Battle of Dimbos
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Dinboz or Dimbos was a battle between the Ottoman emirate (later Ottoman Empire
) and the Byzantine Empire
in 1303.
in 1302, Turkish gazis from all parts of Anatolia
began raiding Byzantine territories. Byzantine emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos
tried to form alliance with the Ilkhanid Mongols against the Ottoman threat. Failing to secure frontiers by the alliance he decided to attack the Ottomans with his own army.
drew on accounts of another battle near Koyunhisar (Bapheus) from other chronicles and moved them to the vicinity Dimbos to form his account of the "Battle of Dinboz".
The Anatolian army of the Byzantine Empire was composed of the forces of local garrisons like Adranos
(modern Orhaneli), Bidnos , Kestel (modern village Erdoğan) and Kete (modern village of Ürünlü). In the spring of 1303, the Byzantine army advanced to Yenişehir an important Ottoman city, north east of Bursa. Osman I
defeated them near the pass of Dimbos on the way to Yenişehir. During the battle both sides suffered heavy casualties. On the Ottoman side, Osman's nephew Aydoğdu and on Byzantine side the governors of Kestel and Dimbos were among the losses.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
) and the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
in 1303.
Background
After the battle of BapheusBattle of Bapheus
The Battle of Bapheus occurred on 27 July 1302 between an Ottoman army under Osman I and a Byzantine armyunder George Mouzalon. The battle ended in a crucial Ottoman victory, cementing the Ottoman state and heralding the final capture of Byzantine Bithynia by the Turks...
in 1302, Turkish gazis from all parts of Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
began raiding Byzantine territories. Byzantine emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos
Andronikos II Palaiologos
Andronikos II Palaiologos , Latinized as Andronicus II Palaeologus, was Byzantine emperor from 1282 to 1328. He was the eldest surviving son of Michael VIII Palaiologos and Theodora Doukaina Vatatzina, grandniece of John III Doukas Vatatzes...
tried to form alliance with the Ilkhanid Mongols against the Ottoman threat. Failing to secure frontiers by the alliance he decided to attack the Ottomans with his own army.
The battle
The battle is known only through later traditions which include semi-legendary elements, and hence probably reflects more folk tradition than actual historical events. According to Theodore Spandounes, "Dimbos" (in Greek) or "Dinboz" (deriving from din bozmak, "change of faith") was the first Byzantine town to fall to the Ottomans. The 15th-century chronicler AşıkpaşazadeAşıkpaşazade
Aşıkpaşazade was an Ottoman historian. His main works are known under two names: Menâkıb-ı Âli-i Osman and Tevārīḫ-i Āl-i ʿOsmān...
drew on accounts of another battle near Koyunhisar (Bapheus) from other chronicles and moved them to the vicinity Dimbos to form his account of the "Battle of Dinboz".
The Anatolian army of the Byzantine Empire was composed of the forces of local garrisons like Adranos
Orhaneli
Orhaneli is a district of Bursa Province of Turkey....
(modern Orhaneli), Bidnos , Kestel (modern village Erdoğan) and Kete (modern village of Ürünlü). In the spring of 1303, the Byzantine army advanced to Yenişehir an important Ottoman city, north east of Bursa. Osman I
Osman I
Osman I or Othman I or El-Gazi Sultan Osman Ghazi, or Osman Bey or I. Osman, Osman Gazi Han), nicknamed "Kara" for his courage, was the leader of the Ottoman Turks, and the founder of the dynasty that established and ruled the Ottoman Empire...
defeated them near the pass of Dimbos on the way to Yenişehir. During the battle both sides suffered heavy casualties. On the Ottoman side, Osman's nephew Aydoğdu and on Byzantine side the governors of Kestel and Dimbos were among the losses.