3. The Siege of Thessalonica, 1422-1430
During the expansion of the Ottoman Empire into western Europe, Venice underwent a decline in power in the Mediterranean region, as did the Byzantine Empire. In 1422, Byzantine control of the city of Thessalonica came under threat by the Ottomans, and political considerations placed control and defense of the region with the Venetians (there is a reason the word Byzantine today is used to describe something excessively complicated). The Venetians resisted the attacks and raids of the Ottoman forces for the ensuing eight years, despite losses of nearly 95% of the city’s population. The siege featured attacks from rebellious factions within the city as well as those of the Ottomans.
When the Ottomans finally captured the city by storm in late March, 1430, the conquering troops enjoyed three days of plundering, rape, and the enslavement of surviving civilians. Ancient monuments were destroyed, churches ransacked, and libraries and other evidence of culture destroyed. Formerly Christian churches were made into mosques. Only about 2,000 civilian residents of the city survived the siege, they were mostly converted to Islam by their conquerors. The city remained in Ottoman hands until the Greeks captured it during the Balkan War in 1912.