iv, c. 52), Sigismund embarked at Constantinople on board of a vessel that had just discharged a cargo of provisions. It is stated in the History of Cyprus, that the king arrived in Dalmatia by way of Rhodes. Thwrocz (Schwandtnerus, Script. Rerum Hung., iv, 9) adds, that he afterwards landed in Croatia, the country alluded to by Schiltberger as “Windischy land”. See “Windische Mark”, in Cosmographey.—Bruun.