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Władyslaw III's Varna Crusade
In 1444, King Władyslaw III of Poland joined Hungary, the Papacy, and Balkan Christian powers in a crusade against the Ottomans, marching down the lo…
Timeline
- 1444Buda · HungaryWładyslaw III and John Hunyadi assembled Polish, Hungarian, and allied forces in Hungary, breaking the previous truce with the Ottomans, and marched south along the Danube to attack the Bulgarian coast.
- 1444Varna · BulgariaOttoman Sultan Murad II personally led a large army and routed the Christian coalition near Varna. Władyslaw III was killed in a charge, the coalition fled in defeat, and Christian forces on the Black Sea coast were set back.
- 1444–1447Kraków · PolandWładyslaw III died without an heir, and Poland entered a three-year interregnum with noble factions disputing the royal succession. The Christian alliance in southeastern Europe collapsed, and the Ottomans continued to press the Hungarian frontier.
Sources
- The Crusade of Varna, 1443-45 — István Barta (1985)
- A History of Poland — Oskar Halecki (1942)