Honored by the Glory of Islam. Conversion and Conquest in Ottoman Europe

a decade of crisis 57

them, or those they killed outside the palace, to onlookers who were tricked into

believing that consuming them would provide remedies for various ills.^99 The

author also heard that Janissaries cut off the fl esh of these corpses and had it

cooked in taverns. It may sound incredible that Janissaries turned to cannibal-

ism. What is important is that during this chaotic time their reputation was so

poor that tales of fl esh eating were believable.

Military rebellion at home and failure abroad made the imperial capital

vulnerable. Janissary and sipahi rebellion in Istanbul cast doubt on the Otto-

man ability to bring the Candian campaign to a successful close. Ottoman ter-

ritory was besieged because there were no Muslim braves who would battle the

enemy.^100 Subsequently, by 1 656 Venice occupied the crucial islands of Bozca,

Limni (Limnos), and Semadirek (Samothraki) that form an arc around the en-

trance to the Dardanelles. The loss of these islands was too great to bear. They

had been part of the empire since the era of Istanbul’s conquest. To Karaçelebi-

zade, Bozca was “the shelter of the army of faith,” its citadel fi lled “with the

clamor of Muslim martial music.” The loss of Limni was couched in gendered

terms that evinced a feeling of male vulnerability and humiliation. The island,

“formerly a well-protected castle with lights of the signs of Islam resembling an

adorned bridal chamber, ornamented with mosques where people recited the

names of God and God’s unity,” was violated and made into “a place of cross

and churchbell, a place of Muslim lamentation.”^101 The Muslims who surren-

dered the island went out to the shore with only enough clothing to cover their

genitals.^102

The three islands were at the entrance to the straits controlling the ship-

ping lanes to Istanbul. Bozca was the linchpin to the straits of Istanbul.^103 Able

to cut Istanbul’s sea link to the Mediterranean, Venetians blockaded the city

and metaphorically had a hand on the throat of empire, able to both starve the

capital, which was the Ottomans’ worst fear, and prevent the Ottoman navy

from reaching Crete. Ironically, the siege of Candia had in part been launched

to hinder the Venetians from cutting off their supply routes in the Mediter-

ranean. The Venetians had previously tried to close the Dardanelles during

the beginning of the campaign for Crete, but the Ottoman navy had stopped

them.^104 Finally, grain ships destined for Istanbul could not pass and the city

was cut off from provisions.^105

The inhabitants of Istanbul experienced unprecedented famine. In the

words of Kurdish Preacher Mustafa, “In the gardens, other than the smoke of

sighs, no smoke arose, and in the homes, the only fl ame seen was the fl ame of

hunger. If the price for a sprig of mint was giving one’s life, the masses, know-

ing the obligation to life, would give it.” Famine “scorched Muslims with the

fl ame of misery and fi lled them with sorrow as the affl icted eye fl ooded with the