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1593 siege during the Long Turkish War From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The siege of Veszprém[b] was a military siege undertaken by the Ottoman Empire in October 1593 against the city of Veszprém, situated on the Military Frontier and under Habsburg rule since 1566 when it was acquired from the Ottomans.[2] The Ottoman forces were led by Koca Sinan Pasha whilst the Habsburg garrison was commanded by Ferdinánd Zamaria. The siege was the first major engagement of the Long Turkish War, and resulted in the Ottomans capturing the city.[3]
| Siege of Veszprém | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Long Turkish War | |||||||||
Siege of Veszprém by Wilhelm Peter Zimmermann (1593) | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Ottoman Empire |
 Habsburg monarchy | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Sinan Pasha (WIA) Hasan Pasha Mehmed Pasha |
Ferdinánd Zamaria (POW) György Hofkirchen (POW) Ferdinánd Samarjay (POW) | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
Tens of thousands 30 cannons | 1,200 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 2,000–4,000 killed and injured |
Hundreds killed Hundreds taken captive Dozens deserted | ||||||||
  Location within Europe  Siege of Veszprém (Hungary) | |||||||||
After a prolonged war against Safavid Iran from which the Ottomans emerged victorious, they turned their eyes to Central Europe. Skirmishes across the Military Frontier between the Ottoman and Holy Roman empires was commonplace; akinjis and uskoks were the main culprits.[4] Emperor Rudolf II was also failing to pay 30,000 Hungarian ducats as annual tributes to Sultan Murad III, one of the provisions of the 1568 Treaty of Adrianople.[5] These combined factors greatly strained relations, and with the culmination of the Battle of Sisak, the Ottomans responded by waging war against the Habsburg monarchy on 29 July 1593. Thus, the Ottoman Empire was dragged into another decades-long conflict which was to be known as the Long Turkish War.[1]
By October 1593, Koca Sinan Pasha amassed a force numbering tens of thousands.[6] The pasha marched to the Military Frontier alongside his son, Mehmed Pasha, Beylerbey of Greece. After reaching İstolni Belgrad (under Ottoman control since 1543),[7] Sinan Pasha advanced towards Veszprém with the Beylerbey of the Budin Eyalet, Sokulluzade Hasan Pasha.[8]
Having reached Veszprém, Sinan Pasha besieged it. The garrison consisted of 1,200 soldiers, most of whom were German landsknechts. They were commanded by Ferdinánd Zamaria and Baron András György Hofkirchen. Sinan Pasha launched several attacks against the castle, but had little luck at first. After it rained heavily, the pasha resumed and intensified the attacks. Although the walls had been thoroughly damaged, the guards were determined to defend the city. This prompted Sinan Pasha to bring two more siege engines carried by 100 oxen from Székesfehérvár. Thanks to the engines, one of the towers of the city was heavily damaged and large fires spread across the settlement. With the morale of the defenders plummeting, Ferdinánd Samarjay, the mayor of the city, held a speech saying that it would be better to die heroically than to cowardly escape. However, this had little effect on the diminishing optimism of the soldiers who still refused to repair the damaged walls as they were convinced all efforts would be in vain.[9]
Acknowledging that Veszprém was on the verge on collapse, the commanders organised a meeting to devise an escape plan. Survivors were to escape through the nearby forest as the pasha divided his forces into two. A section of the wall surrounding the city was broken by the garrison to initiate the escape. Although dozens successfully escaped, many were killed after gunpowder barrels intended to trap Janissaries exploded in a market, resulting in casualties on both sides. Hearing the commotion, other Ottoman soldiers chased the escaping Germans and Hungarians, killing and capturing hundreds. All of the commanders were captured, as was the city. In total, the Ottomans had 2000–4000 injured or killed, while Sinan Pasha was said to have been seriously wounded.[9]
The date of the siege is disputed. Whilst some historians claim it took place between 3 and 6 October,[8] others have said that the siege ended on 13 October.[10][11] The duration of the siege is also a matter of contention. Although some historians have written that the siege lasted three days,[8] others have argued it lasted four days.[12]
Remaining only two days in Veszprém, Sinan Pasha made his way to Várpalota and successfully besieged it in two days.[9]
Meanwhile, Veszprém was made a Sanjak of the Budin Eyalet, and a Sanjak-bey by the name of İskender was appointed to overrule the territory.[2]
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