TRENDEFRARAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Siege · 1440
After taking Smederevo, Murad II also sought to take the fortress of Belgrade, the strongest point of the Serbian inheritance still in Hungarian hands. According to the TDV encyclopedia, the siege begun in 1440 lasted six months without result; musket fire, used against the Turks for the first time, seems to have been one of the reasons for the failure. The same year Şehabeddin Şahin Pasha, governor-general of Rumelia, took Novo Brdo with its silver mines. The failure at Belgrade was a turning point for Murad II.
| Date | 1440 (six months) |
|---|---|
| Location | Belgrade |
| Result | The siege failed |
| Belligerents | Ottoman state | Kingdom of Hungary |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Murad II |
Took place during the reign of Murad II (1421–1444). Murad II
Open the reign of Murad II on the mapBy the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 677,000 km² in 1440; at the start of Murad II's reign they measured 593,000 km², at its end 664,000 km².
During Murad II (1421–1444) the atlas records 4 regions gained and 1 region lost.
Regions gained: Teke–Hamid (Antalya–Isparta–Burdur) (1423), Germiyan (Kütahya–Afyon–Uşak) (1429), Thessaloniki–Chalkidiki–Mount Athos (1430), Ioannina (Epirus) (1430).
Regions lost: Northern Albania (Krujë–Shkodër) (1443).
He restored Ottoman rule after the Interregnum: Thessalonica was taken, Germiyan joined and the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) again paid tribute. In 1444, after the peace of Edirne–Szeged, he abdicated and withdrew to Manisa; recalled to lead the army at Varna, he returned to the throne in 1446.
Areas are land area computed from the atlas's region data; see Method and sources.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “MURAD II” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.
Cite as: Atlas of the Sultans, “Siege of Belgrade (1440): Date, Commanders and Outcome”, https://padisahlaratlasi.com/en/events/siege-of-belgrade-1440/ (last updated 12 November 2026). Corrections