The fortress of Otranto in southeastern Italy was captured by Ottoman Turkish army

Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz
On August 12, 1480 AD, the fortress of Otranto in southeastern Italy was taken by a Turkish army sent by the Ottoman Sultan, Mohammad II, a few centuries after the end of Muslim rule in parts of southern Italy. Since it was only 27 years after the fall of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire, there was fear that Rome, the seat of the Catholic sect of Christianity, would suffer the same fate. Plans were made for the Pope to evacuate the city, and in a bid to incite Christians against Muslims, lies were spread of the massacre of Italians by the Turks.
However, following the death of Mohammad II, the Ottoman forces concluded a treaty with the Kingdom of Naples and withdrew to Albania from Otranto on 11 September 1481. In 1537, the famous Ottoman admiral Khair od-Din Pasha (Barbarossa) again captured Otranto and the Fortress of Castro, but later the Muslims were eventually forced to withdraw from this Italian city and the rest of Puglia. All traces of Muslim rule, including mosques and public baths, were removed by the Italians.