"Any books on Otranto 1480-81?" Topic

Looks like it could be an interseting situation to game -- Italians and Castilians (any maybe Hungarians, but I'll not buy that until I find a reference besides wikipedia) vs Ottomans at their height.

Any books on the subject in English? Or good articles, chapters, or anything more than a paragraph?

Hi Lentalus

This is a period that fascinated me, but all that I have found are brief snippets. Machiavelli's History of Florence has a paragraph and it is mentioned in other books. If I find any thing

Or how about languages besides English? Is there a paucity of source material?

Nice, I didn't know that. I live just north of the region, in Bari. The whole southern coastline is still scattered with watchtowers from the period. Also the architectural influence is obvious, I've seen a church that looks more like a mosque.

Area23: I should love to see your part of the world. For some reason, Engish-language historians seem to have no interest in the sputh.

Condottiere: That article looks like a winner. I shall try to track down the journal (the local University libraries do not take in :-( ) or get a reprint.

Hi Lentalus

At the risk of telling you what you already know:

this thread prompted me to open up my copy of teh Hitsory of Florence by Machiavllei( avaialible online at worldwideschool.org)

Chapter IV says that Mahomet II withdrew his forces from the siege of Rhodes. A part of his force led by Pasha Achmet landed at Otranto with 4000 men . These forces attacked and took Otranto, putting the inhabitants to the sword. The Pasha then fortfied the town and assembled a force of cavalry he pillaged the surrounding countryside.

Ferrante, teh King of Naples, sent a dispatch to his son Alfonso the Duke of Calabria, then encamped at Sienna ( in the wake of the Pazzi War) to return to Naples. This prompted the diarist Landa Landucci( a 1927 translation of his memoirs exists- it may be usefull) to exclaim that the Turk had saved Florence. Machivelli then goes on to say that it was teh death of the Sultan and resulting struggle for control of the Ottoman empire which stopped this from becoming a full invasion. Venice had only recently negotaited a peace treaty with the Ottomans and was reluctant to assit in any plans directed at the Ottomans.

in his book "POpes, Cardinals and War" DS Chambers, devotes a whole page to the invasion. He mentions that a Papl fleet was assembled at Genoa to set sail to avenge the massacre, the fleet was led by Cardinal Fregoso, who had previosly seen action as a pirate and was to go on to become Doge of Genoa. The fleet linked up with the Duke of Calabrai who was besieging Otranto. In Septemeber 1481, the Ottoman garrison, realising that help from Constantinople was not forthcoming, surrenderd.

The Cambridge Medieval History Vol 111, devotes a paragraph to the landing, this states that the size if the Ottoman forces was 10,000, and the Duke of Calabria raised 3,000 men for the relief. Following their surrender, the Ottomans were enlisted in the army of teh Duke of Calabruia( including some Janissaries); they were to see action in the War of Ferrara, with the Turks fighting bravley in covering the retreat of the Neapolitans following their defeat at Campomorte.

Cardinal Fregoso, was ordered to attack Valona in Albania, but declined, citing disease and discontent as the reasons. Still it might make an interesting campaign option.

"they were to see action in the War of Ferrara"

OK, I am now officially hooked.

Thanks, Georgi. I have been concentrating on the Quincento Italian Wars for my military history reading, so I have not been hitting all the resources for my Quatrocento reading. Fortunately, I just picked up an off-cammpus borrows card for the local univerity library network, so the bank will not need to break for me to get up to speed.

"have no interest in the sputh."

I meant South. Sorry.

CINQUECENTO, dammit.

they were to see action in the War of Ferrara"

Basicly, Girolamo Riari ( who, I am sure, you know as Julius II) got his uncle, Sixtus IV to ally with Venice in a war to conquer Ferrara, the war was fought between 1482 and 1484, and is seen having its routes in the conclusionof the Pazzi war of 1479. The Turks were mostly light cavalry and some jannissaries. The Turkish light cavalry were poached by Venice and ended up enlisted with Venice as the war.