siege siege battle pronunciation hungarian croatian turkish siege fortress blocked line advance vienna battle fought defending forces monarchy leadership hungarian ban croatia invading ottoman army nominal command ottoman turkish battle resulted end independent ferdinand elected king nobles hungary croatia followed series conflicts allies fighting ottoman_empire little war hungary sides exhausted sustaining heavy casualties ottoman campaign hungary ceased offensive january went war time siege fought august september resulted ottoman victory heavy losses sides commanders died battle final charge tent natural causes turks fallen attacks man garrison killed final men killed day battle ottoman victory stopped ottoman push vienna year vienna threatened battle vienna importance battle considered great french clergyman statesman reported described battle saved civilization battle famous croatia hungary inspired hungarian epic poem siege croatian opera background august forces led king defeated battle ottoman forces led magnificent louis died battle resulted end independent died heir hungary croatia disputed territories claims ottoman ferdinand brother holy roman emperor married sister elected king nobles hungary croatia throne hungary subject dispute ferdinand promised ruler hungary ferdinand set enforce claim hungary captured relinquish hold ottoman counter attack stripped ferdinand territorial gains siege vienna attempt magnificent capture austrian capital siege signalled pinnacle ottoman power maximum extent ottoman expansion central europe little war years known little war following unsuccessful siege vienna ferdinand launched counter attack regain initiative assault driven ferdinand successful capturing forts danube river vital strategic frontier response came led massive army troops vienna ferdinand withdrew army leaving men cannons guns defend grand ottomans realize poorly defended came join shortly siege started days croatian captain garrison held nineteen scale assaults bombardment ottomans result city offered surrender favourable terms offer rejected ottomans retreated leading peace treaty ferdinand recognized ottoman vassal treaty satisfy ferdinand armies began skirmishes borders ferdinand attacked forces violation treaty siege disaster similar magnitude ottoman relief army smashing austrians attack vienna attacked southern italy nonetheless ottoman victory naval gave led coalition defeat died succeeded infant son reign country governed mother continued support remained nominal returned country rule defeat inflicted siege ottomans responded request help april launched campaign hungary taking forts hungary returned ottoman control august ottomans succeeded followed capture hungarian cities offering better security peace agreement ottomans lasted decided attack siege proved futile victory reversed period territorial losses hungary survival gave austrians good reason believe hungary contested ground ottoman campaign hungary ceased revival campaign january sultan ruled ottoman_empire years went war time years old having extent carried litter nominally commanded thirteenth military campaign sultan left constantinople head largest armies commanded opposite number largest seasoned veteran border warfare ban croatian royal representative early life distinguished siege vienna pursued successful military career forces reached belgrade june day march met earlier promised ruler hungary learning success attack turkish decided postpone attack german instead attack fortress eliminate threat siege advanced guard turks arrived august defenders successful sorties causing considerable loss turks sultan arrived main force august big war tent erected hill giving view battle sultan stay camp received verbal battle progress reports grand real operational commander ottoman forces found besieged hostile army soldiers powerful artillery assembled force croatian hungarian soldiers prior siege consisted personal forces friends allies majority defenders croatian significant hungarian contingent represented men arms leadership divided sections divided water old town new town castle linked bridges land built particularly high ground inner castle occupied area today castle directly accessible attackers taken secured final assault inner castle launched sultan appeared fortress saw walls hung red cloth reception single great cannon greet mighty warrior monarch siege began august ordered general assault attack successfully repulsed despite greatly outnumbered defenders sent reinforcements vienna imperial army month exhausting bloody struggle remaining defenders retreated old town stand sultan tried surrender ultimately offering leadership croatia ottoman influence reply continued fight fall castle appeared inevitable ottoman high command september died tent death kept secret great effort sultan circle knowing demise ottomans feared soldiers battle knew leader died death kept secret days dispatched camp message successor known content message delivered distant asia minor mere days final battle final battle began september day demise time fortress walls reduced rubble mining explosives wood fueled fires corners walls morning attack began small arms greek fire concentrated soon castle stronghold set fell apartments count ottoman army city drumming prepared charge addressing troops allow final assault break castle turks pressing forwards narrow bridge defenders suddenly open gate fired large mortar loaded broken iron killing attackers ordered charge led remaining troops castle received musket wounds chest killed shortly arrow head force retired castle turks took castle defenders slain captured defenders spared admired courage seven defenders managing escape ottoman lines corpse beheaded head taken new sultan body received honourable burial prisoner treated powder magazine explosion leading final sortie castle garrison ordered fuse lit powder magazine cutting defenders poured fortress entered remains fell trap thousands perished blast castle magazine exploded life saved household warned trap troops searched treasure interrogated survivors treasure prisoner replied long expended powder feet slow match attached mounted officers time escape turks perished explosion aftermath garrison wiped final battle ottoman casualties heavy soldiers said perished sources vary exact number estimates ranging battle grand forged sultan proclaiming victory announced sultan regretted current state health prevented continuing successful campaign body returned constantinople inner circle officials pretended communication turkish sources state illusion maintained weeks sultan personal physician precaution likely long journey siege detrimental effect sultan health death meant advances postponed return constantinople succession new sultan lived army achieved short time remained fall onset winter prolonged resistance delayed ottoman push vienna sent emperor croatian arrived istanbul august received agreement ending war austrian ottoman reached february months negotiations known originally bosnia treaty signed february agreed year truce agreement brought years relative peace long war truce agreed pay annual tribute depictions art poet writer wrote conquest croatian work posthumously published venice croatian historical epic dealing national history inspired battle hungarian epic poem written parts great grandson ban croatia published inspired renowned history lists major literary achievements 17th century spite author members family fierce enemies turks poem turks portrayed human beings love story sultan daughter interwoven main plot hungarian brother vii published croatian language surprising family bilingual croatian nobleman warrior poet wrote battle poem farewell published event crying revenge titled consists croatian turkish warriors died siege paying equal respect opera famous popular work croatia recounts heroic defiance turks metaphor later nationalist monarchy depicted plot 16th century croatian hero defeated turks couple times family close supporters siege castle opera patriotic famous aria
Siege of Szigetvár