TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Siege · 1326
The Siege of Bursa took place from 1317 until the capture of Bursa on 6 April 1326, when the Ottoman Turks deployed a bold plan to seize the city, which was back then known as Prusa. The Ottomans had not captured a city before; the lack of expertise and adequate siege equipment at this stage of the war meant that the city fell only after six or nine years. The historian, Laonikos Chalkokondyles, notes that the Ottomans took advantage of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) civil war of 1321–1328 to capture the city: "Andronikos decided that he should hold the throne himself, as his grandfather had already grown old, and so they fell out with each other. He was too stubborn to submit and caused endless trouble. He brought in the Serbs and allied himself with the leading Greeks in his struggle for the throne.
| Date | 1317 – April 6, 1326 |
|---|---|
| Location | Prusa, Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire (modern-day Bursa, Turkey) |
| Result | Ottoman victory · The Ottomans capture Bursa and establish their first capital. · Bursa becomes the first official capital of the Ottoman Beylik. |
| Belligerents | Ottoman Beylik | Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Osman Ghazi Orhan Ghazi Köse Mihal | Saroz |
| Strength | Unknown | Unknown |
After the fall of the city, his son and successor Orhan made Bursa the first official Ottoman capital and it remained so until 1366, when Edirne became the new capital. As a result, Bursa holds a special place in Ottoman history as their founding city, and also as the birthplace of Ottoman architecture (Bursa Grand Mosque (1399), Bayezid I Mosque (1395), Hüdavendigar Mosque (1385), and Yeşil Mosque) (1421).
Took place during the reign of Orhan (1324–1362). Orhan
The atlas records this territorial change for the year:
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), adapted for the atlas.