Siege of Krujë (1450)
First siege of Krujë / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
First siege of Krujë | |||||||
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Part of Albanian–Ottoman Wars (1432–1479) | |||||||
The first siege of Krujë by Jost Amman (1578) | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
League of Lezhë | Ottoman Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
8,000 men, a quarter of which was infantry;[3] 1,500[4] to 4,000[5] garrisoned in Krujë under the command of Vrana Konti |
100,000[1][3]–400,000[6] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1,000 casualties[9] |
20,000–40,000 casualties during the siege[10] Many more casualties as Murad escaped from Albania[11] |
The first siege of Krujë occurred in 1450 when an Ottoman army led by Sultan Murad II and his crown prince Mehmed II tried to besiege the Albanian town of Krujë.[12] The League of Lezhë, led by Skanderbeg, experienced low morale after losing Svetigrad and Berat between 1448 and 1450. Nevertheless, Skanderbeg's exhortations and the support of the clergy, who claimed to have had visions of angels and victory, motivated the Albanians to defend the capital of the League, Krujë, at all costs. After leaving a protective garrison of 4,000 men under his trusted lieutenant Vrana Konti (also known as Kont Urani), Skanderbeg harassed the Ottoman camps around Krujë and attacked the supply caravans of Sultan Murad II's army. By September, the Ottoman camp was in disarray as morale sank and disease ran rampant. The Ottoman army acknowledged that the castle of Krujë would not fall by strength of arms, lifted the siege, and made its way to Edirne. Soon thereafter, in the winter of 1450–51, Murad died in Edirne and was succeeded by his son, Mehmed II.