Stephen V Báthory
Stephen Báthory of Ecsed (
Family history
The
Career
In 1467, he took part in Matthias' bitter defeat against Moldavia at the
Battle of Bread Field
In 1479, Báthory was made governor of Transylvania and in late August 1479, an Ottoman expedition from Bosnia, commanded by twelve pashas, invaded Transylvania with a force of 43,000 men.[8] The Turks moved very quickly through the land while pillaging it, giving Báthory little time to gather his militia at Sibiu.[8] Pál Kinizsi, the Ban of Timișoara, promised to aid Báthory. As Báthory approached Sebeș, Ali Bey, one of the Turkish pashas, had raised camp on a plain between Mureș and Sebeș, unaware that Kinizsi was also on his way against him.[8]
On the early morning of 13 October, Báthory appeared on the "heights beyond the brook."[8] Ali was forced to stand ground in order to secure an eventual withdrawal and evacuate his booty."[9] Báthory ordered his army to prepare for battle: his 3,000 Transylvanian Saxons, supported by a second line of Transylvanian Wallachians, comprised the right flank on the river Mureș, while the Hungarians comprised the left flank; he and his heavy cavalry were placed in the middle.[10] The Ottoman leaders were in disagreement and had their preparations for the battle delayed; after "three hours of idle waiting, Báthory, confident that Pál Kinizsi would arrive any minute, gave the order to attack."[10] The Transylvanian Saxons opened the attack, but were routed; the Transylvanian Wallachians experienced the same fate, with many being wounded or killed; later, the Hungarian line would be pressured to retreat to the centre.[10] Báthory then charged with his heavy cavalry, but fell off his horse; this alarmed his companions, who interpreted it as a bad omen and advised him to either turn back or retreat to the mountains.[10] He ignored their advice and, as head of his cavalry, charged the first Ottoman line with great force, routing them.[10] Ali then charged with his cavalry and a fierce battle took place that lasted for three hours.[10] Báthory was seriously injured, bleeding from six wounds; "his horse had been killed under him."[10] Surrounded by a "wall of corpses" and barely holding onto his life, he was about to lose the battle when Kinizsi's army appeared on the hill, announcing their presence with drums and trumpets.[10] Some 900 Serbs under a Demeter Jakšić, assisted by "numerous courtiers of the king", charged against the Turks.[10] The Turks, who were taken by surprise, were slaughtered by the furious Kinizsi; after a renewed attack, he managed to save Báthory.[10]
The few Turks who survived the massacre fled into the mountains, where the majority were killed by the local population.[11] Ali, who spoke Romanian put on some peasant clothes and fled to Wallachia.[12] Some 30,000 Turks died in the battle, whereas Báthory lost 8,000 Hungarians and some 2,000 Transylvanian Saxons and Transylvanian Wallachians.[12] The two commanders feasted together with their troops, with Kinizsi dancing with a dead Turk as his companion.[12]
Aftermath
Báthory was accused of using excessive cruelty against the Székely in Transylvania and was deposed by
Footnotes
- ^ Simon Kezai, Lázló Veszprémy, Frank Schaer (ed.), Gesta Hungarorum: The Deeds of the Hungarians (Central European Medieval Texts).
- ISBN 3-87410-038-3.
- ISBN 3-87410-038-3.
- ^ a b c d e Dracula: Prince of many faces - His life and his times p. 170
- ^ Mehmed the Conqueror and his time p. 245
- ^ Dracula: Prince of many faces - His life and his times p. 171
- ^ a b c d e f g Dracula: Prince of many faces - His life and his times p. 172
- ^ a b c d Mehmed the Conqueror and his time p. 374
- ^ Mehmed the Conqueror and his time p. 374-75
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mehmed the Conqueror and his time p. 375
- ^ Mehmed the Conqueror and his time p. 375-76
- ^ a b c Mehmed the Conqueror and his time p. 376
- ^ În jurul bătaliei de la Vaslui (1474-1475). Considerații asupra relațiilor dintre regatul Ungariei, Moldova și Țara Româneasca
References
- C. Tóth, Norbert (2009). "Ki kicsoda az ecsedi Bátori családban: A Bátori család ecsedi ágának tagjai, 1377-1541 [Who is Who in the Bátori of Ecsed Family: Members of the Ecsed Branch of the Bátori Family, 1377-1541]". Szabolcs-Szatmár-Beregi Szemle (in Hungarian). 48 (1): 5–47. ISSN 0133-2465.
- Florescu, R. Radu; McNally, T. Raymond. Dracula: Prince of many faces - His life and his times. ISBN 978-0-316-28656-5
- Horváth, Richárd; Neumann, Tibor (2012). Ecsedi Bátori István: Egy katonabáró életpályája (1458-1493) [Stephen Bátori of Ecsed: The Career of a Warrior Baron (1458-1493)] (in Hungarian). MTA Bölcsészettudományi Kutatóközpont Történettudományi Intézet. ISBN 978-963-9627-46-8.
- OCLC 716361786.
- Kezai, Simon; Veszprémy, Lázló. Frank Schaer (ed.), Gesta Hungarorum: The Deeds of the Hungarians (Central European Medieval Texts). Central European University Press, 1999. ISBN 963-9116-31-9
- Simon, Alexandru. În jurul bătaliei de la Vaslui (1474–1475). Considerații asupra relațiilor dintre regatul Ungariei, Moldova și Țara Româneasca. Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai; Historia, XLIX, 2, 2004
- Wertner, Moritz. "Urgeschlechter in Siebenbürgen.", in Archiv des Vereins für siebenbürgische Landeskunde. Neue Folge, Bd. 29, Heft 1 (1899), Hermannstadt 1899, p. 156-235.
- Farin, Michel. Heroine des Grauens. Elisabeth Báthory. Munich: P. Kirchheim, 2003. ISBN 3-87410-038-3.