dal-l’infanzia trascorsa con i compagni di giochi degni
dei prodi. Più in particolare, a colpire, a suscitare la
nostra curiosità è quella notizia relativa a gesti
ardi-ti, eseguiti con “grande audacia” da una Negiszade
savia, coltivata, e forse adepta di Mevlana? Che non
si tratti di un accenno a una fulminea rotazione
degna di dervisci “rotanti”, seguaci del santo
sepol-to a Konya e atsepol-torniasepol-to da un culsepol-to urbano che
per-dura a tutt’oggi non solo in Caramania e terre
limi-trofe? Siamo anche cedevoli alla lusinga che viene
dalla traduzione inglese di qualche passo estratto
dal-la pur pregnante Breve Narratione.
3736 Cicogna 2761, c. 69; Correr 1328, c. 28v; Historia, p. 69.
37 E leggiamo: “Assambei, the most powerful king of Tauris and Persia, had several women as his wives; and, among others, one named Despinacaton, who was the daughter of an Empe-ror of Trebizond, named Caloianni, who feared the might of the Ottoman, Mahomet II, and hoped in this way to strengthen
himself, with the assistance of Assambei, in case of need, so gave her to him as his wife, with the condition that she might hold to the Christian faith, employing chaplains to perform the sacred offices. By this lady Assambei had one male and three female children. The first of these daughters, named Mar-ta, was married to Saciaidar, father of Ismail Sophi (...). The king Assambei afterwards had a war with the Ottoman monar-ch on account of the kingdom of Caramania, to whimonar-ch both preferred a claim. This kingdom was anciently called Cilicia, but afterwards, and to the present time, called Caramania, from an Arab chief named Caraman, who, in cours of time, had a descendant named Turvan, who had seven sons. After his death these sons came to blows amongst themselves, and five of them dying, there were two left, Abrain and Pirahomat. Abrain, by having more adherents, made himself master, and Pirahomad fled to the Grand Turk, who claimed relationship with them. Pirahomat, while in Constantinople, continually solicited the Turkish monarch to give him aid to oust his brother and to make him king, offering, in return, to be his subject.The Otto-man monarch, seeing that this offer suited his purpose, agreed, and gave him sufficient forces. Abrain, Prince of Caramania, hearing this, made preparation to defend his State. In the year 1467 the two armies met between Carasar and a city called Aessar [Akhisar], a great slaughter taking place on both sides. However, at lenght Pirahomat gained the victory, and remai-ned master of the contry without any opposition; his brother, turning to fly, fell from his horse and breaking his ribs, died from it. (...) Pirahomat, however, remained in peaceble posses-sion of the throne for two years only; for it being the custom for all the Turkish barons to go to visit the monarch once a year and to kiss his hard, giving him presents in proportion to their incomes and dignity, and for the monarch to caress them, and to give them many presents. Pirahomat, not caring to observe this custom like the others, the Turk sent to tell him to come to his assistence with part of his forces, as he wished to march against the Christians. But Pirahomat would not obey; wherefore the Turk, enraged at his disobedience, went in person to attack him, and took from him, and took from him part of the Country as far as Cogno, putting in command his second son, named Mustafa Celebi, leaving a large force with him and sending a good commander with a number of men to go on occupying the rest of the contry. Pirahomet, seeing that he could not resist to the Turkish forces, left some
gover-nors in certain fortresses, departed from the contry, and went to Persia to the king Assambei (...)”; citiamo da A Short Narrative of the Life and Acts of the King Ussun Cassano, by GIOVAN MARIA ANGIOLELLO, in A Narrative of Italian Travels in Persia in the Fif-teenth and SixFif-teenth Centuries, Translated and Edited by Charles Grey, Esq., London, Hakluyt Society 1873 (è il secondo volume dei famosi Travels to Tana and Persia..., Translated from the Italian by William Thomas, and by S. A. Roy, Esq., and Edited, with an Introduction, by Lord Stanley of Alderley, Printed for The Hak-luyt Society, London MDCCCLXXIII, (pp. 73-138) pp. 74-76. Segue il moderno testo italiano corrispondente:
“Assambei, potentissimo re di Tauris e della Persia, ebbe più donne per mogli, e una tra le altre nominata Despinacaton, che fu figliuola d’un imperatore di Trabisonda nominato Caloianni, il qual, temendo la potenza dell’ottomano Maho-met secondo, e credendo per tal via assicurarsi e aver soccor-so d’Assambei in ogni suo bisoccor-sogno, gliela diede per moglie con questa condizione, ch’ella potesse viver secondo la fede cri-stiana: e così fu contento, onde essa teneva continuamente appresso di sé calogieri, che ne’ divini officii la servivano. Di questa donna Assambei ebbe un figliuolo maschio e tre femi-ne, la prima delle quali, ch’ebbe nome Marta, fu maritata a Sechaidar, padre d’Ismael Sofì (...). Il signor Assambei ebbe dopo guerra col signor ottomano, per cagion del regno della Caramania, della quale ambidue pretendevano aver il dominio. Questo regno fu anticamente detto Cilicia, ma poi fu ed è insino al presente detto Caramania, da un signor arabo nomi-nato anticamente Caraman, il qual ebbe discendenza per suc-cessione di tempo in tempo nominato Turvan, ch’ebbe sette figliuoli; i quali dopo la sua morte vennero alle mani fra loro, e ne morirono cinque, e due ristorno vivi, che fu Abrain e Pirahomat. Abrain per aver più seguaci si fece signore, e Piraho-mat se ne fuggì dal gran Turco, che teneva parentela con loro. Essendo Pirahomat in Costantinopoli, sollecitava continova-mente il signor turco che gli desse aiuto per poter cacciare il fratello e farsi egli signore, offerendosi d’essergli vassallo e sub-dito, prestandogli ogni ubbidienza. Veduto il signor ottomano che l’offerta veniva molto a suo proposito, non glielo negò, e gli diede esercito a sufficienza. Intendendo questa cosa Abrain, signor della Caramania, si mise all’ordine per difendere il suo stato; ed essendo nel 1467 venuti ambidue gli eserciti tra Cara-sar e una città detta AcsCara-sar, furono alle mani, e fu grande ucci-sione fra l’una parte e l’altra. Pur alla fine Pirahomat ne riportò