Ottoman Occupation of Athens

Timeline

1. 1456Lower Athens · AthensTurahanoglu Omar, appointed governor of Thessaly in 1456, was ordered to advance into Attica. Internal strife in the Duchy of Athens gave the sultan a pretext for direct takeover, and Ottoman forces occupied the lower town in June. The last duke, Francesco II Acciaioli, withdrew with his remaining forces into the Acropolis, Latin rule shrinking to the rocky fortress.
2. 1456–1458Acropolis of Athens · AthensThe duke and some residents held the Acropolis for about two years, with no hope of relief and supplies gradually exhausted. In June 1458, as Mehmed II campaigned in the Morea and captured the Acropolis of Corinth, Francesco II surrendered. The Frankish Duchy of Athens, lasting over two centuries, thus ended as an independent polity.
3. 1458Acropolis of Athens · AthensIn August 1458 Mehmed II entered Athens, ascended the Acropolis to view the Parthenon and other antiquities, and ordered the protection of ancient buildings. Omar took up residence in the duke's former palace (the Propylaea), and Athens was placed under direct Ottoman administration. Francesco II was allowed to hold Thebes as a vassal, ending Latin rule in Attica completely.