Ottoman-Italian Wars (Caesar of Rome)

The Ottoman-Italian Wars (1471 - 1509) were a series of military conflicts primarily between the and the, allied in a coalition with Aragon, France, Hungary, and several Italian states. It occurred nearly two decades after the, and after initial Ottoman victories, resulted in the and the capture of Naples by the Ottoman Empire. The majority of the was captured by Ottoman forces for some time, and the local rulers nominally swore fealty to the Sultan, however reoccurring warfare eventually led to Ottoman defeat in the peninsula and the return of Ottoman-occupied lands.

Fall of Constantinople

 * See also: 

Mehmed II
In the aftermath of the Fall of Constantinople, the Sultan had declared himself the "Caesar of Rome", believing the Ottoman Empire to simply be a continuation of the ancient Roman and Byzantine Empires. This title was not recognized by Europe or the Patriarch of Constantinople. Nearly two decades later, in 1471, the Ottomans declared war on Naples, and Mehmed vowed to conquer Rome as he did Constantinople.

Turkish legend has it that one night, almost a decade after the fall of Constantinople, the Sultan read the following : "Whilst we were around the Prophet (saw) writing he was asked, 'Which of the two cities will be opened first, Constantinople or Rome?' He (the Prophet Muhammad) answered, 'The city of Heraclius [Constantinople] will be opened first!'" Later that night, the Sultan had a dream of conquering Rome and converting the Vatican into a mosque, instead of his original plan to turn Saint Peter's basilica into a stall for his horses. He believed it was a sign from God.

Historians are split on the concrete reason for the invasion. Some believe the Sultan's strong belief in the continuation of the Roman Empire was a legitimate factor, as well as establishing a Third, Islamic Rome (the first being polytheistic, and the second being Christian). Others contend that Mehmed wanted to use Rome as a base for expansion into Africa, to overrun piracy in the Mediterranean and to begin an era of naval control that would potentially be on par with the Venetians.

Crusade Attempts
With the Fall of Constantinople, the "New Rome", still fresh in the minds of many, there were calls for another Crusade to stop the Turks from conquering Rome and the Papacy.

more to come

Neapolitan support
While many were opposed to the Ottoman forces in their country, the small coastal and farming cities were struggling with the bloodshed and destruction that had gone on for more than a decade, with little help from other European forces (with the Spaniards involved in a, and the French involved in and Spain).

After nearly a decade of fighting, the majority of cities at war with the Ottoman forces began to surrender in order to avoid further executions. Aside from war fatigue, the citizens of conquered cities were surprised to find that they would be paying a lower rate of taxes than they had being under the crown of Aragon. Many noblemen in Naples had swore their allegiance to the Sultan.