The Battle of Chaldiran

Sultan Selim I (Selim the Excellent or Brave) had deposed his father, Bayezid II in 1512. He set about turning the attention of the Ottoman Empire from the West to the East by embarking on a campaign to overcome the threat posed to Sunni Islam by the Shia Islamic Safavid Persian Empire.

In 1502 the threat increased when the head of the Safavid family, Ismail, proclaimed himself shah and quickly built an empire directly to the east of the Ottoman frontier. Ismail's success depended on his followers' belief that his descent from Muhammad's son in-law `Ali made him the true and only legitimate successor to the Prophet.

When Ismail invaded eastern Ottoman territory in 1513, war seemed inevitable. Selim assembled a huge army—more than 100,000 strong—and marched into Iran. He massacred many thousands in eastern Asia Minor and on 23 August 1514 after a long Mach across Turkey, the Ottoman army of Selim I finally encountered the Persian troops of Shah Ismail on the plain of Chaldiran, north-east of Lake Van.

It was culmination of a great military campaign, successfully conducted by Selim in Chaldiran, with the decisive support of the artillery, the Ottoman were able to defeat their enemy opening their way to Tabriz.

The Ottoman then marched on Tabriz, Ismail's new capital. Selim took Tabriz, though he later left the city and did not pursue his conquest of the Persian territories further. The result was a stand-off, each ruler remaining supreme within his own frontiers.

With the Battle of Chaldiran that ended with a decisive victory, the Ottoman Empire interrupted the Safavid Empire’s search for influence, albeit for a while and took control of Erzincan and Erzurum, which were of strategic importance.
The Battle of Chaldiran

Battle of Baphaeon

Between 1260 and 1320, the Turcomans, mobilized by their ghazi tribal chiefs, and in tandem with the Seljuk waged jihad against Byzantine forces.

Their leader was Osman Ghazi (Osman I), who held the frontier land in western Asia Minor that was farthest north and closest to the Byzantines. Osman had become master of an area stretching from Eskishehir to the plains of Iznik and Brusa and had organized a fairly powerful principality.

When Osman I besieged around 1301, the Byzantines sent an army to raise the siege. The emep0ror depstahced against Osman a force of 2,000 men under the command of the Hetaereiarch Muzalon charged with the task relieving Iznik.

This army was defeated by Osman I in the summer of 1301 at Baphaeon, on the southeastern shores of the Sea of Marmara.

The local population was panic-stricken and started to leave, seeking shelter in the castle of Nicomedia.

This victory over the Byzantine imperial army made Osman prominent among other frontier lords the prospect of new conquest, booty and land attracted a wave of Turcoman warriors to be Ottoman principality.

Many other nomadic Turkish soldiers came to Konya, Osman’s capitol. They became known as beys, commanders of complements of fighters who were loyal to them, just as they in turn, were loyal to Osman.

In Ottoman tradition this victory is known as the victory won near Yalakova over the forces of the emperor during the siege do Iznik.
Battle of Baphaeon

Tamerlane vs Bayezid I in Battle of Ankara

Battle of Ankara is a battle between the Ottomans and the Timurids.  The decisive battle of Ankara, or battled of Cubukabad, was fought at Cubukabad near Ankara on July 20, 1402.

Timur (1336-1405), known in the west as Tamerlane, from Samarkand, had founded a vast Eurasian empire stretching from India to Russian.

Regarding himself as the legitimate successor of the Mongol ruler, he considered Bayezid I’s ambition to conquer Muslim states a challenge to his authority.

Sultan Bayezid I led an Ottoman army against a force led by Timur. Bayezid became sultan in 1389 after the assassination of his father Murad on the battlefield at Kosovo.

In battle of Ankara, Bayezid’s army was a hardened and disciplined force of 85,000 men, while Timur commanded between 140,000 and 200,000 men.

The Ottoman troops fought heroically and some 15,000 Turks and Christians are said to have been fallen in the attempt to break the Mongol lines.

When the rest had fled, Bayezid and his rearguard continued to resists far into the night until they were overwhelmed.

Defeated and taken prisoner, Bayezid I was first chivalrously treated by Timur, but later after attempting to escape is said to have been locked up and carried around in an iron cage.

While still in Timur’s custody he died on March 8, 1403, according to some sources by his own.

The Ottoman defeat at the battle of Ankara was a serious blow to the merging new empire, which did not recover until the period of Mehmed II.
Tamerlane vs Bayezid I in Battle of Ankara

Revolt of the Greeks

Revolt of the Greeks
One of the organizations the Ottoman Empire was Hitaria which was form in 1814 by three Greek Patriots in Odessa. This was political organization with the object of revival of ancient Greek Empire.

Disintegration of the Ottoman Empire was necessary to achieve their object. Hitaria accordingly prepared destructive plans against Ottoman Empire. As a result of the French Revolution, along with other regions patriot feeling developed in Greece also.

The revolt broke out in 1821. From political point of view, it was a national revolt. From economic point of view it was a revolt of the peasants, against the feudal land lords.

The revolt broke out in Morea and soon spread out to the whole of the Empire. The feudal land lords most of whom were Greeks were killed by the peasants.

The first confrontation between the Ottoman forces and the Greek peasants took place in the neighborhood of the Capital of Morea, in which the Ottoman army was defeated.

The capital city and adjoining territory was thus occupied by the rebels and the Muslims were ruthlessly murdered. The Greeks living in Istanbul and other cities of the Empire like Izmir and Salonika were killed in retaliation. The Greek set up a national government in liberated parts of Morea.
Revolt of the Greeks