Crusade of Nicopolis, 1396
Nicopolis or Actia Nicopolis was an ancient city of Epirus, founded 31 BC by Octavian in memory of his victory over Antony and Cleopatra at Actium the previous year. It is on the west coast of Greece. The Battle of Nicopolis took place on September 25th, 1396 and resulted in the rout of an allied army of Hungarian, Wallachian, French, Burgundian, German, and the Venetian navy at the hands of an Ottoman force, raising of the siege of the Danubian fortress of Nicopolis and leading to the end of the Second Bulgarian Empire. It is often referred to as the Crusade of Nicopolis and was the last large-scale crusade of the Middle Ages. Heavy casualties, especially during the initial phase of the battle. Ottoman casualties include the massacre of 1000 civilian hostages by the Crusaders the night before the battle. Most of the Crusader army was destroyed or captured and it has been estimated that 1000's were executed. By their victory at Nicopolis, the Turks discouraged the formation of future European coalitions against them. They maintained their pressure on Constantinople, tightened their control over the Balkans, and became a greater threat to central Europe
