Siege of Belgrade (1456)

Ottoman siege of Belgrade happened from July 4 to 22, 1456, broken when a relief force led by John Hunyadi defeated the Ottoman forces in a battle outside the city.

Having captured Constantinople in 1453, Mehmed II marched his Ottoman Turks into the Balkans. Southern Serbia fell under his control.

Although George Brankovic of Serbian kingdom signed treaty with Mehmed to respect what remained of his kingdom, the Mehmed II returned in 1456 with invasion army.

Janos Hunyadi defeats Turks in 1456

His invasion force of around 100,000 reached Belgrade in July 4, Mehmed deployed almost 200 guns in his siege lines and guarded the Danube and the marshes to the northeast of the city.

Mehmed’s guns had breached the fortifications of the city in a number of places, and on July 21, Mehmed ordered an assault.

The city seemed doomed, but Janos Hunyadi, led a Hungarian army to relief of Belgrade.  The following day Christian forces raided the Ottoman lines. This attack was reinforced by forces under the command of Giovani de Capistrano, despite the fact that Hunyadi had instructed his forces not to bring in a general engagement.

Ottoman forces were caught off guard and began to flee. His 1456 siege of Belgrade failed, but Mehmed did seize areas in the Peloponnesus and captured Trebizond in the early 1460s.
Siege of Belgrade (1456)