While Constantine was in Constantinople with his two trusted childhood friends, discussing how to bet on Theodoro, in the palace of Edirne, the capital of the Ottoman Sultanate, one of Murad II's Greek concubines, or more accurately, a slave, gave birth to the Sultan's fourth son that night.
However, Murad was not particularly concerned about the birth of his fourth son. In his eyes, this former Christian slave had neither noble "Oghuz Turk" blood nor a background of royalty or nobility, and he couldn't recall the specific details of last year's encounter. Besides, he already had two good sons, Ahmed and Aladdin Ali. Especially Aladdin Ali, though only two years old, showed a cleverness that remarkably resembled his own. Though it pained him a little, upon hearing the news of his fourth son's birth, he had already roughly foreseen the fate of the newborn infant.
Moreover, the Black Sea's defenses had made him anxious these past few days. So, when the servants from the delivery room came to ask if he wanted to see his newborn fourth son, Murad considered it for half a second before directly refusing.
Chandler Pasha, the Vizier serving beside him, cautiously reminded him, "But Your Majesty, even so, the Prince needs a name."
"Indeed." Murad nodded in agreement. After a moment of thought, he picked up a book of Hadith from the table, pointed to a name within, and said, "Then let him be named Muhammad, the name of the Prophet."
"Also one of the most common names," Sinan Pasha muttered to himself.
Faced with Murad II's actions, no one present felt much. Only one of his wives, Mara Hatton from the Serbian Despotate, attempted to persuade him, "My husband, he is your child after all."
But Murad II merely waved his hand, "I still have two children. Allah above, Mara, I advise you to read the Quran more and see what the Prophet says."
The Pashas beside them couldn't help but laugh, for they all knew that despite Princess Mara marrying into the Ottoman, she remained a Christian, and rumor had it that she had never even consummated the marriage with her husband.
Regardless, in summary, on March 30, 1432, Prince Muhammad Ottomanoglu was born in Edirne.
But the belated major events could not yet affect the Principality of Theodoro, which was still in the late stages of its civil war.
Manuel's recapture of Mangup was a major event for both warring parties, but for the common people of Mangup, the impact was not so great. Although they generally leaned more towards Manuel's side, this civil war was, after all, no different to them than the civil war of Prince Stephenus twenty or thirty years ago; it was merely a struggle between noble lords, as long as it didn't interfere with their daily lives.
However, in a few years, they would be very glad that Manuel had achieved victory this time.
A few days later, Isaac and his confidants, who had fled to Bakhchysarai, tragically discovered that they were now almost isolated and helpless: the Tatar rebels in Northern Crimea were being rapidly recaptured under the assault of Balin and the Lithuanian reinforcements who had defected on the battlefield; and due to the naval blockade, they were completely unable to escape to Phanagoria to organize their remaining forces.
"Let's surrender," Isaac painfully suggested to his confidants that night.
Everyone was silent. After a long while, Wolol tentatively spoke, "Your Highness, you will naturally be fine. Prince Manuel is not an unreasonable person. But what about us?"
Isaac sighed deeply, and after a moment, cautiously began to speak, attempting to persuade them, "I will convince my brother to pardon you all. As you just said, he is a reasonable man; if we appeal to his emotions and reason, he will understand us.
"I swear to the Holy Father that I will do my utmost to ensure that none of you are affected by this incident; after this is over, no one will suffer for it. If I break this oath, I would rather confine myself to a monastery."
Faced with Isaac's solemn oath, his confidants, who had followed him for a considerable time, considered it thoroughly and ultimately agreed to his surrender proposal.
So, after making thorough preparations, at dusk the day after Isaac and his confidants secretly decided to surrender, Isaac sent an envoy to Mangup, requesting Manuel to personally come to Bakhchysarai to accept their surrender.
"Really?" After roughly listening to the envoy's embellished explanation, Manuel, seated in the Mangup temporary palace, confirmed with a playful tone. As he asked this, he subtly touched his waist, where the exquisite pistol Falero had gifted him for his birthday was hidden. Although its initial practical utility was weak, after he had Philippilan and other artisans modify it, it gained some practicality; at least it wouldn't misfire easily.
After confirming that the rebels' plea for surrender was genuine, Manuel verbally agreed to their request but pondered his next course of action. "Once the last major city, Bakhchysarai, returns, and the last group of rebel leaders represented by Isaac surrender, this civil war will largely conclude. So, next, it's time to deal with these rebels."
After roughly planning in his mind how to deal with the rebels he considered traitors, Manuel outwardly agreed to the rebels' surrender terms with a harmonious demeanor, generously stating that he would not pursue their "minor mistakes."
Manuel's attitude lulled the rebels into a false sense of security. So, on the morning of the third day, Isaac and his forces simply opened the gates of Bakhchysarai, offering the city and surrendering. Manuel, who had already made preparations, also readily sent troops to take over the city. A few days later, at Manuel's strong insistence, Isaac was compelled to be taken to the Phanagoria area to persuade the remaining rebels to surrender. Seeing that their high-ranking monarch had surrendered, the rebels in Phanagoria also quickly laid down their weapons and surrendered the city.
Thus, in early April, the civil war in the Principality of Theodoro came to an end. The high-ranking rebel leaders, headed by Isaac, were all placed under house arrest, awaiting further disposition from the soon-to-be-crowned Manuel. Except for a few stubborn Tatar rebels still entrenched in a few areas of North Tauris, all other usurping rebels were cleared out. As for the Golden Horde foreign aid called by the rebels? After their probing attack on Yedishkul was blocked by Lithuania in mid-March, they wisely settled down to watch the show from the sidelines.
After personally taking over Phanagoria and repeatedly checking the lists, confirming that the rebellion had indeed largely subsided, Manuel sat in his chair and coldly laughed, "Alright, now it's time to settle all accounts."