TRENDEFRARAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Siege · 1537
The first serious Ottoman expedition against Corfu took place in 1537; the sources call it “the Apulia campaign and the holy war of Corfu”. According to the TDV article on Corfu, the fleet under Grand Admiral Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha put to sea on 17 May 1537, and Suleiman set out from Istanbul with the land army. Land and sea forces met at Vlorë, and on 25 August troops and guns were landed on the island. With some 50,000 men and about fifty guns the whole island was taken and the fortress besieged and breached, but without result. Bad weather and probably political reasons led to the siege being raised on 6 September.
| Date | 25 August – 6 September 1537 |
|---|---|
| Location | Corfu |
| Result | The island was overrun but the fortress held; the siege was raised |
| Belligerents | Ottoman Empire | Republic of Venice |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Suleiman I Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha Lütfi Pasha Ayas Pasha |
Took place during the reign of Suleiman I (1520–1566). Suleiman I
The atlas records this territorial change for the year:
By the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 3,233,000 km² in 1537; at the start of Suleiman I's reign they measured 3,034,000 km², at its end 5,127,000 km².
During Suleiman I (1520–1566) the atlas records 20 regions gained and 1 region lost.
Regions gained: Belgrade–Šabac (1521), Rhodes and the Dodecanese (1522), Eastern Slavonia and Syrmia (Osijek–Vukovar) (1526), Lika–Krbava (1527), Baghdad–Basra (1534), Požega (central Slavonia) (1537), Kars–Ardahan–Artvin (1537), Yemen–Asir (1538), and 12 more.
Regions lost: Kars–Ardahan–Artvin (1565).
With a reign of forty-six years he ruled longer than any other sultan. He brought the state to its military, legal and cultural peak; yet the executions of his sons Mustafa and Bayezid are the gravest instances of violence within the dynasty.
Areas are land area computed from the atlas's region data; see Method and sources.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “KORFU” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.
Cite as: Atlas of the Sultans, “Siege of Corfu (1537): Date, Commanders and Outcome”, https://padisahlaratlasi.com/en/events/siege-of-corfu-1537/ (last updated 12 November 2026). Corrections