"Nicopolis 1396" von Nicolle, David

Campaign 64
Author: David Nicolle
Illustrator: Christa Hook

By the second half of the 14th century; the once mighty Byzantine Empire had been reduced to little more than the city of Constantinople. In 1391, the Ottoman ruler Sultan Bayazid I 'The Lightning' besieged the city. Pope Boniface IX preached a crusade and a French-led army of 10,000 marched east. At Nicopolis they met the Ottoman army in battle. Ignoring the advice of their Hungarian and Transylvanian allies, the Crusaders charged the Turks and were in turn smashed by the Ottoman heavy cavalry. The last Crusade ended on the banks of the Danube as the Crusaders desperately sought to escape from the pursuing Turks.

Contents

- Origins of the Campaign
- The Opposing Commanders
- Crusader Leaders
- Ottoman Leaders
- Opposing Forces
- Crusader Armies
- Ottoman Armies
- Serbian Armies
- The Opposing Plans
- Crusader Invasion Plans
- The Ottoman Defence Plan
- The Campaign
- Assembling the Crusading Army
- The Invasion
- Bayazid's Response
- The Battle
- Bayazid's Revenge
- Aftermath and Reckoning
- The Battlefields Today
- Chronology
- Further Reading
- Wargaming Nicopolis

Osprey
96 pages,
Paperback,
1999