Sieges of fortresses have always taken longer compared to the pitched bat-
tles in the military history of the Ottoman Empire. An analysis of Ottoman military
history shows that there are sieges that exceed weeks, months and sometimes even
years. The struggle here was not just the difficulty on the battleground but was also a
difficult struggle against hunger, bad health conditions, difficult climate and psycho-
logical problems caused by the everlasting sieges. Therefore, sieges of fortresses are
processes troops have to overcome a series of obstacles alongside the defensive army.
In the light of this approach, this study will look at the material and psychological
conditions of the Ottoman soldiers during siege wars focusing on their lives in metris
during a remarkable example, i.e. the siege of Candia (1667-1669).
In Candia, the soldiers spent about two and a half years in these metris. They trans-
formed the ditches far in the back of the metris into a bazaar with various shops. The
metris where the soldiers tried to protect themselves from the cannon balls, riffle
attacks, bombs (humbara) and mine attacks (lağım saldırısı) from the fortress served
as a place for resting, eating and worshiping. In due time new problems emerged.
Climatic difficulties like heavy rainfall, or health issues like the spread of epidemics
resulted in loss of lives. In Candia the soldiers continued to pressure the fortress
while enduring many of these difficulties.
Crete Candia Fortress Siege Ottoman soldiers Metris Köprülü Fazıl Ahmet Paşa
Taş Yasdanup Toprak Döşenenler: Kandiye Kuşatması Örneğinde Osmanlı Askerlerinin
Metristeki Mücadele ve Yaşamı (1667-1669)
Crete Candia Fortress Siege Ottoman soldiers Metris Köprülü Fazıl Ahmet Paşa
Birincil Dil | Türkçe |
---|---|
Bölüm | Makaleler |
Yazarlar | |
Yayımlanma Tarihi | 10 Eylül 2018 |
Yayımlandığı Sayı | Yıl 2018 |