crusader state · Anatolia and the Levant

Crusader Smyrna

1344 CE – 1402 CE · capital Smyrna

A Latin outpost in the harbour of Smyrna, seized by a crusade in 1344 and held by the Knights Hospitaller until Timur destroyed it.

Origins

To stop the raids of Umur Bey of the Aydinids, Pope Clement VI organised a naval league with Venice, Cyprus and the Knights Hospitaller. In October 1344 its fleet captured the harbour castle of Smyrna, while the Turks kept the upper citadel on Mount Pagus.

Rule and society

The colony was a fortified enclave held by a mixed garrison under a papal captain, supplied by sea and constantly under pressure from the Turks above. Umur Bey was killed attacking it in 1348, and Humbert II of Viennois led a further expedition in 1345-1347. From 1374 the pope entrusted Smyrna to the Hospitallers, who held it as an outpost of their state on Rhodes.

Decline and legacy

In December 1402 Timur besieged the castle after defeating the Ottomans at Ankara. He took it within about two weeks and massacred the defenders who did not escape by sea, ending the Latin presence.

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Crusader Smyrna. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/crusader-smyrna
MLA
“Crusader Smyrna.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/crusader-smyrna. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Crusader Smyrna.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/crusader-smyrna.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Crusader Smyrna’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/crusader-smyrna (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻