How impressive is Ottoman military history?

[Joe McCarthy]

Fairly impressive, I'd say, but its major victories are often characterized by ineptitude on the part of its enemies or heavy advantages numerically.

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs29/f/2008/157/f/3/Ottoman_Empire_Coat_of_Arms_by_TurkForce.png


The main battles in the history of the Ottoman Empire are shown below. The life span of the empire was more than six centuries and the maximum territory at the zenith of power (second half of the 16th century) stretched from central Europe to the Persian Gulf and from the Caspian Sea to North Africa. The number of battles the empire fought is quite high. But here only the more important battles are listed. Among these, the battles fought in the 20th century (Turco-Italian War, Balkan Wars, and World War I ) as well as the sieges (like the sieges of İstanbul, Cairo, Belgrade, Bagdat, etc.) which most lists include as battles are not shown except in cases where the siege is followed by a battle (i.e. Vienna, Khotyn, Plevna).


Year Name Opponent
1302 Bapheus[3] Byzantine Empire
1329 Pelekanon (Maltepe) Byzantine Empire
1355 Ihtiman Bulgarian Empire
1364[4] Maritsa (Çirmen) Serbia, Bulgarian Empire
1381 Dubrovnica Serbia
1385 Savra Serbia
1388 Bileca Bosnia
1389 Kosovo (Kosova) Serbia, Bosnia, Realm of Branković
1395 Rovine Wallacia (South Romania)
1396 Nicopolis (Niğbolu) Crusades [5] (Hungary, France, Knights Hospitaller, Venice)
1402 Ankara Timurid Empire
1444 Varna Crusades (Hungary, Poland and many others)
1448 Second Kosovo (Kosova) Hungary, Wallacia
1457 Ujëbardha (Albulena) Albania
1473 Otlukbeli Akkoyunlu Turkmens
1475 Vasliu (Racova) Moldavia (North Romania)
1476 Valea Alba (Akdere) Moldavia
1479 Câmpul Pâinii (Ekmek Otlak) Hungary, Serbia
1493 Krbava Croatia, Hungary
1499 Zonchio Venice
1500 Modon Venice
1514 Chaldiran (Çaldıran) Safavid Persia
1516 Marj Dabiq (Mercidabık) Mamluk Egypt
1516 Yaunis Khan (Han Yunus) Mamluk Egypt
1517 Ridanieh (Ridaniye) Mamluk Egypt
1526 Mohacs (Mohaç) Hungary, Holy Roman Empire, Papal States, Poland
1529 Formentera Holy Roman Empire
1538 Preveza (Preveze) Holy League (Holy Roman Empire, Venice, Genoa, Knights of Malta, Papal States)
1541 Algiers Holy Roman Empire
1545 Sokhoista (Sohoista) Georgia
1552 Ponza Genoa
1558 Mostaganem Holy Roman Empire
1560 Cerbe Holy Roman Empire, Genoa, Papal states, Knights of Malta
1571 Lepanto (İnebahtı) Holy League (Holy Roman Empire, Venice, Genoa, Papal states, Knights of Malta)
1578 Çıldır Safavid Persia
1583 Torches[6] Safavid Persia
1588 Wadi al-Laban Morocco
1593 Sisak Holy Roman Empire, Croatia
1596 Keresztes (Haçova) Holy Roman Empire and many more
1620 Tutora Poland-Lituania, Moldavia
1621 Khotyn (1621) Poland-Lithuania
1649 Focchies Venice
1654 Dardanelles (1654) Venice
1654 Dardanelles (1655) Venice
1654 Dardanelles (1656) Venice
1654 Dardanelles (1657) Venice
1664 Saint Gotthard Holy Roman Empire
1673 Khotyn (1673) Poland-Lituania
1683 Vienna (Viyana) Holy Roman Empire, Poland-Lituania
1687 Second Mohacs Holy Roman Empire
1691 Slankamen Holy Roman Empire
1695 Oinousses Islands (Koyun Adaları) Venice
1696 Andros Venice
1697 Zenta Holy Roman Empire
1711 Pruth River Russian Empire
1716 Petrovaradin Holy Roman Empire
1717 Imbros Venice
1717 Matapan Venice, Portugal, Knights of Malta, Papal States
1739 Grocka (Hisarcık) Holy Roman Empire
1739 Stavuchany Russian Empire
1770 Aspindza Georgia
1770 Chesma (Çeşme) Russian Empire
1770 Larga (Kartal) Russian Empire
1770 Kagul Russian Empire
1789 Fokşani Holy Roman Empire, Russian Empire
1789 Rymnik (Boze) Holy Roman Empire, Russian Empire
1790 Kerch Strait Russian Empire
1798 Pyramids France
1799 Abukir France
1807 Arpachai (Arpaçay) Russian Empire
1807 Athos Russian Empire
1812 Al Safra Saudi Arab (revolters)
1813 Jeddah (Cidde) Saudi Arab (revolters)
1815 Čegar Serbia (revolters)
1821 Alamana Greece (revolters)
1821 Dragashani Greece (revolters)
1822 Dervenakia Greece (revolters)
1827 Kamatero Greece (revolters)
1827 Navarino Russian Empire, United Kingdom, France
1829 Kulevicha Russian Empire
1830 Algiers France
1831 Third Kosovo Bosnia (revolters)
1839 Konya Egypt (revolters)
1839 Nizib (Nizip) Egypt (revolters)
1853 Oltenitza Russian Empire
1853 Sinop Russian Empire
1854 Kurekdere Russian Empire
1855 Eupatoria (Gözleve) Russian Empire
1877 Kızıl Tepe Russian Empire
1877 Plevna (Plevne) Russian Empire, Romania, Bulgaria (revolters)
1877 Shipka (Şıpka) Russian Empire, Bulgaria (revolters)
1877 Tashkessen (Taşkesen) Russian Empire
1878 Plovidiv (Filibe) Russian Empire
1898 Mouzaki Greece
1898 Domokos (Dömeke) Greece


Thoughts?

[пустиняк]

not enough

Battle of Kardzhali (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kardzhali)
Battle of Kirk Klisse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kirk_Kilisse)
Battle of Lule Burgas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lule_Burgas)
Battle of Adrianopole (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Adrianople_%281913%29)
Battle of Merhamli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Merhamli)
Battle of Bulair (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bulair)
Battle of Sarkoy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_%C5%9Eark%C3%B6y)

[Minesweeper]

Like all Asian invaders before them, Turks had advantage in first century of their European adventure, because of their exotic oriental military tactics against which heavy armored and immobile European armies were inefficient.

Turkish misfortune was their late arrival to European continent. They were dangerous Middle ages invaders but in Modern Europe Ottoman army was no match for other European armies. Not to mention their backward feudal system.

[Riki]

They had a big army for the time.
Especially in the years 1402 to 1670.Really big for the time.

[Riki]

1402-81.000
1453-94.000
1528-105,084 to 167,343
1574-192,175
1607,1609-206,207–257,868 :eek:
1670-70,296- 165,296

[Joe McCarthy]

They had a big army for the time.
Especially in the years 1402 to 1670.Really big for the time.

Yes, the first full-time, trained, standing army since Roman times to boot. The whole apparatus of the state was geared toward fielding an army to conquer.

[Radojica]

Battle at Maritza is not dated well, that battle happened in 1371,not in 1364 and that day is basically used as the first step into Europe. After that Kosovo battle happened after which road to Central Europe was open for them. It took them another 70 years to fully conquer Serbia, mainly for various agreement a few Serbian overlords who survived 1389 made with Ottomans and for Ottomans fully involvement in conquering of Constantinopole.

[пустиняк]

Blame the mighty Eastern Romans for Turks

[Vasconcelos]

Blame the mighty Eastern Romans for Turks

Why not blame Western europeans for not supporting them properly?

[morski]

Blame the mighty Eastern Romans for Turks

All Balkan Monarchs used Turkish mercs.

[Joe McCarthy]

Why not blame Western europeans for not supporting them properly?

Whatever side one may take in Western-Byzantine squabbles (and I take the Western side) it's hard to blame either side for the Turks. The Ottomans just developed from the Seljuks, and if anything Crusader efforts kept the Seljuks sufficiently preoccupied to relieve Byzantium.

[Thraex]

The Byzantine Empire was already dead by 1350, it was just a matter of time before it got conquered by Turks or absorbed by other Balkan powers.

http://0.tqn.com/d/historymedren/1/0/W/9/ms1346eura.gif

Europe, and especially, the Balkans were far too fragmented to lend any real resistance against the Turks. The Turks were also fragmented by way of collapse of the Seljuks. The only reason why they didn't conquer the Balkans earlier.

This fragmentation of Turks, however, didn't last long since Osman I came along and unified the Turks and finally gave the Balkans a good beating and conquered much of it.

http://www.euratlas.net/history/europe/1400/1400.jpg


Only Constantinople and small strips of Western Balkans managed to remain unconquered until Mehmet became Sultan and finished the job 50 years later.

http://www.euratlas.net/history/europe/1500/1500.jpg

The Ottoman wars with Hungary eventually weakened Hungary by so much it gave rise to the Habsburgs to come in and take over... essentially made the rise of the Habsburgs and the KuK Empire inevitable. It was there that the first world war was only a matter of time.

http://www.euratlas.net/history/europe/1600/1600.jpg

Ottoman's conquests invariably triggered the rise of the Habsburgs and the inevitable World War 1. The World War, which ironically, was what destroyed the Ottoman Empire.

[пустиняк]

All Balkan Monarchs used Turkish mercs.

Byzantines brought Turks here to use against us mostly. I thought you know that.
When our Tzars used Turks ?
We were vasals of them but never really participated in their campaigns. That's the reason for attacking of Tarnovo Kingdom

[The Journeyman]

It was fear of Serbian expansion that led to Byzantium's alliance with the Ottomans against Serbia, which was by then the fastest growing power in Balkans. Big mistake! This was how the Ottomans established their foothold in Europe.