Ottoman Military Campaigns in the Peloponnese in the Second Quarter of the 15th Century: Military-Political Aspect

Abstract

In this article, the author examines the causes, course and results of the Ottoman military campaigns in the Peloponnese in the second quarter of the 15th century. The author comes to the conclusion that the raids of the Ottoman commander Turahan Bey in 1423, 1431 and 1435 were rather local acts of aggression aimed at intimidating the Morean despots and were intended to prevent the expansion of Byzantine influence in Greece and in the north of the Peloponnese. At the same time, the Ottoman campaign against the Peloponnese in 1446 had the character of a punitive expedition. Sultan Murad II personally led the invasion of the Morea, which speaks of the desire of the Ottomans to eliminate the center of resistance in this region once and for all. The shameful vassalage, which the Despotate of Morea fell into after the sack of the Peloponnese by the Ottomans, actually put an end to the attempts of the despot Constantine Palaiologos to create a strong, independent and self-sufficient state in the place of the Morea.