Siege of Székesfehérvár

Part of the Long Turkish War
Ottoman-Habsburg wars

Siege of Székesfehérvár
| Date| 4–20 September 1601

|

Location|

Székesfehérvár, Ottoman Empire
present-day Hungary

47°11′23″N 18°24′37″E﻿ / ﻿47.18972°N 18.41028°E﻿ / 47.18972; 18.41028
Result|  Holy Roman Empire victory
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire|  Holy Roman Empire
Commanders and leaders

* Yemişçi Hasan Pasha

* Duke of Mercœur
* General Ruswurm

Strength
Unknown|  18,000[1]
Casualties and losses
Unknown|  1,000

* v
* t
* e

Long Turkish War

* Veszprém
* Várpalota
* 1st Tata
* 1st Székesfehérvár
* Romhány
* Banat
* 1st Győr
* Călugăreni
* Giurgiu
* Klis
* 1st Esztergom
* Brest
* Eger
* Keresztes
* Herzegovina
* 2nd Tata
* 2nd Győr
* 1st Buda
* Șelimbăr
* Kanizsa
* Mirăslău
* Guruslău
* 2nd Székesfehérvár
* 3rd Székesfehérvár
* 2nd Buda
* Brașov
* 3rd Buda
* Bocskai uprising
* 2nd Esztergom

The siege of Székesfehérvár also known as the siege of Stuhlweissenburg (French: Prise d'Albe-Royale, German: Belagerung von Stuhlweißenburg, Turkish: İstolni Belgrad) began on 4 September 1601 when an Imperial force sent by Holy Roman emperor Rudolf II, under the command of Frenchman Philippe Emmanuel de Lorraine, duc de Mercoeur, besieged the Hungarian fortress of Székesfehérvár occupied by the Ottomans since 1543. The battle resulted in a victory for the Imperial force.[2]

## Background

[edit]

In 1600 Frenchman from the Duchy of Lorraine, Philippe-Emmanuel, duke de Mercoeur,[a] who had volunteered to serve with the army of the Holy Roman against the Turks in Hungary, was called by Rudolf II to become Commander-in-chief of the Imperial troops.[3] In March 1601 the Ottoman Sultan sent an official complaint to King Henry IV of France to protest about the presence of a Frenchman in command of the Habsburg army.[3]

In September 1601 an army under Mercoeur and Habsburg commander Count Adolf von Schwarzenberg was sent by Rudolf II to lay siege to Stuhlweißenburg (as Székesfehérvár was known in German).[4]

## Siege

[edit]

A deserter told the duke that the city could be reached from the back via a ford where the shallow part allowed crossing by foot. The duke immediately sent General Hermann Ruswurm with 1,000 men to find the passage. Later that day, with great difficulties progressing through the mud, Russwurm found the ford and sent a signal to the duke. Mercoeur promptly launched an attack "with great noise" bringing the bulk of the Ottoman defenders towards the front of the fortress while Russwurm, according to the established plan, scaled the walls with his men and seized the city.[5]

Lawrence of Brindisi, a Catholic priest and a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, who served as the imperial chaplain for the army of Rudolph II, famously led the army during the battle for Székesfehérvár armed only with a crucifix.[6] On 20 September the besieged surrendered after blowing up the church and the palace.[5] After the taking of the fortress, the duke of Mercœur left German Colonel Staremberg and his regiment commanding the town.

## Aftermath

[edit]

On 9 October less than three weeks later, Hasan Pasha and a large Ottoman army returned in an attempt to retake Székesfehérvár, a Christian army under archduke Matthias defeated the Turkish Sultan at the Battle of Stuhlweissenburg.[7]

Mercoeur died of a fever on his way back to France.[2] Sokolluzade Lala Mehmed Paşa recaptured Székesfehérvár for the Ottoman Empire the following year in August 1602.

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Sometimes mentioned as Duke Mercury in historical records.

## Footnotes

[edit]

1. ^ Sultans (Turkey) 1795, p. 222.
2. ^ a b From Frenchman to Crusader.
3. ^ a b Norton 2017, p. 52.
4. ^ Norton 2017, p. 53.
5. ^ a b T. Osborne 1759, p. 415.
6. ^ Butler, Farmer & Burns 1995, p. 159.
7. ^ Tracy 2016, p. 332.

## References

[edit]

* Butler, A.; Farmer, D.H.; Burns, P. (1995). Butler's Lives of the Saints. Butler's Lives of the Saints. Burns & Oates. ISBN 978-0-86012-256-2.
* Tracy, J.D. (2016). Balkan Wars: Habsburg Croatia, Ottoman Bosnia, and Venetian Dalmatia, 1499–1617. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4422-1360-9.
* Sultans (Turkey) (1795). Les Crimes des Empereurs Turcs, depuis Osman I. jusqu'à Selim IV., avec gravures (in French). p. 222.
* Norton, C. (2017). Plural Pasts: Power, Identity and the Ottoman Sieges of Nagykanizsa Castle. Routledge research in early modern history. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-07960-6.
* Penzi, Marco (January 2014). "From Frenchman to Crusader: the political and military itinerary of Philippe Emmanuel Duke of Mercoeur". In Robert Born (Ed.), Türkenkriege und Adelskultur in Ostmitteleuropa Vom 16. Bis zum 18.Jahrhundert. Anti-Ottoman Wars and the Culture of Nobility in East-Central Europe, 16Th-18Th Century.
* An Universal History, from the Earliest Account of Time. An Universal History, from the Earliest Account of Time. T. Osborne. 1759.

* v
* t
* e

Battles involving the Ottoman Empire by era

Rise
(1299-1453)|

| Land battles|

* Kulaca Hisar
* Bapheus
* Dimbos
* Nicaea
* Pelekanon
* Demotika
* Gallipoli
* Ihtiman
* Adrianople
* Sırp Sındığı
* Samokov
* Maritsa
* Philadelphia
* Dubravnica
* Savra
* Pločnik
* Bileća
* Kosovo
* Kırkdilim
* Karanovasa
* Rovine
* Ohrid
* Nicopolis
* Ankara
* Çamurlu
* Thessalonica
* Golubac
* Novo Brdo
* Hermannstadt
* 1st Niš
* Zlatitsa
* Kunovica
* Torvioll
* Varna
* 1st Mokra
* Otonetë
* 1st Oranik
* 2nd Kosovo
* Polog
* Constantinople

|

Naval battles|

* Gallipoli

Classical Age
(1453-1550)|

| Land battles|

* Leskovac
* Krusevac
* 2nd Oranik
* 1st Belgrade
* Albulena
* Târgoviște
* 2nd Mokra
* Ohrid
* Vaikal
* Meçad
* Otlukbeli
* Vaslui
* Valea Albă
* Shkodra
* Breadfield
* Una
* Adana
* Cătlăbuga
* Vrpile
* Krbava
* Dubica
* Çaldıran
* Turnadag
* Algiers
* Koçhisar
* Mercidabık
* Han Yunus
* Ridanieh
* Jajce
* Tlemcen
* 1st Mohács
* Peñón of Algiers
* Leobersdorf
* Gorjani
* Baghdad
* Algiers
* Pest
* Esztergom
* Karagak
* Sokhoista

|

Naval battles|

* Zonchio
* Modon
* Balearic
* Diu
* 1st Jeddah
* Formentera
* Tunis
* Preveza
* Girolata
* Alborán
* Ponza
* Strait of Hormuz
* Gulf of Oman
* Djerba

Transformation
(1550-1700)|

| Land battles|

* Tlemcen
* Temesvár
* Palast
* Fez
* Tadla
* Tlemcen
* Mostaganem
* Krupa
* Szigeth
* Fez
* Gvozdansko
* Çıldır
* Torches
* Alcácer Quibir
* 1st Brest
* Bihać
* Sisak
* Banat
* Călugăreni
* Giurgiu
* 2nd Brest
* Keresztes
* Nagykanizsa
* Sufiyan
* Tashiskari
* Cecora
* 1st Khotyn
* Candia
* Köbölkút
* Jurjeve Stijene
* 1st Zrínyiújvár
* 2nd Zrínyiújvár
* Novi Zrin
* Jijel
* Saint Gotthard
* Ładyżyn
* Krasnobród
* Niemirów
* Komarno
* 2nd Khotyn
* Lwów
* Trembowla
* 2nd Vienna
* Párkány
* Buda
* Vác
* Eperjes
* Kassa
* Vrtijeljka
* 2nd Mohács
* Crimea
* Negroponte
* Batočina
* 2nd Niš
* Zernest
* Egri Palanka
* Slankamen
* Hodów
* Ustechko
* Moulouya
* Lugos
* Ulaş
* Azov
* Zenta

|

Naval battles|

* Cyprus
* Lepanto
* Tunis
* Cape Corvo
* Cape Celidonia
* Focchies
* 1st Dardanelles
* 2nd Dardanelles
* 3rd Dardanelles
* 4th Dardanelles
* Algiers
* Algiers
* Algiers
* Mytilene
* Oinousses
* Andros
* Samothrace

Old Regime
(1700-1789)|

| Land battles|

* Chelif
* Oran
* Pruth
* Petrovaradin
* 2nd Belgrade
* Kurijan
* Samarra
* Kirkuk
* Yeghevārd
* Ganja
* Banja Luka
* Grocka
* Perekop
* 1st Ochakov
* Stavunchany
* 1st Kars
* Khresili
* Aspindza
* Larga
* Kagul
* Kozludzha
* Kinburn
* 2nd Ochakov
* Mehadia
* Karánsebes

|

Naval battles|

* Imbros
* Matapan
* Çeşme
* Patras
* 1st Kerch Strait
* 2nd Ochakov
* Fidonisi

Modernization
(1789-1908)|

| Land battles|

* Focșani
* Rymnik
* Giurgiu
* Izmail
* Măcin
* Shubra Khit
* Pyramids
* 1st Acre
* Mount Tabor
* Abukir
* Heliopolis
* Derna
* Arpachai
* Batin
* Slobozia
* Al-Safra
* Jeddah
* Čegar
* Alamana
* Gravia
* Erzurum
* Valtetsi
* Doliana
* Lalas
* Drăgășani
* Sculeni
* Vasilika
* Peta
* Dervenakia
* Karpenisi
* Arachova
* Kamatero
* Phaleron
* Petra
* 2nd Kars
* Varna
* Akhaltsikhe
* Kulevicha
* Algiers
* 2nd Acre
* Hims
* Konya
* Nezib
* Akhaltsikhe
* Başgedikler
* Kurekdere
* Oltenița
* Eupatoria
* Chernaya
* 3rd Kars
* Al-Hasa
* Kızıl Tepe
* Shipka Pass
* Plevna
* Aladzha
* 4th Kars
* Philippopolis
* Taşkesen
* Novšiće
* Ulcinj
* Mouzaki
* Al Wajbah
* Velestino
* Domokos

|

Naval battles|

* Andros
* 2nd Kerch Strait
* Tendra
* Kaliakra
* 5th Dardanelles
* 6th Dardanelles
* Athos
* Algiers
* Nauplia
* Samos
* Gerontas
* Navarino
* Sinop

* For 20th-century battles before 1914 see List of Ottoman battles in the 20th century
* For the battles during World War I see List of Ottoman battles in World War I

Ottoman victories are in italics.
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