Umur Beg of Aydin

Umur Beg, son of Mehmed Beg, was the seafaring ruler of the Aydın-oghlu emirate, which reigned from 708 to 829 AH (1308 to 1425). He built a fleet and took the fortress of the port of İzmir, which was held by the Genoese Martin Zaccaria. He laid waste the islands of the Archipelago and extended his raids into Greece. When Andronicus III died, John VI Cantacuzenus, who had won the emir's friendship a few years before, asked him for help against the supporters of John V Palaeologus. Umur went to Rumelia and helped Cantacuzenus subdue Thrace. ¹

Pope Clement VI preached a crusade against him, in which Venice, Genoa, the King of Cyprus, the Knights Hospitallers of Rhodes and the Duke of Naxos took part. It culminated in the taking of the fortress of the port of İzmir in October 1344, and shortly afterwards the leaders of the crusade were killed in a fight with the emir. In 746/1346 Umur also repulsed the crusade of the Dauphin Humbert II of Viennois. ¹

Umur was killed in the spring of 1348 while trying to retake the fortress of İzmir. The treaty of 18 August 1348 that followed gave the Latins great advantages. ¹