Siege of Novo Brdo (1455)

Siege of Novo Brdo
Part of the 1455 Ottoman invasion of Serbia
Novo Brdo Fortress Layout
Date May – June 1455 Location Serbian Despotate, Novo Brdo 42°36′N 21°26′E Result Ottoman victory
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire	Serbian Despotate
Commanders and leaders
Mehmed the Conqueror Ishak Bey	Demetrios Jakšic Konstantin Mihailović
Strength
50,000[1]	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Heavy troop losses All the people of the castle were taken prisoner 320 people were recruited to the Janissaries 700 Serbian women were conscripted into the army

The siege of Novo Brdo was a successful siege led by Mehmed the Conqueror and Ishak Bey on Novo Brdo, defended by Demetrios Jakšic, during the Second Serbian campaign in 1455.^{[citation needed]}

Siege

The Sultan set out from Edirne and arrived in front of the castle via Sofia. Konstantin Mihailović, who would later become a Serbian janissary, explains that he started resistance against the Ottomans.^[2]

Initially, the Sultan sent an offer to the castle's defenders to surrender, which was delivered by Isak Bey to the castle in person. After the castle's commander refused the city was besieged.^{[3][page needed]}

The Sultan blockaded the city and began to besiege it by setting up his cannons. When the Serbian ruler Branković heard of the siege, he did not know what to do and fortified all the other fortresses.^{[4][page needed]}

The siege lasted for 40 days throughout May and June, and continued despite threats by the Hungarians.^{[clarification needed][1][page needed]}

Aftermath

The surrender agreement stated that the inhabitants of the city would be permitted to remain within its walls, but this right was only granted to the miners, whose work was essential. The notables of the city were executed; 320 young men were recruited into the Janissaries and 700 Serbian women were enlisted into the army. The roof of St. Nicholas Church, popularly known as the Saxon church, was removed along with its bells. In 1467, the rest of the people were taken to Istanbul. The Ottoman colony established in the conquered city could not prevent its cultural and economic decline. Novo Brdo, which became noteworthy as the eventual site of an Ottoman mint, maintained its importance until the reign of Murad IV.^{[5][page needed]}

References

1. Jorga, Nicolae (2018). Büyük Türk - Fatih Sultan Mehmed. Yeditepe Yayinevi. p. 82. ISBN 9786052070383.
2. Turnbull, Stephen. Kısaca Osmanlı Tarihi. p. 99.
3. Hammer, Joseph V. (2011). Fatih Sultan Mehmet Cihan İmparatoru. Kariyer Yayinlari. ISBN 9789944300636.
4. Kritovoulos (2019) [1954]. Riggs, Charles T. (ed.). History of Mehmed the Conqueror. Princeton Legacy Library. ISBN 9780691197906.
5. Babinger, Franz (1978). Mehmed the Conqueror and His Time. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691010786.