Turks in Europe: Ottoman troops led by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent capture Belgrade

 

The Siege of Belgrade

The Siege of Belgrade in 1521 resulted in the third major Ottoman attack on this Hungarian stronghold in the Ottoman–Hungarian Wars, which occurred during the Ottoman Empire's greatest advance westward. In mid-May 1521, the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent ordered his troops to advance towards Belgrade. The Hungarian state was in shambles and unable to give a proper response to the Ottoman troops.

From the late Middle Ages to the early 20th century, the Ottoman Empire and several European powers were engaged in a series of military conflicts. The first battles were fought in Anatolia in the late 13th century, before spreading to Europe with the Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars in the mid-14th century. Serbian–Ottoman and Albanian–Ottoman conflicts took place in the middle of the 15th century. Ottoman expansion into the Balkans dominated much of this time period. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Ottoman Empire made significant inroads into Central Europe, which culminated in the zenith of Ottoman territorial claims in Europe.

The Ottoman–Venetian conflict lasted four centuries, beginning in 1423 and ending in 1718. This period saw the fall of Negroponte in 1470, the siege of Malta in 1565, the fall of Famagusta (Cyprus) in 1571, the defeat of the Ottoman fleet. , at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 (at that time the largest naval battle in history), the fall of Candia (Crete) in 1669, the recapture of the Morea (Peloponnese) in the 1680s, and its defeat again in 1715. Corfu, under Venetian control, remained the only Greek island not occupied by the Ottomans.

In the late 17th century, European powers began to unite against the Ottomans, forming the Holy League and conquering many Ottoman territories during the Great Turkish War of 1683–99. However, by the late eighteenth century, Ottoman armies were able to compete with European armies.

During the nineteenth century, the Ottomans faced rebellions from their Serbian (1804–1817), Greek (1821–1832) and Romanian (1877–78) subjects. This coincided with the Russo-Turkish Wars, which further destabilized the empire. The final return to Ottoman control began with the First Balkan War (1912–1913) and culminated in the Treaty of Sèvres, which led to the partition of the Ottoman Empire after World War I.

The fall of Belgrade demonstrated Hungary's inability to counter the expansionist intentions of the Ottoman Empire, which proved its superiority in 1526 at the Battle of the Mohács Plains. After the defeat and collapse of Hungary, the Habsburg Monarchy was formed by Christian leaders in resistance against Ottoman incursions into Europe which included Hungary. It was only later in 1688, when Maximilian of Bavaria annexed Belgrade for Austria, that it came under Christian authority.

About Suleiman I

Suleiman I was born in Trabzon, Ottoman Empire (modern Turkey). Suleiman (nicknamed "the Magnificent" in Europe and al-Qanuni "the Lawgiver" in the Islamic world) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Caliph of Islam from 1520 to 1566, and the only successor of Selim I.

Suleiman the Magnificent, often known as Suleiman the Lawgiver among Muslims, took Ottoman control to its pinnacle and elevated it to worldwide power position. His reign was regarded as one of the most righteously and orderly in Ottoman history. He, like other dictators of the period, was merciless in dealing with anybody he found against his authority, but unlike he was deeply concerned with justice. He formalized laws to combat corruption, which he was determined to eradicate. Many Muslims consider him to be a perfect or ideal ruler.

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