Today I will talk about the siege of Hungarian fortress of Eger in 1552 which was heroically defended by 2000 Christian Hungarians led by István Dobó against the 35-40000 men strong Mohammedan Ottoman army. Another great victory for Christendom in the Hungarian-Ottoman wars! 
After the Ottoman victory at the battle of Mohács in 1526, the medieval Kingdom of Hungary fell into chaos with Turks occupying large parts of Hungary, and turning the eastern part of Hungary into their vassal state lead by John Zápolya. The Habsburgs took control of western part
The town of Eger was on an important strategic position and key to the defense of the remainder of Hungarian soil. Capturing Eger would provide Ottomans the path to Kassa and its rich mines in the surrounding region, as well as an alternate route to Vienna and westward expansion.
The castle of Eger was located on a hillside near the town. It was on an excellent location for gun positions. István Dobó hired six cannonmasters from Germany to put Eger's artillery to most efficient use. Most of the defenders were Hungarians and numbered around 2100-2300 men.
The Ottomans were led by three Pashas (Ahmed Pasha, Hadım Ali Pasha of Buda and Sokollu Mehmed Pasha) who had already conquered many fortresses on the Hungarian campaign of 1552. They had a much larger army of 35-40000 men, very large siege cannons and expected an easy victory.
The arrogant Ottomans underestimated the fact that the defenders of Eger were commanded by a brave lion! István Dobó was a true knight, eternally loyal to Habsburgs and to Christendom, he inspired courage in others! He was determined to defend this fortress of Hungarian honor.
Dobó assured with his presence and leadership that the morale of the defenders was always high and they repelled five Ottoman assaults after they breached the walls with their big siege cannons. The melee between both infantries was fierce, but the Hungarian defenders prevailed!
Among the Hungarian heroes was also Gergely Bornemissza who commanded 250 infantrymen. He was an explosive expert and devised improvised but lethal primitive 'hand grenades', as well as a water-mill wheel packed with gunpowder which he rolled into the Ottoman ranks, killing many!
Some women also took up weapons and helped the defenders fight against the Turks, fighting from the walls and throwing rocks at them. This was commemorated by the romantic 19th century painting called Women of Eger (on the left). It became a popular trope in art after the battle.
Another interesting fact: the fortress of Eger was built on the ruins of an earlier stone fort, which replaced an ancient earthen encampment, which was possibly built by ancient Huns! This made Eger's foundations stronger than usual and greatly hindered the work of Ottoman miners
The Ottomans had besieged the fortress for 39 days when they gave up and had to withdrew. They were battered and exhausted, and also had a problem with infighting between their commanders. They lost over 8000 men, while only around 300 defenders died. Eger was successfully saved!
The battle of Eger was commemorated in Hungarian 1968 movie Egri csillagok, "Stars of Eger", based on a 19th century novel of the same name written by Géza Gárdonyi, also translated as "Eclipse of the Crescent Moon" Trailer of this interesting movie:
The heroism of Isván Dobó and the defenders of Eger was a very important symbolic victory. Even after the kingdom of Hungary fell apart and the Ottomans captured so many cities and fortresses, Eger preserved the honor of the great Christian Kingdom of Hungary, the fight went on!
The wars against the Ottomans would continue in Hungary for a century and a half, and the memory of Eger would inspire many! Finally with the treaty of Karlowitz after the Great Turkish War of 1683-1699, Kingdom of Hungary was fully reconquered for Christendom by the Habsburgs.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
