TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Cities

When did Edirne become Ottoman?

Edirne (Adrianople) · Today: Turkey

558years under Ottoman rule

Edirne came under Ottoman rule in 1361; it remained an Ottoman city until the end of the empire. It changed hands in between; there are 4 separate Ottoman periods. It was the Ottoman capital until the conquest of Istanbul.

Edirne
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1361–1878 · 517 years1879–1913 · 34 years1913–1920 · 7 years

Chronology

  1. 1361
    Became Ottoman

    The date of the conquest is disputed (1361, 1362, 1367 and 1369 have been proposed); the prevailing view is that Murad and Lala Şahin took it in 1361.

    Sultan: Orhan
  2. 1829
    Note

    On 22 August 1829 a Russian army entered without a fight; it withdrew after the Treaty of Adrianople.

    Sultan: Mahmud II
  3. 1878
    Left Ottoman rule

    On 20 January 1878 the Russians entered the city; the occupation brought great destruction.

    Sultan: Abdulhamid II
  4. 1879
    Became Ottoman

    The Russians left on 13 March 1879.

    Sultan: Abdulhamid II
  5. 1913
    Left Ottoman rule

    After a long siege the Bulgarians took the city on 26 March 1913.

    Sultan: Mehmed V
  6. 1913
    Became Ottoman

    The city was recovered on 21 July 1913.

    Sultan: Mehmed V · Event page →
  7. 1920
    Left Ottoman rule

    In July 1920 it was occupied by Greece.

  8. 1922
    Became Ottoman

    It was liberated in 1922 and became a border city of Turkey under the Treaty of Lausanne.

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.

In the atlas

On the atlas map the city lies in the region “Edirne–Kırklareli”. 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 1361

Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “EDİRNE” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.