Battle of Sisak
Battle of Sisak | |||||||
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Part of the Hundred Years' Croatian-Ottoman War | |||||||
Christians Before Sisak, Croatia A.D. 1593 (from book by Hieronymus Oertel, Nuremberg 1665) | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Lika |
Commanders of Sisak garrison: Matija Fintić † Commanders of Christian joint relief army: Ruprecht von Eggenberg | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
12,000[3]–16,000[4][5] |
Sisak garrison: Relief army: Altogether: 4,300–5,800 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
8,000[4][9] killed or drowned | 50[9]–500[10] |
The Battle of Sisak
Between 1591 and 1593 the Ottoman military governor of Bosnia,
On 15 June 1593, Sisak was once again besieged by the Bosnian
On 22 June, the Austro-Croatian relief army launched a surprise attack on the besieging forces, and at the same time the garrison came out of the fortress to join the attack; the ensuing battle resulted in a crushing defeat for the Bosnian Ottoman army, with Hasan Pasha being killed in action and almost all of his army being wiped out. The battle of Sisak is considered the main catalyst for the start of the Long War which raged between the Habsburgs and the Ottomans from 1593 to 1606.
Background
The central authorities of both the
Although their strength was depleted from the constant conflicts on the border, in the late 16th century Croatian fortified cities were able to hold Ottoman forces at bay.[13] During this period, Ottoman Bosnian forces had made several attempts to seize major forts and towns across the Una and Sava rivers. On 26 October 1584, smaller Ottoman units were defeated at the battle of Slunj, and on 6 December 1586 near Ivanić-Grad.[8] However, Ottoman raids and attacks were increasing and the Croatian nobility were fighting without Habsburg support.[11]
The
Premise
In August 1591, without a declaration of war,
In June 1592 Hasan Pasha captured Bihać and directed his forces towards Sisak for the second time. The fall of Bihać caused fear in Croatia since it had stood on the border for decades.[17] Hasan Pasha also successfully captured and burnt the Ban's military encampment in Brest on 19 July 1592, built by Erdődy a few months earlier near Petrinja. The camp had around 3,000 men, while the Ottoman forces had around 7–8,000. On 24 July, the Ottomans started besieging Sisak, but lifted the siege after 5 days of fighting and having suffered heavy losses, leaving the region of Turopolje ravaged. These events encouraged the Emperor to engage in further efforts in order to stop the Ottomans, whose actions were being halted by the winter.[8][18]
Battle
In the spring of 1593,
Croatian Ban Tamás Erdődy set out to relieve the besieged town with 1,240 of his soldiers. He was joined by Andreas von Auersperg with 300 mounted archebusiers from Kranjska and Carinthia, then by Ruprecht Eggenberg with 300 German soldiers, by Stjepan Grasswein, commander of the Slavonian
On 22 June, between eleven and twelve o'clock, Erdődy and Auersperg's forces attacked Ottoman positions with Erdődy's army in front, consisting such an army of Croatian Hussars and infantry.[5][24] The first assault was repulsed by the Ottoman cavalry. Then the soldiers of Colonel Auersperg joined the attack, followed by Eggenberg's and other commanders' troops, forcing the Ottomans to retreat towards the Kupa River. The army of Hasan Pasha was driven into a corner between the rivers Odra and the Kupa, with the bridge across the Kupa being taken by soldiers from Karlovac.[5][24] The Sisak garrison led by Blaž Đurak attacked the remaining Ottoman forces that were besieging Sisak. Caught between two Christian army flanks, the Ottomans panicked and started a chaotic retreat, trying to swim across the Kupa River and reach their camp. The bulk of the army, with most of its commanders, end up either slaughtered or drowned in the river.[6]
The battle lasted around one hour and ended in a total defeat for the Ottomans. Predojević (Nikola Predojević was the original name of Telli Hasan Pasha) did not survive the battle. Among the Ottoman commanders that were killed or had drowned in the Kupa were
Aftermath and consequences
Christian Europe was delighted at the pompous reports of the victory at Sisak. Pope Clement VIII praised the Christian military leaders, sending a letter of gratitude to Ban Erdődy, while King Philip II of Spain named Erdődy a knight of the Order of Saint Saviour. The Diocese of Zagreb built a chapel in the village of Greda, near Sisak, to commemorate the victory, and the bishop decreed that a mass of thanksgiving should be held every 22 June in Zagreb. The cloak of Hasan Pasha was given to the Ljubljana Cathedral.[27] Blaž Đurak, commander of the Sisak garrison, was awarded by the Croatian Parliament for his contribution to the victory.[28]
Ban Tamás Erdődy wished to take advantage of the victory and to take Petrinja, where the remnants of the Ottoman army had fled to. However, Colonel General Eggenberg considered that there was not enough food supply for their army and the attack on Petrinja was halted.
During that war, the Ottomans managed to take Sisak. On 24 August 1593, the Ottomans took advantage of the absence of a large army nearby Sisak, which was defended by 100 soldiers only. With strong cannon fire they managed to break through the walls, and on 30 August the fortress surrendered. On 10 September 1593, Sisak was captured by an Ottoman army under the command of Mehmed Pasha, Beglerbeg of
Legacy
As the battle took place on Croatian territory and the main body of the Christian defenders consisted of Croatian troops, the victory has ever since played a major role in the historiography of Croatia. The Croatian government issued a commemorative stamp in 1993 called "Victory at Sisak".[35] The traditional daily ringing of the small bell of Zagreb Cathedral, at 2 PM, is in memory of the battle, as it was the bishop of Zagreb who had borne the large part of the costs of the Sisak fortress.[36]
Since fighters from neighbouring Carniola and Styria reinforced the defenders, the battle is also a part of the Slovenian tradition. On 22 June 1993, the
See also
Notes
References
- ISBN 978-3-631-57011-1.
- ISBN 978-1-317-31963-4.
- ^ a b Oto Luthar: The Land Between: A History of Slovenia (Peter Lang GmbH, 2008), p. 215
- ^ Khevenhüller(1588–1650), Annales Ferdinandei, Leipzig: Weidmann 1721–1726, vol. IV, p. 1093.
- ^ a b c d Ive Mažuran: Povijest Hrvatske od 15. stoljeća do 18. stoljeća, p. 146
- ^ a b c d Vjekoslav Klaić: Povijest Hrvata od najstarijih vremena do svršetka XIX. stoljeća, Knjiga peta, Zagreb, 1988, p. 496
- ^ Ivo Goldstein: Sisačka bitka 1593., Zagreb, 1994, p. 104
- ^ ISBN 953-214-197-9
- ^ ISBN 978-3-631-57011-1.
- ^ Bánlaky József: A magyar nemzet hadtörténelme; A sziszeki csata 1593 június 22.-én
- ^ a b Gábor Ágoston, Bruce Alan Masters: Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire, Infobase Publishing, 2009, p. 164
- ^ Ivo Goldstein: Sisačka bitka 1593., Zagreb, 1994, p. 30
- ^ Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia, 2011, p. 188
- ^ Gulhan, Muhammet. "Yeni Belgelerin Işığında Telli Hasan Paşa'nın Osmanlı-Habsburg Sınırındaki Faaliyetleri (1591–1593)". Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi (in Turkish). 7: 1263 – via Dergipark.
- ^ Vjekoslav Klaić: Povijest Hrvata od najstarijih vremena do svršetka XIX. stoljeća, Knjiga peta, Zagreb, 1988, p. 471
- ^ a b Moačanin, Nenad: Some Problems of Interpretation of Turkish Sources concerning the Battle of Sisak in 1593, in: Nazor, Ante et al (ed.), Sisačka bitka 1593 Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, Proceedings of the Meeting from 18–19 June 1993. Zagreb-Sisak (1994); pp. 125–130.
- ^ Vjekoslav Klaić: Povijest Hrvata od najstarijih vremena do svršetka XIX. stoljeća, Knjiga peta, Zagreb, 1988, p. 480
- ^ Vjekoslav Klaić: Povijest Hrvata od najstarijih vremena do svršetka XIX. stoljeća, Knjiga peta, Zagreb, 1988, pp. 483–486
- ISBN 978-1-59884-337-8.
- ^ Hivzija Hasandedić (1990). Muslimanska baština u istočnoj Hercegovini (Muslim heritage in eastern Herzegovina). El-Kalem, Sarajevo. p. 168.
- ^ Mustafa Naima (1832). Annals of the Turkish Empire from 1591 to 1659 of the Christian Era. Oriental Translation Fund. pp. 14–15.
- ^ Aleksije Olesnički, Tko nosi odgovornost za poraz turske vojske kod Siska 20. ramazana 1001. godine (22. lipnja 1593)? // Vjesnik Arheološkog muzeja u Zagrebu, sv. 22–23, br. 1, (1942), pp. 115–173 [130]
- ^ Mislav Barić, Dugi rat u Hrvatskoj: ratnici i ratništvo (Kriegswesen): diplomski rad, Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, 2015, p. 69
- ^ a b Vjekoslav Klaić: Povijest Hrvata od najstarijih vremena do svršetka XIX. stoljeća, Knjiga peta, Zagreb, 1988, pp. 494–495
- ^ Radoslav Lopašić: Spomenici Hrvatske krajine: Od god. 1479–1610, Zagreb, 1884, pp. 179–180
- ^ Radoslav Lopašić: Spomenici Hrvatske krajine: Od god. 1479–1610, Zagreb, 1884, pp. 182–184; General Andrija Auersperg izvješćuje nadvojvodu Ernsta o porazu Turaka pod Siskom.
- ^ a b Vjekoslav Klaić: Povijest Hrvata od najstarijih vremena do svršetka XIX. stoljeća, Knjiga peta, Zagreb, 1988, p. 497
- ^ Ivo Goldstein: Sisačka bitka 1593., Zagreb, 1994, p. 73
- ^ a b Ive Mažuran: Povijest Hrvatske od 15. stoljeća do 18. stoljeća, p. 148
- ISBN 0-521-29163-1.
- OCLC 283479874.
- ^ Alexander Mikaberidze: Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia, 2011, p. 152–153
- ^ Trpimir Macan: Povijest hrvatskog naroda, 1971, p. 207
- ISBN 953-214-197-9
- ^ "HRVATSKE POVIJESNE BITKE – POBJEDA KOD SISKA".
- ^ Bruno Sušanj, Zagreb – Tourist Guide, Zagreb: Masmedia Nikola Štambak, 2006, p. 22
- ^ "400 years anniversary of the battle at Sisak", bsi.si (1993); accessed 22 June 2014.
- ^ Pošta Slovenije: 1993 Stamps – 400th anniversary of the Battle of Sisak, 22 June 1993; accessed 22 June 2014.
- ^ Copland, Fanny S. (1949). "The Battle of Sisek". The Slavonic and East European Review. 27: 339–344.
Literature
- Stanford J. Shaw (1976), History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey: Vol. 1: Empire of Gazis, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; ISBN 0521291631.
- Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall, Geschichte des Osmanischen Reiches Großentheils aus bisher unbenützten Handschriften und Archiven. Vol. 4: Vom Regierungsantritte Murad des Dritten bis zur zweyten Entthronung Mustafa des Ersten 1574–1623, Budapest: C. A. Hartleben, 1829. Reprint: Graz: Akademische Druck-u. Verlagsanstalt, 1963.
- Alfred H. Loebl, Das Reitergefecht bei Sissek vom 22. Juni 1593. Mitteilungen des Instituts für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung IX (1915), pp. 767–787. (German)
- Peter Radics, Die Schlacht bei Sissek, 22. Juni 1593, Ljubljana: Josef Blasnik, 1861 (German)
- Fanny S. Copland (translation from 18th century Slovene), The Slavonic and East European Review, vol. 27, no. 69, 1949, pp. 339–344, "The Battle of Sisek."