Battle of Otlukbeli

Date	11 August 1473
Location	Otlukbeli, Erzincan
Result	Decisive Ottoman victory

Belligerents

Ottoman Empire

Aq Qoyunlu

Commanders and leaders

Mehmet II
Mustafa (prince)
Bayezid II (prince)
Davud Pasha

Uzun Hasan
Ughurlu Muhammad
Zayn-al-Abidin bin Ahmed bin Ughurlu Muhammad

Strength

Unknown

Casualties and losses

Unknown

Unknown but heavy

The Battle of Otlukbeli or Otluk Beli was a battle between Ak Koyunlu and the Ottoman Empire that was fought on August 11, 1473.

Mehmed II's aggressive military policy in capturing the throne of the Byzantine Empire resulted in the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. Independent Byzantine Greek rulers continued to rule in some areas after this event. One of these domains was the Empire of Trebizond. When Mehmed turned to the East to clean up the remnants of Byzantine rule in 1461, he was faced with another Central Asian power, the Ak Koyunlu, a tribe that ruled huge lands in the Eastern Anatolia.

Their leader, Uzun Hasan, continued the tradition of close relations between the Byzantine throne and his own kingdom so he supported the Empire of Trebizond and sent them military aid but his support wasn't enough to save Trebizond from the Ottoman forces. Mehmed II conquered all of the Eastern Black Sea region. Uzun Hasan decided to seek help from Christian powers because he thought that the Ottomans would return for his own kingdom. Therefore, he decided to sign a treaty with the Republic of Venice, the rival of the Ottoman Empire at that time.

In response to Uzun Hasan's treaty with Venice, The Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II first sent various Janissary contingents, commanded by various figures including Radu cel Frumos, these contingents guarded crucial garrisons and awaited the Ottoman onslaught on the Anatolian rebels.

Another reason for tensions between Ak Koyunlu and Ottomans was the political standing of another powerful Anatolian tribe, Karamanids. Kasım Bey, the ruler of Karamanids, was supporting the growing power of Uzun Hasan. These two powers were working in cooperation against the Ottoman advance in Anatolia. In 1471, a successful Ottoman operation against Karamanids reduced the power of the tribe. This gave courage to Mehmed II to move deeper into Anatolia.

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Wikipedia