Editing Battle of Varna (section)

==Preparations==
The mixed [[Papal army]] was composed mainly of Hungarian, Polish, Bohemian (whose combined armies numbered 16,000) and [[Wallachia]]n (4,000) forces,{{sfn|Setton|1978|pp=89–90}} with smaller detachments of [[Papal States|papal troops]], [[Teutonic Order|Teutonic Knights]], [[Bosnians]], [[Croats]], [[Bulgarians]], [[Lithuanians]], and [[Ruthenians]].<ref>Magyarország hadtörténete (1984), pp. 102–103</ref> Troops from [[Croatia in personal union with Hungary|Croatia]] and [[Kingdom of Bosnia|Bosnia]] were led by Croatian nobleman [[Franko Talovac]].{{sfn|Pogăciaș|2015|p=331}}

Papal, [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] and Burgundian ships under [[Alvise Loredan]] had blockaded the [[Dardanelles]] as the Hungarian army was to advance on Varna, while a second flotilla comprising six ships (two Burgundian, two Ragusan and two Byzantine) blockaded the Bosphorus. Both failed, and the main Ottoman force from Asia, including the sultan, crossed the Bosphorus on 18 October 1444.<ref name="books.google">{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=FpvqWWpUYSoC | title = The Holy Wars of King Wladislas and Sultan Murad | isbn = 978-9004219045 | last1 = Jefferson | first1 = John | year = 2012|pages= 437–438| publisher = Brill }}</ref> The Hungarian advance was rapid, Ottoman fortresses were bypassed, while local Bulgarians from [[Vidin]], [[Oryahovo]], and [[Nikopol, Bulgaria|Nicopolis]] joined the army ([[Fruzhin]], son of [[Ivan Shishman]], also participated in the campaign with his own guard). On 10 October near Nicopolis, some 7,000<ref name="books.google" /> Wallachian cavalrymen under [[Mircea II]], one of [[Vlad Dracul]]'s sons, also joined.

[[Armenians in Hungary|Armenian refugees in the Kingdom of Hungary]] also took part in the wars of their new country against the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] as early as the battle of Varna in 1444, when some Armenians were seen amongst the Christian forces.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AC71zQEACAAJ | author = Basmadjian, Garabed|publisher=J. Gamber | title = Histoire moderne des Armeniens | location = Paris | year = 1922 | page = 45 | language = fr }}</ref>