Col. William Leake, Travels in Northern Greece (v. 1-4)

§ 4.564 escaped with difficulty, and burnt in it several men, with the imperial treasure. They then cried Κύριε Ελεησον “and down with the kharatj and anazuli.” The Turks, mounting on horseback, fell upon the half-armed Christians, killed the innocent as well as guilty, and the next morning, being Sunday, slew many of the peasants as they were entering the town; had they not been prevented by some of their own chiefs, they would have put to death all the Christians in the castle. Dionysius, seeing his followers dispersed, fled to hide himself in a cavern at the church of St. John Prodromus, where now stands the mosque of Aslan Pasha. Here the Jews, having discovered him, brought him bound to the Turks, who, without any inquiry, flayed him alive, and filling the skin with straw, sent it from town to town, and at length carried it to Constantinople, where it is said the Sultan happened to rise from his seat out of curiosity to see it, and thus fulfilled the Skylosoph's prediction. His followers taken at Ioannina were given over to the Jews, who, delighting in an opportunity of tormenting Christians, roasted some by a slow fire, suspended others by iron hooks, and invented other cruel modes of putting them to death. The Turks then destroyed the convent of St. Demetrius, except the church, dispersed the monks, and confiscated the property of the monastery, which possessed eighteen metokhia. By a khatisherif of the Sultan, the Christians were driven out of the fortress, and deprived of the privileges which they had hitherto enjoyed by treaty. To this MS. is appended a chronicle of events, of which the following are the heads. 1431. Oct. 9.—Ioannina taken by the Turks. 1449. March 24.— Acarnania, otherwise called Arta, taken by the Turks. 1599. Naupactus taken by the Turks. 1683.—The Turks defeated with great loss by the Germans. 1684.—Aghia Mavra and Prevyza taken by the Venetians.

§ 4.565 1685.—Koroni, KalamAta, Zarnaka, and Avariko, taken by the Venetians. 1686.—Mothoni and Anapli taken by the Venetians. 1687.— Naupactus and all the Morea taken by the Venetians, and Belgrade by the Germans. 1690.—Nissa and Belgrade taken by the Vezir Kiuprili (Κωττριλής). 1691.—The Germans captured Nissa and Skopia (Uskup), and advanced to Kiuprili (Velesa). 1691.— Avlona taken from the Venetians by Khalil Pasha. 1700.—Sultan Mustafa ΙΙ made peace with the Germans and Venetians. 1710.—A cloud of locusts descended from the north upon Arta. They began to pass on the evening of the 7th, and continued all the 8th of September, darkening the sun. 1714. Sunday, July 27. —A terrible earthquake at Patrae, which threw belfries, houses, and rent from top to bottom the towers of the castle.. Aug. 28.—Another more dreadful at Cefalonia, where the Venetian admiral was at anchor with his fleet: the earth opened, hot water flowed out; 280 houses were destroyed, water issued from the earth, and the inhabitants lived two months in the gardens. 1715.—The preceding signs were fulfilled (έπληρώθη το άνωθεν σημείον). The Vezir marched with 60,000 men to Corinth, reduced all the Morea in one month, and killed or enslaved more than 40,000 persons. 1716.—The Vezir marched against the Germans with 40,000 men, but was made prisoner with his army.

§ 4.566 1716. March 1.—An envoy from Constantinople arrived in Greece, with orders to collect provisions, and assemble a sufficient number of workmen to construct a road sixty feet in breadth from Larissa to Saiadha, for the use of an army destined against Corfu. At Buthrotum the Seraskier Kara Mustafa Pasha, at the head of 65,000 men, joined the Kapitan Pasha Djanum Khodja, who occupied the strait of Cassope with sixty Sultanas, forty Galoons, besides Galiots, and other vessels. The Venetians from the Adriatic attacked them with twenty-eight ships, and after disabling several of the Turkish vessels, forced their way to Corfu. The Seraskier crossed into the island and encamped at Potamo, ten miles from the town. After twenty-seven days' fighting, a heavy rain washed part of their stores and apparatus into the sea. It is said that the Turks saw an aged bishop threatening them, and who was accompanied by many young men bearing lighted candles. Such was the terror of the Turks, that they abandoned tents, arms, horses, and the military chest. Many were drowned in endeavouring to regain their vessels. The fugitives returned to Ioannina with 2000 wounded, the greater part of whom died. 1731. July 25. — An adventurer arrived at Ioannina from Corfu, pretending to be the son of Sultan Akhmet by a Genoese lady. As soon as Sultan Mahmud was informed of it, he ordered the adventurer's head to be brought to Constantinople, and his body was thrown into the lake. 1735. Dec. 22.—The bishop Hierotheus died, and was replaced by Gregory of Constantinople. Ioannina was afflicted by a plague, which lasted from February to the festival of St. Demetrius (26th Oct. O.S.); from sixty to eighty dying each day. 1737.—An imposition of fifty-five purses on the town. 1737. May 9.—A thunderbolt fell on the house of Miso, and burnt the tower (an omen). Miso was soon afterwards murdered in the pass of Tyrnavo, going to Constantinople to lodge a complaint against Hadji Pasha.

§ 4.567 1740. Jan. 4.—From the 5th to the 9th hour of the night the earth shook ten times (another omen). The Porte, forgetful of its salutary suspicion of the faithless Albanians, now, for the first time, appointed an Albanian to the Pashalik; namely, Suliman of Arghyrokastro, a man of ability, but cruel, restless, and violent. He persecuted the Christian militia called the armatoli, put to death George, son of the aforesaid Miso, proestos of Zagori, who had opposed his extortions, and several others who bad power or riches. At length, on the complaint of the Christians, the Porte ordered him to be beheaded. Kalo, a native of Ioannina, succeeded to the government. He was more moderate, but put to death the proestos of Zagori, Nutza of Vradheti (Νούτζαν τον Βραδετινόν), and soon afterwards himself died. He was succeeded by Kurt of Berat, who was commander of the Thessalian passes (έπαρχος των θεσσολικών Δερβενίων), as well as Pasha of Ioannina. This Albanian showed from the beginning great enmity to the Christian armatoli, and persecuted them both secretly and in arms, so as to oblige many to fly to the mountains, from whence they descended, and plundered the places in Kurt’s government. He ruled fifteen years, died, it is said, of poison, and was succeeded by Aly of Tepeleni.