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Battle of Varna
On November 10, 1444, Polish King Władysław III and John Hunyadi led a crusader coalition against Sultan Murad II's Ottoman main army near Varna, Bul…
Timeline
- 1444Battlefield south of Varna · BulgariaMurad II brought his main force back from Anatolia and faced the crusader coalition south of Varna. The coalition had the Black Sea at its back and its flanks constrained by terrain; Hunyadi urged caution, but Władysław III was determined to attack.
- 1444Battlefield at Varna · BulgariaWładysław III led his cavalry in a direct charge at the Ottoman sultan's guard; the king was killed in the melee and coalition morale collapsed. Hunyadi led the remnants in a hard rearguard action covering the retreat, and the Ottomans won a decisive tactical victory.
- 1444Varna · BulgariaThe crusader remnants fled north and the expedition failed completely. Władysław III's death without an heir triggered a succession crisis in Poland, Hungary was forced to contend with the Ottomans, and large-scale anti-Ottoman offensives in Central Europe were checked until the next battle of Kosovo in 1448.
Sources
- Battle of Varna https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Varna
- The Ottoman Centuries — Lord Kinross (1977)