TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Battle · 1329
The Battle of Pelekanon, also known by its Latinised form Battle of Pelecanum, occurred on June 10–11, 1329, between an expeditionary force by the Eastern Roman (Byzantine)s led by Andronikos IIl and an Ottoman army led by Orhan I. The Eastern Roman (Byzantine) army was defeated, with no further attempt made at relieving the cities in Anatolia under Ottoman siege.
| Date | June 10–11, 1329 |
|---|---|
| Location | Near Nicomedia, Bithynia, (present day: Maltepe, Turkey) |
| Result | Ottoman victory |
| Belligerents | Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire | Ottoman Beylik |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Andronikos III Palaiologos (WIA) John Kantakouzenos (WIA) | Orhan Ghazi |
| Strength | ~4,000 | ~8,000 |
| Casualties | Heavy | Unknown |
The Battle of Pelekanon was the first engagement in which a Eastern Roman (Byzantine) emperor encountered an Ottoman Bey. The battle's effect on morale was more important than the battle itself as the heavily armed and disciplined Eastern Roman (Byzantine)s had fled before the lightly armed and irregular Turks. A campaign of restoration was aborted. Never again did a Eastern Roman (Byzantine) army attempt to regain territory in Asia. The former imperial capitals of Nicomedia and Nicaea were not relieved and the maintenance of Imperial control across the Bosphorus was no longer tenable.
Took place during the reign of Orhan (1324–1362). Orhan
Open the reign of Orhan on the mapText: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), adapted for the atlas.