Reconquest of Gallipoli

Warbox
conflict=Reconquest of Gallipoli
partof=the Byzantine-Ottoman wars


caption=
date=1366
place=Gallipoli
result=Victory for Amadeus and for the Byzantine Empire
combatant1=
combatant2=flagicon|Ottoman Empire|1383 Ottoman Sultanate
commander1=Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy
commander2=Unknown
strength1= 1,500 and 16 ships
strength2= Unknown
casualties1=Unknown|casualties2= Unknown
notes=

The recoqnuest of Gallipoli was a successful attempt by Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy, to take back Gallipoli after it capture by the Ottomans in 1354 after a disastrous earthquake. Since 1354, the Turks had used the Dardanelles to cross over into Thrace in large numbers. Western Asia Minor had in the space of less than 100 years formed the core of the Ottoman realm. As the Turks crossed over into Europe, they took town after town from the Byzantine Empire, which did not stop its own civil war until 1391 and swapped the Greek locals for Turkish settlers, thereby giving the Turks a foot hold on the region that would last to this present day. Ultimately, Gallipoli was not as strategically important in 1366 as it had been in 1354 - Thrace was already an Ottoman stronghold. Even so, the Christians retained naval supremacy in the region, right until the early 15th century so whilst there may have been Turks in Thrace, a war of attrition may have stemmed the tide in favor of Byzantium; without reinforcements from Asia Minor the Turks would be overwhelmed. Alas, civil warfare was too distracting for the Roman Empire and Andronicus IV Palaiologos gave the keys to Europe to Murad in exchange for the Sultans assistance. By 1377 Gallipoli was once more ferrying in Turk settlers and destroying what little Byzantine power base was left.