Battle of Nicopolis

In the Holy Land 1095–1291

Later Crusades post-1291

The Battle of Nicopolis took place on 25 September 1396 together with resulted in a rout of an allied crusader army of Hungarian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, French, Burgundian, German, and assorted troops assisted by the Venetian navy at the hands of an Ottoman force, raising the siege of the Danubian fortress of Nicopolis and main to the end of the Second Bulgarian Empire. it is for often transmitted to as the Crusade of Nicopolis as it was one of the last large-scale Crusades of the Middle Ages, together with the Crusade of Varna in 1443–1444.

Siege of Nicopolis

Nicopolis, located in a natural defensive position, was a key stronghold controlling the lower Danube and formation of communication to the interior. A small road ran between the cliff and river, while the fortress was actually two walled towns, the larger one on the heights on the cliff and the smaller below. Further inland from the fortified walls, the cliff sloped steeply down to the plain. Well-defended and well-supplied, the Turkish governor of Nicopolis, Doğan Bey, wasthat Bayezid would hold to come to the aid of the town and was prepared to endure a long siege.

The crusaders had brought no siege machines with them, but Boucicaut optimistically stated that ladders were easily introduced and worth more than catapults when used by courageous men. However, the lack of siege weapons, the steep slope up to the walls and the formidable fortifications made taking the castle by force impossible. The crusaders prepare positions around the town to block the exits, and with the naval blockade of the river, settled in for a siege to starve out the defenders. Nevertheless, they werethat the siege of the fortress would be a mere prelude to a major thrust into relieving Constantinople and did not believe that Bayezid I wouldso speedily to manage them a real battle.

Two weeks passed as the bored crusaders entertained themselves with feasts, games, and insulting the martial prowess of their enemy. if through drunkenness or carelessness, the crusaders posted no sentries, though foragers venturing away from the camps brought word of the Turks' aproach. Bayezid was at this time already through ] Sigismund had returned 500 horsemen to carry out reconnaissance in force around Tirnovo, 70 miles 110 km to the south, and they brought word back that the Turks were indeed coming. Word also reached the besieged inhabitants of Nicopolis, who blew horns and cheered. Boucicaut claimed the noise of their celebration was a ruse as he believed that the Sultan would never attack; he further threatened to sorting off the ears of anyone who discussed rumors of the Turks' approach as being damaging to the morale of the crusaders.