The Battle of Mohács is a battle that took place in the 16th century on Hungarian territory. It is also called the battle of the 17th century, which took place near this settlement. These two battles were of great and fundamental importance for the Central European countries, whose fates were closely connected with Turkish rule in this 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 caused a response from local peoples and countries, which resulted in open confrontation.
First battle background
The Battle of Mohacs in 1526 was the result of complex internal and external contradictions that accumulated within the Kingdom of Hungary at the turn of the 15th-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 Magyarization policy. In addition, the economy was also in a rather difficult state. The fact is that due to the separation of the country from international trade routes and the decline of the Danube route, the financial situation of the populationwas at a fairly low level. All this contributed to the success of the Ottoman army in the battle.
The alignment of forces
The Battle of Mohacs in 1526 took place near a small settlement on the right bank of the Danube River. Here the Hungarian and Ottoman troops converged, and the latter outnumbered and armed the forces of its rival twice. It was commanded by Sultan Suleiman I, and the Hungarian army was led by King Lajos II. The backbone of its combat forces were mercenaries from neighboring Slavic countries, as well as a number of German principalities. However, his forces were significantly weakened by the fact that the Croatian knights did not have time to help him, as well as 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 cannons.
The course of the battle
The Battle of Mohacs began with an attack by the Hungarian cavalry on the Turkish infantry. At first, success accompanied them, and they began, according to the plan, to push the enemy units. Seeing such success, the Hungarian army intensified the onslaught and began to pursue the retreating enemy, but very soon came under the crossfire of Turkish guns. Having a significant numerical superiority in forces, the Turks began to push them to the Danube and did not give them the opportunity to retreat in an organized manner. The remnants of the Hungarian troops fled, the rest were captured and executed. During the retreat, the king himself died along with his detachment. The Battle of Mohacs opened the way for the Ottoman army to the Hungarian capital, which fell throughtwo weeks.
Consequences
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 dominance in the Balkan Peninsula. The kingdom itself was divided into two parts: Ottoman Hungary was formed on the conquered lands, and the peripheral northern and western parts were annexed by the Austrian Habsburgs. The proximity of the Ottomans posed a serious threat to European states, which led to their unification to fight Turkish domination.
Background to the second battle
The Battle of Mohacs 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. As part of this confrontation, several wars took place, among the participants of which was our country. However, the main conflict broke out between the Austrian Habsburgs and the Turkish side.
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 recaptured a number of fortresses, but their main achievement was the capture of the Hungarian capital Buda.
Fight
After that, the imperial troops decided to oppose the Turks. Their forces were divided into two parts under the command of Charles of Lorraine and Maximilian II. The Austrians managed to push back the Turks, despite the fact that the latter were fairly well armed. At the same time, the victory turned out to be quite easy, the losses of the Europeans were very insignificant, while the Turks lost their main forces and weapons.
This defeat led to a crisis within the empire, to a coup d'état and a change of power. After this battle, the Habsburgs gained the right to the Hungarian crown and tried to make sure that the battle of Mohacs in 1526 and the defeat in it were forgotten. To do this, they gave their victory in 1687 the same name, although the battle took place a few kilometers from this settlement.
