When did Sofia become Ottoman?

Chronology

1. 1383
   Became Ottoman

   The city came under Ottoman rule in the early 1380s; it is said to have been taken in Murad I's campaign of 1383.

   Sultan: Murad I
2. 1443
   Note

   During Hunyadi's campaign Murad II had the city burned so that it could not serve the Hungarians as a base.

   Sultan: Murad II
3. 1829
   Note

   It was briefly occupied by Russia during the Russo-Turkish War.

   Sultan: Mahmud II
4. 1878
   Left Ottoman rule

   After the Turkish population had left, Russian forces entered on 3 January 1878; in 1879 the city became the capital of the Principality of Bulgaria.

   Sultan: Abdulhamid II

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 “Danubian Bulgaria”. Map colours work at region level, so the city's own dates may differ from the region's by a few years.

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