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Battle of Nicopolis
On September 25, 1396 CE, a crusader coalition led by Hungarian king Sigismund fought a decisive battle against Ottoman sultan Bayezid I before the c…
Timeline
- 1396Nicopolis · BulganiaThe coalition of French, Burgundian, German and Hungarian knights assembled by Sigismund advanced west along the lower Danube and besieged the fortress of Nicopolis held by Ottoman vassals, hoping a decisive battle would force Bayezid to withdraw from the Balkans.
- 1396Nicopolis battlefield · BulgariaBayezid arrived with his janissaries and Balkan vassal contingents, routing the rashly charging French vanguard with a flanking cavalry maneuver, then encircling and heavily damaging the coalition's main force; many noble knights were killed or captured.
- 1396–1397Nicopolis · BulgariaThe Ottomans executed a large number of captured knights to intimidate Europe; Sigismund escaped but his prestige suffered. The battle left Western Europe unable to organize another large Balkan crusade, and vassals such as Wallachia were forced to reconfirm their subordination to the Ottomans.
Sources
- The Ottoman Centuries: The Rise and Fall of the Turkish Empire — Lord Kinross (1977)
- The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land — Thomas Asbridge (2010)