Battle of Otlukbeli
| date | August 11, 1473 |
|---|---|
| place | Otlukbeli in Erzincan |
| output | Victory of the Ottomans |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
|
|
The Battle of Otlukbeli was a battle between the Aq Qoyunlu and the Ottoman Empire that took place on August 11, 1473. It was a decisive victory for the Ottomans under Mehmed II the Conqueror.
Reasons for the conflict
Mehmed's aggressive military policy to conquer the Eastern Roman Empire resulted in the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The Byzantine ruling dynasty of the palaeologists was initially able to hold on to the Peloponnese ( Despotate of Mistra ) for a few years . In addition, the last Greek territory to rule was the Trapezunt Empire, which was ruled by an emperor from the House of the Great Komnenes. When Mehmed II turned east in 1461 to remove these remnants of Byzantine rule, he encountered another power from Central Asia , the Aq Qoyunlu, a tribal confederation that ruled eastern Anatolia.
Their leader Uzun Hasan continued the tradition of close ties between Byzantium and his own empire, so he supported the Trebizond Empire and sent it military aid. But this was not enough to protect Trebizond from the Ottomans. Mehmed II conquered the entire Black Sea region. Uzun Hasan decided to seek help from Christian powers because he feared the Ottomans would turn against him. So he decided to sign a treaty with the Republic of Venice , the arch rival of the Ottomans at the time. In 1464 Venice pledged aid to the Aq Qoyunlu, but they were told to do nothing when the war broke out in 1473.
Another source of tension between the Aq Qoyunlu and the Ottomans was the behavior of another powerful Anatolian tribe, the Karamanids . Kasım Bey, the ruler of the Karamanids, supported the growing power of Uzun Hasan. These two powers worked together against the Ottoman advance in Anatolia. In 1471, a campaign by the Ottomans against the Karamanids reduced their power. This gave Mehmed II courage to advance deeper into Anatolia.
The battle
Mehmed II returned with his army in 1473 to defeat Uzun Hasan. The Turkmen had a traditional army with a significant proportion of light cavalry. On the other hand, the Ottomans used the latest technology. They came with guns and cannons. This difference in the nature of both armies marked the outcome of the battle. The Ottomans achieved a remarkable victory. The Turkmen army was almost destroyed in a single day.
aftermath
The Ottomans almost destroyed the power of the Aq Qoyunlu in the east. The Aq Qoyunlu Turkmen were later completely defeated by Shah Ismail of Iran. This Safavid victory was to create a new enemy for the Ottomans in the east. The competition between the two kingdoms ended with the fall of the Safavids in the 18th century.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ottoman History: 1453-1511 ( Memento of the original dated February 24, 2011) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ History of Turkey; Turkish History in the Islamic Period ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
