The Battle of Mohács in 1526 and its consequences. The Battle of the same name of 1687

The Battle of Mohacs is a battle that took place in the 16th century on Hungarian territory. Also called the battle of the 17th century, which took place not far from this settlement. These two fights were of great importance to the Central European countries, whose destinies were closely connected with the Turkish domination in the region.

These events were the result of the policy of the Ottoman Empire to expand its territory at the expense of the Slavic and German states, which, naturally, provoked a response from local peoples and countries, which resulted in open confrontation.

Prerequisites for the First Battle

The Battle of Mohács in 1526 was the result of complex internal and external contradictions that accumulated inside the Hungarian Kingdom at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries. At this time, the royal power in the country was greatly weakened, the state was torn apart by internal strife and contradictions, which led to numerous peasant uprisings, as well as to the resistance of national minorities against the policy of Magyarization. In addition, the economy was also in a rather difficult state. The fact is that because of the separation of the country from international trade routes and the decline of the Danube route, the material position of the population was at a rather low level. All this contributed to the success of the Ottoman army in the battle.

The alignment of forces

The Battle of Mohács in 1526 occurred near a small settlement on the right bank of the Danube River. Here the Hungarian and Ottoman troops came together, the latter outnumbering and arming the strength of its rival twice. Commanded them Sultan Suleiman I, and the Hungarian army was led by King Lajos II. The backbone of his fighting forces was made up of mercenaries from neighboring Slavic countries, as well as a number of German principalities. However, his strength was significantly weakened by the fact that the Croatian knights did not manage to help him, and also the support of the Transylvanian prince. The Hungarians made the main bet on the cavalry, which, according to their plan, was supposed to crush the Turkish infantry under the cover of guns.

Course of battle

The battle of Mohac began with the attack of the Hungarian cavalry on the Turkish infantry. At first, success accompanied them, and they began to hustle out the enemy's detachments according to plan. Seeing such success, the Hungarian army intensified the onslaught and began to pursue the retreating enemy, but very soon fell under the crossfire of Turkish cannons. Having a significant numerical superiority in the forces, the Turks began to press them to the Danube and did not allow them to retreat in an organized manner. The remnants of the Hungarian troops fled, the remaining ones were taken prisoner and executed. During the retreat, the king himself and his detachment perished. The Battle of Mohac opened the Ottoman army to the Hungarian capital, which fell after two weeks.

Effects

The significance of this battle had sad consequences not only for Hungary, but also for Central Europe. This defeat led to the spread of Ottoman influence and domination on the Balkan Peninsula. The kingdom itself was divided into two parts: Ottoman Hungary was formed on the conquered lands, and the Austrian Habsburgs annexed the peripheral northern and western parts. Neighborhood of the Ottomans posed a serious threat to European states, which led to their unification to combat Turkish domination.

Prehistory of the Second Battle

The Battle of Mohache in 1687 was an important stage in the Great Turkish War, which was a series of conflicts between the 70s and 80s between the Ottoman Empire and the united European states. Within the framework of this confrontation, several wars took place, among which participants was our country. However, the main conflict erupted between the Austrian Habsburgs and the Turkish side.

A direct clash began in 1683, when the imperial side managed to repel the Turkish siege of Vienna, after which the initiative passed to the Europeans. The Austrians managed to achieve a number of successes, in particular, they won a number of fortresses, but their main achievement was the capture of the Hungarian capital of Buda.

Battle

After that, the imperial troops decided to oppose the Turks. Their forces were divided into two parts under the command of Carl of Lorraine and Maximilian II. The Austrians managed to oust the Turks, despite the fact that the latter were well armed. At the same time, the victory was fairly easy, the losses of the Europeans were very small, while the Turks lost their main forces and weapons.

This defeat led to a crisis within the empire, to a coup d'etat and a change of power. After this battle the Hapsburgs gained the right to the Hungarian crown and tried to make the Battle of Mohács in 1526 and the defeat in it be forgotten. To do this, they gave their victory in 1687 to the same name, although the battle took place a few kilometers from this settlement.