The , often referred to as the "Nicopolis Bloodbath" ( Nikápolyi vérfürdő ), took place on September 25, 1396, and resulted in a crushing defeat for the last major international crusader army of the Middle Ages. The battle pitted a Western European coalition led by King Sigismund of Hungary against the expanding Ottoman Empire under Sultan Bayezid I , known as "The Thunderbolt". The Path to Disaster
: Against King Sigismund’s advice to wait and fight defensively, the French and Burgundian knights, led by John the Fearless , insisted on a direct heavy cavalry charge. A NIKГЃPOLYI VГ‰RFГњRDЕђ
: Prompted by Pope Boniface IX, nobles from France, Burgundy, Germany, and England joined forces with Hungarian and Wallachian troops to halt Ottoman expansion in the Balkans and relieve the siege of Constantinople. The , often referred to as the "Nicopolis