A contested 14th-century engagement between Ottoman and Anatolian forces whose outcome remains disputed between contemporary sources.
Key Facts
- Date
- July 1391 or 1392
- Ottoman Commander
- Ertuğrul Çelebi, son of Bayezid I
- Opposing Commander
- Kadi Burhan al-Din
- Region of Conflict
- Northeastern Anatolia
- Primary Disputed Sources
- Ibn Ardashir vs. Manuel II Palaiologos letters
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Bayezid I launched a campaign into Anatolia, bringing Ottoman forces into conflict with Kadi Burhan al-Din, the ruler of northeastern Anatolia, as part of broader Ottoman efforts to expand their control over the Anatolian peninsula in the late 14th century.
Ottoman forces under Ertuğrul Çelebi clashed with Kadi Burhan al-Din's army at Kırkdilim. The battle's outcome is disputed: court poet Ibn Ardashir credits Burhan al-Din with a major victory that halted Ottoman expansion, while letters of Manuel II Palaiologos, who accompanied the Ottomans, suggest the expedition was an overall Ottoman success.
The conflicting accounts leave the strategic result unclear. If Burhan al-Din's account is credited, Ottoman expansion in Anatolia was temporarily checked; if the Byzantine letters are weighted more heavily, the campaign represented a continued Ottoman advance into the region without significant setback.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Ertuğrul Çelebi (son of Bayezid I).
Side B
1 belligerent
Kadi Burhan al-Din.