Mustafa the Pretender TL
by Scott Blair
Part I: The rebirth of Byzantium (1421-1511)
The POD is 1421. Mehmed, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire has died. The Byzantines have released his son, Mustafa, from prison in order to claim the throne. Here’s where the differences begin.
1421- The Doge, in consultation with the Senate, agrees to launch a full fledged attack on Ottoman territories, in exchange for Thessalonica. The Ottoman navy is quickly destroyed, and the Balkan princes, taking advantage of the chaos, invade Northern Greece and Bulgaria. The Empire, with the support of Venice, besieges Smyrna and quickly takes it. Attempts to move further are repulsed by Murad and Mustafa, who negotiate a peace and nominate Murad as the Sultan.
Filippo Maria Visconti, duke of Milan, conquers Genoa.
1422- With Murad proving incapable of defending the empire, the Jannisasaries overthrow Murad, and throw their support behind Mustafa. With little option other than to gain a peace, he accepts the loss of all European territories, and western Anatolia.
The Ottoman Empire has been effectively reduced to an Asian power.
(1)1426-
Venice and the Florentines ally against Milan, whose imperialistic tendencies have risen once again. Francesco Bussone, the famous mercenary general, agrees to work for Venice. He then proceeds to (at the behest of the Senate, who doubts the loyalties of Francesco) to besiege Brescia.1427- Brescia falls, but the Duke of Savoy refuses to join the war against Milan, for fear of reprisal. Thus, the Milanese army that was on its western border heads East to face the Venetians. At the battle of Bergamo, the Venetians are defeated. Cries of treason are called against Francesco, but he stays out of Venice and avoids assassination attempts.
1428- Florence is able to move on Milan from the South, while the treasury of Venice raises another army of condottierre. Bergamo is besieged, and Francesco defeats the Milanese army.
1429- Emissaries of the Pope assist in negotiating a peace, in which all land from Bergamo to the Po is ceded to Venice.
1431- the Milanese, in concert with Genoa, march to war once again.
Genoa hopes to reassert itself in the Eastern Mediterranean, and in the chaos in Florence, the Medicis take control of the city. Venice, using Constantinople as a base, take the Black sea possessions of Genoa, while the armies march on Bergamo. Francesco wins, but pursues halfheartedly.
The senate has had enough. Francesco (a.k.a Carmagnola). He is brought to Venice, where he is tricked into being arrested and sent to the dungeons. After the services of a master torturer from Padua, he confesses to be working for the Duke of Milan.
The trade in the Orient (now exclusively Venetian) is pouring in an average income of 1,000,000 anum.
1435- The Duchy of Athens is inherited by the Emperor of Byzantium through much lawyering. In reality this is done to prevent the Emperor from providing aid to Milan covertly, as well as to shore him up against the Ottomans. Milan, meanwhile, negotiates a peace with the Venetians.
1437- In order to avoid any future casus bellis against itself by the Duke of Milan, the Venetians approach Emperor Sigumund of the Holy Roman Empire, and ask him to recognize his claims.
As Filippo hadn’t even bothered to see the emperor on his way to Rome for the coronation, he readily agreed.
Filippo of Milan breaks the peace treaty, and marches east.
1439- Brescia is besieged by the forces of Filippo. The inhabitants are on the brink of starvation, and "the people long for death; sometimes there is no bread at all and they wander through the streets, faint with hunger. Yet they bear it without complaint rather than submit to the Duke of Milan." The city is relieved by Francesco Sforza the following year, after the victory at Verona.
Francesco Sforza is also, through a marriage with Filippo’s sole daughter, the heir of Milan.
1440- Mustafa has finished consolidating his position in the Empire, and is now the ruler of most of Central and Eastern Anatolia.
Despite this, he has no desire to wage war with Byzantium, despite its weakened state.
1442- The Republic of Lucca is annexed by Florence.
Naples is inherited by Alfonoso V, King of Aragon, who is now "King of the two Sicilies". Southern Italy and Sardinia are now under the control of Aragon.
Peace is once again brokered between Venice, Florence, and Milan. Among the conditions if the independence of Genoa, which is reduced to its coastal holdings of the early 15th century.
Florence is seeking to limit Venetian power on the continent, but due to its own conquests, is actually a power whose own expansion is sought to be limited. Thus, Venice and Florence have no choice but to continue to remain allies.
1446- With Filippo an old and sick man, Francesco Sforza moves to gain the French throne. The Senate promises Sforza support, and he crosses the Adda to Milan itself. Unfortunately, without any siege cannons or engines, the Venetians and Sforza are unable to take the city. He is forced to withdraw to the Romagna.
1447- Filippo dies in August, and with the vacuum in Milan, various claimants press to take power. Among them:
Alfonso’s troops are repulsed, but in the chaos that follows as the Tuscans march north, Charles’ forces take the city.
The Pope recognizes Charles claim to the Duchy, effectively insulting the Emperor, but at the same time urges the cessions of the lands the Venetians and Florentines now hold. Venetian dominance stretches to the River Adda, while the Medicis rule to Pavia.
1448- Mustafa dies. A prince of the Renassance, he made the unfortunate mistake of leaving behind 4 male sons, going against the Ottoman tradition. Civil war ensues, which is gleefully fanned by Byzantium. Two powerful heirs quickly dominate; Suleiman, and Kabal.
Suleiman dominates the new territories in the east, while Kabal is strongest in the west. Suleiman is supported by the janissaries, while Kabal is supported by the uleema (Ottoman head of Islam).
1448- Seesaw battles rage throughout Anatolia, as Bursa (capital of Kabal) is besieged by Suleiman, but then relieved by reinforcements. Kabal’s capital of Trapezus is then besieged, only to be defeated by the Tartars.
Seeking to take advantage of the opportunity, Byzantium invades Kabal’s territory. Byzantine Inquisition begins.
1449- With The Byzantine Emperor Manuel taking Bursa, Kabal is quickly overthrown by the uleema, who welcome Suleiman back. Refugees from Western Anatolia tell of rape and pillage amongst its Muslim inhabitants, and conversions by sword.
Suleiman urges a jihad against the Byzantines, and several thousand Tatars flock to his banner. After several months reequipping, the army attacks the winter encampments of the Byzantines at Corum on Christmas Day, crushing it utterly. Suleiman’s army marches on Smyrna, which it promptly besieges.
Emperor Manuel appeals to the Venetians and other Orthodox nations for help. Due to pressing concerns at home, Serbia, Moldovia, and Wallachia do not intervene.
Venice dispatches an army of condottierre to Anatolia, 15,000 strong. The Ottomans promptly slaughter it. Despite this, efforts to take Smyrna are frustrated by the resupply by the Venetians. Due to the exorbitant costs of the war, poor financing, and the region’s chaos, the Byzantium Empire is forced to take a loan from Venice.
Condottierre fail to play a meaningful part in the rest of the war. There is a very important reason for this, which the Council of Ten realizes. Quite simply, they do not wage war.
Condottierre are assorted armies of mercenaries-therefore, they have no principles or patriotism to fight for, and as they are paid for wars and not for peace, it is in their duty to drag wars on as long as possible, with a minimal loss of life. Therefore, war developed into a system which was about as dangerous as fencing today. When faced with an enemy who was quite willing to fight a decisive battle, the condottierre run away.
1450- Byzantium raises 50,000 from the Balkans in the form of mercenaries, vassal princes, and would-be crusaders Emperor John Paleologus of the Byzantines dies childless. Demetrius, Despot of Morea and Athens, becomes the emperor. To cement his claim to the throne, he marries Caterina Cabbotto, daughter of an important Venetian Senator. According to the marriage contract, she was not merely the royal consort, but also the queen, with full right of succession.
The Ottoman army engages the mercenary army in battle. Although initially victorious, Suleiman is hit by a stray arrow, and the last heir to the house of Osman is dead.
1451- During the chaos followed by the Sultan’s death, the Byzantine/Venetian mercenary army reaches the river Sakarya. Malik Arslan Beg becomes the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and is able to rally the forces against any incursions across it. A peace treaty is signed, recognizing the Byzantine claims.
Byzantine Inquisition restarts. All property of those who refuse to convert is transferred to the state. Not surprisingly, most of the property is used to pay off the debts to Venice.
Empress Caterina gives birth to a son, named Alexius. Two other children have been born, but as girls, they are not, and would not be, heirs to the Imperial throne.
Byzantine Renaissance begins.
1453- Venice begins reforming the military, hiring mercenary trainers from England and the Swiss canons. Several Byzantine captains of war are also hired, and the Republic’s army is retrained on a system of recruitment from the mainland territories.
The people of Milan revolt, and are promptly crushed. The Duke, unwilling or unknowing of the way of life in Italy, kills 300 members of the leading families in response.
1455- Emperor Demetrius dies. Caterina claims the throne as her own, and promises to step down when Alexius comes of age. The Byzantine nobles, however, fail to believe her, and see this as a ploy on the part of Venice to gain control of the empire, as opposed to the economic dominance they enjoy. (With some reason; many Venetians hoped that would happen, but Caterina was more concerned about her children than Venice at this point).
The Byzantine nobles rise up against her in a coup, taking control of Athens, and Smyrna. The attempt to gain control of Constantinople, however, fails.
Beginning of the War of the Tulips
Caterina appeals to the Republic of Venice for help. The Republic, grudgingly, agrees to provide naval support and cut off trade with the Royalist territories. It also agrees to loan 900,000 ducats, in exchange for the expulsion of Genoese merchants.
1457- By this point, Caterina’s forces have gained the upper hand. Smyrna has fallen to her forces. With victory in hand, she takes the opportunity to crush the nobles, and begins the establishment of a civil service based, ironically enough, on the Ottoman system.
Caterina also, in exchange for trading protections, receives the promise of naval support for Byzantium for 100 years.
1460- Ladislas eager, for more territorial expansion (and revenge on Venice for supporting Byzantium) invades Dalmatia. Dalmatia is valuable to Ladislas for two reasons:
Diplomats are sent from Venice, proposing (once again; this last happened in 1410) that Venice might hold Dalmatia as a Hungarian fief, paying a token annual tribute. As one might expect, Ladislas wants more than a token tribute.
Spalato is besieged by Polish forces, and is taken in August after a 6 month siege. Venetian forces, reorganized on a hybrid of Swiss and Byzantine models, manage to fight well, but the weight of numbers results in the Hungarians winning the war of attrition.
1463- The war doesn’t officially end, but both sides agree to a 7 year truce, at the request of the Pope (who would like to see both sides bleed each other white).
Unfortunately, King Ladislas uses the truce to defeat the Teutonic Order, gaining West Prussia, Pommerania, and other territories. Now that ihis rear is secure, King Ladislas (who is now 74) is free to turn against Venice wholeheartedly.
1470- Spalato, Clissa, and Sebenico have fallen to Ladislas forces. However, his attempts to enter the Italian peninsula are thwarted by Venetian forces at Udine, leaving Italy’s mainland territories intact.
1474- Segna falls to Polish forces, but King Ladislas dies. His successor, Zygmund, makes peace with Venice on relatively light terms. Venice cedes Zara and Spalato to him, but may keep the rest of its holdings in Dalmatia. However, Venice acknowledges it is a fief from Zygmund (as King of Hungary), and must pay an annual tribute to him.
The war has left Venice’s treasury at a rather low level, but a new source of funds appears. Bartolomeo Colleoni, the leader of Venice’s military efforts to reform (and ironically enough, a former condottieri) Bartolomeo Colloni, leaves Venice 216,000 ducats in gold and silver, and twice that in land and property.
1475- The Ottomans invade Georgia. Emperor Alexius declares that as defender of the faith, he will have no choice but to join his fellow Christians in a war against the Turks. Beginning of the Alexian War.
Sultan Selim, known as Selim the Sot, leads his army across the Sakarya river. His men ravage the surrounding countryside (which is, by this point, mostly Orthodox) and he besieges the city. The city is bombarded for two weeks, devastating the walls, but causing few casualties. Then Alexius’ river squadron appeared down the Sakarya, while cavalry, lining the banks, cut off the Sot’s retreat. The battle raged for five hours, and it was reported that the river turned red with blood. The Byzantines, with the craft designed on the Venetian model, broke through the chain of Ottoman vessels, dispersed them, and captured fourteen galleys.
After this, Alexius led his troops into the citadel of Angora to relieve the garrison. Breaches in the wall were quickly repaired, and plans made ready. Meanwhile, Selim ordered his Janissaries to, by night, make a major assault on the city. Selim finally forced his way into the lower part of the city, while groups of his forces scaled the walls to penetrate the citadel itself.
Alexius, however, withdrew his troops from the walls and ordered his men to hide. As Janissaries scattered through the emptry streets, searching for plunder and women, the signal was given by Alexius.
The Janissary shouts of victories were drowned by Byzantine cries of "God wills it!" and the small groups were quickly cut to pieces.
The remaining Janissaries fled down from the citadel’s walls, only to meet with an even grimmer surprise. The night before, Alexius had ordered bundles of wood steeped piled together, and as the Janissaries fled, said piles were set alight and thrown at the retreating forces. As one might expect, the Turks below burn to death, some trapped, some burned as they ran. At this point, Alexius army marches against Selim’s artillery. Breaking before them, they fall back to a line of defense before Selim’s camp. Roused in fury, he charges into battle where, being drunk, he is promptly killed.
Winter falls with the Ottomans, and their new Sultan (4 year old Ismael) are in full retreat. The rest of the war consists of a mopup of the Ottoman forces.
1477- Ismael, under the direction of his viziers, agrees to peace. The Ottomans lose all from Kayseri west, and pay a heavy annual tribute to Georgia.
1478- on Easter Day, in the cathredal of Florence, Lorenzo de’ Medici is wounded by assassins. He knows that the plot had the secret support of the Pope and the Archbishop of Pisa. The Archbishop is executed, and Pope Sixtus excommunicated Lorenzo and interdicts Florence.
Beginning of the Easter War. Venice supports Florence, and King Ferdinand of Naples allies with the Pope. The viceroy of Milan also supports the latter, though halfheartedly (King Louis XI is busy consolidating his rule of the lands gained from Burgundy).
The war rages indecisively for two years, before ending in a peace which restores the status quo.
"You Venetians, it is certain, are very wrong to disturb the peace of the other states of Italy rather than to rest content with the most splendid state of Europe, which you already possess. If you knew how you are universally hated, your hair would stand on end… Do you believe that these powers in Italy, now in league together, are truly friends among themselves? Of course they are not; it is only necessity, and the fear which they feel for you and your power, that has bound them in this way… You are alone, with all the world against you, not only in Italy but beyond the Alps also. Know then that your enemies do not sleep. Take good counsel, for, by God, you need it…"
Message from Ferdinand, King of Naples, to Giovanni Gonnella, Secretary of the Venetian Republic.
1481- Duke Ercole of Este begins provocating Venice, with the support of his father-in-law, King Ferdinand of Naples. He:
Clearly, the Duke was looking forward to a fight; he also knew that Venice was weak from the war with Ladislas and the Italian states. What he didn’t quite realize was that those embarrassments made Venice all the more determined to prove to the world that she was still Venice, the Serrenisima.
Naples joins Ferrara, as does Florence. Sixtus joins Venice, hoping for a piece of the Duchy. Venice’s troops, well-trained, and not led by condottierre, smash the Duchy’s forces.
1484- Pope Sixtus switches sides when the King of Naples marches on Acona. He appeals for Venice to accept a peace.
Venice refuses, explaining how its armies (which had recently been blessed by His Holiness) were triumphant. Sixtus lays Venice under an interdict. Venice’s representative refuses to forward the bull to his government, which forces Sixtus to send it by courier to the Patriarch.
The Patriarch is too ill to pass it on (naturally). He did inform the Council of Ten, however, who ordered that the churches should perform as usual. Venice informs the Pope they shall appeal to a Council.
King Ferdinand, whose fleet has been devastated by Venice, sues for peace. With Modena occupied, Duke Ercole is forced to recognize Venice as his overlord, and and cede the Duchy of Ferrara to Venice.
Pope Sixtus, a bitter man, dies. His successor, Innocent VIII, lifts the interdict.
1489- Caterina, Queen of Cyprus, abdicates. She cedes her kingdom to Venice.
1492- King Charles VIII of France raises an expedition to lead his way to Naples. His goal is, with the expedition, reclaim the Kingdom of Naples, which he feels is unquestionably his. The King of Naples also, automatically, receives the King of Jerusalem, and he believes that once achieving those two, he may launch a great Crusade.
Charles, unfortunately, was broke. Forced to pawn his jewels before leaving, he should have flinched at the thought of leading an army across long and fragile lines of communication and supply, and being at the mercy of several powerful, potentially hostile states. He is egged on, however, by factions from most of Italy (excluding Venice) and his chamberlain.
1503- On August 13, Pope Alexander VI is suddenly struck by a fever. Returning home, he was bled. Despite the profusion of blood that was removed, the doctors are unable to save him. He died on the 18th, of pestilence.
Cesare, the pope’s son, and Duke of Valentinois, seizes the keys to the Papal treasury and occupies Rome. He intimidates the Cardinals into electing Pius III, who promptly ups and dies within a month.
Cesare then finds himself with a new problem: the ambitions of Venice.
When the Duke conquered the cities of the Marches and Romagna, the dispossessed lords had fled to Venice. Thus, when Cesare fled to Rome to deal with the new Pope, Venice provided the lords with active support, providing they would govern in her name with Venice as their overlord. By January of 1504, the banner of St. Mark flew as far south as Rimini, effectively giving control over northeast Italy.
Upon Pius III’s death, Venice put their influence in the Sacred College between Cardinal Guiliano della Roverre, believing his hatred of the Borgias would grant his consent. The Cardinal, was elected, but betrayed Venice; Cesare was shipped off to Spain as a prisoner, and the Pope made it clear that the Venetians must cede the territory to Rome, as it had always belonged to the Papal states. Despite offers of tribute, Venice then defied him.
Julius then, decides to wage war upon Venice; but the Papal States are not equipped for such an action. He contents himself with the conquest of Perugia and Bologna, and sends messages to King Louis and Emperor Maximilian about dividing Venice amongst themselves. A bit hypocritical for the pope who said "Venice makes both herself and me the slaves of everyone- she to preserve, myself to win back. Otherwise, working together, we might have found some way of freeing Italy from the tyranny of foreigners". A pity he invited all of Christendom to invade it.
1504- By the autumn, the Papacy has entered an alliance with the Emperor to carve up Venice. France, however refuses to sign.
Maximilian wants control of Genoa, Milan, Verona, and Vicenza; King Louis believes that after 30 years of occupation, it’s pretty obvious the Duchy of Milan is French. In the end, he walks out of the negotiations.
When word of the treaty of Blois reaches the rialto, Venetians are furious. Ambassadors are dispatched to Louis, proposing to use her navy to help him gain control of the kingdom of Naples; and with it, the title of the king of Jerusalem. In return, King Louis will cede Ortranto, Taranto, and Brindisi to Venice, giving her an uninterrupted supply of bases on the Mediterranean shoreline; and King Louis a chance to move against the Low Countries.
The Pope moves against Bologna and Perugia, in the Marches. Venice supports the two despots on terms similar to those of Romagna; if they accept the Republic as their Sovereign, they will have the support of the Republic. Pope Julius II backs down, and sends messengers to Savoy, Spain, and Hungary. He refuses, of course, to contact Byzantium (who in any case is losing much of eastern asia minor to the Turcoman nomads).
Leonardo Da Vinci heads to Venice, and then to Byzantium. There, he triggers a love of all things Italian in the court of Emperor Manuel. Partly in a response to the Renaissance’s humanistic ideas, the Emperor begins a policy of assimilation and colonization in Anatolia.
1507- Vasco Da Gama reaches the Kingdom of the Congo, and opens trading relations. Christopher Columbus, in case anyone is wondering, does not exist. His father was butterflied out of existence when Genoa was crushed by Venice and Milan.
1508- In the summer of 1508, Maximilian sets the continent ablaze. At the head of a rather large army, he requests to enter Venetian territory to attend his coronation in Rome. Venetian agents had discovered that his true goal was to gain Genoa from France, Milan from Venice, along with Vicenza and Verona. Venice informs him that he would be welcome if he came "without warlike tumult and the clangour of arms".
As one might guess, there’s a very loud clangour. In February he marches on Vicenza while the Marquis of Brandenburg leads a force towards Rovereto (in northern Italy).
Venice, with French help, defeats his forces, and with the contracts of his soldiers expired, Maximilian agrees to a truce for three years. Pope Julius is less than pleased.
Venice, at this point, is feeling very arrogant, and appoints its own bishop to the see of Vicenza. Julius is furious at this point, and sends messages to discuss the dismemberment of Venice and her Empire. He cannot, however, win over King Louis. Spain joins in with the promise of Crete; Savoy, Cyprus; Maximilian is promised all of Northern Italy.
Meanwhile, France and Venice agree to begin the plans for the invasion of Naples. The declaration of war reaches the League of Cambrai on December 9, 1508; the day before they sign.
The treaty of the League of Cambrai agrees to "put an end to the losses, the injuries, the violations, the damages which the Venetians have inflicted, not only on the Apostolic See but on the Holy Roman Empire, on the House of Austria, on the Kings of Naples and on divers of other princes, occupying and tyrannically usurping their goods, their possessions, their cities and castles, as if the had deliberately conspired to do ill all around them…
Thus we have found it not only well-advised and honourable, but even necessary, to summon all people to take their just revenge and so to extinguish, like a fire, the insatiable rapacity of the Venetians and French, and their lust for power."
1509- The year opens with the invasion of Flanders by France, which meets little opposition initially. To the south, the Venetians land at Taranto, quickly take the city, and then sail around it, linking up with a French fleet on the western coast of Italy, which sailed from French Genoa.
In retaliation, on April 27, Pope Julius issues a bull which declares that Venice was under excommunication and interdicted, and permitted any other state or person to attack or despoil her or any of her subjects, to obstruct her traffic on land or sea and to do her all possible harm and hurt. Venice announces, via a proclamation nailed to the door of St. Peter’s, her plans to appeal to a council.
As if this was not bad enough, Bartolomeu Dias reaches the Cape of Good Hope, but does not continue onward. On April 15, 1509, the first troops of the Empire march into Venetian Milan. At the battle of Agnadello, the Emperor’s forces are cruashed as they charge up a marshy, wet ground, across vines and irrigation dishes. As the Austrians retreat, they are caught in the rear by King Louis’ forces.
It becomes clear by now that the Venetian military, despite its Byzantine and Swiss influence (although in reality, because of) is far superior to the Condotierri. However, their limited use of them only adds to the idea that they are not true Italians amongst their enemies.
On April 20, Naples falls to French forces, while being blockaded from the sea by the Venetian fleet. With Reggio, Naples, and Otranto in French and Venetian hands, King Louis rushes to Naples for his coronation, which takes place in May. Thus accomplish, he marches north. Rome, after all, awaits.
Maximillian, however, marches south again, and besieges Padua. For a fortnight, German artillery. But by the end of September, he is forced to raise it, and goes home with 40,000 men. Meanwhile, the French take control of all of the Low Countries southwest of the River Maas.
1511- Florence enters the war on the side Austria. This proves to be a mistake. Venice, although in debt, can still send its army into Florence. After an initial defeat, the Condotierri melt away, as the promises of easy loot prove false. Venetian troops enter Florence in May. The city itself becomes a tributary of Venice, and the city’s empire is incorporated into Venice’s.
By September, the war winds down. The French cannot cross northeast of the river, and have been repulsed on the Pyrenees; Venice is exhausted. However, the Papal states are under occupation, The Emperor’s invasions have been crushed, and Florence has been eliminated from the war. Both sides accept King Henry’s offers of mediation.
The Treaty of Blois, signed on Easter of 1512, agrees to the following items:
Now about the popes: The Borgias (a family who had a couple of popes) tried to carve out their own state in the papal territory, and failed. Miserably. If ayone wants to see a map of Italy at this point, paste their email, and you'll see how the marches and romagna are now venetian bulwarks (along with the heel of Italy). When the Pope excommunicated Venice, it decreed that it would appeal to a grand council. Having won the war, it would seem likely that the superiority of a council over the papacy has been proven by force of arms. How this effects a reformation remains to be seen; but almost certainly, Venice won't be that sympathetic to the counterreformation. On the other hand, if Martin Luther is burned at the stake (as could very well happen, with no turks to force maximillian to grand concessions) a grand council attempt to bridge the gap between the protestants and catholics?
Thus, the pope's ability to use the interdict has been shattered, by force of arms. Moreover, the fact that it proposed to carve up the state that is known as the destroyer of the turks in christendom reflects poorly on him, in eyes of the common man. The Popes, in other words, are viewed as even more corrupt and unholy than they were in OTL in my timeline.
1.- The Trapzonds were conquered by the ottomans in the 1430's. Despite the relatively good relations (marriages had taken place in the early 15th century between the two families, despite the barriers of religion) they tried to muddle in the empire's affairs during Mustafa's first years as Sultan. Combined with the fact that the manpower of the area was poor, the poor quality of their troops, and the fact that Mustafa needed more revenue.... the silver mines made an attractive target.