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Selected and rare materials, excerpts and observations from ancient, medieval and contemporary authors, travelers and researchers about Cyprus.
 
 
 
 
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GIOVANNI MARITI
Travels in the Island of Cyprus
page 68

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heroic courage six fierce assaults, at last on August i, 1571, the city surrendered upon honourable. terms, which were violated by the treacherous Mustafa. On August 5 the Captain went fearlessly to Mustafa's tent to hand over the keys and take his leave, before sailing from the island as the convention allowed. Bragadino was accom-panied by Estor Baglione, Captain-general of the forces, and other commanders and officers. The Pasha was very desirous of seeing him before he embarked, but when he came into his presence he invented, in Turkish fashion, a malicious trick, and accused Bragadino of allowing the murder of certain Turks in the city during the truce. On such a pretext he caused the said knights and lords to be slain, cut off Bragadino's ears and nose, and set him to work on the walls. Mustafa entered Famagusta on August 7, and hanged there Tiepolo, Captain of Pafo, whom Bragadino had left to look after affairs after his departure. And finally, on August 17, after many torments borne with heroic firmness, Bragadino was savagely flayed alive. His skin was filled with straw, and the body quartered and set up on different points of the ram-parts. The skin was then put in a box with the heads of Estor Baglione, Luigi Martinengo, another Bragadino, com-manding in the citadel, and Quirini ; all of these were sent to Constantinople and presented to the Grand Signor. The hero's skin was afterwards ransomed by Antonio, Bragadino's brother, and Marco Ermolao and Antonio his sons, who caused it to be interred in 1596 in the church of St John and St Paul at Venice. The besieging army consisted of 200,000 men ; Mustafa's own troops were 94,000, the rest were adventurers from Syria, Caramania and Anatolia. During the ten months of the siege the Turks fired 140,000 balls; very many of these are still found in the gardens and fields about Famagusta, and some are piled in the ditch. 75,000 Turks died during the siege. I have borrowed most of these military details from the account 64 The City of Famagusta [CH.

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