TRENDEFRARAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Siege · 1387
Thessalonica was one of the most important Byzantine cities in the Balkans; Ottoman forces had already besieged it in 1372 and withdrawn. According to the TDV article on Thessalonica, troops under Çandarlı Hayreddin Pasha and Gazi Evrenos took the city in the spring of 1387 after a long blockade. The Ottomans did not establish full administrative control; some remarks of Neşri and Doukas suggest that the city slipped out of Ottoman rule in 1391 or 1394 and that Bayezid I had to recover it. Thessalonica was returned to Byzantium after the battle of Ankara and was finally taken in 1430.
| Date | Spring 1387 |
|---|---|
| Location | Thessalonica |
| Result | The city surrendered to the Ottomans after a long blockade |
| Belligerents | Ottoman Beylik | Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Çandarlı Hayreddin Pasha Gazi Evrenos |
Took place during the reign of Murad I (1362–1389). Murad I
The atlas records this territorial change for the year:
By the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 265,000 km² in 1387; at the start of Murad I's reign they measured 101,000 km², at its end 346,000 km².
During Murad I (1362–1389) the atlas records 10 regions gained and 0 regions lost.
Regions gained: Edirne–Kırklareli (1369), Western Thrace (Komotini–Kavala) (1371), Macedonia (Skopje–Bitola) (1371), Danubian Bulgaria (1371), Germiyan (Kütahya–Afyon–Uşak) (1381), Thessaloniki–Chalkidiki–Mount Athos (1387), Northern Dobruja (Constanța–Tulcea) (1388), Southern Dobruja (Dobrich–Silistra) (1388), and 2 more.
He turned the principality into a state firmly rooted in the Balkans and founded most of the classic Ottoman military and administrative institutions. He was the first sultan to expand by purchase and marriage as well as by conquest.
Areas are land area computed from the atlas's region data; see Method and sources.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “SELÂNİK” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.
Cite as: Atlas of the Sultans, “Siege of Thessalonica (1383–1387): Date, Commanders and Outcome”, https://padisahlaratlasi.com/en/events/siege-of-thessalonica-1383-1387/ (last updated 12 November 2026). Corrections