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Ottoman Conquest of Nicaea
In 1331, Orhan, sultan of the Ottoman beylik, captured Byzantine-held Nicaea (modern İznik), breaking through Bithynia's inland defenses.
Timeline
- 1331City of Nicaea · BithyniaOrhan advanced on Nicaea from Bursa and besieged the well-walled city. The Byzantine garrison held out stubbornly, but reinforcements were weak and could not break Ottoman control of supply lines.
- 1331City of Nicaea · BithyniaAfter the siege, Ottoman forces entered Nicaea and the Byzantines lost this strategic stronghold. The Ottomans then pushed into the Bithynian interior and used it as a springboard for further expansion toward the Sea of Marmara.
Sources
- The Ottoman Empire, 1300–1650: The Structure of Power — Colin Imber (2002)
- Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition: Nīḳiyā — C. E. Bosworth et al.