10 March 1528 To His Majesty King John III: As commanded I enclose herewith a report on the most recent developments in the land of the Turks and my humble suggestions in response to said developments for Your Majesty’s enlightened consideration. No doubt Your Majesty is well acquainted with the succession crisis in Hungary in the wake of the death of King Lewis at the Battle of Mohacs. The dispute between the two contenders, John Zapolyai of Transylvania and Your Majesty’s royal cousin Ferdinand of Habsburg, has finally come to a head. Zapolyai’s envoy Jerome Laski, has through honeyed words and plentiful bribes, succeeded in his appeals to Süleyman. The Grand Turk has pledged to support the pretender Zapolyai and render him military assistance. An agreement was concluded …show more content…
Suleiman’s rule is characterized by great emphasis on close personal ties, whereas his fearsome father, Selim, executed his viziers frequently. Indeed, Ibrahim’s status almost rivals that of the Sultan himself, with the honours that are heaped on him, and his marriage to the Sultan’s sister, Hatice Sultan. As for Roxolana, she has now borne the Sultan 5 sons and a daughter against the customs of the Sultan’s ancestors, which has caused a great public scandal. Some inquiry has brought to light the information that neither of these two illustrious personages are Muslim nor Turkish in origin. In fact, they both began their lives as captive slaves, and the fact that they have now risen in the ranks and wholly embraced the lifestyle, manners and religion of the infidel is proof of Lucifer’s work. Nevertheless, these are two individuals with significant influence at court. Great care should be taken in assuring their good favour should there be a time when we require special consideration from the