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Fall of Smederevo
On 20 June 1459, Ottoman sultan Mehmed II besieged the Serbian capital's fortress of Smederevo;…
Timeline
- 1459Smederevo · SerbiaMehmed II personally led his army south and in early June besieged the Danube-side fortress of Smederevo, built by Đurađ Branković in 1428 and Serbia's last political and military center.
- 1459Smederevo fortress · SerbiaOttoman forces bombarded the triangular fortress with heavy artillery and cut off supplies; Hungarian relief failed to arrive in time, leaving the garrison isolated. Stefan Branković judged further resistance hopeless and began negotiating surrender terms.
- 1459Smederevo fortress · SerbiaOn 20 June Stefan Branković opened the gates and surrendered; Ottoman forces occupied Smederevo. The last Serbian ruler was subsequently taken to Constantinople, ending Serbian independence.
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Smederevo https://www.britannica.com/place/Smederevo
- Fine, John V. A. The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest — John V. A. Fine (1994)