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Siege of Rhodes

Type Event Region Europe Time 1480

In May 1480, the Ottoman Empire, taking advantage of the still-unresolved Fourth Ottoman–Venetian War, sent Mesih Pasha with some 70,000 troops to be…

Timeline

  1. 1480Harbor of Rhodes · RhodesMesih Pasha arrived at Rhodes with the Ottoman army and fleet, built siege camps around the city, and blockaded the harbor. The Knights had reinforced the walls and stockpiled provisions in advance, and mobilized the island's Latin and Greek inhabitants to assist in the defense.
  2. 1480Tower of St. Nicholas · RhodesThe Ottomans concentrated their attacks on the Tower of St. Nicholas at the harbor and weak sections of the walls, at one point storming the tower before the Knights counterattacked and recaptured it. d'Aubusson went personally to the front to direct the defense and was wounded; the garrison repelled repeated Ottoman infantry charges with firearms and counterattacks, inflicting heavy casualties.
  3. 1480Rhodes · RhodesUnable to take the city after a prolonged siege, with disease spreading and supplies running short, Mesih Pasha ordered a withdrawal. The Knights' victory won wide acclaim across Europe, and Rhodes was spared major attack for over a decade, until it fell again in 1522.

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