The Slaves of the Padishah · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Slaves of the Padishah by Mór Jókai.
Chapter 1
The Slaves of the Padishah
This chapter details the mustering of the Turkish army for war, describing the vast and diverse forces assembled under the Padishah's command. It introduces key figures like the Tartar Khan, Kiuprile Pasha, and the Grand Vizier, and depicts the immense scale and organization of the Ottoman military campaign.
Chapter 2
I: The Golden Caftan
The chapter introduces the S— family, one of the richest in Wallachia, and focuses on Michael, the second-born son who was sent to become a priest. After his elder brother is killed in Stambul, Michael unexpectedly inherits the family fortune and domain. He moves his family to the old mansion, which he transforms into a splendid palace to match his new status. The chapter details how a golden caftan, a gift from the Sultan, becomes the catalyst for a complete overhaul of his lifestyle, from clothing and carriages to the castle itself, ultimately changing the lives of his family, including his daughter Mariska.
Chapter 3
II: Maidens Three
Master Michael Teleki hosts a grand wedding banquet for his daughter Mariska and Prince Ghyka of Moldavia. The celebration is lavish, with guests from across the region. Emeric Tököly, a charming young count, delivers kisses from absent kinswomen to the bride, causing a stir. He then flirts with Aranka Béldi, provoking Prince Ghyka's jealousy, leading to a challenge for a duel. Feriz Beg, observing the tension, declares he will join the duel, making it a three-way affair.
Chapter 4
III: Three Men
Emeric Tököly wakes early after the wedding festivities and prepares to leave, ignoring letters and giving orders for his horse and carriage. He takes a hurried leave of Master Michael Teleki and rides to the meeting point at the cross, where his adversaries, Feriz Beg and Prince Apafi, are already waiting. The three men enter the forest to duel. Tököly proposes a series of single combats, and the Prince and Feriz Beg fight first. The Prince is wounded in the hand and forced to retire. Tököly then shares a meal with Feriz Beg, offering tactical advice before their own duel begins.
Chapter 5
IV: Affairs of State
Michael Teleki lies ill in Gyula-Fehervár, but continues to manage state affairs from his sickbed. He berates Master Szénasi for spreading rumors of war, then dictates letters to various officials, including the Grand Vizier, Baron Kopp, and Mr. Kászonyi, urging caution. Despite the Prince's orders to rest, Teleki persists in his work, showing his dedication and the political tensions of the time.
Chapter 6
V: The Day of Grosswardein
This chapter sets the stage for the conflict by describing the strategic importance of Grosswardein and Szathmár-Németi, which are besieged by Turkish and German armies respectively. The region is plagued by three enemies: the Turks, the Germans, and local freebooters. The chapter introduces Feri Kökényesdi, a notorious robber chieftain who is outwardly a respectable citizen. A negotiation takes place to hire Kökényesdi and his men to fight against the Turks at Grosswardein. The chapter also recounts a heroic and tragic event where Ladislaus Rákóczy dies in an assault on a fortress, and his bride, witnessing his death, throws herself from a tower to die beside him.
Chapter 7
VI: The Monk of the Holy Spring
The chapter opens with a description of a famous monastery near Klausenburg, known for its miraculous spring and its generous host, Friar Gregory. Dean Magyari brings his ailing daughter, Rosy, to the spring for healing. While the two clergymen engage in theological debates, a band of robbers, led by Kökényesdi and including Szénasi, attacks the monastery. The robbers demand women and treasure, but Brother Gregory cleverly negotiates, offering to show them his hidden gold in the cellar. He then traps the robbers in the cellar with a clever ruse, locking them up. After the capture, Gregory reveals that the robbers' larger plan is to attack Klausenburg, and he devises a strategy to mislead them, sending them into the woods. He then sends Magyari to warn the city, while he stays to defend the monastery and protect Rosy.
Chapter 8
VII: The Panic of Nagyenyed
The chapter describes the panic that spreads through Transylvania after a false alarm about an invasion. Mr. Ebéni, the commandant of Klausenburg, is roused from sleep by the news brought by Magyari, and a series of exaggerated messages leads to a mass flight from Nagyenyed. The Turkish envoy Yffim Beg also flees in terror. Meanwhile, the captive leader of the freebooters escapes, and Father Gregory hides his flock in the Cavern of Balina. The chapter highlights the chaos, misinformation, and cowardice that ensue.
Chapter 9
VIII: The Slave of Market at Budapest
Haji Baba, a renowned slave-dealer, arrives at Budapest with a ship full of beautiful slave-girls, anticipating the Turkish army's muster. Hassan Pasha sends his favorite Yffim Beg to select girls for his harem. Yffim Beg is shown the various girls, but is captivated by a mysterious, veiled woman who seems different from the rest, and Haji Baba warns him to look away.
Chapter 10
IX: The Amazon Brigado
Three days after Azrael's capture, Haji Baba witnesses the execution of Hassan Pasha's favorite damsels, who are sewn into sacks and drowned. The Turkish army begins to assemble near Pest, and Haji Baba learns from Yffim Beg that Feriz Beg and Kucsuk Pasha are still expected. Haji Baba, a slave dealer, warns Yffim Beg about Feriz Beg's dangerous influence over women, describing how the young warrior's charm leads women to abandon their masters and follow him into battle as warriors. Haji Baba, fearing for his business and safety, flees the area.
Chapter 11
X: The Margaret Island
Hassan Pasha's hidden paradise on Margaret Island is described, where Azrael, his favorite odalisque, manipulates both Hassan and Yffim Beg. Azrael uses her influence to blind Hassan to reality, while Yffim Beg, aware of her schemes, is forced to play along. The chapter reveals Azrael's growing obsession with Feriz Beg, whom she watches from afar, and her clever deception to conceal her true feelings.
Chapter 12
XI: A Star in Hell
Azrael, disguised as an odalisque, manipulates the eunuch Majmun into helping her escape the harem on Margaret Island. She threatens him with death and promises riches, forcing him to swim with her across the river to the opposite shore where Feriz Beg's camp is located. After delivering a symbolic wreath of laurel and thorn, she returns to the island, and the next day, the released waters flood Feriz Beg's camp, forcing him to move. Azrael receives the wreath, understanding its message of suffering for victory.
Chapter 13
The Battle of St. Gothard
The Turkish and Imperial armies converge near St. Gothard. Hassan Pasha, in a rage, mistreats the Transylvanian envoy Balló and threatens to make Transylvania a Turkish sanjak. The Grand Vizier Kiuprile and Hassan Pasha's forces unite, but their rivalry hinders coordination. During the battle, the Moldavian army under Prince Ghyka flees, throwing the Turks into disarray. Ismail Pasha is killed, and despite Hassan's delusion of victory, his generals force him to flee the field.
Chapter 14
The Persecuted Woman
Mariska, the wife of Prince Ghyka, is awaiting her husband's return from war, joyful at the prospect of motherhood. When Prince Ghyka returns, he is cold and anxious, revealing that he is being pursued by Turkish cavasses. He plans to escape, but Mariska insists he save himself, believing she will be safe. Ghyka flees on foot with a courier while Mariska escapes by carriage. Ghyka, from a mountain summit, rolls rocks down on his pursuers, killing many. Later, it is revealed that Mariska's escape was planned with the help of Jova, who arranged for her to flee in a carriage while Ghyka distracts the Turks. Ghyka, tied to his horse, makes a daring leap across a broken bridge to escape his pursuers.
Chapter 15
XIV: Olaj Beg
Mariska Sturdza, fleeing from the Turks, collapses at the feet of Prince Apafi and his wife in the palace courtyard. Apafi is terrified of the political consequences, but Princess Apafi insists on sheltering her. The Turkish envoy Olaj Beg arrives to demand Mariska's surrender. Through a mix of feigned piety and veiled threats, Olaj Beg grants Apafi a single day before he must hand her over. Apafi, feeling mocked and humiliated, struggles with his impotence and rage, ultimately deciding to summon his council to deliberate on the matter.
Chapter 16
XV: The Women's Defence
The Transylvanian council convenes to decide the fate of Princess Ghyka, who has fled to them for protection after her husband's escape from the Turks. Michael Teleki argues that necessity compels them to hand her over to avoid the Sultan's wrath. The men are resigned to this shameful course until Anna Bornemissza, Dame Apafi, leads a delegation of women into the council chamber. She delivers a passionate plea, challenging the counsellors' honor and manhood, and demands they protect the innocent woman. Her speech deeply shakes the assembly, but ultimately the council decides to surrender Princess Ghyka. The men are left in despair, but their gloom is interrupted by the arrival of Yffim Beg, who demands tribute for Hassan Pasha. Teleki, however, boldly dictates a defiant letter of refusal, and Apafi orders the insolent Beg to be tied to a horse and driven from the town.
Chapter 17
A Fight for His Own Head
Hassan Pasha, facing the Sultan's wrath after a lost battle, schemes to sacrifice scapegoats to save himself. He plans to blame Kucsuk Pasha, his son Feriz Beg, the Prince of Moldavia, and the Prince of Transylvania. Azrael, secretly in love with Feriz, manipulates Hassan into allowing her to witness the council of Pashas where Feriz is to be condemned. During the council, Feriz boldly challenges Hassan's authority, exposing his blindness and calling him a traitor. Meanwhile, Azrael, having been freed from her chain, goes to the mosque to pray, and Mariska is brought before Hassan, who sees her as his potential ransom.
Chapter 18
The Extravagances of Love
Aranka Béldi and Flora Teleki, determined to save Mariska, write letters to Feriz Beg and Tököly. Flora's letter appeals to Tököly's magnanimity, while Aranka's letter to Feriz Beg is more personal. Feriz Beg, still ill and guarded by his physician, receives Aranka's letter through the persistent Szekler courier Gregory Biró. Meanwhile, Azrael, an odalisque in Hassan Pasha's harem, is driven by her love for Feriz Beg to promise to help Mariska escape, even at the cost of her own life. Feriz Beg, confident in Azrael's devotion, prepares for the escape.
Chapter 19
XVIII: Sport with a Blind Man
Azrael, fearing for Mariska's life, devises a cruel game to distract the deteriorating Hassan Pasha. She stages a mock court, dressing slaves as envoys and dignitaries, and presents them to Hassan, who is too feeble-minded to recognize the deception. The charade culminates with the arrival of Olaj Beg, who brings a real firman from the Sultan. Azrael reads the hidden message, which reveals that if Mariska is not freed by morning, she will be executed; if she escapes, Hassan and her accomplices will face the scaffold. Azrael resolves to free Mariska immediately.
Chapter 20
XIX: The Night Before Death
On the eve of an execution, Hassan Pasha locks Azrael and Mariska together with a chain, but Azrael reveals a plan to escape. She and Mariska cut their hair to form a rope, and Azrael prophesies that Hassan will die a day after her. The chapter also includes a flashback to a tender moment between Azrael and Feriz Beg, where she tells him to watch for a sign at dawn.
Chapter 21
XX: The Victim
After saving the Princess, Azrael crosses the Danube alone to Margaret Island, where she sets fire to the kiosk and immolates herself. Feriz Beg watches the flames from his window, and the next morning finds only ashes. Meanwhile, Yffim Beg arrives at Hassan Pasha's fortress with a message from Transylvania, only to discover Hassan's severed head, presented by Olaj Beg.
Chapter 22
Other Times—Other Men
This chapter explores the political intrigue and power struggles within Transylvania. Michael Teleki's ambition and influence over Prince Apafi lead to the arrest of Paul Béldi and Nicholas Bethlen, who oppose the war party's plans. The Princess Apafi secretly thwarts the execution orders, and the prisoners are eventually released. Béldi, seeing the state rushing to destruction, organizes an armed assembly to compel the Prince to change his counsellors. However, Teleki outmaneuvers him, and Béldi, unwilling to start a civil war, disperses his forces. He ultimately flees to the Ottoman Porte, leaving his family behind, while his colleague Csaky also escapes.
Chapter 23
XXII: The Divan
In this chapter, the Grand Vizier and the Divan confront Paul Béldi and his fellow refugees from Transylvania. Kiuprile Pasha offers Béldi the principality in exchange for a large sum of money, but Béldi nobly refuses, citing his sacred oath to the current Prince and his unwillingness to plunge his country into civil war. Enraged, the Grand Vizier orders Béldi chained and imprisoned. Later, the envoys of Prince Apafi, led by Farkas Bethlen, arrive and deliver a servile speech, but the Grand Vizier rebuffs them, warning of dire consequences. The chapter highlights themes of honor, betrayal, and the corrupting influence of power.
Chapter 24
The Turkish Death
Feriz Beg returns to Grosswardein and encounters Zülfikar, a renegade who guides him to a village where Spahis are plundering. Feriz Beg ambushes the Spahis, killing them all. Ajas Pasha sends a message to Ladislaus Székely demanding the surrender of the murderers, but Székely denies any involvement. The Prince is unable to find the culprits, so Martin Pók recruits condemned robbers to confess to the crime. A letter from the Sultan authorizes Ajas Pasha to invade Transylvania if the Prince does not surrender the murderers.
Chapter 25
The Hostage
Kucsuk Pasha and his son Feriz Beg arrive at the fortress of Szamosújvár disguised as Turks. Kucsuk requests the release of Dame Béldi for a fortnight, offering Feriz as a hostage. The commandant, Danó Sólymosi, agrees out of gratitude. Dame Béldi is taken to meet her husband, while Feriz remains in her cell, comforting her children and vowing to protect them. He is particularly moved by Aranka, with whom he shares a tender moment through the prison bars.
Chapter 26
The Husband
Paul Béldi, imprisoned in the dungeon of Jedikula, is visited by the Grand Vizier, Kiuprile, and Maurocordato, who urge him to accept the Sultan's offer of the princely throne. Béldi refuses, remaining steadfast in his patriotism and Christian faith. His wife, Dame Béldi, is brought to him by Kucsuk Pasha, who has left his own son as a hostage for her. She pleads with Béldi to accept the offer for the sake of their children, but he remains resolute, preferring death and the suffering of his family to betraying his country. After she is taken away, Béldi dies of a broken heart. Meanwhile, Ladislaus Székely, sent by Michael Teleki to bribe the Pashas, conspires with the renegade Zülfikar to poison Béldi. Zülfikar delivers a poisoned letter, but arrives too late. Later, at a banquet, Zülfikar publicly accuses Székely of hiring him to kill Béldi, revealing the poisoned letter. Székely denies it, but the poison eventually takes effect, and he dies a terrible death, while Béldi is buried in foreign soil, mourned only by his faithful dog.
Chapter 27
The Fading of Flowers
Aranka and Feriz Beg are imprisoned together but can only communicate through a narrow window. Aranka's health declines rapidly as she awaits her father's return. When the carriage arrives, it brings her mother, Dame Béldi, who is ill, and news that Paul Béldi has died. Aranka dies of grief in Feriz Beg's arms.
Chapter 28
XXVII: The Sword of God
The chapter opens with a description of ominous natural phenomena—a thick mist, a hurricane, and a comet—that the people interpret as divine signs. The Prince's chaplain, Magyari, delivers fiery sermons, one of which directly condemns Michael Teleki and Ladislaus Vajda for their role in the war, while a Szekler mocks them. Teleki remains unperturbed, even as the crowd insults him. Later, Teleki converses with Princess Apafi, who accuses him of causing the deaths of her enemies, including Feriz Beg's madness. Teleki dismisses her accusations, attributing events to fate and his own agency, and even claims he could hurl the comet itself. An earthquake strikes, and Teleki calmly reassures the Princess.
Chapter 29
The Mad Man
In the secret chamber of the Divan, the Viziers and the Sultan deliberate on the impending war. The Sultan remains silent and corpse-like while the Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa directs the proceedings. Ambassadors from France, Tököly, and Transylvania present their cases, but the Turkish policy is clear. The ulemas, led by the Chief Mufti, ritually dissolve the peace treaty with the Kaiser, symbolically washing away the writing and burning the fragments. Feriz Beg, now mad with grief, appears before the Divan and delivers a prophetic and audacious speech, predicting the war's failure and the Sultan's doom, before withdrawing.
Chapter 30
XXIX: Pleasant Surprises
The chapter depicts the vast military preparations for war against the King of the Romans, with Teleki achieving his lifelong ambition as generalissimo of Transylvania's armies. At the camp at Fülek, the Transylvanian forces join Kara Mustafa's army, and Teleki presents the Prince to the Grand Vizier, who grants them a tour of the Turkish camp. During a celebratory banquet, Emeric Tököly arrives with a host of ten thousand Magyars, causing consternation. Tököly threatens Teleki, who had plotted against him, but Prince Apafi boldly protects his generalissimo, defying the Grand Vizier's order to seize him. Teleki is humiliated by the Prince's protection, and later, after returning home, he weeps over the tomb of Denis Banfi, whom he had sacrificed for his ambitions.
Chapter 31
A Man Abandoned by His Guardian-Angel
Following the failed siege of Vienna, the Ottoman Empire suffers catastrophic defeats, losing Buda and other fortresses. Michael Teleki, having sided with the Germans, becomes a Count of the Holy Roman Empire as Transylvania becomes imperial territory. Amidst these national upheavals, Anna Bornemissza, the virtuous wife of Prince Michael Apafi, dies. Her death leaves Apafi desolate and mentally broken, as he laments his perceived poverty and descends into madness, ultimately finding release in death.
Chapter 32
The Newly-Drawn Sword
The German armies have overrun Transylvania and are advancing into the Ottoman Empire, prompting the new Sultan to rally forces. Feriz Beg, living in self-imposed exile in Lebanon, is finally persuaded by a letter from Emeric Tököly to return to war. He leads the Tartar hordes against the imperial army under the Prince of Hanover, using a novel tactic of flaming darts to break the enemy's formation and achieve a decisive victory, turning the tide of war in favor of the Turks.
Chapter 33
The Last Day
General Heissler and Michael Teleki prepare to defend Transylvania against Tököly's invading forces. Teleki's strategic advice is dismissed, and he is humiliated by being forced to play cards. When the battle begins, the Transylvanian forces are routed, and Teleki is killed by the mortally wounded Feriz Beg, who delivers a series of vengeful blows. Heissler is captured by Tököly, and Doria is also taken prisoner. Tököly later exchanges the captured generals for his wife Helen.
Chapter 34
Endnotes
This chapter contains only endnotes, providing translations and explanations for various terms and references used throughout the book. It clarifies foreign words, historical figures, and cross-references to other chapters.
