Campaign
By the end of May 1457, a large Ottoman army was seen approaching Albania. Skanderbeg sent a letter to Calixtus informing him of the Ottoman arrival and the dire need for military aid. The pope responded with a promise to send a fleet to Albania – even though the enemy was on land – but it did not arrive. Skanderbeg was thus left to fight the oncoming Ottoman army alone. Mehmed II had placed Isak Bey Evrenoz and Hamza Kastrioti in command of the force. Isak bey was an experienced commander who had crushed John Kastrioti's rebellion in 1430 and led the Ottoman counterattack at the Siege of Berat. Hamza brought along with him several disaffected Albanian nobles and personal knowledge of the tactics they could expect from Skanderbeg. In total, Ottoman forces numbered between 50,000 and 80,000 men. Armies of this size were usually commanded by the sultan himself so rumors spread that Mehmed was leading the campaign. In contrast, Skanderbeg had between 8,000 and 10,000 men to stand in opposition.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Albulena
Famous quotes containing the word campaign:
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