Siege of Szigetvár

The Siege of Szigetvár or Battle of Szigeth (pronunciation: [ˈsiɡɛtvaːr] Hungarian: Szigetvár ostroma, Croatian: Bitka kod Sigeta or Sigetska bitka, Turkish: Zigetvar Kuşatması) was a siege of the fortress of Szigetvár, Kingdom of Hungary, that blocked Suleiman's line of advance towards Vienna in 1566 AD. The battle was fought between the defending forces of the Habsburg Monarchy under the leadership of Nikola Šubić Zrinski (Hungarian: Zrínyi Miklós), Ban of Croatia, and the invading Ottoman army under the nominal command of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (Ottoman Turkish: سليمان‎ Süleymān).

After the Battle of Mohács in 1526, which resulted in the end of the independent Kingdom of Hungary, Ferdinand I was elected King by the nobles of both Hungary and Croatia. This was followed by a series of conflicts with the Habsburgs and their allies, fighting against the Ottoman Empire. In the Little War in Hungary both sides exhausted themselves after sustaining heavy casualties. The Ottoman campaign in Hungary ceased until the offensive against Szigetvár.

Szigetvár

Szigetvár (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈsiɡɛtvaːr]; Croatian: Siget; Turkish: Zigetvar; German: Inselburg) is a town in Baranya County in southern Hungary.

History

The town's fortress was the setting of the Battle of Szigetvár in 1566. It was a sanjak centre at first in Budin Province (1566–1601), later in Kanije Province (1601–1689).

There was already a fortress in the marshland back in Celtic and Roman times. The Castle of today was built on an artificial island - created by filling up the swampy area and driving the stream into a canal - in the 15th century. If you walk along the top of its external walls, 4 m thick at some places, you can get great views of the town. The bridge over the inner moat stands at the place where Nikola Šubić Zrinski and his soldiers broke out of the inner castle. The equestrian statue of Zrinski (*Zrin in modern Croatia, around 1508. - †Szigetvár, 7. September 1566.) commemorates the self-sacrifice of the heroic captain of the castle. It is said that the Turks built the mosque of sultan Suleiman I and the minaret beside it - only part of the latter can be seen today - in the honour of their sultan who died after the castle was conquered. The former Andrássy Palace, hosting the exhibitions of 'Zrínyi Miklós Museum' on the history of the castle, is also next to them.