In 1480 and 1481 the
city and fort of Otranto, in
Apulia, southern
Italy, were held by
Ottoman troops.
Attack
On
July 28 1480 an Ottoman fleet of 128 ships of which 28 were
galleys arrived near the
Neapolitan city of Otranto in the region
Apulia. Possibly these troops came from the
siege of Rhodes. On
July 29 the
garrison and the citizens retreated to the
citadel, the Castle of Otranto. On
11 August this was taken by the invaders.
According to Christian historiography a
razzia was held to round up the male citizens.
Archbishop Stefano Agricoli and others were killed in the cathedral. Bishop Stephen Pendinelli and the garrison commander, count Francesco Largo, were sawn in two alive. On
August 12 800 citizens who refused to convert to
Islam were taken to the Hill of the Minerva and beheaded. Some of the remains of the 800 martyrs are today stored in Otranto cathedral and in the church of
Santa Caterina a Formiello in Naples. The cathedral is said to have been used as a stable after that.
This version has come under severe criticism. From Turkish side it is disputed that large scale executions took place; the bones to be found in the Cathedral of Otranto are actually those of fighters killed during the Turkish invasion. Italian researchers, on the other hand, conclude that some acts of terror were committed by the Turkish invaders to create panic among the Italians around Otranto.
There is no doubt, however, that some citizens were transported to Albania as
slaves.
In August 70 ships of the fleet attacked
Vieste. On September 12 the Monastero di San Nicholas di Casole, which accommodated one of the richer libraries of Europe, was destroyed. In October 1480
Lecce,
Taranto and
Brindisi were attacked.
Because of lack of food
Gedik Ahmed Pasha returned with most of his troops to
Albania, leaving a garrison of 800 infantry and 500 cavalry behind to defend Otranto. It was assumed he would return after the winter.
Response
Since it was only 28 years after
the fall of Constantinople, there was some fear that
Rome would suffer the same fate. Plans were made for the Pope and citizens of Rome evacuate the city.
Pope Sixtus IV repeated his
1471 call for a
crusade. Several Italian city-states, Hungary and France responded positively to this. The
Republic of Venice did not, as it had signed an expensive peace treaty with the Ottomans in
1479.
In
1481 an army was raised by king
Ferdinand I of Naples to be led by his son
Alphonso II of Naples. A contingent of troops was provided by king
Matthias Corvinus of Hungary.
Counter attack
The city was besieged starting
May 1 1481. On
May 3 the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire,
Mehmed II, died, with ensuing quarrels about his succession. This possibly prevented the sending of Ottoman reinforcements to Otranto. So in the end the Turkish occupation of Otranto ended by negotiation with the Christian forces, permitting the Turks to withdraw to Albania. However, quite a few of them were still taken captives when the Chrsitian troops occupied Otranto again.
Special literature regarding this subject- Hubert Houben (ed.), La conquista turca di Otranto (1480) tra storia e mito. Atti del Convegno internazionale di studio Otranto - Muro Leccese, 28-31 marzo 2007", 2 voll., Congedo, Galatina 2008.
- Otranto 1480. Atti del Convegno internazionale di Studi nel V Centenario della caduta di Otranto ad opera dei Turchi. A cura di Cosimo Damiano Fonseca. Galatina (LE), 1986; 2 voll.
- I Beati 800 Martiri di Otranto del 1480. Atti del Convegno ecclesiale di Studio nel Quinto Centenario. A cura del Comitato Diocesano per il Quinto Centenario der Beati Martiri di Otranto. Lecce, 1980.
Aftermath
The number of citizens, said to have been about 20,000 (a figure very much disputed by recent research), had decreased to 8,000. Out of fear of another attack, many of these left the city.
See also
