The Invasion of Otranto (1480-81)

The Invasion of Otranto

Name: Saima Samad

History Department
Fall 2015
 The Invasion of Otranto (1480-81)

Introduction:

After the fall of Constatinople in the year of 1453, Mehmet the Conqueror became

the threat for the Christian world. The sultan’s conquest of Serbia, Morea, Amasra,

Sinop, trebizon, Wallacia, Lesbos, Bosnia, Albenia, Negroponte and Moldavia between

1454-1478 gave the Ottoman an image of indefeatable power. The Pope of the Western

Church was always afried about the Ottoman because after the fall of the Constantinople

and the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman’s conquest of Italy was a matter of time.

Everyone would predict that one day the Ottoman could siege Italy and the Papal state.

The nightmare came true when Mehmet II sent Gdik Ahmed Pasha to conquer Otranto in

Southern Italy. The ottoman were successful but after thirteen month sultan Mehmed II

died and they had to lift the siege. A public opinion was recorded by a 16 th century Greek

chronicler that if the sultan Mehmed II did not die, he would have passed to Apulia,

occupied Italy and caused damaged to Christianity.[ CITATION Güz02 \l 1033 ] In spite

of, the fear of Turk, the Italian stopped fighting to one another and prepared for a Crusade

under the command of Pope Sixtus IV.

Preparation for the Conquest:

In the late 15th century , Italy was divided into small city states and they were

bieng rivals to each other. On one side the coalition of the Pope Sixtus IV and King

Ferdinand I of Naples and the other side made a coalition of the Floranc of De’ Medici,

Milan, Venice and Ferrara. Meanwhile, in 1480 Naples had defeated the Florentaine and

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forced it to make agreement aganist hhe power of Pope and Venice. Threrfore, Pope

forced to make an allince with Vanice. In this caotic condition, Mehmat II planned for

attacking Italy. The sultan appointed Ahmed Gedik Pasha in Vlora as Sanjak Bey in

1479. His appoinment was a part of war strategy because Vlora was the best seaport of

Adriatic and to make a campaign in Otranto there was no alternative than Vlora to get

prepared for the war. Haldun Eroğlu admites from Hoca Saadettin’s Tac’üt-Tevarih

published in 1979, “Mehmet’s expedition to Italy to the fact that Gedik Ahme Pasha who

was appointed to conquer Avlonya (Vlora) in order to eliminate the resistence in Albania

asked for parmission to conquer Polya (Apulia) since it was adjecent to the Avlonya

(Vlora)district. Gedik Ahmed Pasha was granted parmission as well as funds, troops adn

naval forces to conquer Otranto.”[ CITATION Ero11 \l 1033 ]

The Invasion:

On 26 July, 1480 Gedik Ahmed Pasha lıfted the ships anchor and headed across

the Adriatic to Southern Italy. The Ottoman flight was comprised 40 large galleys, 60

small galleys and 40 frieghters carrying some 18,000 troops and 700 horses for

thecavalry.[ CITATION Joh09 \l 1033 ] Two days later July 28th Ottoman’s reached to

the castle of Roca and landed a small group of soldiers and horsemen. They raided

without major operation and captured local people and cattles. When they reached to

otranto, the garrsions of Otranto retreat them. Where some og Ottoman soldiers were

killed and some freed from prisons.

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During the small defeat, Gedik Ahmed Pasha landed the rest of army. The small

number of soldiers in Otranto had no ability to face the Ottoman army but they continued

to fight. At hte bigining Gedik Pasha sent a man to warned them to surrender. The people

of Otranto rejected the warning. Then Pasha started the major attack by bombarding and

showred fifhting with the soldiers of Otranto. Although they had no chance of winning,

they fighted until 11 of August, 1480.

After the major siege the Ottoman soldiers captured and killed 12,000 citizens of

Otranto which was about half of the total population and 8,000 of inhabitants sold in

Albenia as slaves. The Acrobishop of the Otranto Cathidral, Stefano Pendinelli and his

companions including priests were all killed or beheaded in the cathidral. About 800 men

were holded into the cathidral and asked to convert to Islam. Their result was rejection as

a result they were killed and unburied on the hill of the Martyrs. After a year the bodies

of the martyrs were transfered into crypt of the cathidral and some other bodies moved in

two other churches. The skulls of the martyrs were beautified by pope Clement XIV in

1771 and canonized bu Pope Francis in 2013.[ CITATION Val15 \l 1033 ]

Reaction from the Christian world:

Pope of Rome became afried about the reaching of Ottoman in Italy. Rechard

Knolles expressed the reaction of Pope in his book, “The landing of Turks in Apulia, with

the taking of Otranto, brought a genaral fear upon all Itsly, in so much that Sixtus

Quartus, then the great Bishop of Rome, forgetting all things to save himeself, was about

to have fortaken the City for fear”.[ CITATION Kno87 \l 1033 ] He tried to make a

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coalition of cruseders although there was no unity in Italian states. Finallt he made the

League of Naples in 16th September 1480 including other Christian states. Only Venice

and Frence did not join the League for internal reasons. The League also decided to the

contribution of the expenses. On December 1480 a consistory decided to put up 150,000

ducats in order to organize an army enaged in the repulsion of the Ottomans from Italy

100,000 of which were destinged for equipping and manning 25 galleys and extra 3000

warriors was to be sent to Otranto.[ CITATION Kon \l 1033 ] However between the end

of 1480 and the begining of 1481 neopolitan army was able to retake Otranto and

Ottoman army was retreated and moved to the sea.

Conclusion:

After all descussion the question come to our mind, why did the Ottoman defeat

from Otranto? The prime reason was the sudden death of Mehmed II. After his death the

two princes Bayezid and Jem started to fight for the throne. Gedik Ahmed Pasha

supported Bayezid and left, detuched himself from the siege. But, he was jailed for not

capturing Jem. Then Bayezid II appointed Süleyman Pasha Eunuch meabwhile the lack

of reinfrocement, lack of communication and the leaving of Gedik Ahmed Pasha raised

the insatisfaction among the soldiers. As a ressult they made a revolt. During the caotic

situation the neppolitan army attacked and the Ottoman had to lift the siege. This was the

Last campaign in Italian mailand for Ottoman which was failed for mainly intarnal

reasons.

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Bibliography

Eroğlu, H. (2011). Mehmet II's Campaign to Italy(1480-1481). Mediterranean Journal of

Humanities, 2(I), 128.

Freely, J. (2009). The Grand Turk (1st ed.). New York: Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc.

Giakoumis, K. (n.d.). The Ottoman Campaign to Otranto and Apulia(1480-1481).

Güzel, H. C., Oğuz, C., Karatay, O., & Ocak, M. (2002). The Turk: Ottoman (Vol. 3). (H.

C. Güzel, C. Oğuz, & K. Osman, Eds.) Yeni Türkiye.

Knolles, R. (1687). The Turkish History, From The Original of that Nation, To the

Growth of the Ottoman Empire: with The Lives and Conquest of their Princes

and Emperors (6th ed., Vol. 1). London: The Basset.

Valentina, G., & Gino, F. (2015). Pulverized human skull in pharmacological

preparation: Possible evidence from the "martyrs of Otranto" (southern Italy).

Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 160, 134.

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