Çimpe Castle
Encyclopedia
Çimpe Castle was a medieval fortification on the Gallipoli peninsula in modern Turkey
. Its site is located along the Istanbul Caddesi between Bolayir and Gallipoli
, commanding the narrowest point on the peninsula.
Erected by the Byzantines
as Tzympe, Çimpe Castle was traditionally held to have fallen in a moonlight attack to Suleyman Pasha
and 39 of his chosen guard in 1356. However, modern scholarship holds that it was granted to the Ottoman Turks by the Byzantine emperor John Kantakouzenos
around 1352 for their use during his war against his erstwhile charge and co-emperor John Palaiologos
. A major earthquake in 1354 then permitted Suleyman's forces to move from Çimpe to the far more important stronghold of Kallipolis (Gallipoli
, modern Gelibolu
), which they quickly rebuilt and fortified.
Although the medieval castle no longer stands, its position remained important. The same narrow stretch it commanded — the "Lines of Bulair" — was fortified by the French and English during the Crimean War
; the Turkish X Corps
during the First Balkan War
; and the Turkish 5th Army during the Gallipoli Campaign in World War I
.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Its site is located along the Istanbul Caddesi between Bolayir and Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
, commanding the narrowest point on the peninsula.
Erected by the Byzantines
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
as Tzympe, Çimpe Castle was traditionally held to have fallen in a moonlight attack to Suleyman Pasha
Suleyman Pasha (son of Orhan)
Suleyman Pasha was the eldest son of Orhan I, the second bey of the newly established Ottoman Empire.-Assault on Byzantium:Suleyman Pasha struck a bold blow to the weakened Byzantine Empire on behalf of his race, which gave the Turks a permanent establishment on the European side of the Hellespont...
and 39 of his chosen guard in 1356. However, modern scholarship holds that it was granted to the Ottoman Turks by the Byzantine emperor John Kantakouzenos
John VI Kantakouzenos
John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzenus was the Byzantine emperor from 1347 to 1354.-Early life:Born in Constantinople, John Kantakouzenos was the son of a Michael Kantakouzenos, governor of the Morea. Through his mother Theodora Palaiologina Angelina, he was a descendant of the reigning house of...
around 1352 for their use during his war against his erstwhile charge and co-emperor John Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos was a Byzantine emperor, who succeeded his father in 1341, at age nine.-Biography:...
. A major earthquake in 1354 then permitted Suleyman's forces to move from Çimpe to the far more important stronghold of Kallipolis (Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
, modern Gelibolu
Gelibolu
Gelibolu, also known as Gallipoli , is the name of a town and a district in Çanakkale Province of the Marmara region, located in Eastern Thrace in the European part of Turkey on the southern shore of the peninsula named after it on the Dardanelles strait, two miles away from Lapseki on the other...
), which they quickly rebuilt and fortified.
Although the medieval castle no longer stands, its position remained important. The same narrow stretch it commanded — the "Lines of Bulair" — was fortified by the French and English during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
; the Turkish X Corps
X Corps (Ottoman Empire)
The X Corps of the Ottoman Empire was one of the corps of the Ottoman Army. It was formed in the early 20th century during Ottoman military reforms.- Order of Battle, 1911 :...
during the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
; and the Turkish 5th Army during the Gallipoli Campaign in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.