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Battle of Vaslui

Type Event Region Europe Time 1475

On 10 January 1475, Stephen III of Moldavia defeated an Ottoman army of about 120,000 with roughly 40,000 troops near Vaslui, dealing a severe blow t…

Timeline

  1. 1474–1475Moldavian border · MoldaviaMehmed II launched a punitive expedition against Moldavia over its interference in Polish affairs, ordering Grand Vizier Süleyman Pasha to lead a large army into the country. Stephen III mobilized Polish and Hungarian reinforcements and chose marshy, hilly terrain near Vaslui to dig trenches and build abatis, luring the enemy deep in.
  2. 1475Vaslui battlefield · MoldaviaWhen the Ottomans assaulted the Moldavian lines they became mired in swamps and crossfire; Stephen outflanked them with Hungarian light cavalry and Moldavian infantry, routing the Ottoman center. Later accounts record heavy Ottoman casualties, with much baggage and artillery captured or burned.
  3. 1475Eastern Moldavia · MoldaviaThe Moldavian army pursued the remnants toward Silistra, and the Ottoman expedition collapsed. The sultan temporarily abandoned direct conquest of Moldavia, Stephen's standing rose greatly in Christian Europe, and the pope once called him the 'Shield of Christendom.'

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