Ottoman conquest of Otranto

Battle of Otranto
Part of the Ottoman wars in Europe
and Hungarian–Ottoman Wars

Castle of Otranto
Date28 July 1480 – 10 September 1481
Location
Otranto, Kingdom of Naples
Result
  • Ottoman forces conquer Otranto
  • Christian forces recapture the city in September 1481
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Gedik Ahmed Pasha
Strength
  • 18,000 infantry
  • 700 cavalry
  • 128 ships
  • Kingdom of Naples: 20,000 infantry
  • Hungary: 2,100 Hungarian heavy infantry
Casualties and losses
Garrisoned forces surrender, 300 captured
  • 12,000 killed in action
  • 5,000 enslaved

In the summer of 1480, the Ottoman Empire invaded southern Italy, and laid siege to Otranto, finally capturing it on 11 August. This was their first outpost in Italy. According to a traditional account, more than 800 inhabitants were beheaded after the city had been captured. The Martyrs of Otranto are still celebrated in Italy. A year later, the Ottoman garrison surrendered the city after a siege by Christian forces, bolstered by the intervention of papal forces that were led by Paolo Fregoso of Genoa, and amid uncertainty upon the death of sultan Mehmed II.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.