sturm

Hmm i don't remamber reading that. What i remammber from the history books is that there was an earthqueke in all of Thrace (something usual as you know), and the turks managed to conqure one of the fortresses at Galipoli. Nevertheless yes there advance started from Galipoli, and where else? This is a point between Anatolia and the Balkans, the other pass of course is trough Istanbul (Constantinople) but it was the capital of the Byzantine empire. If the Ottomans never managed to conqure Galipoli and transfer troops from there, they would be unable to conqure the Balkans the way they did, but that is just speculations, based on my own opinion.

The Byzantines used the turks as merceneries but they never expected that they will conqure land, and eventually conqure the whole Balkans.
Balkans countries often used merceneries, hell the Byzantine empire used bulgarians as merceneries in the battle Manzikert, and Bulgaria often used cummans, pechenegs, uz, tatars as merceneries in there wars. This wasn't something uncommon on the Balkans.

And as i often said the Balkan countries absolutely and foolishly underestemated the turkish threat. Let me remaind you that just a few years before the Turkis advance on the Balkans, the Balkan countries had problems with other nomads - the tatars. Bulgaria was by the way at one point a vassal of the tatars, and paid them tribute.
Balkan states have often seen invasions, but invadors came and go, it was a matter of time, cummans, pechenegs, oghuz turks, magyars, even the Kiev Rus have invaded the Balkans, but all of them haven't settlled there, for one or another reason they disappeared.
I believe the Balkan leaders saw the turks as the next invaders who will come and go.

Reis

Amadeuss small expedition was only able to take the are around Canakkale due to the Ottoman not leaving enough forces there to defend it.This was in turn due to Sultan Murat being on Anatolia at the time.If Ameedus had not moved on the Uc Beys would have taken care of him.

Also the Canakkale strait wasnt the only place where the Ottomans could cross.Canakkale was not as strategically important in 1366 as it had been in 1354 - Thrace was already an Ottoman stronghold.

Almost ironic.

Reis

You are right sturm.It was Sultan Orhan Gazis son Suleiman who captured the fortress in Gallipoli after the earthquake.He simply added this to the land that was awarded to them.


Sultan Orhan had made a treaty with the Venetians and had unified a Beylik famous for its piracy along the coast prior to these events which gives us the impression that he was aiming for lands in the Balkans.


On this instance the Turks did not come as mercenaries but as help to the pleas of the Byzantine king who was father in law to Sultan Orhan Gazi.



Lack of foresight.When the Selcuks of Rum saw the Mongolian invasion over take Harzemshah and then the Great Seljuk Empire, they following the Oghuz Turk tradition began separating in small beyliks , knowing well that a strong Empire would not be tolerated by the Mongols where as a Beylik would be.

Later when the threat had become less they began uniting.

Alcibiades

Some nice informations Reis.Thanks.

I read somewhere that Dusan intented to focus on Ottomans after conquering Constatinople with the help of Venetian Navy.He was also asking for help from the Pope.In return,he was wiling to adopt Catholicism instead of Orthodoxy as the new religion.This is probably main reason why Stefan Dusan is THE ONLY Nemanjic ruler who was not canonised by the Orthodox Church(despite being the strongest of them all).
Alcibiades

sturm

This is something i don't understand. In Bulgaria Boris I is cannonized as saint because during his rule Bulgaria converted to christianity. Yet he was involved in battles, he killed people, he ordered executions. Same stands for Stefan Dushan, im sure he was involved in not so good acts, like also ordering executions, participating in warfare, things that are unacceptable by the christian dogma.
How can those people be cannonized as saints?
Saints are usually people who lived a life that was example for the christians, people who gave something for the christian faith, or people who were killed because of there belief - myrters.

I understand why Saint Sava was cannonized but Dushan isn't like him at all

Perix

How about Constantine I?

sturm

Yes there are many other examples.

Alcibiades

Well,it is as much logical as "Christ's representative on Earth" calling for HOLY Wars,don't you think?Medieval Church was the church of power,might,influence,money etc.Whoever helped the Church to have more power/influence/money(with whatever means),is a "legitimate" contender for Sainthood,by that "logic".
Alcibiades

Anna James

Interesting thread, I'm marking it for future reading. Good info, guys, thanks!

Sredac

His title was Bασιλεὺς καὶ αὐτoκράτωρ Σερβίας καὶ Pωμανίας or Tsar of Serbs and Greeks.
It's because Bulgarians were Serbs then and Bulgaria was one of many Serbian feuds, like Raška, Bosnia, Zeta, Hum etc. Wars between Raška and Bulgaria were wars over who gets to dominate all of the Serbs, not wars between two different peoples (like it's falsely presented in Germanic historical school, which caused disputes between Serbia and Bulgaria in modern times).
Proto-Bulgarians (Turkic tribe, part of Hunic tribal alliance) settled among Serbs. Proto-Bulgarians, although they ruled over Serbs, were rather small group of people, so they quickly assimilated, leaving their name to the land and Serbs inhabiting it. Since Bulgarians were Serbs, it's logical why they refused to give up body of Saint Sava (who brought to pass restoration of Patriarchal status for Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Second Bulgarian Empire), laid in Veliko Trnovo, or why body of Saint king Stefan Milutin still lies in Sofia, only true reasons are forgotten by modern Bulgarians, who don't see themselves as Serbs anymore... Today, name Serbia is by political schemes, limited only to territory of former Raška, which only was one of our mutual lands. Germans have replaced terms "Serbian lands" with "Yugoslavia" (which was never our idea, it was "planted" among us through Austria-Hungary) ... Long story ...