View source for Habsburg–Ottoman war of 1540–1547


{{more footnotes|date=January 2024}}
{{Short description|War between Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Ottoman–Habsburg war of 1540–1547
| place             = [[Balkans]], [[Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867)|Kingdom of Hungary]]
| partof            = [[Ottoman–Habsburg wars]]<br />[[Little War in Hungary]]
| result            = Ottoman victory
| combatant1        = {{flagicon |Ottoman Empire|1517}} [[Ottoman Empire]]<br />{{flagicon image|Coat of arms of Crimean Khanate.svg}} [[Crimean Khanate]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Moldavia according to Alexander Gwagnin.svg}} [[Moldavia]]<br />{{flagicon|Kingdom of France|Valois}} [[Kingdom of France]]<br />[[File:Coa Hungary Country History John I of Hungary (Szapolyai) (1526-1540).svg|20px]] [[Eastern Hungarian Kingdom|Eastern Hungary]]
| combatant2        = [[File:Bindenschild Privilegium maius 1512.svg|15px]] [[Habsburg Monarchy]]<br />{{flagicon|Holy Roman Empire}} [[Holy Roman Empire]]<br />[[File:Coa Hungary Country History (19th Century).svg|14px]] [[Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867)|Kingdom of Hungary]]<br />{{flagicon|Papal States|old}} [[Papal States]]<br />[[File:St._Blaise_-_State_Flag_of_the_Ragusan_Republic.svg|20px]][[Republic of Ragusa]]<br />{{flag|Republic of Venice}}<br />[[File:Coa Croatia Country History (Fojnica Armorial).svg|20px]] [[Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg)|Kingdom of Croatia]]<br />{{flagicon|Bohemia}} [[Kingdom of Bohemia]]
| commander1        = [[Suleiman the Magnificent|Suleiman I]]<br />[[Hadim Suleiman Pasha]]<br />[[Devlet I Giray]]<br />[[Petru Rareș]]<br />[[George Martinuzzi]]<br />[[Bálint Török]]<br />[[John Zápolya]]<br />[[Şehzade Mehmed]]<br />[[Selim II]]<br />[[Şehzade Bayezid]]<br />[[Rüstem Pasha]]
| image             = Budavár ostroma 1541.jpg
| caption           = Siege of Buda in 1541
| commander2        = [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand I]]<br />[[Wilhelm von Roggendorf]]{{DOW}}<br />[[Nikola IV Zrinski]]<br />[[Alessandro Vitelli]]<br />[[Hans von Ungnad]]<br />[[Joachim Brandenburg]]
| strength1         = 93,000
| strength2         = '''1540''': 7,300<br />'''1541''': 28,800<br />'''1542''': 54,600<br />'''1543''': 16,000
| casualties1       = Unknown
| casualties2       = Unknown
| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Ottoman-Habsburg Wars}}
{{Campaignbox Little War in Hungary}}
| date              = 1540–1547
}}
The '''Ottoman–Habsburg war of 1540–1547''' was a conflict between the [[Ottoman Empire]] and the [[Habsburg monarchy]] supported by their [[vassal]]s. The war ended in Ottoman victory in 1547 after signing the [[Truce of Adrianople (1547)|peace of Edirne]].
== Background ==
The [[Ottoman Empire]], under the reign of [[Sultan]] [[Suleiman the Magnificent]], had emerged as a formidable force stretching across [[Asia]], [[Africa]], and [[Europe]]. With a military prowess that struck fear into the hearts of its adversaries, the Ottomans set their sights on expanding deeper into [[Central Europe]]. In contrast, the [[Habsburg monarchy|Habsburg Monarchy]], led by [[Emperor]] [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]], stood as a sprawling conglomerate of territories, with the Kingdom of Hungary becoming the crucible of imperial competition.
Religious fault lines further fueled the conflict, as the Ottoman Empire, a [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] Islamic power, clashed with the predominantly [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] Habsburgs. The [[Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867)|Kingdom of Hungary]], a diverse region home to various religious and ethnic groups, became the epicenter of this religious and geopolitical tug-of-war.
== War ==
{{See also|Siege of Buda (1541)|Siege of Székesfehérvár (1543)}}
The initial stages of the war were marked by a series of skirmishes and border conflicts, with both empires jockeying for strategic advantage. The [[Battle of Güns]] in 1537 set the stage, as Ottoman forces, led by [[Grand vizier|Grand Vizier]] [[Rüstem Pasha]], clashed with the [[House of Habsburg|Habsburgs]], led by [[Nikola IV Zrinski|Nikola Šubić Zrinski]]. These early engagements highlighted the intricate dance of military tactics, with [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[artillery]] and [[Janissary]] infantry confronting [[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]] [[Landsknecht|Landsknechts]] and innovative [[infantry]] formations.
=== Fall of Buda ===
The army of [[Sultan]] [[Suleiman the Magnificent]] occupied the castle of [[Buda]] on 29 August 1541.<ref name="Garnier, p.200">Garnier, p.200</ref> In fact, the Turks had decided to seize the capital of Hungary because King [[John Zápolya]] died and his newborn son, János Zsigmond was under the care of Queen Isabela who was attempting to side with the Habsburgs. Suleiman didn’t trust her and after defeating the [[Habsburg monarchy|Habsburg]] army that was besieging Buda, he marched into the castle in order to oppose the Habsburgs’ future attacks.
The [[Siege of Esztergom (1543)|Siege of Esztergom]] followed the failed attempt by [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand I of Austria]] to recapture [[Buda]] in 1542 However, Suleiman refrained from moving further on to [[Vienna]] this time, apparently because he had no news of the campaigns of his [[Kingdom of France|French]] allies in western Europe and in the Mediterranean.<ref name="Mehmet">İpçioğlu, Mehmet. [https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/112663 "Kanuni Süleyman'ın Estergon (Esztergom) Seferi 1543."] Osmanlı Araştırmaları 10, no. 10 (1990).</ref>
[[File:Suleiman arrives to the Siege of Székesfehérvár, 1543.jpg|left|thumb|301x301px|Suleiman arrives to the Siege of Székesfehérvár]]
=== Fall of Székesfehérvár ===
In April 1543 Suleiman launched another campaign in Hungary, bringing back Bran and other forts so that much of Hungary was under Ottoman control.<ref name="Mehmet" /> As part of a [[Franco-Ottoman alliance]], French troops were supplied to the Ottomans in Hungary; a French artillery unit was dispatched in 1543–1544 and attached to the [[Ottoman Army]]. In August 1543, the Ottoman succeeded in the [[Siege of Esztergom (1543)|siege of Esztergom]] The siege was followed by the capture of the Hungarian coronation city of [[Székesfehérvár]] in September 1543. Other cities that were captured during this campaign were [[Siklós]] and [[Szeged]], in order to better protect [[Buda]]. However, continuous delay of the push toward the west, because of the siege of these fortresses, meant that the Ottomans could not launch any new offensive against Austria.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Thúry |first=József |title=Török történetírók: 1521 - 1566 (Turkish historians: 1521 - 1566) |publisher=Magyar Tudományos Akadémia |year=1896 |volume=2 |location=Budapest |pages=349–355 |language=hu}}</ref>
After the successful Ottoman campaign, a first truce of one year was signed with [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] in 1545, through the intermediary of [[Francis I of France]]. Suleiman himself was interested in ending the hostilities, as he had a campaign going on in Persia as well, the [[Ottoman–Safavid War (1532–1555)]].<ref name=":0" />
In 1544, Suleiman was called east by another conflict, as war with [[Iran|Persia]] resumed. However, the military superiority of the Turks prevailed even without the sultan. The army of [[Yahyaoğlu]], [[Mehmed Pasha of Buda|Mehmed Pasha]] of [[Buda]], together with the troops of the other [[Bey|Beys]], was just enough to carry out further conquests in the further stages of the war. The significant military superiority of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] army is indicated by the fact that Mehmed conquered [[Tolna County|Tolna]] by the end of 1545, which he completed with the complete subjugation of [[Döbrököz]] and the capture of [[Ozora]], [[Simontornya]] and [[Tamási|Tamasi]]. For Imre Werbőczy, who was in charge of the defense of Tolna, this was an extremely big blow, because as a fierce enemy of the Ottomans, he used all his strength to weaken and hinder the Turkish expansion. With the loss of Tolna, he was deprived of his most important base, so from then on he could not act as effectively against the Turks as he had done before.
Among Mehmed Pasha's conquests, the capture of [[Visegrád]] and the fall of [[Hatvan]] and [[Nógrád]] to the Turks on the other side of the [[Danube]] should be highlighted, the guard of the former fled to [[Eger]] after setting fire to the palisade, while Visegrád was given up by [[Péter Amádé]] after running out of drinking water.
[[File:Bemberg Fondation Toulouse - Portrait paintings of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor by Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen Inv.1056.jpg|left|thumb|204x204px|Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor]]
[[File:EmperorSuleiman.jpg|thumb|207x207px|Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent]]
To raise a relief army, the 1544th Army was formed. There was not a single case of fighting in the years.
Turkish attacks continued in [[Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg)|Croatia]]. After capturing [[Velika Gorica|Velika]], [[Bosnia Eyalet|Bosnian]] [[Ulema pasha|Pasha Ulema]] defeated the Croatian-German troops coming to relieve him, led by [[Nikola IV Zrinski|Nikola Zrinski]].
On the Christian side, we know of only one or two successful clashes in the country. One was the battle near [[Somlóvásárhely]], where the cavalry coming from [[Győr]] drove away the [[Crimean Tatars|Tatars]] fighting on the side of the Sultan, and another near [[Szálka|Szalka]], where the army of the Beg of [[Esztergom]] was defeated by the illustrious armies of [[György Thurzó]].<ref name=":1">Garnier, p.201</ref>
== Aftermath ==
The [[sultan]] needed peace on the western front of his empire because he wanted to launch a campaign against the [[Safavid Iran|Persians]]. However, Sultan [[Suleiman the Magnificent|Suleiman]] demanded a high price for peace with [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand]] who had to pay a humiliating sum of 30,000 gold [[Forints]] in exchange for governing Western Hungary that the sultan “mercifully ceded him”. It was much higher than the tax paid by [[George Martinuzzi|Martinuzzi]] to the [[Sublime Porte]]. The [[Treaty of Edirne (1547)|Treaty of Edirne]] originally was set for five years but Ferdinand broke it in 1549 when he made a secret treaty with Martinuzzi about taking over [[Transylvania]].
The Turks enforced their occupation of [[Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg)|Croatia]] and [[Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867)|Hungary]], while the [[archduke]] paid taxes for the rest of the territory. The peace gave Ferdinand some time to establish a defensive line, some kind of border fortress system, because he had no other chance of stopping the Turks.<ref name=":1" />
== References ==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Habsburg–Ottoman wars in Hungary (1526–1568)]]
[[Category:1540s in the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:1540s in the Habsburg monarchy]]
[[Category:Wars involving Hungary]]
[[Category:Wars involving the Habsburg monarchy]]
[[Category:Wars involving the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Wars involving the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Wars involving the Papal States]]
[[Category:Wars involving Moldavia]]
[[Category:Wars involving France]]
[[Category:Wars involving Croatia]]
[[Category:Wars involving Bohemia]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Crimean Khanate]]
[[Category:Military history of the Republic of Ragusa]]
[[Category:Eastern Hungarian Kingdom]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1540]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1541]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1542]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1543]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1544]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1545]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1546]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1547]]