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6. You would discover that the people dislike the Christians, and worship according to the faith of Mo

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hammed, and you would discover that they have mosques

instead of churches. At Constantinople, you would see a very splendid edifice, called St. Sophia, which was formerly a Greek church, but is now converted into a Mohammedan mosque.

QUESTIONS. 1. What other name has the Turkish empire? How is the Ottoman empire divided? Where is Turkey in Europe? How is it bounded? Which way is Constantinople from Athens? From Jerusalem? From Egypt? From England? Was the Turkish empire more extensive once than it is now? What does Turkey in Asia now include? What other countries formerly belonged to the Turkish empire? How is Asia Minor divided from Turkey in Europe? What of the countries that formerly belonged to the Ottoman empire? Capital of Turkey? What of Constantinople?-2. Of the sultan ?-3. Describe the Turks ?

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4. How does the sultan rule the Turks? What of the people?5. Soil and climate of Turkey? The people? Manufactures? Commerce? Lands?-6. Religion of the Turks? What are their places of worship called? St. Sophia?

CHAPTER XCIV. EUROPE continued.About the Saracens. How the Turks overturned the Saracen empire. How the Ottoman Turks founded the Ottoman empire. About Bajazet and Timour. Fall of Constantinople.

1. In the history of Asia I have given you some account of the Saracens, and these you will remember were Arabs, by whose help Mohammed and his successors established an empire at the commencement of the seventh century.

2. The kings or rulers of the Saracen empire were called caliphs, and resided at Bagdad, a splendid city which they built near the river Tigris, in Mesopotamia. I have told you how these caliphs extended their empire over a considerable part of Asia and Africa, and some portions of Europe.

3. To the north of Mesopotamia, there were several tribes of Tartars, among which were some called Turks. These were daring warriors, and such was their fame, that the caliphs induced many of them to come to Bagdad and serve as soldiers.

4. In process of time, the Turks acquired great influence at Bagdad, and finally overturned the Saracen empire, made themselves masters of nearly all the Saracen possessions, and adopted the Mohammedan religion. Thus the Turkish empire became the successor of the Saracen empire, and included in its dominion Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, and other Asiatic countries, which the Saracens had conquered from the Greek empire. The taking of Jerusalem by the Turks in 1065 occasioned the crusades, as they were too bigoted to allow Christian pilgrims to visit the sepulchre of our blessed Lord.

5. After a while, the Turkish empire, which had been thus established, was overturned by another tribe of Turks, who called themselves Ottomans; these came from the country east of the Caspian Sea, and laid the foundation. of the present Ottoman empire. This took place in the year 1299. The founder of the empire was Othman, whose successors greatly enlarged his dominions, and conquered many of the provinces of the Greek empire, till they came at last to the gates of Constantinople.

6. Constantinople, the present capital of Turkey, was anciently called Byzantium, from Byzas, who founded it 715 years before Christ. It was a flourishing city in the time of the early Greeks, and the neighbouring country was settled by colonies from Greece, and by other tribes. It was conquered by the Romans, and the name of Byzantium was changed to Constantinople, by the emperor Constantine, in 329.

7. It had, before this period, fallen into decay; but it was now revived, and Constantine removed thither with his whole court; it thus became the capital of the Roman empire. When that was divided into the Eastern and Western empires, in 364, it was the capital of the former, which, as you know, was often called the Greek empire.

8. In the year 1204, the Crusaders made themselves masters of Constantinople, and part of the surrounding country; thus founding what is called the Latin empire. In 1264 it was reconquered by the Greeks, and continued to subsist as a distinct sovereignty, till the period of which I am now treating, when it was, as I have said, on the brink of ruin, but its fall was for a time averted, by a check which the Ottomans at this time received.

9. Their ruler was Bajazet, who began to reign in 1389, and was so famous for his conquests, that the Turks called him the Thunderbolt. He was preparing to attack Constantinople, when a greater warrior than he came from Tartary, and conquered him. This was Timour the

Tartar, sometimes called Timour the Lame, who defeated Bajazet in a great battle.

10. It is said that, when Timour had got Bajazet the Thunderbolt into his power, he put him into an iron cage, and carried him about for a show, like a wild beast, till he died of grief and vexation.

11. The misfortunes of Bajazet prevented the Turks from attacking the Eastern empire for a considerable time; but, in 1453, when Mohammed the Second was sultan, they took Constantinople, and the emperor, whose name was Constantine, was killed. From this time forward the Turks were securely established in Europe, and the country which they inhabited was called Turkey.

QUESTIONS. 1. What of the Saracens? By whom was the Saracen empire established?- -2. What of the caliphs? Direction of Bagdad from Constantinople? Dominion of the caliphs? -3. Who were the Turks? Where did they live? Why were they employed by the caliphs of Bagdad?- 4. What did the Turks do? What of the Turkish empire ? -5. By whom was the first Turkish dynasty overturned? By whom was the Ottoman empire founded, and when ?- -6. What of Constantinople? By whom was it founded, and when? What of it in the time of the early Greeks? When was its name changed? By whom and when was Byzantium called Constantinople ?- -7. When was it made the capital of the Roman empire? What took place in 395? What was called the Greek empire? What countries did the Eastern empire of the Romans include ? ANS. Greece, Macedon, what is now called Turkey in Europe, Asia Minor, and other adjacent countries. -9. Who was Bajazet ? In what year did he begin to reign? What did the Turks call him? What of Timour?10. How did Timour treat Bajazet?-11. What happened in 1453 ?

CHAPTER XCV. EUROPE continued.

Turkish History.

-Sequel of the

1. THE reigns of most of the Turkish sultans have been full of crime and bloodshed. Sultan Selim, who began to reign in 1512, invaded Egypt, and conquered it. The

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