Ottoman conquest of Otranto

"Battle of Otranto" redirects here. For the naval battles, see Battle of the Strait of Otranto.

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

Castle of Otranto
Date28 July 1480 – 10 September 1481
Location
Otranto, Kingdom of Naples
Result
  • Ottoman forces conquer Otranto[1][2]
  • 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
  • Unknown
  • Hungary: 2,100 Hungarian heavy infantry[3]
Casualties and losses
Garrisoned forces surrender
  • 12,000 killed in action
  • 5,000 enslaved
Relics of the Martyrs of Otranto inside Otranto Cathedral

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.[4] According to a traditional account, more than 800 inhabitants were beheaded after the city had been captured.[5][6] 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.

  1. ^ Encyclopædia Americana, Volume 9 via books.google.com
  2. ^ The Ottoman Empire: A Short History Page 44 via books.google.com
  3. ^ Csaba Csorba; János Estók; Konrád Salamon (1999). Magyarország Képes Története. Budapest, Hungary: Magyar Könyvklub. p. 62. ISBN 963-548-961-7.
  4. ^ Savvides, Alexios, and Photeine Perra. "Hospitallers and Ottomans Between the Two Great Sieges of Rhodes (1480–1522/1523) 1." In The 1522 Siege of Rhodes, pp. 11-39. Routledge, 2022.
  5. ^ "Pope canonises 800 Italian Ottoman victims of Otranto". BBC News. 12 May 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  6. ^ "HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS". www.vatican.va. 12 May 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2022.