This article is about the specific polity Ottoman Sultanate and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics
Was a polity centred in Anatolia. It was a successor to the Ottomany Beylik, that became a sultanate in 1383 when the Abbasid Caliphate of Cairo appointed the Ottoman Bey Murad as Sultan.
Establishment
January 1384: In 1383, in recognition of the campaign against the Balkan Christians, the Abbasid Caliphate of Cairo appointed Bey Murad as sultan.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Expansion during the rule of Murad I in the Ottoman Beylik.
January 1386: An Ottoman offensive, under the command of General Kara Timurtash Bey (a Turkmen from Anatolia), advanced, up the Tundzha River, into the heart of Bulgaria and occupied Sofia and Niš.
1.1.Ottoman campaign in Bulgaria of 1389
As a result of the campaign the Turks took most of eastern Bulgaria including several key towns. Now the authority of Ivan Shishman was reduced to the lands to the west of the capital Tarnovo and several castles along the Danube. To the east the Bulgarians kept Varna and the capital of the Principality of Karvuna, Kaliakra.
Were a series of wars between the Ottomans and the Bulgarians that resulted in the Ottoman conquest of the Second Bulgarian Empire.
January 1387: After bitter fighting, in 1386 the Turks seized Pirot and Naissus.
January 1387: In 1386, the Ottoman Sultan Murad I himself led much larger forces that took Niš from Lazar.
2.1.Ottoman campaign in Bulgaria of 1388
Was an Ottoman military campaign in Bulgaria led by Murad I.
January 1389: The Bulgarians saved Nikopol but were forced to cede another key Danubian fortress, Dorostolon.
January 1389: In Tutrakan the citizens allowed the Turks to install a small garrison but then they killed the Turkish soldiers and prepared for siege. Ali Pasha immediately burned the surrounding fields and soon the starving town had to surrender.
Expansion during the rule of Bayezid I in the Ottoman Sultanate.
January 1390: Ottoman General Lala Shahin Pasha took Sofia and the capital of Bulgaria, Tirnova.
January 1391: Menteş submitted to Ottoman rule in 1390.
January 1391: Bayezid I overran the Sarukhanids.
January 1391: The Beylik of Aydin was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire for the first time in 1390.
January 1391: In 1390 the Beylik of Lâdik was conquered by Bayezit I.
January 1392: The Ottomans took the cities of Akşehir and Niğde, as well as their capital Konya from the Karaman.
January 1392: Bayezid I, also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt, was the Ottoman Sultan who conquered the Beylik of Teke in 1391. The Beyliks of Hamid and Germiyan were also defeated by Bayezid during his military campaigns.
January 1392: The territory of the Hamidids became the Ottoman Sanjak of Hamid.
January 1392: Bayezid I, also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt, was the Ottoman Sultan conquered the beylik of Germiyan in 1391.
January 1393: Bayezid I, also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1389 to 1402. He conquered Kastamonu, a city in northern Anatolia, in 1392.
January 1393: Sinop conquered by Ottoman Sultanate.
July 1393: The Ottomans captured Tarnovo after a three-month siege.
January 1395: Due to the unpopularity of the Dowager Countess Helena Asanina Kantakouzene, in 1394, the town of Salona opened its gates to the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I.
January 1395: In 1393/4, the Ottoman Turks, led by Sultan Bayezid I, conquered Neopatras, a city in central Greece, and the entire Spercheios River valley. This marked a significant expansion of the Ottoman Sultanate's territory in the region.
January 1396: The Kingdom of Prilep of late King Marko was conquered by Ottoman Turks.
January 1396: The Gropaj noble family ruled until 1395 when it fell under the rapid expansion of the Ottoman Empire.
January 1398: In 1397, Bayezid defeated the emir of Karaman in Akçay, killing him and annexing his territory.
January 1398: According to various sources, the fall of the Kingdom of Vidin is given as 1396 or 1397.
January 1399: Ottoman sultan Beyazit I annexed the Beylik of Erzincan.
January 1399: In 1398, Dukagjini prince Tanush III surrendered to the Ottomans.
3.1.Battle of Nicopolis
Was a battle between a crusader army of allied countries (Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, Wallachia, France, Venice and others) and the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman victory led to the end of the Second Bulgarian Empire.
Military campaigns of Timur (or Tamerlane), a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia.
4.1.Timurid invasion Anatolia
Was a Timurid campaign in Anatolia, which was occupied for several years.
September 1400: In August 1400, the Turko-Mongol conqueror Tamerlane, also known as Timur, attacked and plundered the city of Sebaste, which is now known as Sivas. This event was part of Tamerlane's campaign to expand the Timurid Empire in Anatolia.
January 1401: Under the pretext of defending the Muslim lords of Anatolia, Tamerlane began the invasion of Armenia and eastern Anatolia.
June 1402: In the spring of 1402, Tamerlan advanced into central Anatolia.
January 1404: Fortunately for the Ottoman dynasty, in 1403 Tamerlane returned with his army to Samarkand, because he wanted to conquer China.
4.1.1.Battle of Ankara
Was a battle between the forces of the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I and the Emir of the Timurid Empire, Timur. The battle was a major victory for Timur, and it led to the Ottoman Interregnum.
July 1402: Timurid decisive victory against the Ottomans in the Battle of Ankara (1402).
Civil war broke out among the sons of Sultan Bayezid I upon his death in 1403.
March 1403: Civil war broke out among the sons of Sultan Bayezid I upon his death in 1403. His oldest son, Süleyman, with his capital at Edirne, ruled the recently conquered Bulgaria, all of Thrace, Macedonia and northern Greece.
January 1405: Ankara conquered by Süleimain's Reign.
July 1413: The armies of the rival Ottoman brothers met on the plain of Chamurli. Mûsa's Ottomans fought well, but the battle was won by Muhammad and his allies. Mûsa fled, was later captured and strangled. With Mûsa dead, Muhammad was the sole surviving son of the late Sultan Bayezid I and became Sultan Muhammad I.
Byzantine reconquest of the Egean Islands.
January 1404: Byzantine reconquest of the Egean Islands.
Expansion during the rule of Murad II in the Ottoman Sultanate.
January 1422: The Ottomans conquered parts of Albania.
January 1426: The Ottomans permanently conquered the town of Amisus (Simesso/Samsun).
January 1427: In 1426, the Beylik of Aydin was annexed by the Ottoman Empire under the rule of Sultan Murad II. The Beylik of Aydin was a Turkish principality that had been established after the collapse of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum.
September 1427: Immediately after becoming the ruler of Serbia, in the summer of 1427, Đurađ was faced with the challenge of an Ottoman invasion. The Ottomans occupied Kruševac and Niš, the Dubočica region including Leskovac, and most of the Toplica region.
January 1432: In 1431, the Sanjak of Albania was created out of areas in present-day western Albania.
January 1435: The Principality of Gjirokastër was abolished after the Ottoman invasion in 1434.
January 1435: In 1434, Alušta was taken over by the Ottoman Sultanate from Venetian control.
June 1437: In 1437, the Ottoman Empire invaded Serbia, leading to negotiations between Serbian ruler Đurađ Branković and the Sultan. As a result, an unfavorable peace agreement was reached, with Braničevo being ceded to the Ottoman Sultanate.
7.1.Siege of Constantinople (1422)
The first full-scale Ottoman siege of Constantinople took place in 1422 as a result of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II's attempts to interfere in the succession of Ottoman Sultans, after the death of Mehmed I in 1421.
June 1422: The Siege of Constantinople in 1422 was led by Ottoman Sultan Murad II against the Byzantine Empire, ruled by Emperor John VIII Palaiologos. The city eventually fell to the Ottomans, solidifying their control over the region.
October 1422: The Siege of Constantinople in 1422 was led by the Ottoman Sultan Murad II against the Byzantine Emperor John VIII. The city was successfully defended by the Byzantine forces, preventing its capture by the Ottomans.
7.2.Siege of Thessalonica (1422-1430)
Saw the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Murad II capture the city of Thessalonica.
7.3.Ottoman annexion of Serbia
Serbia was invaded and annexed by the Ottoman Empire.
January 1439: In 1438, Ottoman Sultan Murad II attacked the Serbian Despotate, forcing Despot Đurađ Branković to cede the territories of Ždrelo and Višesav. This marked a significant loss for the Serbian state in its ongoing struggle against the Ottoman Empire.
January 1439: After the death of King Sigismund of Hungary in 1437, the Ottoman intensified their attacks in the region. In 1438, they successfully occupied Borač.
August 1439: In 1439, the Ottoman army, led by Sultan Murad II, launched an attack on Smederevo, resulting in the city falling under Ottoman control. Smederevo was a strategic fortress in Serbia and its capture was a significant victory for the Ottoman Sultanate.
November 1439: At the end of 1439, Smederevo capitulated and Murad succeeded in making Serbia an Ottoman province.
7.4.Christian Retreat (Varna Crusade)
The crusaders were defeated by the Ottoman troops and left the Varna region.
Expansion during the rule of Francesco Foscari in the Republic of Venice.
April 1442: In 1442, the southern part of Zeta was attacked by the Venetians, led by Doge Francesco Foscari. The territory was eventually conquered and incorporated into the Republic of Venice, marking a significant expansion of Venetian influence in the region.
January 1443: Venetian colony of Drisht (Drivasto) in the periods 1393-1423 and 1442-1478.
January 1445: The maximum extent of Venetian Albania was reached in 1444.
Were a series of Wars between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire.
9.1.Crusade of Varna
Was an unsuccessful military campaign mounted by several European leaders to check the expansion of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans.
9.1.1.Christian Invasion (Varna Crusade)
Was a Christian military campaign agains the Ottoman in the Balkans.
November 1443: The Battle of Niš in 1443 was a significant military confrontation where John Hunyadi, a Hungarian military leader, led crusaders to capture the Ottoman stronghold of Nish, located in present-day Serbia. This victory marked a temporary occupation of the territory by Hungary, Poland, and Serbia.
December 1443: The Christians, led by John Hunyadi of Hungary, Vladislav III of Poland, and George Brankovic of Serbia, reached the Zlatitsa pass in 1443 but were stopped by the Ottomans, leading to a military occupation of the territory by Hungary, Poland, and Serbia.
Wars during the rule of Mehmed II in the Ottoman Sultanate.
November 1444: Ottomans secured tthe Despotate of Dobruja after the Battle of Varna.
10.1.Fall of Constantinople
Was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city was captured on 29 May 1453 after a 53-day siege which had begun on 6 April. The conquest of Constantinople and the fall of the Byzantine Empire marked the effective end of the last remains of the Roman Empire.
May 1453: In 1453, during the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, the Genoese territory of Galata was taken over by the Ottoman Sultanate under the leadership of Mehmed the Conqueror.
May 1453: Mehmed II "the Conqueror" captured the Byzantine capital Constantinople in 1453. This marked the end of the Byzantine Empire. Sultan Mehmed II made Constantinople his capital, renaming it Istanbul
May 1453: The Ottoman Sultanate is considered an Empire after the conquest of Constantinople.
January 1387: The Principality of Gjirokastër was created by John Zenevisi in 1386.
January 1388: The Serbian principalities under the command of Prince Lazar Hreveljanovič , defeated Kara Timurtas at Plosnik (1388) and forced the Ottomans to retreat to Thrace and Macedonia.
January 1389: Władysław II Jagiełło, needing financial support for his battles against the Teutonic Knights, used the region of Pokuttya as a guarantee for a loan which he obtained from Petru II of Moldavia.
January 1392: Prince Petru of Moldavia expanded his rule southwards to the Danube Delta.
January 1397: By 1396 the Muzaka family took over control of Berat.
January 1401: Bozcaada Island (Tenedo) was under Venetian control again from ca. 1400.
January 1401: Mircea the Elder (the Voivode of Wallachia) defeated the Ottomans in several battles, including the Battle of Rovine in 1394, driving them away from Dobruja and briefly extending his rule to the Danube Delta, Dobruja and Silistra (c. 1400-1404).
January 1403: Due to the Battle of Ankara in 1402, in which the Ottomans were defeated by Timur and their leader Bayezid was captured, the vassalage of the Principality of Dukagjini to the Ottomans ended.
January 1403: After Angora, he visited Constantinople, the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, where he was given the title of Despot, and since then his state became known as the Serbian Despotate in 1402. Due to the Battle of Ankara in 1402, in which the Ottomans were defeated by Timur and their leader Bayezid was captured, the vassalage of Serbia to the Ottomans was de fact void.
January 1403: Salona fell for a short time into the hands of the Despotate of the Morea c. 1402.
January 1404: Mehmet Bey, the ruler of the Karamanids, a Turkic dynasty in Anatolia, assembled an army to march on Bursa. He captured the city and damaged it.
February 1404: The Karamanids leave Bursa.
July 1413: As a reward for helping sultan Mehmed, Stefan of Serbia received the town of Koprijan near Niš and the Serbian-Bulgarian area of Znepolje.
June 1414: The Ottoman Turks conquered the Marquisate of Bodonitsa in 1414.
January 1415: Ottoman overlordship over Menteshe.
January 1415: Zenebishi of Gjirokastër was defeated by the Turks.
January 1416: Niketa continued to be the ruler of Krujë until 1415 when the Principality of Albania fell under the Ottoman Empire.
January 1416: In 1415, Mehmed I, the Ottoman Sultan, conquered Wallachia and made it a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire.
January 1417: Gjon Zenebishi was called back to Gjirokastër in 1416 by an uprising of the mountain tribes. With the support of Venice, he again set his sights on Gjirokastra.
January 1418: Ottoman sultan Mehmed I took control of Turnu Măgurele and Giurgiu.
January 1418: In 1417 Berat became a part of the Ottoman Empire.
January 1418: The Principality of Valona was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1417.
January 1418: The Principality of Kastrioti falls to the Ottoman Empire 1417.
October 1443: A broad Christian coalition of Hungarians (under John Hunyadi), Serbs (under Despot Đurađ) and Romanians (under Vlad II Dracul) advanced into Serbia and Bulgaria in September 1443.
January 1444: The Principality of Kastrioti is re-established.
March 1444: The League of Lezhë, a military and diplomatic alliance of Albanian feudal lords, was established in the city of Lezhë on 2 March 1444.
August 1444: Serbia was fully restored by the Peace of Szeged on August 15, 1444. Its borders were the same as before 1437, with the exception of the southern part of Zeta, which remained under Venice, and fort Golubac, which was returned to Serbia even though it was lost much earlier, in 1427.
January 1445: Duchy of Stephen Vukcic Kosaca annexed Upper Zeta.
Disestablishment
May 1453: Mehmed II "the Conqueror" captured the Byzantine capital Constantinople in 1453. This marked the end of the Byzantine Empire. Sultan Mehmed II made Constantinople his capital, renaming it Istanbul
May 1453: In 1453, during the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, the Genoese territory of Galata was taken over by the Ottoman Sultanate under the leadership of Mehmed the Conqueror.
May 1453: The Ottoman Sultanate is considered an Empire after the conquest of Constantinople.
Selected Sources
Ducas: Historia turco-bizantina 1341-1462, XXII [6]
Tucker, S.C. (2011) Battles that changed History - An Encyclopedia of World Conflict, ABC-CLIO, p.139
Tucker, S.C. (2011) Battles that changed History - An Encyclopedia of World Conflict, ABC-CLIO, p.148
Ottoman Sultanate
