Szeged is the 280th Hungarian settlement on my page, although there is not much left of its medieval fortifications...
Szeged is located on the Great Hungarian Plain where the River Maros meets the “blond” River Tisza.
The city was mentioned first in 1118, and it used to be an important town in the time of the Árpád Dynasty because it was storing the huge amount of salt coming from Transylvania. The trade of salt had belonged to the kings and it brought a considerable income to the Treasury.
The first castle of Szeged was destroyed by the Mongols in 1241. Then, the inhabitants fled to the nearby swamps, but they soon returned and rebuilt their town.
The castle was enlarged right after the Mongol invasion of 1241-42, during the great castle-construction project of King Béla IV that he launched all over the kingdom. In the 14th century, during the reign of King Lajos I, Szeged became the most important town of Southern Hungary.
It was the place where the Truce between Sultan Murad and King Ulászló was declared in 1444. Unfortunately, the young king was instigated by the Pope’s legate and broke his oath. He launched his disastrous campaign where he lost his life at Várna...
You can read more about the history of Szeged on my page:
https://www.hungarianottomanwars.com/ottoman-occupied-lands/szeged/
