January 22, 1517 - The Ottoman Empire defeats the Mamluk Sultanate in the Battle of Ridaniya

For years, the Ottomans and the Mamluks had been at odds with each other, both having something the other wanted. The Ottomans, having conquered anatolia, wished to expand their influence to Egypt and the Levant, eventually hoping to conquer the Holy Cities of Jerusalem and Mecca. Meanwhile, the Mamluks, having control of these desert regions, wished to gain access to the spice trade, the choke point of which was in the city of Constantinople, which the Ottomans had recently conquered. The conflict that erupted in 1516 resulted in swift Ottoman victories at the battles of Marj Dabiq and Yaunis Khan, forcing the Mamluks to retreat to Egypt. In the battle of Ridaniya, the Mamluks fought so fiercely it was rumored that the Mamluk leader himself (Tuman bay II) reached the tent of the Ottoman Sultan (Selim I) before being slain. Regardless, the Mamluk armies were routed, and the capital city of Egypt, Cairo, was sacked just a few days later. Needless to say, the war was a landslide victory for the Ottomans, and spelt the end of the Mamluk Sultanate.