THE TURKS ARE COMING!
Ottoman Military Expansion in the Balkan Peninsula
Workshop leaders:
Dominus Optimus Maximus (Domen Kodrič); nemod.cirdok@gmail.com,
Rocco Pirrichello da Idria (Rok Pirih); prfarc@gmail.com
The great Ottoman empire at its height stretched from Hungary to the North, Algeria to the West, and Arabian Peninsula to the East, covering more than 5 million square kilometres. They managed to terrify all of their neighbouring states and even the neighbours of those states. When they invaded the Balkan Peninsula from Anatolia they expanded quickly, crushing Christian armies one by one, and before long a considerable part of Europe was trembling by the very mention of their name.
The Ottoman military expansion in the Balkan Peninsula (and the lands just north of it), will be the main topic of this workshop. We will try to cover the events beginning in the middle of the 14th century, when the Ottomans first crossed from Anatolia and invaded Thrace and Bulgaria. Then we will work our way through the 15th and 16th century, when the Ottomans obliterated several European armies and subjugated one kingdom after the other. Finally, we will wrap up our workshop in the 17th century, when Europeans finally managed to stop the Ottoman advance and slowly start to push them back.
What were the armies of the Ottomans like in comparison to the armies of earlier kingdoms in the Balkans? That were their advantages, their usual (or unusual) strategies and tactics? How did they fight and where? How did the Ottomans treat the conquered in the first stages after their occupation? The commanders, the soldiers, from cold weapons through small firearm, to big cannons, …
ISHA Maribor 