Battle of Mohacs

[Darto]

One of the three most important battles in the history in my opinion. Constantinople, Mohacs, Khotyn.

The first in 1453 ended the thousand year Eastern Roman Empire. Mehmed the Conqueror surely the greatest Islam commander of all time and his professional Janissaries smashed Christendom to pieces. Allah was now in command of all the East.

In the second 1526 Suleiman the Great smashed King Louis II and the great Hungarian Magyar golden age was ground to dust, Islam now had carved off a huge slice of Europe which they would hold in part until World War I ended in 1918.

Vienna 1683. If Vienna falls then Islam will probably overrun all of Europe and we all would speaking Arabic in America today. But the greatest cavalry charge in history saved the day for the Christian coalition. 18,000 horseman charged and swept the infidels from the field. Led by 3,000 Polish Winged Hussars with Sobieski himself out in front.

Hungarian Magyars vs. Ottoman chess set by Fame:

Mehmed II vs. Constantine: chessset by Backgammons of Turkey.
Constantine

Mehmet II's Jannisary pawn on the left (you cans also see one in Indiana Jones). Christian pawn on right.

Jannisary on parade in Turkey:

Capandball is an important member of a team studying the historical battle site of Mohacs for the 500th aniversary in 2026. Interestingly he identifies the battle site in part because the roundballs found were not lead, but mostly tin. He says pure led balls came much later in history.

 

[Diogenes454]

The Poles saved Europe and Christianity!
There is a movie floating around about the siege of Vienna and the Winged Hussars!
Thanks for the post!

 

[Enfield58]

 

[Diogenes454]

Just finished the video... Fascinating! I want one of those arquebus.
And a push button trigger wow!

 

[cynthialee]

I am really interested in that push button trigger.
But I find myself thinking the squeeze button would cause some windage wander, whereas our trigger systems tend to cause elevation wander.

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
Don't forget the siege of Guns in 1532 where 700 Croatians held off 19 assaults by possibly 100,000+ Ottomans under Suleiman the Great. They delayed the Turks long enough such that the Turkish attack on Vienna could not happen that year. That was a time in which the Habsburgs and much of Europe were divided by the Reformation and strife amongst themselves weakened any united European response to the Ottomans. Guns is called Koszeg today and the name Nickola Juresich should be honored by every European.

dave

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Baron Nikola Jurišić, 1490 – 1545, was a Croatian nobleman, soldier, and diplomat. He is first mentioned in 1522 as an officer of Ferdinand I of Habsburg's troops deployed in Croatian forts in defense against the invasion of the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman I, advancing towards Vienna. Between 1522 and 1526, he obtained knighthood.

After the Battle of Mohács in 1526, the King made him the supreme army commander of the armed forces defending the borders. Jurišić in turn helped Ferdinand of Habsburg become the king of Croatia by brokering the 1527 election in Cetin. In 1530, Jurišić was sent to Constantinople to negotiate with the Ottomans for peace.

In 1532, Captain Nikola Jurišić defended the small border fort of Kőszeg (Kingdom of Hungary) with only 700 – 800 Croatian soldiers, with no cannons and few guns, preventing the advance of the Turkish army of 120,000 – 140,000 toward Vienna.

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
The Turks used sappers to mine the walls of Guns and many fights took place underground in those tunnels. The battle kind of puts the Alamo in perspective.

dave