Siege of Rhodes (1480)

Infobox Military Conflict
|

|caption=The 1480 Siege of Rhodes. Ships of the Hospitallers in the forefront, and Turkish camp in the background.
|conflict=Siege of Rhodes
|partof=the Ottoman wars in Europe
|date=1480
|place=Rhodes
|result=Successful defense
|combatant1=Ottoman Empire
|combatant2=Knights Hospitaller
|commander1=Gedik Ahmed Pasha
|commander2=Pierre d'Aubusson
Antoine d'Aubusson
|strength1=Unknown
|strength2=500+ knights
2,000+ soldiers
|casualties1=Unknown
|casualties2=Unknown|

In 1480 the Knights Hospitaller garrison of Rhodes withstood an attack of the seemingly unstoppable Ottoman Empire.

Preparation

In 1470, the island of Tilos (located between Rhodes and another island, Kos) was evacuated to Rhodes because they were susceptible to attacks from the Ottoman Empire. In 1475, the island of Chalki (6km west of Rhodes, smallest inhabited island of the Dodecanese) was also evacuated to Rhodes for the same reason.

Attack

In May 1480 an Ottoman fleet appeared before Rhodes, along with an army under the command of Gedik Ahmed Pasha or Mesih Pasha.L. Kinross, "The Ottoman Centuries: The Rise and Fall of the Turkish Empire", 137] The Knights Hospitaller garrison was led by Grand Master Pierre d'Aubusson.

The Knights were reinforced from France by 500 knights and 2,000 soldiers under d'Aubusson's brother Antoine. The siege lasted until August. The Ottomans made three unsuccessful attacks.

On July 28, 1480, the Ottoman fleet gave up their attempt to capture Rhodes and sailed to try and capture Otranto. However, in 1522 Rhodes was captured by the Ottoman empire.

Gallery

Bibliography

* Eric Morse, "Crusader knights, Turks and Byzantines" (Toronto, 2003)
* Erik Svane & Dan Greenberg, "Croisade vers la Terre Sainte" (Geneva, 2007)

External links

* http://members.tripod.com/romeartlover/Rodi.html

Citations

References