| Fourth siege of Krujë آقچه حصار نك چهارم محاصرهسى Akçahisar’ıñ Çehârum Muhâsarasï Rrethimi i katërt i Krujës | |||||||||
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| Part of theOttoman–Venetian War (1463–1479) andAlbanian–Ottoman Wars (1432–1479) | |||||||||
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| Ottoman Empire | |||||||||
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Garrison of 2,000 to 5,000 infantry and 500 civilians[5] 10,000 (siege relief army) | Unknown | ||||||||
Thefourth siege of Krujë (Ottoman Turkish: آقچه حصار نك چهارم محاصرهسى;Albanian:Rrethimi i katërt i Krujës; otherwise in English:the fall of Krujë) by theOttoman Empire ofKrujë inAlbania took place from early 1477 to June 1478, almost ten years after the death ofSkanderbeg, the main military commander of theAlbanian rebellion againstthe Ottomans. The long siege resulted in the capture of the city after three previous failed sieges.
Demoralised and severely weakened by starvation and lack of supplies from the year-long siege, the defenders surrendered to SultanMehmed II, who had promised to let them go unharmed in return. However, the Ottomans massacred all the men in the city and took the women as slaves.[1][6]
Evrenos-zâde Ahmed Bey and Turahanoğlu Ömer Bey were sent in front of the army to build roads and repair bridges. Despite this, the army's movements were made very difficult by the harsh Albanian terrain. Thus, the army, advancing in great difficulty, came to Krujë. Mehmed wanted the castle to be taken as the first objective of the Ottoman offensive of 1477–79 against the Venetian holdings in Albania. A small force was defending Krujë, which was in the hands of the Venetians. After a year-long siege, the city exhausted its supplies, which were mismanaged by the commanders of the defending troops. The Venetians sent auxiliary forces to relieve the city. However, Ahmed Bey defeated these forces, which were estimated to number more than 10,000, with a much smaller force and eliminated the possibility of helping the fortress' garrison. After this, the defenders' hope was completely crushed. They allegedly ate cats and dogs because of hunger, and were running low onweapons. Hearing that the Sultan himself had arrived, they surrendered, realizing that there was no other alternative for survival.[6][7]
Krujë fell in June of 1478, and the Ottomans massacred all of the men within the city and carried off the women as slaves.[6]
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