TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Cities
Today: Turkey
Balıkesir came under Ottoman rule in 1345; it remained an Ottoman city until the end of the empire. It changed hands in between; there are 3 separate Ottoman periods.
Orhan Bey annexed the Karesi principality; the conquest of Balıkesir and its surroundings was completed in his reign.
Sultan: OrhanAfter the Battle of Ankara the Karesi region slipped from Ottoman hands.
Sultan: Bayezid IWhen Mehmed I ended the Interregnum the region returned to Ottoman rule.
Sultan: Mehmed IOn 30 June 1920 the Greek army occupied the city.
On 6 September 1922 the Turkish army liberated the city.
How the total is counted: years of actual Ottoman rule are added up. Temporary occupations shorter than a year (that were reversed) are not subtracted; they appear as notes in the chronology.
On the atlas map the city lies in the region “Karesi (Balıkesir–Çanakkale)”. Map colours work at region level, so the city's own dates may differ from the region's by a few years.
Open the map in 1345Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “BALIKESİR” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.