| Battle of Sisak | |||||||
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| Part of theLong Turkish War and theHundred Years' Croatian-Ottoman War | |||||||
.JPG) Christians Before Sisak, Croatia A.D. 1593 (from book by Hieronymus Oertel, Nuremberg 1665) | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Ottoman Commanders: Bosnian and Provincial Commanders: | Commanders of Sisak garrison:
Commanders of relief army:
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| Strength | |||||||
Ottoman army: 12,000[1]–16,000[2][3] | Sisak garrison: | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 8,000 killed or drowned[2][7] | 50[7]–500[8] | ||||||
TheBattle of Sisak[a] was fought on 22 June 1593 betweenOttoman Bosnian forces and a combined Christian army from theHabsburg lands, mainly theKingdom of Croatia andInner Austria. The battle took place atSisak, central Croatia, at the confluence of theSava andKupa rivers, on the borderland between Christian Europe and the Ottoman Empire.
Between 1591 and 1593 the Ottoman military governor of Bosnia,BeglerbegTelli Hasan Pasha, attempted twice to capture the fortress of Sisak, one of the garrisoned castles that the Habsburgs maintained inCroatia as part of theMilitary Frontier. In 1592, after the key imperial fortress ofBihać fell to the Turks, only Sisak stood in the way before Croatia's main cityZagreb.Pope Clement VIII called for a Christian league against the Ottomans, and theSabor recruited in anticipation a force of about 5,000 professional soldiers.
On 15 June 1593, Sisak was once again besieged by the BosnianPasha and hisGazis. The Sisak garrison was commanded by Blaž Đurak and Matija Fintić, both Croatian priests from theDiocese of Zagreb. A Habsburg relief army under the supreme command of theStyrian generalRuprecht von Eggenberg, was quickly assembled to break the siege. The Croatian troops were led by theBan of Croatia,Tamás Erdődy, while major forces from theDuchy of Carniola and theDuchy of Carinthia were under the commander of theCroatian Military FrontierAndreas von Auersperg, known as the "Carniolan Achilles".
On 22 June, the Austro-Croatian relief army launched a surprise attack on the besieging forces, and at the same time the garrison came out of the fortress to join the attack; the ensuing battle resulted in a crushing defeat for the Bosnian Ottoman army, with Hasan Pasha being killed in action and almost all of his army being wiped out.The battle of Sisak is considered the main catalyst for the start of theLong War which raged between the Habsburgs and the Ottomans from 1593 to 1606.
The central authorities of both theOttoman Empire and theHabsburg monarchy were rather reluctant to fight each other, after both having fought several campaigns on Hungarian and Moldavian lands, and four renewals of the 1547 truce; but large scale military raids were being launched into each other's territories: There had been numerous raids intoHabsburg Hungary by theakıncılar, the irregular Ottoman light cavalry, while on the other hand,Uskoci (Balkan Habsburg-sided irregular soldiers on the easternAdriatic coast) were being encouraged to conduct raids into Ottoman territory in the Balkans. Clashes on theCroatian frontier also continued despite the truce. The Croatian–Ottoman border went between Koprivnica and Virovitica to Sisak, then westward to Karlovac, southward toPlitvice Lakes, and southwestward to the Adriatic Sea.[9] Croatia at the time had only 16,800 km² of free territory and around 400,000 inhabitants.[10]
Although their strength was depleted from the constant conflicts on the border, in the late 16th century Croatian fortified cities were able to hold Ottoman forces at bay.[11] During this period, Ottoman Bosnian forces had made several attempts to seize major forts and towns across the Una and Sava rivers. On 26 October 1584, smaller Ottoman units were defeated at thebattle of Slunj, and on 6 December 1586 nearIvanić-Grad.[6] However, Ottoman raids and attacks were increasing and the Croatian nobility were fighting without Habsburg support.[9]
TheUskok attack on theSanjak of Krka deeply angered both the Muslim population and the Ottoman administration in the region. Ibrahim, Sanjak-bey of Krka, went toConstantinople to make conversations with high ranking officials. He asked for compensation for the damage caused by Uskok incursions. Ottoman officials asked for reports on the issue from the Venetian ambassador in Istanbul, as from the Ottomans' point of view the Uskok raiders were subjected to theRepublic of Venice. But the Venetian ambassador rejected the accusations and said that the Uskoks were subjected to the Holy Roman Empire. Ibrahim then requested that a letter be written to the German emperor complaining about the damage caused by Uskoks, in accordance with theAhidnâme. The Ottoman Grand Vizier commissionedTelli Hasan Pasha, who had been newly appointed asBeylerbey ofBosnia, to make investigation on the issue. No letter written to the Holy Roman Empire regarding the Krka raid has been found in the archives. Regardless of whether the letter was sent or not, it is clear that the Ottomans could not find anyone who would make talks on the issue, and soon they began to prepare for war to take revenge on both the Uskok raiders and their supporters.[12]
In August 1591, without a declaration of war,Telli Hasan Pasha, OttomanBeylerbey of theEyalet of Bosnia andvizier, attackedCroatia and reached Sisak, but was repelled after four days of fighting.Tamás Erdődy,Ban of Croatia, then launched a counterattack and seized much of theMoslavina region. The same year Hasan Pasha launched another attack, taking the town ofRipač on theUna River. These raids forced Erdődy to convene a meeting of theSabor inZagreb on 5 January 1592, and to declare a general uprising to defend the country.[6][13] These actions of theregional Ottomanforces under Hasan Pasha seem to have been contrary to the interest and policy of thecentral Ottoman administration inConstantinople,[14] and rather due to aims of conquest and organized plundering by the war-like BosnianSipahi, although perhaps also under the pretext of putting an end toUskok raids into the Eyalet; since the two realms had signed a nine-year peace treaty earlier in 1590.
_-_Muhamed_Ibrahim_Bo%25C5%25A1ko_(Bosch)_Ramon.jpg)
In June 1592 Hasan Pasha capturedBihać and directed his forces towardsSisak for the second time. The fall ofBihać caused fear inCroatia since it had stood on the border for decades.[15] Hasan Pasha also successfullycaptured and burnt the Ban's military encampment in Brest on 19 July 1592, built by Erdődy a few months earlier nearPetrinja. The camp had around 3,000 men, while the Ottoman forces had around 7–8,000. On 24 July, the Ottomans started besieging Sisak, but lifted the siege after 5 days of fighting and having suffered heavy losses, leaving the region ofTuropolje ravaged. These events encouraged the Emperor to engage in further efforts to stop the Ottomans, whose actions were being halted by the winter.[6][16]
In the spring of 1593,BeylerbeyTelli Hasan Pasha gathered a large army in Petrinja, and on 15 June again crossed theKupa River and conducted his third attack onSisak. His Bosnian Ottoman army[17] consisted of around 12,000–16,000 troops from thesanjaks ofKlis, Lika, Zvornik, Herzegovina, Pojega, and Cernik. Sisak was defended by 800 men at most, and commanded by Matija Fintić, who died on 21 June, and Blaž Đurak, both being priests fromKaptol, seat of the Roman Catholic bishop ofZagreb. The town suffered heavy artillery fire, and a call for help was sent to the Croatian ban. Reinforcements led by Austrian Colonel-GeneralRuprecht von Eggenberg, Ban Tamás Erdődy, and ColonelAndreas von Auersperg, arrived nearby Sisak on 21 June. They numbered around 4,000–5,000 cavalry and infantry.Mustafa Naima narrates that, after making the preparations before the battle, Hasan Pasha ordered Gazi Hodža Memi Bey, father of Sarhoš Ibrahim Pasha, a renowned military commander, to cross the river and identify the enemy forces. He reported back that a battle would end in ruin, as the Habsburg army had a very superior force (probably referring to its larger quantity of guns and ammunition). Naima also narrates that after hearing this, Hasan Pasha, who was credited as a fearlessmilitary leader,[18] and happened to be playingchess at that very moment, severely responded to him:Curse you, you despicable wretch! to be afraid of numbers: out of my sight!, and then he mounted his horse and began to mobilize the Ottoman forces across the bridges he had previously ordered to be constructed.[19]
Croatian Ban Tamás Erdődy set out to relieve the besieged town with 1,240 of his soldiers. He was joined by Andreas von Auersperg with 300 mounted archebusiers from Kranjska and Carinthia, then by Ruprecht Eggenberg with 300 German soldiers, by Stjepan Grasswein, commander of the SlavonianKrajina, with 400 horsemen, by Petar Erdődy with 500 Žumberak Uskoks, by Melchior Rödern with 500 Silesian horsemen armed with firearms, by Adam Rauber of Weineck with 200 archebusiers, by Krštofor Obrutschan with 100 soldiers, by Stjepan Tahy with 80 hussars, by Martin Pietschnik from Altenhof with 100 soldiers, by Georg Sigismund Paradeiser, commanding 160 musketeers from Karlovac, Carinthia and Kranjska, by Ferdinand Weidner with 100-foot soldiers, and by Count Montecuccoli with 100 horsemen.[20] In addition, the following Croatian captains were present with their armies: Ivan Draskovic, Benedict Thuroczy, Franjo Orehovački, Vuk of Druškovca and Count Stjepan XBlagajski (d. 1598).[21] In all, such Croatian-Slovenian-German army, which came to the aid of the besieged Croatian town, gathered about 5,000–6,000 fighters, with more than two-thirds of them being Croatian.
On 22 June, between eleven and twelve o'clock, Erdődy and Auersperg's forces attacked Ottoman positions with Erdődy's army in front, consisting such an army of CroatianHussars and infantry.[3][22] The first assault was repulsed by the Ottoman cavalry. Then the soldiers of Colonel Auersperg joined the attack, followed by Eggenberg's and other commanders' troops, forcing the Ottomans to retreat towards the Kupa River. The army of Hasan Pasha was driven into a corner between the rivers Odra and the Kupa, with the bridge across the Kupa being taken by soldiers fromKarlovac.[3][22] The Sisak garrison led by Blaž Đurak attacked the remaining Ottoman forces that were besieging Sisak. Caught between two Christian army flanks, the Ottomans panicked and started a chaotic retreat, trying to swim across the Kupa River and reach their camp. The bulk of the army, with most of its commanders, end up either slaughtered or drowned in the river.[4]
The battle lasted around one hour and ended in a total defeat for the Ottomans. Predojević (Nikola Predojević was the original name of Telli Hasan Pasha) did not survive the battle. Among the Ottoman commanders that were killed or had drowned in the Kupa wereSultanzade Mehmed Bey of theSanjak of Herzegovina, Džafer Bey, Sanjak-bey ofPakrac Cernica and Hasan Pasha's brother, Arnaud Memi Bey of theSanjak of Zvornik, and Ramazan Bey of theSanjak of Pojega. Ibrahim Bey of the Sanjak ofLika managed to escape.[4] Total Ottoman losses were around 8,000 killed or drowned.[1] The Christian army captured 2,000 horses, 10war flags,falconets, and artillery ammunition left by the Ottomans.[4][23] Christian army losses were light; a report from Andreas von Auersperg submitted toArchduke Ernest on 24 June 1593 mentions only 40–50 casualties among his men.[24][7]
Christian Europe was delighted at the pompous reports of the victory at Sisak.Pope Clement VIII praised the Christian military leaders, sending a letter of gratitude to Ban Erdődy, while KingPhilip II of Spain named Erdődy a knight of the Order of Saint Saviour. TheDiocese of Zagreb built a chapel in the village of Greda, near Sisak, to commemorate the victory, and the bishop decreed that amass of thanksgiving should be held every 22 June in Zagreb. The cloak of Hasan Pasha was given to theLjubljana Cathedral.[25] Blaž Đurak, commander of the Sisak garrison, was awarded by the Croatian Parliament for his contribution to the victory.[26]
Ban Tamás Erdődy wished to take advantage of the victory and to take Petrinja, where the remnants of the Ottoman army had fled to. However, Colonel General Eggenberg considered that there was not enough food supply for their army and the attack on Petrinja was halted.[25] After news of the defeat reached Constantinople, revenge was demanded from the military leaders and the Sultan's sister, whose son Mehmed had been killed in the battle. Although the action of Hasan Pasha was not in accordance with the interests and policy of thePorte, theSultan felt that such an embarrassing defeat, even of a vassal acting on his own initiative, could not go unavenged. SultanMurad III declared war on EmperorRudolf II that same year, starting theLong War, which was fought mainly in Hungary.[6][14][27] The war extended through the reign ofMehmed III (1595–1603) and into that ofAhmed I (1603–1617).[28]
During that war, the Ottomans managed to take Sisak. On 24 August 1593, the Ottomans took advantage of the absence of a large army nearby Sisak, which was defended by 100 soldiers only. With strong cannon fire they managed to break through the walls, and on 30 August the fortress surrendered. On 10 September 1593, Sisak was captured by an Ottoman army under the command of Mehmed Pasha, Beglerbeg ofRumelia.[29] On 11 August 1594, the Ottoman garrison fled and set the fortress on fire.[27] The Long War ended with thePeace of Zsitvatorok, on 11 November 1606, marking the first sign of a definitive halting of Ottoman expansion intoCentral Europe, as well as the stabilization of the frontier for half a century.[30]Inner Austria, with the duchies of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola, remained free from Ottoman control. Habsburg realm in Croatia was also able to maintain its weakened borders from further Ottoman incursions and made some territorial gains following the peace treaty, such as Petrinja, Moslavina, andČazma.[11][31] It is also important to point out that after this first major Ottoman defeat in northwesternBalkans, theOrthodox Christian subjects of the empire, particularlySerbs andVlachs (who had several rebellions against Ottomans) were called by Habsburgs to inhabit border area, both by emigrating from Ottoman-controlled lands to those of the Habsburgs, and even by revolting against the Ottomans in their own territory (Uprising in Banat).[32]
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As the battle took place on Croatian territory and the main body of the Christian defenders consisted of Croatian troops, the victory has ever since played a major role in the historiography of Croatia. The Croatian government issued a commemorative stamp in 1993 called "Victory at Sisak".[33] The traditional daily ringing of the small bell ofZagreb Cathedral, at 2 pm, is in memory of the battle, as it was the bishop of Zagreb who had borne the large part of the costs of the Sisak fortress.[34]
Since fighters from neighbouring Carniola and Styria reinforced the defenders, the battle is also a part of the Slovenian tradition. On 22 June 1993, theRepublic of Slovenia issued three memorial coins and a postage stamp to commemorate the 400 years anniversary of the battle of Sisak.[35][36] Until 1943, an annual commemoration service was held in the Catholic Church of Ljubljana, with the officiating priest wearing the cloak worn by Hasan Pasha in the day of the battle.[37]
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