The year 1396 was undoubtedly a crucial moment for the Ottoman Empire's conquest of the Balkan Peninsula. They won a resounding victory at the Battle of Nicopolis, defeating all potential opponents, including France, Germany, Hungary, Venice and the Eastern European Alliance.
In many regions, the course of history has been forced to turn, and the fortunes of many more people have changed dramatically.
The Iron Curtain in Turkey
Ottoman territory on the eve of the Battle of Nicopolis
After the end of the battle for Kosovo, there was no force in the entire Balkan Peninsula that could resist Ottoman expansion on its own. As a result, a seemingly non-existent Turkey Iron Curtain slowly came to an end in the middle reaches of the Danube. Although the Byzantine Greece was able to survive in Constantinople, the local kingdoms of Bulgaria and Serbia were able to retain some autonomy, and the coastal areas were dotted with various Italy commercial colonies, they were all under constant threat.
At the same time, the ambitious Bayezid I became sultan and began to bring the Ottoman Empire into a new state. The Turks gradually changed the loose alliance model of the past and tried to establish a strong central system with a large number of Greece officials who had come to the country. To do so, he had to deal not only with Christendom, but also with former partners such as the Karaman Khanate and the Republic of Genoa. Even vassals who are submissive to themselves will suffer losses in a similar distribution of territories. There was a desperate need for a new crusade to drive the evil Muslim tyrants back across the Sea of Marmara.
King Sigismund of Hungary and Sultan Bayezid I
On the other hand, the victory of the Turks led the conflict to the border of Hungary. At that time, the latter had just entered the golden stage, emerging from the double shadow of the Mongolia invasion and the Black Death, and used the mineral deposits to develop into a source of 30% of the world's silver currency. King Sigismund was even more lucky, and through marriage and the death of his wife, he was promoted from the Marquis of Brandenburg to the lord of Hungary. Due to the aristocracy's general desire to assimilate into the German world, he also plotted to fight for the title of Holy Roman Emperor. At the same time, the kingdom has historically had a traditional desire to expand its territory to the Black Sea, which coincided perfectly with the ambitions of the lucky Nurembergers. As a result, he constantly sent special envoys to France and Germany to lobby and win a lot of foreign aid for himself.
In addition, all kinds of infighting in European Christendom spilled over into the fuse of the New Crusade. For example, Pope Boniface IX, who first proposed the initiative, hoped that his Holy See could suppress the Avignon competitors. The France, who responded most enthusiastically to the call, were freed by the suspension of the Hundred Years' War. In particular, the intensification of the contradictions between the Orleans and the Burgundis led to competition over participation in the expedition. As for Venice and Genoa, which have been fighting each other for hundreds of years, they are also afraid that the other side will preemptively make peace with the Turkey and affect their respective commercial interests in the Aegean and Black Seas. Therefore, they came together for the first time and were willing to provide ships and other logistical support means for the upcoming war.
Philip and John, son of the Duke of Burgundy
Of course, there are bound to be major hidden dangers behind such a strange enthusiasm. Although the major European powers were willing to join the crusade cause, it was impossible to settle the conflict between them by a brief union. Because of the large number of internal hills, it is difficult to elect even a relatively unified top decision-maker. The King of Hungary, as host and convener, was always suppressed by the arrogant French aristocracy. The Wallachian, Transylvanian, and Bulgarian lords who were willing to join the ranks were afraid of being annexed by him if the Turkey threat disappeared. Only the German nobles and the Knights Hospitaller who were invited were more Buddhist, but the number was not too small to become a positive influence.
In the end, the supreme decision-making power of the new crusaders fell into the hands of France. Among them, John, the eldest son of the Duke of Burgundy, was elected as the nominal commander-in-chief. Because he was just a stunned man with little military experience, the real power was in the hands of Philip and Bussicourt from the Orleans faction. The two were equally young and vigorous, and they did not have much discipline in commanding large regiments of battles, and focused more on gaining fame and political capital for themselves and their colleagues. On the contrary, the Hungary, Italy and other Balkan allies, who are more aware of the current situation, are infinitely squeezed to the margins. This compromise, which seemed to be barely balanced by a bowl of water, evolved into a thunderstorm in later battles.
Hungary army in the late 14th century
Poor strategy moving forward
The French knights with their armed retinues
On April 30, 1396, the first Crusader troops of France were drawn from Dijon. Among them were 5,000 noble knights and armed men, as well as 6,000 volunteers and mercenaries from all over the country. They first arrived in Bavaria, where they stopped at the famous city of Strasbourg to join some of the German knights who had joined the jihadist cause. He then proceeded along the Danube River to Buda, the capital of King Sigismund, where he met with his local allies who had assembled in advance.
After that, the Hungary temporarily took over the position of leader, and led the entire crusader army forward with their familiarity with the terrain. They marched roughly along the north bank of the Danube, anticipating the sporadic arrivals along the way, gradually increasing in size to 20,000 men. Due to the general poor road system in the Middle Ages, there was simply no way to talk about a full-fledged assembly-line logistical supply. As a result, the huge force had to move at a rapid pace, relying on the cooperation of scouts, food conscripts, and goodwill people along the way to maintain morale. Sometimes they stay for a long time near a town to recondition their tired horses, and it also gives young aristocrats who have nowhere to vent a chance to spend the night with prostitutes.
The Crusaders advanced on land and water into the heart of the Balkans
In fact, a Venetian fleet of 70 ships has always been on the Danube. But compared to the demand of the Crusaders, such capacity is undoubtedly a drop in the bucket. At the same time, a second fleet of 44 ships was to go directly to Rhodes to transport the members of the Knights Hospitaller to the lower Danube. Because the Genoese opened their controlled ports and the Turkey had little naval power, they were able to pass through the Bosphorus unhindered. Finally, they docked in Romania, united with the Wallachians there, and went up the river from the other direction.
However, several factions within the crusaders were never able to reach a specific strategic unity. Sigismund wanted the main force to stay on his own borders and induce the Ottoman Sultan to take the initiative to attack. However, the France aristocracy simply despised this style of leisurely work and insisted on burning the flames of war into the territory of the other side. Coupled with the insistence of the Italy, Wallachians, Transylvanians and Knights, the Hungary and Germany continued their advance into the depths of the Balkans.
Equipped with a rather shabby Wallachian infantry
After passing through the treacherous Iron Gate, the Crusaders forced Ivan, the Bulgarian leader of Vidin, to surrender and captured the important town of Oryakhovo. After that, he left a lot of mercenary infantry to defend and continued to kill the city of Nicopolis. Some fortresses loyal to the Ottomans were deliberately bypassed, not because the crusaders did not want to take them, but because they were afraid of wasting their precious time. If you miss the precious autumn, you have to survive the long winter in an unfamiliar area.
On September 12 of that year, the well-defended Nicopolis finally came into view of the Crusaders. As it was a fortress controlling the lower Danube and inland communication routes, the city was built on a high slope near a water system, with steep cliffs behind it that were difficult to climb. Although the France did not carry large siege weapons, the young Marshal Boussicourt found the ladder easy to make and mobilized his men to launch a number of fruitless assaults. Only later did he react, and instead set up camps and blockades, in an attempt to starve all the recalcitrant Turkey to death.
Marshal Busicourt climbing a ladder
Unfortunately, two weeks later, the encircled defenders showed no signs of relenting, but the attackers were demoralized after the long journey. Neither did they wait to monitor the immediate vicinity, nor did they bother to take any other action against the target, or even prevent the other party from transmitting intelligence information to the outside world. The knights drank almost all day, paralyzed themselves with feasts and games, and fantasized about planting the flag at the head of Constantinople as soon as possible.
In contrast, the Turkey, far south, reacted quite quickly. When Sultan Bayezid learned that the border was in an emergency, he immediately began to mobilize troops from Europe and Asia, and personally led the main force to the northern front. With the wartime system of the Ottoman Empire, a force of about 20,000 men was soon marched into Bulgaria's borders. With the exception of the most elite Ganiseri Guard, almost all of the Sipahi feudal cavalry were summoned. Another number of ominous border tribes provided light cavalry, as well as Serbian knights brought by King Stephen. They appeared near Nicopolis faster than their opponents had imagined, and the Crusader command, including Philip and Busicot, was amazed!
Infantry shooter of the Guards of the Sultan
Disastrous deployment command
The main force of the Ottoman army has always been the Sipahi feudal cavalry
On 25 September, the Crusaders were forced out of their comfort zone and dragged their exhausted bodies from a hangover to the line. The information came mainly from Hungary scouts and local food conscripts, who were very familiar with the Ottomans' inherent methods of warfare. Sigismund suggested a two-hour buffer period to purge the League.
This move was immediately opposed by a group of France knights, who believed that it was an attempt to erode or usurp their own honor. Likewise, they cursed Governor Mihai fiercely for his proposal to first take the lead with poorly equipped Wallachian infantry.
Most France knights refuse to put themselves in a non-front-line position
Ironically, Bussicott, the leader of the French army and the brain of the alliance, always believed that the Ottoman army could not have moved so quickly. Before the very conclusive information was presented, it was ordered that the ears of the rumor-mongers and rumor-mongers should be cut off. When he realized that he had made a mistake, his attitude immediately changed 180 degrees, and he was eager to cover up the disgrace with a quick victory. The other noble knights around him were either in a similar state of mind, or their physical and mental condition had not yet recovered. In the end, everyone will inevitably be tied to the runaway chariot.
As a result, the forward and front-line forces of the crusaders consisted entirely of France, including knights and their armed men. Both Philip and Bussicott, as well as the titular commander John, were in a corner of the city, surrounded by left and right. He was accompanied by Marshal Viennes, one of the few who was willing to follow the advice of the King of Hungary, but who could not resist the insistence of his young colleagues.
Deployment of the two armies in the Battle of Nicopolis
Sigismund then became the leader of the coalition except for the France. He placed the elite of the Hungary headquarters in the center of the second line, flanked by German allies and the Knights Hospitaller. On the left and right flanks were the light cavalry of Wallachia and Transylvania, which were judged to be well suited to the armed attacks of the Turkey tribes.
In addition, there was a third line reserve consisting of part of the Croatia cavalry and infantry. They were placed under the command of Baron Nicholas and were mainly responsible for monitoring the movements of the defenders in the city of Nicopolis.
The Ottoman army's positions have always been the best trap to attract a strong enemy
On the south side of the battlefield, Sultan Bayezid also carefully arranged the array. He guarded the central area with only 1,000 Guards infantry, and arranged in advance to resist heavy cavalry attacks. The vanguard was the tribal light cavalry, which came and went freely, and the larger number of Sipahi feudal cavalry was distributed in the rear and on the left and right flanks. Among them, the Asian detachment from Anatolia was smaller in number and was placed on the relatively minor weak flank of the left flank. There was also the support of King Stephen's Serbia detachment in the rear. The European detachment from Rumelia was so large that it occupied almost all the space on the strong side of the right flank and the second line. He himself led the cavalry of the Guards Army as a general reserve, and stayed on a hill to look down on the whole situation.
Probably because of the hasty mobilization, the Ottoman army did not have those meat shields and cannon fodder to act as consumables, and the actual size of the troops participating in the battle may only be 10,000-15,000 people. Fortunately, the crusaders also abandoned their martial arts and never thought of using professional infantry to share the task. Coupled with the fact that a large number of servants remained in the camp, the Venetian detachment remained entirely on the Danube, so that the number of men who could actually fight the battle plummeted to at least 7,500. This was one of the important factors in how easily the Crusaders were later outflanked.
Being so reckless, the France knight was almost unprepared to mount the stakes
After the battle began, the French knights, with a burning sense of pride, rushed to the Ottoman base regardless of the hassle. They quickly dispersed the archers responsible for harassing them, and they were still biting to death in a frenzied pursuit. Then, without hesitation, he plunged into the preset position, and fell into a large pile of carefully arranged wooden stakes for him. Some of the careless ones were directly knocked over and fell off their horses, but they still struggled to get up and began to fight on foot. The Turkey Guards shooters on the opposite side found that seemingly simple-minded Christians were wearing composite plate chain mail with better protection than before. Although it is quite heavy, it does not prevent the user from making the necessary tactical steps. As a result, the long-range power of the compound bow is greatly reduced, and it can only deal a certain amount of damage at close range.
Soon, the seemingly impregnable Ottoman central position began to loosen. The France discarded their horses, uprooted some stakes with their bare hands, and crushed the Guards infantry in hand-to-hand combat. In the end, he even won a partial victory, driving the invincible slave soldiers out of their original positions.
Many France knights fought on foot after falling from their horses
Marshal Vienna advised everyone to stop and reorganize the ranks so that the Hungary detachment on the second line had time to catch up and support. However, the commander John, at the instigation of Bussicourt and others, demanded an immediate pursuit of the rout, and even climbed uphill in the mud. It wasn't until he found out that he was the most powerful Ottoman Guards cavalry in front of him that he realized that he had made a big mistake because of his own leadership.
At this time, the second line of the Crusaders led by Sigismund was also in trouble. While the France on the front line were deep in position, Sipahi on the left and right flanks had already begun a roundabout attack. The Transylvanians and Wallachians, who had to deal with them, had just witnessed the stubbornness of their Western European allies and decided that defeat was inevitable. So, without any resistance, they retreated separately in different directions. As a result, the king of Hungary was greatly hindered in his advance, and could only send his German allies and the Knights Hospitaller to fill the pit. These people are indeed quite powerful, and they resist the strong enemy in the case of a small number, thus buying a lot of time for the France reckless men in front.
The Sipahi cavalry attacked the Hungary in a roundabout way
At the critical moment, Stephen and his Serbian knights fought their way out of a remote position on the left flank, dealing a fatal blow to the struggling Crusader flank. At the same time, more Sipahi cavalry completed the division of the two areas before and after the battlefield, completely blocking the direction of the Hungary advance. At the same time, Bayezid regrouped his Guards and swooped down from an uphill position. As a result, many exhausted France were quickly brought down, and the allies in the rear also began to flee on a large scale.
In the chaos, the great nobles such as John and Bussicourt chose to surrender, while Sigismund retreated to the Danube under the desperate protection of the left and right. While he barely boarded the Venetian ships, a large number of people drowned because they had no place or were killed by the Turkey who had already killed the red-eyed on the shore.
Sigismund who waded into the Venetian ships and fled to them
Catastrophic consequences
Many non-important captives were executed by order of the Sultan after the war
With the victory at the Battle of Nicopolis, the Ottoman Turkey's superiority rose to unprecedented heights. They continued to maintain the blockade of Constantinople and deposed the duplicitous vassal monarch of Bulgaria. For decades to come, there was no longer the strength to organize resistance on the same scale throughout the Balkans. Wallachia and Transylvania, which had fled in battle, would also become the Sultan's rural tusmen at his disposal for a short time.
Upon discovering that the other party had tortured and killed the resistance soldiers and civilians along the way, Bayezid, who was furious, personally ordered a mass killing. Except for some elites who were judged to be high-net-worth individuals, ordinary small nobles, squires, and civilian soldiers could not escape the fate of beheading. Only those lucky enough to be under the age of 20 were pardoned, but were still sold openly as slaves. Among them, a young Bavarian knight spent decades between Ottoman Turkey, the Mamluks of Egypt, and the Timurid Khanate in the East. It is not until he is old that he has the opportunity to return to his hometown.
Bussicott spent almost all of his life fighting to save his reputation
At the same time, the remaining children of the French nobility directly became an important source of huge ransom demands from the Turkey. For example, the titular commander John, as well as Philip and Busicourt, all enriched the Ottoman treasury with corresponding values. Among them, Philip was injured and contracted and did not survive until his release.
The remaining two continued to be active in the foreground and behind the scenes of the Hundred Years' War even after their release. John succeeded his father as Duke of Burgundy, but was assassinated by his political rivals during negotiations in 1419. Busicourt repeatedly tried to redeem his honor by participating in the war, but the result was still more than defeat, and it was not until 1415 that he was completely discredited by the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Agincourt.
John, who inherited the title of duke, was later assassinated by his political opponents at home
As for Sigismund, who escaped by chance, he gradually shifted his strategic focus to the West. In addition to the title of Holy Roman Emperor, he also had the honor of being elected King of Bohemia. However, fate always likes to joke with people, and quickly tossed out the famous Hussite rebel army and the famous general Jeska, so that he could not live in peace until his old age.
Even Bayezid, who seems to have the last laugh, has seen his career take a turn for the worse in ten years. Because of his favoritism towards the Greece bureaucracy at court, his relations with the old Turkey in the East deteriorated rapidly. The latter's collective betrayal of Ankara in the battle against Timur made the Sultan a historic laughing stock in a cage.
Sultan Bayezid who was captured and put in a cage
All in all, the outcome of the Battle of Nicopolis changed the fate of many regions and individuals. It's just that none of them seem to be the real winners, only the cowardly lose everything after rejoicing.
Perhaps this is the normal state of the world, and it is also the fundamental driving force that drives the process of history......