Horrific scene that shocked the Ottomans

What horrific scene did Mehmed II witness after he entered Targoviste that not just shocked him but the whole Ottoman army?

When Mehmed II entered Targoviste with his army, he found the capital to be completely abandoned. It was the other end of the capital where Mehmed II came across a view of impaled corpses of all the Turks, that numbered 23,884. The view came to be known as “Forest of Corpses”. The corpses were lined as far as 5 miles or 8 km.

Never ever had any Ottoman emperor and the Ottoman Army came across such horrific view. There was one corpse that was given special recognition by Vlad Dracula, so that Mehmed II could pay attention towards it. This corpse was impaled on the tallest stake of all and was purposely well dressed. It was the corpse of Hamza Bey, Mehmed II’s father in law (Emine Gulbahar Hatun’s father) and one of the commanders of the Ottoman army.

Source and Further Reading:

• Research and Study of the History of Ottoman Conquest of Wallachia
• When Vlad the Impaler Repelled an Invasion With a Forest of Corpses

Gabriela Nitti
Retired Professor/Researcher of World History and Religion