Battle of Otranto
Part of the Ottoman wars in Europe
Date 1480-1481 Location Otranto, Italy Result Italian victory
Combatants
Ottoman Empire	Kingdom of Naples Kingdom of Aragon Kingdom of Hungary
Commanders
Gedik Ahmed Pasha	Francesco Largo † Alphonso II of Naples
Strength
Between 18,000 and 100,000 men. Between 70 and 200 ships.	Unknown
Casualties
800+ infantry 500+ cavalry	Unknown
Civilian casualties: 12,000

In 1480 and 1481 the Italian city and fort of Otranto were held by Ottoman troops. The wars of the Ottoman Empire in Europe marked the better part of the history of southeastern Europe, notably, giving infamy to the Balkans. ... Image File history File links Otranto_castello. ... Country Italy Region Puglia Province Lecce (LE) Mayor Elevation 15 m Area 76 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 5,487  - Density 69/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Idruntini or Otrantini Dialing code 0836 Postal code 73028 Patron Blesses Otrantine Martyrs  - Day August 14 Website... Motto دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299–1326) Bursa (1326–65) Edirne (1365–1453) Constantinople (Ä°stanbul, 1453–1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–22 Mehmed VI... The Kingdom of Naples was born out of the division of the Kingdom of Sicily after the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. ... Image File history File links Aragon. ... Capital Zaragoza Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 4th  47 719 km²  9,4% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 11th  1 217 514  2,9%  25,51/km² Demonym  – English  – Spanish  Aragonese  aragonés Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hungary. ... The Kingdom of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyar Királyság) is the name of a multiethnic kingdom that existed in Central Europe from 1000 to 1918. ... Gedik Ahmet Pasha Mosque (1477) in Afyonkarahisar, part of a magnificent religious and educational compound (source&permission: Municioality of Afyonkarahisar). ... Alphonso II of Naples (November 4, 1448 - December 18, 1495) was King of Naples from January 25, 1494 to 1495. ... The Siege of Antioch, from a medieval miniature painting, during the First Crusade. ... Combatants Christendom, Catholicism West European Christians, Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia Seljuks, Arabs and other Muslims The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II with the dual goals of liberating the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslims and freeing the Eastern Christians from Muslim... // The Crusade of 1101 was a minor crusade of three separate movements, organized in 1100 and 1101 in the successful aftermath of the First Crusade. ... The fall of Edessa, seen here on the right of this map (c. ... The Third Crusade (1189–1192), also known as the Kings Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin. ... The Entry of the Crusaders into Constantinople (Eugène Delacroix, 1840). ... The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade (1209 - 1229) was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Roman Catholic Church to eliminate the heresy of the Cathars of Languedoc. ... The Childrens Crusade is the name given to a variety of fictional and factual events in 1212 that combine some or all of these elements: visions by a French and/or German boy, an intention to peacefully convert Muslims in the Holy Land to Christianity, bands of children marching... Frisian crusaders confront the Tower of Damietta, Egypt. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Seventh Crusade was a crusade led by Louis IX of France from 1248 to 1254. ... The Shepherds Crusade is two separate events from the 13th and 14th century. ... The Eighth Crusade was a crusade launched by Louis IX of France, (who was by now in his mid-fifties) in 1270. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Aragonese Crusade or Crusade of Aragón was declared by Pope Martin IV against the king of Aragón, Peter III the Great, in 1284 and 1285. ... The Alexandrian Crusade of October 1365[1] was a seaborne[2] Crusade on Alexandria led by Peter I of Cyprus. ... // Combatants Ottoman Empire Kingdom of Hungary, France, Wallachia, Holy Roman Empire Commanders Bayezid I Sigismund of Hungary, John of Nevers #, Mircea the Elder Strength About 100,000 About 100,000 estimated to be more due capabilites of the coilition (120,000-200,000) Casualties About 35,000 About 35,000... The Teutonic knights in Pskov in 1240. ... Hussite War Wagons and Hand Cannoneers Hussite Crossbowman and Shield Carrier Hussite War Wagons The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars involved the military actions against and amongst the followers of Jan Hus in Bohemia in the period 1420 to circa 1434. ... The Crusade of Varna was a string of events in 1443-1444 between the Kingdom of Hungary, the Serbian Despotate, and the Ottoman Empire. ... Look up Ottoman, ottoman in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Attack

On July 28, 1480 an Ottoman fleet of between 70 and 200 ships arrived near the Aragonese city Otranto, current Italy. Possibly these troops came from siege of Rhodes. On July 29 the garrison and the citizens retreated to the citadel, the Castle of Otranto. The citadel had no cannons. On 11 August the citadel walls were breached by cannons. The garrison was killed. July 28 is the 209th day of the year (210th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events March 6 - Treaty of Toledo - Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain recognize African conquests of Afonso of Portugal and he cedes the Canary Islands to Spain Great standing on the Ugra river - Muscovy becomes independent from the Golden Horde. ... Look up Ottoman, ottoman in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Capital Zaragoza Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 4th  47 719 km²  9,4% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 11th  1 217 514  2,9%  25,51/km² Demonym  – English  – Spanish  Aragonese  aragonés Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166... Country Italy Region Puglia Province Lecce (LE) Mayor Elevation 15 m Area 76 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 5,487  - Density 69/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Idruntini or Otrantini Dialing code 0836 Postal code 73028 Patron Blesses Otrantine Martyrs  - Day August 14 Website... Rhodes is the easternmost island of Greece, located 11 miles west of Turkey. ... July 29 is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For people named Garrison, see Garrison (disambiguation) Garrison House, built by William Damm in 1675 at Dover, New Hampshire Garrison (from the French garnison, itself from the verb garnir, to equip) is the collective term for the body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but... This article is about a type of fortification. ... August 11 is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

A razzia was held to round up the male citizens. Archbishop Stefano Agricoli and others were killed in the cathedral. Bishop Stephen Pendinelli and the garrison commander, count Francesco Largo, were sawn in two alive. On August 12 800 citizens who refused to convert to Islam were taken to the Hill of the Minerva, today called Hill of the Martyrdoms, and beheaded. The cathedral was used as a stable. Some citizens were transported to Albania as slaves. Ghawz (plural ghazawāt) is an Arabic word meaning an armed incursion for the purposes of conquest, plunder, or the capture of slaves. ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. ... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... Slave redirects here. ...

In August 70 ships of the fleet attacked Vieste. On September 12 the Monastero di San Nicholas di Casole, which accommodated one of the richer libraries of Europe, was destroyed. In October 1480 Lecce, Taranto and Brindisi were attacked. Province of Foggia Vieste is a town and comune in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. ... This is about the Italian city of Lecce. ... Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, southern Italy. ... Brindisi is an ancient city in the Italian region of Puglia, the capital of the province of Brindisi. ...

Because of lack of food Gedik Ahmed Pash returned with most of his troops to Albania, leaving a garrison of 800 infantry and 500 cavalry behind to defend Otranto. It was assumed he would return after the winter.

Response

Since it was only 28 years after the fall of Constantinople, there was some fear that Rome would suffer the same fate. Plans were made for the Pope and citizens of Rome evacuate the city. Pope Sixtus IV repeated his 1471 call for a crusade. Several Italian city-states, Hungary and France responded positively to this. The Republic of Venice did not, as it had signed an expensive peace treaty with the Ottomans in 1479. Combatants Byzantine Empire Ottoman Empire Commanders Constantine XI† Loukas Notaras Giovanni Giustiniani†[1] Mehmed II Strength 7,000[2] 80,000[1]-200,000[1][3] Casualties 4,000 dead[4] 10,000 civilian dead[5][6] - The Fall of Constantinople refers to the capture of the Byzantine capital by... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5... Sixtus IV (July 21, 1414 – August 12, 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was Pope from 1471 to 1484. ... This article is about the year 1471, not the BT caller ID service accessible by dialling 1-4-7-1. ... This article is about the medieval crusades. ... Borders of the Republic of Venice in 1796 Capital Venice Language(s) Venetian, Latin Religion Roman Catholic Government Republic Doge  - 1789–97 Ludovico Manin History  - Established 697  - Treaty of Zara June 27, 1358  - Treaty of Leoben April 17, 1797 * Traditionally, the establishment of the Republic is dated to 697. ... Events January 20 - Ferdinand II ascends the throne of Aragon and rules together with his wife Isabella, queen of Castile over most of the Iberian peninsula. ...

In 1481 an army was raised by king Ferdinand I of Naples to be led by his son Alphonso II of Naples. A contingent of troops was provided by king Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. Events May 3 - Mehmed II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire dies and is succeeded by his son Beyazid II. May 21 - Christian I, King of Denmark and Norway dies and is succeeded by his son John (1481-1513) With the death of Duke Charles IV of Anjou, Anjou was reverted... Ferdinand I (1423 - January 25, 1494), also called Don Ferrante, was the King of Naples from 1458 to 1494. ... Alphonso II of Naples (November 4, 1448 - December 18, 1495) was King of Naples from January 25, 1494 to 1495. ... Matthias Corvinus as depicted in Chronica Hungarorum by Carl van Vechten Matthias Corvinus (Matthias the Just) (February 23, 1443 (?) – April 6, 1490) was King of Hungary, ruling between 1458 and 1490. ...

Counter attack

The city was besieged starting May 1 1481. On May 3 the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed II, died. This possibly prevented the sending of Ottoman reinforcements to Otranto. The city was recaptured in two attacks, the first on 23 August 1481 and the second on 10 September 1481. In the two battles the city was destroyed. The Ottoman garrison was killed. May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Mehmed II (Ottoman Turkish: محمد ثانى , Turkish: ), (also known as el-Fatih (الفاتح), the Conqueror, in Ottoman Turkish, or, in modern Turkish, Fatih Sultan Mehmet) (March 30, 1432 – May 3, 1481) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to 1446, and later from 1451 to 1481. ... August 23 is the 235th day of the year (236th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events May 3 - Mehmed II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire dies and is succeeded by his son Beyazid II. May 21 - Christian I, King of Denmark and Norway dies and is succeeded by his son John (1481-1513) With the death of Duke Charles IV of Anjou, Anjou was reverted... September 10 is the 253rd day of the Gregorian calendar (254th in leap years). ...

Aftermath

Inside Otranto cathedral

The number citizens had decreased from 20,000 to 8,000. Out of fear of another attack, many of these 8,000 left the city. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 882 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) See also: http://en. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 882 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) See also: http://en. ... Country Italy Region Puglia Province Lecce (LE) Mayor Elevation 15 m Area 76 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 5,487  - Density 69/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Idruntini or Otrantini Dialing code 0836 Postal code 73028 Patron Blesses Otrantine Martyrs  - Day August 14 Website...

Some of the remains of the 800 martyrs are today stored in Otranto cathedral and in the church of Caterina Saint to Formiello in Naples. The church of Santa Caterina a Formiello in Naples. ...

See also

• Crown of Aragon

King of Aragons arms in 15th century The Crown of Aragon or Aragonese Empire was the regime of a large portion of what is now Spain, plus numerous Mediterranean possessions, for much of the later Middle Ages. ...

External links

• http://en.otrantopoint.com/otranto-history-II.htm
• http://www.zum.de/whkmla/military/15cen/otranto14801481.html
• http://www.borghitalia.it/html/borgo_en.php?codice_borgo=138
• http://www.castellipuglia.org/en/otranto.html
• http://www.uni-mannheim.de/mateo/camenaref/cmh/cmh103.html#081
• http://cronologia.leonardo.it/battaglie/batta50.htm