Philibert de Nayak

--CONTENT --
Philibert de Nayak () was the Grand Master of the Hospitalier Order from 1396 until his death on Rhodes Island in 1421.

The Battle of Nikopol
In 1396 died the great Master of the Order of Hospitaliers Juan Fernandez de Heredia (Juan Fernández de Heredia). In his place, the Prior of Aquitaine Philiber de Nayak was elected from the Order's council. As soon as he learns of his choice, de Nayak heads for Rhodes and mobilizes the knights of his order to participate in the crusade organized by Pope Boniface IX and the Hungarian King Sigismund of Luxembourg, whose goal is to drive the Ottoman invaders out of Europe. The newly elected Grand Master is gearing up his fleet, joining it with the one of those who joined the Venice March and passing through the Black Sea and the Danube, meeting on the territory of Bulgaria with the Sigismund Crusade, which includes numerous troops from almost all sides of Catholic Europe. At the end of September, the Crusaders suffered defeat by the troops of Ottoman Sultan Bayazid I in the battle of Nikopol.

Most of the crusaders, including Marshal Busico and numerous representatives of the most prominent Western European noble families, have been captured and King Sigismund, along with the great Master Philiber de Nayak, has managed to escape on board a hospitalist gallera. The remnants of the fleet and the expeditionary hostel squad that survived the battle of Nikopol, together with the Emperor and the Grand Master, are descending along the Danube River, passing through the fortress of Kaliakra in the Dobrudzha Despotie and after long peripets reach Constantinople. Hospitals join the defense of the Byzantine capital, which is besieged by Bayazid I. On November 11, 1396 Sigismund wrote to the great Master de Nayak (who, meanwhile, has rushed to Rhodes) that he had arrived in the city just in time to prevent him from falling before the Ottoman attacks and mentioned the alliance involving Emperor Manuel II Paleologist, Genouese and Hospitaliers. Philibert de Nayak also played an important role in collecting the huge amount of seventy-five thousand golden ducats for his time and buying up the captives in the battle of Nikopol knights. After their release, the prisoners were sent to Rhodes, where they were treated at the famous hospital of the Order before being sent back west. Among them is the son of the Duke of Burgundy Jean de Nevere (Jean Fearless).

The Siege of Constantinople
In the spring of 1399 the French King Charles VI sent an expeditionary corps to help the besieged Byzantine capital of Constantinople. As his commander was elected a prominent French nobleman and warlord Jean le Mengr (Marchal Busico), a veteran of the battle of Nikopol, who is also among those members of the Crusades who survive and fall into captivity. On 26 June 1399 Busiko sailed to Constantinople in charge of a fleet of two galleries and four other ships loaded with troops of a thousand and two hundred heavily armed fighters. C