In my last blog entry I wrote about the book that I am currently reading, "Istanbul - the imperial city" and noted that I was amazed with brutality of life back than. If you look at the way emperors disposed of their enemies, queens intrigued in order to get their sons on the throne and so on, you soon realize this by far overshadows anything romans did.
Interestingly enough, author John Freely don't really pay much attention to this and cooly describes amazing episodes from history of Istanbul - probably the way writer should do,detached and cool as cucumber - but as I read one chapter after another,I was shocked beyond words with cruelty of the ruling classes,than how quickly masses would turn against the same ruler they crowned yesterday. While John Freely describes what happens and than simply goes on to another story,I had to pause and re-read again what I just read because I couldn't believe my own eyes - note how detached and calm Freely is while I get all upset.
To illustrate the point,here is the story of ten year old John Lascaris who was the last of the great imperious family Laskaris. His father died and boy was supposed to be ruler when he grew up,but grand duke Michael Palaelogus got child imprisoned and than blinded on his 11th birthday,just to make sure competition is completely out of the way. Two church leaders excommunicated new emperor out of the church than the third welcome him back in the church with the great pomp and celebration in Haghia Sophia. John Freely goes on with the story, never to mention again what happened to the blind boy but I really got upset and tried to find some information about him on the internet - he had spend the rest of his days in the monastery,secluded behind the walls and living in a shadow world under the name Joasaph. In 1290 he was visited by Andronikos II Palaiologos, who sought forgiveness for his father's blinding of John IV three decades earlier. What was his later life like? Did anybody ever remembered him? He was just 11 year old boy whose father died and monks took care of him! I was deeply upset with all this.
Of course this is just one of the many stories from the book. Blinding,mutilating and killing competition was very common back than - when Mehmet III came on the throne, the first thing he did was to order all of his 19 younger brothers to be killed so his throne is safe from competition,following the same tradition as his father and grandfather did before him! Not to mention war with the bulgars where in 1014 emperor Basil blinded 1500 captives and sent them back to Bulgaria, leaving one in each hundred with one eye so they could reach home. There was one emperor who was disposed and his nose cut, but he later returned on the throne nose-less anyway (if I remember correctly,he had golden nose instead). Perhaps it makes thrilling reading but surely it was very dangerous world and reality for people who lived back than - and not just royalty but ordinary people as well,since nobody protected them - one sultan was alcoholic murderer who used to roam the streets in drunken stupor and simply kill for fun whoever happens to walk on his path.I actually can't wait to finish this book now because it just upsets me.
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