Nikopolis, Crusade of

   Crusade in 1396 led by King Sigismund of Hungary (1387-1437) to halt the Ottoman (q.v.) advance in the Balkan Peninsula (q.v.). Many French knights took a break from the Hundred Years War to aid the Hungarians, as did knights from all over Europe. This western European coalition confronted an Ottoman army outside the walls of Nikopolis, a fortress on the Danube (q.v.) (not to be confused with the city of Nikopolis in Epiros [q.v.]). The result was a stunning victory (25 September 1396) for sultan Bayezid I (qq.v.). Not only did this attempt to defend Hungary (q.v.) against Ottoman encroachment fail, but Manuel II (q.v.), who was allied with Sigismund, could expect no help against the Ottoman siege of Constantinople (q.v.), begun by Bayezid I in 1394.