Otranto 1480: The Ottoman Invasion That Shook Renaissance Italy

In August 1480, an Ottoman fleet landed on the heel of Italy's boot and captured the city of Otranto, slaughtering thousands and enslaving survivors. This episode of The Story of Italy tells the chilling story of the Otranto massacre — the moment the Ottoman Empire brought war to the Italian peninsula. We follow the siege, the execution of 800 martyrs who refused to convert, the desperate defense of the castle, and the eventual reconquest by Neapolitan and papal forces. We explore why Mehmed II, fresh from conquering Constantinople, turned his sights on Italy, how the invasion paralyzed Pope Sixtus IV and the Italian states, and how the death of Mehmed in 1481 ended the Ottoman threat to Italy. The episode covers key figures like the Ottoman commander Gedik Ahmed Pasha, the martyr Antonio Primaldo, King Ferrante of Naples, and the Albanian hero Skanderbeg's legacy. We also examine the cultural impact — how Otranto became a rallying cry for Christian unity, and how the event foreshadowed centuries of Ottoman-European conflict. #Otranto #OttomanEmpire #MehmedII #RenaissanceItaly #GedikAhmedPasha #FerranteOfNaples #OtrantoMartyrs #SiegeOfOtranto #AntonioPrimaldo #PopeSixtusIV #Skanderbeg #ItalianWars #Crusade #1480s #ItalyHistory #History #FexingoHistory #MedievalHistory #RomanRepublic #Renaissance Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo