Nicopolis, Battle of 1396
Nicopolis, Battle of (1396)
took place on September 25 near the city of Nicopolis (Nikopol), Bulgaria, between the army of the Turkish sultan Bayazid I (about 200,000 men) and the forces of the Crusaders (including French, Italian, English, Spanish, and Czech troops, a total of about 70,000 men) under the command of the Hungarian king Sigismund I.
The battle ended in defeat for the Crusaders. About 10,000 knights were captured by the Turks, just a few managed to flee, and the remainder were killed in battle. As a result of the victory, Turkey strengthened its rule on the Balkan Peninsula.