| Moldavian–Ottoman Wars | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Moldavia Supported by:
|  Ottoman Empire Supported by:
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Alexander I Stephen II Stephen III Petru Rareș | Mehmed I Mehmed II Bayazid II Suleiman I | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
Varied greatly during the centuries | Varied greatly during the centuries
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The first conflict between Moldavia and the Ottoman Empire for which there is a historical account occurred during the reign of Alexandru cel Bun, in 1420, when the Ottomans tried to capture Chilia. The attack was unsuccessful. [3]
In 1439, King Sigismund of Hungary argued with King Wladislaw of Poland about dividing Moldavia between their two countries. Sigismund complained that the Moldavians refused to aid him in his expeditions against the Turks, but King Wladyslaw argued that the Moldavians couldn't aid Sigismund with troops because they aided him, instead, and Sigismund had to give up on his claims. [4]
In 1444, Moldavia sent troops that joined King Władysław III of Varna at the Battle of Varna, which was part of the broader Crusade of Varna. According to Jan Długosz, the Turks had camels with them and in case of defeat, they would spill gold and silver coins on the ground in order to slacken the enemy. The Moldavians went after the camels for the money. [5] The Crusade ultimately ended in failure.
Between 1451 and 1457, Moldavia was in civil turmoil and under Petru Aron, the principality paid the Porte an annual tribute of 2,000 gold coins. In 1470, during the rule of Stephen the Great, the relationship between Moldavia and the Porte became hostile, and resulted in several confrontations. In 1471, Stephen invaded Ottoman Wallachia. [6] The Moldavian incursions into Wallachia lasted until 1475, sparking the invasion of Moldavia. In the Battle of Vaslui, the Ottomans were heavily defeated, while in the Battle of Valea Albă, Sultan Mehmed II was victorious, but was forced to retreat after an unsuccessful Siege of Neamț Citadel.
In 1484, the Ottomans launched another invasion of Moldavia, managing to annex Chilia and Cetatea Albă. In 1486, Stephen accepts suzerainty. However, on 5 January 1499, as the Ottoman army was returning from Polish lands with loot, they were defeated by Moldavians at the Prut river crossing. In 1500, Stephen ordered to set Chilia and Cetatea Albă on fire in order to undermine Ottoman influence over Moldavia. [7]
After the death of Stephen the Great, 1504, Moldavia fell into decline and was forced to accept vassalage for the Porte in 1512, suffering its final invasion in 1538. However, the conflicts continued to rage until the 19th century, giving the country brief periods of independence.