Gabor Szantai
84 supporters
11 June 1556, the siege of Szigetvár cas ...

11 June 1556, the siege of Szigetvár castle began...

Jun 11, 2022

At that time, the castle was under the command of Horváth Stancsics Márk, a faithful man of Nádasdy Tamás. He took over the leadership in February in this perilous outpost that was in the throat of the enemy.

During the previous year, the Ottoman Turks had taken Kaposvár, Korotna, and Babócsa castles and it was quite likely that they would turn against Szigetvár.

(...)

King Habsburg Ferdinand requested soldiers from the Styrian estates but it was too late. They could not approach the castle at the end of May because of the Ottoman presence. In Szigetvár, there were only 600 soldiers and 200 burghers who were willing to take up arms.

Together with other folks, there were about 1,000 defenders. Further 3,000 people sought refuge in the town, and there was not enough food for them. Szigetvár castle consisted of three parts: the inner- and outer castles, and the old town that was surrounded by a wall. Luckily, the moats were full of water.

Meanwhile, the army of Ali arrived at Pécs on 9 June. They rested for a day, then set out toward Szigetvár on 10 June. The local Ottoman beys whose camp was at Szentlőrinc also joined him. The entire army grew to 10,000 men, and they had nine wall breaching cannons and many smaller ones as well.

(...)

Captain Horváth lost both of his artillerymen but to his luck, he had a prisoner of war called Pribék Lázár who was willing to substitute them in exchange for his freedom. Pribék Lázár proved to be a very skilled shooter and he could destroy several Ottoman cannons.

(...)

Read the history of the siege, based on the excellent research of Szibler Gábor, and learn how Szigetvár survived for one more decade before Sultan Suleiman arrived there:

https://www.hungarianottomanwars.com/1541-1699/the-siege-of-szigetvar-in-1556/

https://www.hungarianottomanwars.com/1541-1699/the-siege-of-szigetvar-in-1556/https://www.hungarianottomanwars.com/1541-1699/the-siege-of-szigetvar-in-1556/

Enjoy this post?

Buy Gabor Szantai a coffee

More from Gabor Szantai