Siege of Thessalonica (1422–1430) ends

Siege of Thessalonica (1422–1430) ends
03/29/1430 AD defeated

In early 1430, Murad was able to concentrate his forces against Thessalonica, taking it by storm on 29 March 1430. The city would remain in Ottoman hands for the next five centuries until it became part of the Kingdom of Greece in 1912.

After years of inconclusive exchanges, the two sides prepared for a final confrontation in 1429. In March, Venice formally declared war on the Ottomans, but even then the conservative mercantile aristocracy running the Republic were uninterested in raising an army sufficient to protect Thessalonica, let alone to force the Sultan to seek terms.

The privations of the siege and the subsequent sack reduced the city to a shadow of its former self, from perhaps as many as 40,000 inhabitants to c. 2,000, and necessitated large-scale resettlement in the following years. Venice concluded a peace treaty with the Sultan in July, recognising the new status quo. Over the next few decades, the antagonism between Venice and the Ottomans morphed into a rivalry over control of Albania.

Thessaloniki / Thessalonica

Lattitude: 40.65° N
Longitude: 22.9° E
Region: Europe

Modern Day Greece

Events in 1430 MORE