TRENDEFRARAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Siege · 1459
After the despot Đurađ Branković, his son Lazar also died soon (1458), opening the question of the Serbian succession; the Hungarians wanted to marry the late despot's daughter to the king of Bosnia and bring Serbia under their protection. According to the TDV encyclopedia, Mehmed II set out for Smederevo in person in the spring of 1459; the Serbs handed him the keys of the fortress at Sofia (June 1459). Serbia thus came under direct Ottoman rule. The pope regarded the fall of Smederevo as a disaster, and a crusade was proclaimed at the Congress of Mantua.
| Date | June 1459 |
|---|---|
| Location | Smederevo |
| Result | The fortress was surrendered without a fight; the Serbian Despotate came to an end |
| Belligerents | Ottoman state | Serbian Despotate |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Mehmed II |
Took place during the reign of Mehmed II (1451–1481). Mehmed II
Open the reign of Mehmed II on the mapBy the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 737,000 km² in 1459; at the start of Mehmed II's reign they measured 664,000 km², at its end 1,140,000 km².
During Mehmed II (1451–1481) the atlas records 13 regions gained and 0 regions lost.
Regions gained: Istanbul and the Straits (1453), Moldavia (1455), Athens–Central Greece (1456), Morea (Peloponnese) (1460), Trabzon (Pontus) (1461), Kastamonu–Sinop (Candar) (1461), Aegean Islands (Lesbos–Lemnos–Samos) (1462), Bosnia (1463), and 5 more.
The conquest of Constantinople (1453) ended the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium), turned the Ottoman state into an empire and moved the centre of the state permanently to Istanbul. By eliminating most of the independent states in the Balkans and Anatolia he consolidated the borders between the Danube and the Euphrates; his first reign was in 1444–1446.
Areas are land area computed from the atlas's region data; see Method and sources.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “MEHMED II” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.
Cite as: Atlas of the Sultans, “Siege of Smederevo (1459): Date, Commanders and Outcome”, https://padisahlaratlasi.com/en/events/siege-of-smederevo-1459/ (last updated 12 November 2026). Corrections