. The Battle of Nicopolis (September 25, 1396), between Crusaders and Ottoman Turks, was one of the greatest military disasters encountered by French cavalry in the 14th century. Under Bayazid I (r. 1389–1402), the Turks had captured Nicopolis, a Bulgarian fortress on the Danube, in 1393. Sigismund, king of Hungary, appealed to the West for assistance against the Turkish advance. England and France agreed to a joint crusading expedition, to be led by the dukes of Burgundy, Orléans, and Lancaster, but after a series of delays these three experienced princes dropped out. The expedition of 1396, largely a Burgundian project, was led by the duke’s inexperienced son, John the Fearless, then count of Nevers. Although accompanied by some of the most prestigious French military commanders, John was unable to maintain a unified command and was too readily influenced by younger lords who placed personal glory ahead of strategic objectives.
After some minor victories, the crusaders approached Nicopolis, where the French rejected Sigismund’s prudent battle plan and insisted on leading a cavalry charge. Inflicting many casualties at first, they were lured into an ambush and crushed by the Turks, who thereby secured for centuries their position in the Balkans. A few of the most notable French leaders were held for ransom, but most were massacred.
John Bell Henneman, Jr.
Atiya, Aziz S. The Crusade of Nicopolis. London: Methuen, 1934.
Delaville le Roulx, Joseph M.A. La France en orient au XIVe siècle: expeditions du maréchal Boucicaut. 2 vols. Paris: Bibliothèque des Écoles Françaises d’Athènes et de Rome, 1886.
Palmer, John J.N. England, France, and Christendom, 1377–99. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1972.
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