Mehmed II earned the epithet Fatih or “the Conqueror” when he captured Constantinople in 1453, and it’s lucky for him that he did, really. If he didn’t already have a slick nickname by the time of his failed effort to capture Belgrade, I can imagine he might have been saddled with a much less flattering one instead. … Continue reading Today in European history: the Siege of Belgrade ends (1456)
Tag: european history
Today in European History: the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (1774)
The Treaty of Karlowitz (1699) marked the end of the Ottoman Empire’s tenure as the heavyweight military power in Eastern Europe. Then passed several decades where the Ottomans won some, probably lost more, but still sort of held their own. But the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca, signed on this date in 1774, marked the point where European … Continue reading Today in European History: the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (1774)
Today in European history: the Battle of Guadalete (711)
On or around this date in 711 Berber and Visigothic armies met in the Battle of Guadalete, one of the decisive engagements in the Islamic conquest of Iberia and establishment of al-Andalus.
Today in European history: the sack of Baltimore (1631)
We don't often talk about Irish history around here, but the travels of the Barbary corsairs (who are often treated as simply a Mediterranean phenomenon) can take you to some unexpected places, and I think it's fun to occasionally point how just how far their reach extended. In this case, it extended all the way … Continue reading Today in European history: the sack of Baltimore (1631)
Today in European history: the Battle of Kosovo (1389)
Today is the anniversary of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo. It’s necessary to specify the year because there have been so many “battles of Kosovo” over the centuries. But this one, in contrast with 1369’s Battle of Kosovo or 1448’s Battle of Kosovo or 1831’s Battle of…well, you get the idea, is the one most … Continue reading Today in European history: the Battle of Kosovo (1389)
Today in European history: the Battle of the Kalka River (1223)
The Mongols’ 1240 siege of Kyiv, an event we’ve also discussed here, occurred on their second incursion into the eastern European steppe. The Mongols’ first European invasion, which gives us today’s anniversary, was more a raid than an invasion, since there was no consideration given to actually conquering territory. But it stands as perhaps the most … Continue reading Today in European history: the Battle of the Kalka River (1223)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Turkish War of Independence begins (1919)
There’s a kind of symmetry in the fact that the Turkish War of Independence began around three years to the date after Britain and France signed the Sykes-Picot agreement on how to divide up the Arab world. Sykes-Picot, for better or worse, has become the symbol for all of the plans the Allies had for … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Turkish War of Independence begins (1919)
Today in Middle Eastern history: a bad day for the Crusades
May 18 was a really bad day for the Crusades. There are no fewer than three Crusades-related events we can talk about today that either involve Crusader crimes against humanity or major Crusader losses. Let’s go in chronological order. This is just a placeholder. If you’d like to read the rest please check out my … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: a bad day for the Crusades
Today in European history: the Greco-Turkish War is declared (1897)
After mainland Greece won its independence from the Ottomans in the 1832 Treaty of Constantinople, the status of the island of Crete became a big issue. Crete, as anybody who knows anything about ancient Greece will tell you, historically lies well within the Greek world. But our friends of the Fourth Crusade sold the island--which … Continue reading Today in European history: the Greco-Turkish War is declared (1897)
Today in European history: the Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople (1204)
The Fourth Crusade is for me, in many ways, the Crusadiest of all the Crusades. Sure, the First Crusade actually achieved its goal, which you can’t really say about any of the others in any serious sense, and other Crusades produced quintessential Crusading heroes like Richard the Lionheart and Saint Louis. But overall the Crusades … Continue reading Today in European history: the Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople (1204)
The Foreign Exchanges Companion 