Battle of Mezőkeresztes
Battle of Mezögeresztes, Ottoman manuscript
| date | October 23, 1596 to October 26, 1596 |
|---|---|
| place | Mezőkeresztes , Hungary |
| output | Ottoman victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
Habsburg |
|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| approx. 90,000, of which approx. 5,000 mounted | 100,000, plus Tatar auxiliaries |
| losses | |
|
Estimates from around 12,000 to over 30,000 |
20,000-30,000 |
Sissek - Călugăreni - Mezőkeresztes - Schellenberg - Mirăslău - Guruslău
The battle of Mezőkeresztes was a battle of the Long Turkish War and took place from 23–26. October 1596 at Mezőkeresztes in the Eger area in today's Hungary .
Ottoman troops under Sultan Mehmed III. met the Austrian army under Archduke Maximilian von Habsburg together with allied Transylvanian troops under the leadership of the Transylvanian Prince Sigismund Báthory . The armies were separated by a small river, which also determined the course of the battle. On the first two days the Ottomans tried to attack across the river and were repulsed in the process. Here the problems of Turkish armies at river crossings became apparent, which were to lead to heavy defeats in the later battles of Mogersdorf ( Szentgotthárd ) in 1664 and Zenta in 1697. On the last day of the battle, the Habsburg troops attacked in turn across the river and suffered the decisive defeat. The imperial troops had already penetrated deep into the center of the Ottomans and had probably already started to plunder the enemy camp when they were decisively thrown back by a well-organized Ottoman counterattack. Austria lost 8,000 men (from 40,000 originally) during this battle, and it was the last major battle during this so-called Long Turkish War .
consequences
As a result, the way to Central Europe was opened. It was considered necessary to put Vienna in a state of defense. Emperor Rudolf II convened the Reichstag from 1597/98 to enforce further aid to the Turks . The state of war lasted until November 11th, 1606, but after this battle there were only minor siege skirmishes and a peace was negotiated as early as 1599. Despite the favorable outcome of the battle, the Sultan had to act as an equal negotiating partner for the first time in the Peace of Zsitvatorok . a. recognize also because of the danger of a two-front war with the Persian Safavids in the east of the empire. A one-time payment of 200,000 guilders ended the annual tribute that had previously been paid. The Long Turkish War was followed by a comparatively long phase of peace between the Ottoman Empire and Habsburg. It only ended in 1663 with the 4th Turkish War , which was supposed to shift the military balance in favor of the Habsburgs.
Individual evidence
- ^ Leopold Ranke: On German history. From Religious Peace to the Thirty Years War , Leipzig 1868, pp. 135 ff. Online version
