Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-05

OF our day which are destined to be
given the wides' publicity possible.
two editions were published. one in
France, the other in Italy. contains y
manifesto of Charles VIII. dated FlorS
ence. November 20, 1924. which Is proc
gram Of veritable projects of the French
monarch
Charles. by the grace of God, King
OF France, etc: Considering attentively
the innumerable losses and difficulties
the murders and massacres and the
desolations and devastations of noble
cities and faithful peoples and many
other horrible forfeits which the fright
ful Turks have perpetrated very in
humanity, We have proposed to ourselves
not to save either our proper person
or our pains to repel the enraged fury
of these Turks and to recover the Holy
Land and other states taken by them
from the princes and from Christian
peoples"
1t was with this object. the king ex-
plains. that he marches first to the con-
quest of the kingdom OF Naples, over
which he possesses. besides. indisput-
able rights. Because the kingdom can
furnish us a facile access to attack the
very perfidious Turks. we intend to re-
cover it in order that it may be for us
and for ours an easy entrance and exit
and a sure point of support"
Charles VIII did not count, besides.
on relying entirely on the force OF
arms in snatching Constantinople from
the Turks. He was inclined to assure
himself his regular rights. which would
legitimatize that conquest. An heir Of
the Christian emperors of the orient
existed IN the person OF Andre Pale
ologue, known as the Seignor de Moree.
nephew of Constantin Dracoses. the
last Emperor Of Constantinople. who
died heroically when Constantinople
was taken by the Turks.
In 1891 Charles VIII caused this
heir to be brought to France from his
obscure refuge in Italy. Three years
later. the 9th of September. 1894. Andre
Paleologue. by an act in good and due
form, declared "ceded to the King of
France all his rights to the empire OF
Constantinople against money and PEN
sion" Also Charles VIII believed him
arrived in Naples to appear before the
people arrayed in imperial insignia.
crown on his head. and holding in his
hand the globe of the world.
There remained still the choice Of
the route to march on Constanti-
nople. 1t is due,
The Route to this indication. to
constantinople tn, ,er,a sse Ph1pp. ms, de-
Commynes. who mentions the route
from Valona. Already Charles VIII.
victor of Naples, had established a
French garrison at Otrante, under the
command of Claude de Guise. The
projected plan consisted in passing the
French troops through the Sea of
Otrante to Valona, then to march by
land from Valona on Constantinople, In
prof1ting by the rebellion which the
arrival of the soldiers of Charles VIII
would not fail to stir up among the
Christian populations oppressed under
the yoke of the Turks. Commynes
thus exposes the advantages of this
plan:
"From Otrante to Valona there are
only sixty miles and from Valona to
Constantinople there are about eight
cen days march: no strong places be-
tween the two only two or three; the rest
have been thrown down: all the country
is inhabited by Albanians. Esclavons and
Greeks and we'll peopled, who have
had news of the king through their
friends, who were in Venice and IN
Pouille. which is the ancient Apulia.
with whom they are in correspondence
and await their messages in order to
revolt"
The French project assumed an ex-
tremely serious character. 1t was on
alarm spread among the ottomans.
The 26th of April, 1895 the grand mas
ter of the Order of Saint Jean Of Je-
rusalem wrote from Rhodes to Charles
VIII that the Turks. having heard of
his victory at Naples, were astonished
and affrighted. In Ronciere's History
of the French Navy" there is descrip-
ton of the disorder that refsned: AT
Constantinople there reigned disgust
and fear. The sultan prepared for
war or flight; 100 galleys and 10000
men were massed in provision of an at
tack against the advanced posts or
Islam"
A contemporary writer, Claude de
Il 1x@t ~ AhA
situation: 1.-The Turks who were in the
garrison bought in Greece hats of the
kind worn by Greeks, and at such q
high price that all who had hats were
most happy to sell. The Turks hoped
by this means to escape the fury of the
French in feigning to be Greeks.
The echo of the movement in prepare
ton slipped into the publications and
thus there appeared the most fantastic
statements. One of them stated that
the Grand Turk had sent an embassy to
the king to propose marriage of the
dauphin to the daughter Of the sultan
In such case the sultan would give up
and all the country Of
the Mores. Negrepont, the Holy Land
and the tribute of the Venetians. which
is hundred thousand ducats year"
Events turned against this great prof.
ect Charles VIII hoped for the sup
port of the Pope. Alex
Project Came ander VI. Borgia: Of
the sovereign of Ger
" NaaSnt' many. the future En-
peror Macmillan I. Both Stunned the
project. More. March 81. 1495. there
was concluded the League of Venice"
which united in a redoubtable group
all the political enemies of France.
Charles VIII was obliged to abandon
his ephemeral conquest of Naples and
retire north of the Alps. Constanti-
nople was saved from the menace of a
French expedition, with Valona as
base of operation-a project which had
caused great fear among the Turks.
Nevertheless, as we are told by Claude
de Seyssel, all did not despair. but many
counted upon seeing the French arrive
some day as eonquerors at Constanti-
nople. Claude de Seyssel wrote:
THE conquest of Constantinople at
that time had been easy had King
Charles undertaken 1t. But Our Savior
and Redeemer, who, by His Divine
does all things in season
and for infallible reasons. has reserved
that conquest for another season, when
it may be better achieved"
The "ether season predicted by the
writer of the fifteenth century appears
to have arrived. although the route
taken now is more direct than that
from Valona. CHI. CHAILLE-LONG.