Aaron the Tyrant: Difference between revisions

The Ottomans again asked from their Crimean vassals that they intervene. [[Ğazı II Giray]] submitted, staging a raid on Moldavia: in June 1594, the Crimeans encircled Aron in his capital of Iași, then devastated the surrounding region.<ref name="Denize, p. 158"/> Zamoyski made a perfunctory show of support for Moldavia, sending in the [[Military of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish-Lithuanian army]]. In August, it had only reached as far south as [[Chernivtsi|Cernăuți (Chernivtsi)]].<ref>Ludmila Bacumenco-Pârnău, Mihai-Cristian Amăriuței, "Târgul Lăpușna în secolele XV-XVIII. Drumuri comerciale, mărfuri și negustori între Orient și Occident", in Gheorghe Postică (ed.), ''Lăpușna. Studii de istorie și arheologie'', p. 75. Chișinău: Asociația Obștească PRO-Historica, 2015. {{ISBN|978-9975-4477-3-7}}</ref> The Crimean hordes were nevertheless weakened by the Cossack invasion into their own base, and were vulnerable to attacks when grazing their horses.<ref>Xenopol VI, p. 16</ref> In July, Cossack troops returned to Moldavia. They were nominally allies of the Empire and responded to Komulović, but were in practice uncontrollable;<ref name="Mârza 1998, p. 158"/> they also regarded Aaron as a facilitator of the Crimeans, who had allowed Giray passage through Moldavia.<ref name="albas222"/> Loboda and Nalyvaiko fused their armies, conquering and razing [[Țuțora]] before taking Iași, destroying Moldavia's artillery in the process.<ref name="albas222"/> Aaron, having panicked,<ref name="Mârza 1998, p. 158"/> barricaded himself in [[Putna Monastery]].<ref>Iorga (1932), p. 223</ref> He eventually agreed to pay Loboda a large ransom in exchange for his subjects' safety.<ref name="Denize, p. 158"/> With help from Báthory and ''Logothete'' Ivan Norocea,<ref>Mârza (2000), pp. 302–303</ref> Aaron was also able to crush another insurgency by pro-Ottoman boyars. Their attempt at a coup formed part of a larger plot involving [[Balthasar Báthory]], nephew of the Transylvanian Prince, and [[Sándor Kendi]].<ref>Gabriel-Virgil Rusu, "Politică și societate în Principatul Transilvaniei la sfârșitul secolului al XVI-lea: conspirația nobiliară de la Cluj (1594)", in ''Revista Crisia'', Vol. XXXVIII, 2008, pp. 68–70</ref>

 

 

He and Michael began coordinating their open rebellion, which would open a new battlefield behind Ottoman lines. Their uprising began on November 13, with Ottoman garrisons in both countries being overpowered and massacred.<ref>Xenopol VI, pp. 22–28</ref> In Aaron's territories, victims included four ''[[Çavuş]]lar'', whom Murad had sent over with gifts, hoping to restore Ottoman suzerainty amiably.<ref>Sterca-Șuluțiu, p. 92; Xenopol VI, pp. 27–28, 34</ref> By then, the Prince had also resumed his practice of dealing violently with his earlier sponsors, executing without trial a Greek banker, Nestor Nevridis,<ref>Păun, p. 171</ref> and 19 of his Jewish creditors.<ref>{{in lang|ro}} Carol Iancu, [https://web.archive.org/web/20180302190401/http://www.revista-apostrof.ro/articole.php?id=3353 "Stereotipuri antievreiești ale lui Iuda Iscarioteanul: exemplul României"], in ''[[Apostrof]]'', Vol. XXVIII, Issue 11, 2017; Constantin Rezachevici, "Evreii din țările române în evul mediu", in ''[[Magazin Istoric]]'', September 1995, p. 61</ref> He forfeited all payments on Barton and Ashkenazi's loans; when the latter arrived to complain in Iași, Aaron had him arrested and sent as a prisoner to Transylvania.<ref name="Kohen, p. 103"/>