| Battle of Otlukbeli | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Ottoman Empire | Ak Koyunlu | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Mehmet II Mustafa (prince) Bayezid II (prince)[2] Davud Pasha[3] |
Uzun Hasan Zeynel (prince) Ugurlu Mehmed (prince) |
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| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown but heavy | ||||||
The Battle of Otlukbeli or Otluk Beli was a battle between Ak Koyunlu and the Ottoman Empire that was fought on August 11, 1473.
Contents |
Mehmed II's aggressive military policy to capture the throne of the Roman Caesardom resulted with the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. Byzantine rulers secured their rule in some areas after this event. One of these dominations was the Empire of Trebizond. When Mehmed turned his face to East to clean the remnants of the Byzantine rule in 1461, he faced with another Central Asian originated power, the Ak Koyunlu, a tribe that were ruling huge lands in Eastern Anatolia.
Their leader, Uzun Hasan, was continuing the tradition of close relations between the Byzantine throne and his own kingdom so he supported the Empire of Trebizond and sent them military aid but his support wasn't enough to save Trebizond from the Ottoman forces. Mehmed II conquered all of the Eastern Black Sea region. Uzun Hasan decided to seek help from Christian powers because he thought that Ottomans would return for his own kingdom. Therefore, he decided to sign a treaty with the Republic of Venice, the rival of the Ottoman Empire at that time.
In response to Uzun Hasans treaty with Venice, The Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II first sent various Janissary contingents, commanded by various figures including Radu cel Frumos, these contingents guarded crucial garrisons and awaited the Ottoman onslaught on the Anatolian rebels.
Another reason of the tensions between Ak Koyunlu and Ottomans was the political standing of anoter powerful Anatolian tribe, Karamanids. Kasım Bey, the ruler of Karamanids, was supporting the growing power of Uzun Hasan. These two powers were working in cooperation against the Ottoman advance in Anatolia. In 1471, a successful Ottoman operation against Karamanids reduced the power of the tribe. This gave courage to Mehmed II to move deeper into Anatolia.
Mehmed II returned with his army in 1473 to defeat Uzun Hasan. Turcomans had a traditional army that contains considerable amounts of light cavalries. On the other hand, Ottoman army was using the latest technology. They came with rifles and cannons. This difference between the natures of two armies marked the result of the battle. Ottoman side gained a decisive victory. Turcoman army was nearly destroyed in a single day.
Ottomans nearly destroyed the power of the Ak Koyunlu in the East. Ak Koyunlu would be destroyed completely by Shah Ismail of Iran in later years. This victory of the Safavid Empire would create a new enemy for Ottoman Empire in the East. The race between two empires ended with the fall of the Safavid dynasty from power in the 18th century.