Battle of Gallipoli |
year: 136624 August 1366 |
The crusaders of Amadeus of Savoy recaptured Gallipoli for Byzantium | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |
enemy: Ottoman Turks
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location: Gallipoli in eastern Thrace, modern Gelibolu
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accuracy:
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battle type: City Capture |
war: Byzantine-Ottoman Wars |
modern country:
Turkey |
▼ The Byzantines(emperor: John V Palaiologos) | ▼ The Enemies | |
Commander: | Count Amadeus VI of Savoy | Unknown |
Forces: | 16 ships, 1,700 men | Unknown |
Losses: |
Background story: |
The Ottoman Turks took Gallipoli after an earthquake in 1354. It was their first stronghold in Europe and it became a springboard for military operations in Thrace. Most of eastern Thrace was overrun by Ottoman forces within a decade and permanently brought under Orhan's control by means of heavy colonization. I The westerners realized that the Ottoman Turks were a serious threat and in 1366 Pope Urban V organized a crusade against them. |
The Battle: |
Amadeus VI A sharp action captured Gallipoli. Then Amadeus headed to the Black Sea and attacked the Bulgarian ports in order to persuade Bulgarians to release the Byzantine emperor John V who was their captive at the time. He managed to free the emperor, but seems to have already suffered heavy losses. So the crusade ended there and Amadeus left handing the city to the Byzantines. |
Noteworthy: |
Amadeus of Savoy was a cousin of the Byzantine Emperor John V Palaiologos from his mother Anna of Savoy (mother of John). Moreover, Amadeus’ mother was a great-grand-daughter of the Byzantine emperor Andronikos II, who was also the great-grand-father of John V. |
Aftermath: |
In 1377 Andronikos IV Palaiologos gave Gallipoli back to the Turks, in exchange for their support in his effort to dethrone his father, John V. However, Gallipoli was not as strategically important, as it had been in 1354, with Thrace being already an Ottoman territory. |
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