Fall of Gallipoli
| Fall of Gallipoli | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Gallipoli peninsula | |
| Result |
Ottoman victory
|
Byzantine Empire
Ottoman Empire John VI Kantakouzenos Süleyman Pasha (son of Orhan)ex-mercenaries[1]
The fall of Gallipoli (
Hungary
.
Conquest
During the
Tzympe near Gallipoli. On 2 March 1354, the area was struck by an earthquake that destroyed hundreds of villages and towns in the area.[4] Nearly every building in Gallipoli was destroyed, causing the Greek inhabitants to evacuate the city. Within a month, Süleyman Pasha seized the site, quickly fortifying it and populating it with Turkish families brought over from Anatolia.[2]
Aftermath
John VI offered cash payments to the
Ottoman sultan Orhan to vacate the city, but was refused. The sultan reportedly said he had not taken the city by force and could not give up something which had been "granted to him by Allah".[5] Panic spread throughout Constantinople as many believed that the Turks would soon be coming for the city itself. Because of this, Kantakouzenos's position became unstable, and he was overthrown in November 1354.[4]
Gallipoli was to become the major bridgehead into Europe through which the Ottomans would facilitate further expansion into Europe.Adrianople.[4]
References
- ISBN 9781855323476.
- ^ a b Nicolle, David and Hook, Adam. Ottoman Fortifications 1300–1710[permanent dead link]. Osprey Publishing, 2010. Accessed 3 Sept 2011.
- ^ Goffman, Daniel. The Ottoman Empire and Early Modern Europe. Cambridge University Press, 2002. Accessed 3 Sept 2011.
- ^ a b c Ostrogorsky, George. History of the Byzantine State, pp. 530–537. Rutgers University Press (New Jersey), 1969.
- ^ Norwich, John. A Short History of Byzantium, p. 348. Alfred A. Knopf (New York), 1997.
- ^ Vasiliev, Alexander. History of the Byzantine Empire, 324–1453, 2nd ed, p. 622. (Madison), 1952.