Tenedos was occupied by Sultan Mehmet II in 1455, two years after his Conquest of Constantinople ending the Byzantine empire.
It became the first island controlled by the Ottoman Empire in the Aegean sea.
The island was still uninhabited at that time, almost 75 years after it had been forcefully evacuated.
Mehmet II rebuilt the island's fort.
During his reign the Ottoman navy used the island as a supply base.
The Venetians, realizing the strategic importance of the island, deployed forces on it.
Giacopo Loredano took Tenedos for Venice in 1464.
The same year, Ottoman Admiral Mahmud Pasha recaptured the island.
During the Ottoman regime, the island was repopulated (by granting a tax exemption).
The Ottoman fleet admiral and cartographer, Piri Reis, in his book Kitab-i-Bahriye, completed in 1521, included a map of the shore and the islands off it, marking Tenedos as well.
He noted that ships heading north from Smyrna to the Dardanelles passed usually through the seven-mile strip of sea between the island and the mainland.

Tommaso Morosini of Venice set out with 23 ships from Crete on 20 March 1646, heading to Istanbul.
They stopped at Tenedos, but failed to establish a foothold there when their ship caught fire, killing many of the crew.
In 1654, Hozam Ali of the Turkish fleet landed at the island, gathering Turkish forces for a naval battle against the Venetians.
This, the Battle of the Dardanelles (1654), the first of four in a series, the Ottomans won.
After the Battle of the Dardanelles in 1656, Barbaro Badoer of the Venetians seized the island on 8 July.
The Ottoman defeat weakened its Sultan Mehmed IV, then aged 16, and strengthened the Grand Vizier, Köprülü Mehmed Pasha.

In March 1657, an Ottoman Armada emerged through the Dardanelles, slipping through a Venetian blockade, with the objective of retaking the island but did not attempt to do so, concerned by the Venetian fleet.
In July 1657, Pasha made a decision to break the Venetian blockade and retake the territory.
The Peace Party in the Venetian senate thought it best to not defend Tenedos, and Lemnos, and debated this with the War Party.
Pasha ended the argument by recapturing Tenedos on 31 August 1657, in the Battle of the Dardanelles (1657), the fourth and final one.

Following the victory, the Grand Vizier Köprülü Mehmed Pasha visited the island and oversaw its repairs, during which he funded construction of a mosque, which was to be called by his name.
According to the Mosque's Foundation's book, it was built on the site of an older mosque, called Mıhçı Mosque which was destroyed during Venetian occupation.
By the time Köprülü died in September 1661, he had built on the island the businesses of a coffee-house, a bakery, 84 shops, and nine mills; a watermill; two mosques; a school; a rest stop for travelers and a stable; and a bath-house.

Rabbits which drew the attention of Tafur two-and-a-half centuries ago were apparently still abundant in the mid 17th century.
In 1659 the traveler Evliya Çelebi was sent to the island with the task of collecting game for the Sultan Mehmed IV.
The disorder of the 1600s hampered supply lines and caused grain shortages in Bozcaada.

As a result of the series of setbacks Ottomans faced in Rumelia during the later years of the reign of Mehmed IV, with the Grand Vizier being Sarı Süleyman Pasha, the forces at the island are reported to have mutinied in 1687 with parts of the rest of the army.
These widespread mutinies would result in the deposing of the Sultan and the Grand Vizier that year.

In 1691 the Venetians and allies formed a war council to discuss retaking the island.
The council met regularly at the galley of Domenico Mocenigo, the captain-general of the Venetian fleet.
By this time, the only people on the island were those in the fort.
Mocenigo estimated their number to be around 300, and the fort to be weakly buttressed.
On 17 July 1691 the war council met off the waters of the island and decided to retake Tenedos since it was, per their estimate, weakly defended but famous.
As a first step they decided to gather informa
Tenedos was occupied by Sultan Mehmet II in 1455, two years after his Conquest of Constantinople ending the Byzantine empire. It became the first island controlled by the Ottoman Empire in the Aegean sea. The island was still uninhabited at that time, almost 75 years after it had been forcefully evacuated. Mehmet II rebuilt the island's fort. During his reign the Ottoman navy used the island as a supply base. The Venetians, realizing the strategic importance of the island, deployed forces on it. Giacopo Loredano took Tenedos for Venice in 1464. The same year, Ottoman Admiral Mahmud Pasha recaptured the island. During the Ottoman regime, the island was repopulated (by granting a tax exemption). The Ottoman fleet admiral and cartographer, Piri Reis, in his book Kitab-i-Bahriye, completed in 1521, included a map of the shore and the islands off it, marking Tenedos as well. He noted that ships heading north from Smyrna to the Dardanelles passed usually through the seven-mile strip of sea between the island and the mainland.
Tommaso Morosini of Venice set out with 23 ships from Crete on 20 March 1646, heading to Istanbul. They stopped at Tenedos, but failed to establish a foothold there when their ship caught fire, killing many of the crew. In 1654, Hozam Ali of the Turkish fleet landed at the island, gathering Turkish forces for a naval battle against the Venetians. This, the Battle of the Dardanelles (1654), the first of four in a series, the Ottomans won. After the Battle of the Dardanelles in 1656, Barbaro Badoer of the Venetians seized the island on 8 July. The Ottoman defeat weakened its Sultan Mehmed IV, then aged 16, and strengthened the Grand Vizier, Köprülü Mehmed Pasha.
In March 1657, an Ottoman Armada emerged through the Dardanelles, slipping through a Venetian blockade, with the objective of retaking the island but did not attempt to do so, concerned by the Venetian fleet. In July 1657, Pasha made a decision to break the Venetian blockade and retake the territory. The Peace Party in the Venetian senate thought it best to not defend Tenedos, and Lemnos, and debated this with the War Party. Pasha ended the argument by recapturing Tenedos on 31 August 1657, in the Battle of the Dardanelles (1657), the fourth and final one.
Following the victory, the Grand Vizier Köprülü Mehmed Pasha visited the island and oversaw its repairs, during which he funded construction of a mosque, which was to be called by his name. According to the Mosque's Foundation's book, it was built on the site of an older mosque, called Mıhçı Mosque which was destroyed during Venetian occupation. By the time Köprülü died in September 1661, he had built on the island the businesses of a coffee-house, a bakery, 84 shops, and nine mills; a watermill; two mosques; a school; a rest stop for travelers and a stable; and a bath-house.
Rabbits which drew the attention of Tafur two-and-a-half centuries ago were apparently still abundant in the mid 17th century. In 1659 the traveler Evliya Çelebi was sent to the island with the task of collecting game for the Sultan Mehmed IV. The disorder of the 1600s hampered supply lines and caused grain shortages in Bozcaada.
As a result of the series of setbacks Ottomans faced in Rumelia during the later years of the reign of Mehmed IV, with the Grand Vizier being Sarı Süleyman Pasha, the forces at the island are reported to have mutinied in 1687 with parts of the rest of the army. These widespread mutinies would result in the deposing of the Sultan and the Grand Vizier that year.
In 1691 the Venetians and allies formed a war council to discuss retaking the island. The council met regularly at the galley of Domenico Mocenigo, the captain-general of the Venetian fleet. By this time, the only people on the island were those in the fort. Mocenigo estimated their number to be around 300, and the fort to be weakly buttressed. On 17 July 1691 the war council met off the waters of the island and decided to retake Tenedos since it was, per their estimate, weakly defended but famous. As a first step they decided to gather informa
Tenedos