From the Ottoman army to the Battle of the Boyne, a great old warrior makes his mark, writes Eileen Battersby
He fought at the Battle of the Boyne as a seasoned campaigner, and went on to survive the sieges of Limerick and Athlone. The following summer, he saw further action at the Battle of Aughrim. Schooled in the art of war as a youngster, he had served in the Ottoman army at the Siege of Vienna in 1683. On being captured three years later at the Battle of Buda, he was brought across Europe as a prisoner of war and arrived in England, where his skills were claimed initially by James II. Later, he found himself on the opposite side, in the service of William of Orange in the Irish campaign. Repeatedly cheating death with the flair of the Devil himself, he never suffered the slightest scratch.
Aloof, independent, volatile and difficult to handle, he was no ordinary soldier, his responses had been determined by the situations men placed him in. Life was a succession of conflicts and tests conducted on Europe's battlefields. His vicious determination to live proved his salvation.
This is the story of the horse that would enter legend as Byerley Turk, the first foundation sire of the thoroughbred line. Foaled during a storm and a fire in Serbia in 1678, on the Muslim Night of Justification, the son of a blood bay Karaman mare, he was called Azarax, Son of Fire.
When James Weatherby published the first General Stud-book in 1791, he regularised the theory that all thoroughbred horses could be traced to three foundation sires: the Godolphin Barb in 1729, the Darley Arabian in 1706 and the Byerley Turk in 1686. Although he died more than 300 years ago, on March 16th 1703, the Byerley Turk lives on through his bloodline. His descendants are not only miracles of genetic engineering they in turn perpetuate the beauty, mystery and mythology of all horses, and of one horse in particular, a mahogany bay stallion bred for war and destined for immortality.
It is an incredible story, spanning the continent of Europe as well as its history and cultures along the course of the Danube and beyond. Jeremy James, formerly of the International League for the Protection of Horses, has followed the life's journey of the 17th-century stallion who "battled from one end of Europe to the other" as kingdoms fell, rulers were defeated and "tens of thousands of men, women and children were lost".
In the course of piecing together the horse's life and times, he has evoked a rich world picture of the Ottoman Empire with fascinating insights into Turkish history as well as acknowledging the lost horse breeds of Turkey such as the Canik, the Cukurova, the Karaman and the Kapadokya. These were legendary breeds, big and powerful and in the case of tall, long-backed, swift Karamans such as the Byerley Turk were natural war horses.
James rode across the landscape of the Balkans and central Europe, absorbing the geography and the layers of complex history. Military museums and libraries provided him with books, manuscripts and maps. This is a brilliantly well-researched, atmospheric, at times theatrical, narrative about ancient kingdoms, political ambition, battles, men and horses as well as the philosophy of horsemanship. It is also passionate.
Tracing the history of a horse that lived more than 300 years ago is difficult. James has had to rely on instinct and his feel for horses in addition to making tremendous use of sources and information. The narrative reads as a flamboyant, historical novel. Before taking part in the Battle of the Boyne, the stallion, already a legend, won a race at Downpatrick. How did this horse consistently defy danger? That the gods had blessed him is obvious, but part of his mystery lay in his natural defiance and confidence.
Most importantly of all was the mild-mannered seyis, or groom, who lovingly tended him. He was a master horseman alert to the smallest physical and psychological need. It is he who sees in the day-old foal the mark of genius as well as the destiny that awaits him.
That destiny is as a war horse in the sultan's army. As a young horse, nurtured but carefully disciplined by the watchful seyis aware of his temperament, he is schooled to musket, pistol, sabre, lance, cirit darts and arrows. He and his companion, Bora, are walked to Istanbul by the seysis. In 1683, at the age of five, Azarax is a charger in the Siege of Vienna. Mission after mission, through smoke, blood and fire, the stallion returns after the day's battle covered in blood, but never his own.
His companion Bora, gentle and trusting, is lost. The descriptions of 17th-century warfare are remarkable. James reconstructs the Irish campaign in extensive detail.
At the Siege of Buda, after vicious fighting in the surrounding plains, on August 29th, 1686, Azarax makes a dramatic charge to the gates of the city. Both he and his groom, an incredible character, find temporary sanctuary in the lavish stables. Meanwhile, outside the Hapsburg forces are victorious.
The stallion begins his long, slow journey to England, which will eventually lead him to Ireland.
James Fitzjames, illegitimate son of the English king, is among the victors who enter the stable. Immediately, among the fine horses, he notices Azarax. One of his companions, Edward Vaudery, who would later be killed in action at the Battle of the Boyne, claims the stallion for himself. The horse proves beyond Vaudery's horsemanship. Still, the little groom, loyal and devoted to the horse, travels with him. They protect each other.
Travelling across Europe, they arrive at Calais and sail to England. There the horse is purchased by Capt Robert Byerley, a young nobleman who sees the worth of the stallion and his groom.
The trio form a group that stays together at Byerley's country estate, until battle calls.
William's forces challenge those of James, the prize is the crown of England, the battlefield is Ireland. Byerley and the stallion leave for war. Before this, the little groom disappears, leaving his beloved horse to meet his destiny.
Having survived the Irish campaign, Byerley and his by then legendary horse with whom he has formed a trusting bond, return to England. Azarax retires to stud and dies in his stable aged 25. His proud owner outlives his horse by only 11 years, dying at 54, in 1714. But the horse lives on through his majestic descendents, the modern thoroughbred.
The Byerley Turk, by Jeremy James, is published by Merlin Unwin at £20