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| Siege of Constantinople | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theByzantine–Ottoman wars and theOttoman Interregnum | |||||||
 Constantinople in 1422; the oldest surviving map of the city. | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Byzantine Empire |  Ottoman Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Manuel II Palaiologos | Musa Çelebi | ||||||
  Siege of Constantinople (1411) (Mediterranean) Show map of Mediterranean Siege of Constantinople (1411) (Black Sea) Show map of Black Sea | |||||||
Thesiege of Constantinople of 1411 occurred during theOttoman Interregnum, or Ottoman Civil War,[1] (20 July 1402 – 5 July 1413), following the defeat ofSultanBayezid I by theCentral Asian warlordTimur. AlthoughMehmed Çelebi was confirmed as sultan by Timur after theBattle of Ankara, his brothersİsa Çelebi,Musa Çelebi,Süleyman Çelebi, and later,Mustafa Çelebi, refused to recognize his authority, each claiming the throne for himself.[2] A civil war was the result. The Interregnum lasted until theBattle of Camurlu on 5 July 1413, when Mehmed Çelebi emerged as victor in the strife, crowned himself sultanMehmed I, and restored peace to the empire.
Before the Battle of Ankara, the Byzantine Empire was a mere pawn of outside forces for several decades but after the defeat of the Ottomans by Timur, the Empire – for a short while – became a player in Ottoman domestic politics and intrigue. Sultan Bayezid conquered much territories in Europe and threatened Constantinople from all directions.
The Byzantine EmperorManuel II Palaiologos supported Süleyman as claimant to the Ottoman throne. They signed thetreaty of Gallipoli with theByzantine regentJohn VII Palaiologos in 1403, as the emperor Manuel II Palaiologos was traveling in western Europe at the time. By this treaty, Süleyman gave up certain territories along theMarmara coast, as well as the major city ofThessaloniki to the Byzantine Empire in return for Byzantine support during the interregnum and declared himselfsultan of the empire inEdirne, the capital inRumeli of the Ottoman Empire. From the evidence presented above, it can be understood that the relationship between the Byzantine Empire and the Ottomans increased dramatically contemporarily.
Despite defeating his brother and rival for the Ottoman throne, Musa, at theBattle of Kosmidion in June 1410, Süleyman's popularity waned. So much so, that when Musa returned to avenge his defeat during the following year, Süleyman's supporters defected to Musa.[3] Süleyman was captured while attempting to escape and was given to Musa's bodyguard, Koyun Musasi, and strangled to death on 17 February 1411.[4]
Musa found himself as the co-sultan of the European portion of the empire.[5] Musa then retaliated against all who allied with Süleyman, including Manuel II, by briefly and fruitlessly laying siege to Constantinople in 1411.[6][7] Manuel II turned toMehmet for support, who betrayed Musa and set up a new alliance between himself and the Byzantines against Musa.
