TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Treaty · 1444
The Treaty of Edirne and the Peace of Szeged were two halves of a peace treaty between Sultan Murad II of the Ottoman state and King Vladislaus of the Kingdom of Hungary. Despot Đurađ Branković of the Serbian Despotate was a party to the proceedings. The treaty brought an end to the Christian crusade against the Ottomans with significant gains. Within a month Vladislaus abjured his oath at the urging of the papacy and the crusade continued. On 10 November 1444 it ended in disaster at the Battle of Varna where the crusaders were wiped out and Vladislaus disappeared. The treaty was started in Edirne with discussions between Murad and Vladislaus' ambassador. Within a few days, it was sent to Szeged with Murad's ambassador, to be finalized and ratified by Vladislaus.
| Signed | 15 August 1444 |
|---|---|
| Place of signing | Szeged |
| Parties | Ottoman state, Hungary, Serbian Despotate |
On 22 August 1444, a week after the negotiations were finalized, Branković retook Serbia. During that week, Vladislaus also offered the throne of Bulgaria to Hunyadi, if he was amenable to abjuring his oath, which he was. By mid-September, all transfers, both those decreed by the treaty and those by background negotiations, were completed, allowing the crusade to become Hungary's primary focus. The Ottoman state, meanwhile, had not heard of Cesarini's invalidation of the treaty. By the end of August 1444, the Karamanids were subdued, leaving Murad with the impression that his borders were secure.
Took place during the reign of Murad II (1421–1444). Murad II
Open the reign of Murad II on the mapText: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), adapted for the atlas.