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Siege of Buda (1541)
Part of the Little War in Hungary
Date 4 May – 21 August 1541 Location Buda, Hungary Result Ottoman victory Ottomans capture Buda John Sigismund Zápolya restored to the throne
Belligerents
Habsburg Empire Habsburg-held Hungary	Ottoman Empire John Szapolyai's Hungarian Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Wilhelm von Roggendorf (DOW) Jeromos Záray †	Suleiman the Magnificent Şehzade Mehmed Şehzade Selim Şehzade Bayezid Hadım Suleiman Pasha Damat Rüstem Pasha Semendireli Mehmed-beg Bishop George Martinuzzi Bálint Török
Strength
31,000–50,000	52,000
Casualties and losses
~20,000	Unknown

The siege of Buda (4 May – 21 August 1541) ended with the capture of the city of Buda, the historical capital of the Kingdom of Hungary, by the Ottoman Empire, leading to about 150 years of Ottoman rule in parts of Hungary. The siege, part of the Little War in Hungary, was one of the most important Ottoman victories over the Habsburg monarchy during Ottoman–Habsburg wars (16th to 18th century) in Hungary and the Balkans.

Siege

Following the Battle of Mohács, the Kingdom of Hungary became divided between the Ottoman Empire encroaching from the East and the Habsburg monarchy which had inherited the title of King of Hungary.

The Ottoman vassal John I of Hungary died in 1540, and his son John II, who was at that time a minor, was crowned king under the regency of his mother Isabella Jagiellon and bishop George Martinuzzi. This was accepted by the Ottoman ruler Suleiman the Magnificent under the condition that the Hungarians would continue to pay tribute to the Ottoman Sultan. The new king was however not accepted by the Habsburgs. Ferdinand I, Austrian Archduke and a Habsburg, sent an army of 50,000 composed of troops from Austria, German Principalities, Bohemia, and Habsburg Hungary and commanded by Wilhelm von Roggendorf to besiege Buda. The army besieged Buda in Summer 1541. The siege was badly managed and several attacks failed with very high numbers of casualties on the Habsburg side.

Suleiman the Magnificent took personal command of an Ottoman relief army which included 6,362 Janissaries. On 21 August, the Ottoman relief army reached Buda and engaged in battle with Roggendorf's army. The Habsburg army was defeated and 20,000 men were slaughtered or drowned in the river. Roggendorf was also wounded in the battle and died 2 days after of his injuries.

The Ottomans then occupied the city, which in its turn was celebrating the liberation, with a trick: Suleiman the Magnificent invited the infant John II Sigismund Zápolya with the Hungarian noblemen into his tent, meanwhile the Turkish troops began to slowly infiltrate into the fort as "tourists" seemingly in admiration of the architecture of the buildings. However, at a sudden alert they wielded their weapons and disarmed the guards and the whole garrison thereafter. At the same time, the Hungarian noblemen felt uncomfortable in the sultan's tent and wanted to leave. In that moment, on the outcry of the sultan "The black soup (coffee) is still to come!" (Hungarian: "Hátra van még a feketeleves!") the Turkish soldiers disarmed the Hungarian envoy. All of them were allowed to leave with one exception: Bálint Török, whom Suleyman considered a possible powerful opponent. He was taken into captivity and was transferred to Yedikule Fortress, where he spent his remaining life. The Royal Court, the noblemen, and citizens of Buda were allowed to leave the city with their possessions unharmed.

Aftermath

The siege of Buda was a crucial Ottoman victory against Ferdinand and the Habsburgs. The victory allowed the occupation of central Hungary by the Ottomans for around 150 years, and is therefore comparable in importance to the Battle of Mohács in 1526.

Charles V learned about the defeat of his brother Ferdinand upon his arrival in Genoa on 8 September 1541. Thirsty for revenge, he departed for an expedition against Algiers, which also ended in a sound defeat for the Habsburgs.

Ferdinand would attempt to recover the cities of Buda and Pest in 1542, but he was repulsed by the Ottomans.

See also

• Ottoman wars in Europe

References

1. ^ The Edinburgh Encyclopædia – Volume 5 – Page 47
2. ^ Magyarország története 1526–1686, Főszerk.: Pach Zsigmond, Szerk.: R. Várkonyi Ágnes, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1985 ISBN 963-05-0929-6
3. ^ Mantran, Robert (2007). Osmanlı İmparatorluğu Tarihi. Alkım Yayıncılık. ISBN 9944148108.
4. ^ Az 1541–42-es korszak eseményei Magyarországon Archiválva 2013. június 2-i dátummal a Wayback Machine-ben
5. Faroqhi, Suraiya N.; Fleet, Kate (2012). The Cambridge History of Turkey. Vol. 2, The Ottoman Empire as a World Power, 1453–1603. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-316-17554-5.
6. ^ Garnier, p.200
7. Garnier, p.201

Bibliography

• Garnier, Edith. L'Alliance Impie. Editions du Felin, Paris 2008. ISBN 978-2-86645-678-8 Interview
• Pach, Zsigmond. History of Hungary, 1526–1686. Editor: R. Várkonyi, Ágnes. Academy Publisher, Budapest, 1985. ISBN 963-05-0929-6
• 1541-1542-ig tartó korszak eseményei Magyarországon Archived 2013-06-02 at the Wayback Machine
• Liptai Ervin. Military History of Hungary, 1. Zrínyi Military Publisher, Budapest, 1984. ISBN 963-326-320-4

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v t e Major sieges involving the Ottoman Empire by century
13th-14th	1285 Kulaca Hisar 1326 Bursa 1328–1331 Nicaea 1333–1337 Nicomedia 1360s Adrianople 1385 Sofia 1393 Tarnovo 1394–1402 Constantinople
15th	1411 Constantinople 1422 Constantinople 1422–1430 Thessalonica 1428 Golubac 1440 Belgrade 1440–41 Novo Brdo 1448 Svetigrad 1450 Krujë 1453 Constantinople 1455 Berat 1456 Belgrade 1461 Trebizond 1462 Mytilene 1463 Jajce 1464 Jajce 1466–67 Krujë 1467 Krujë 1470 Negroponte 1474 Scutari 1477–78 Krujë 1478–79 Scutari 1480 Rhodes 1481 Otranto 1484 Chilia
16th	1500 Cephalonia 1517 Cairo 1521 Belgrade 1522 Knin 1522 Rhodes 1529 Peñón of Algiers 1529 Vienna 1531 Diu 1532 Güns (Kőszeg) 1532 Maribor 1533–34 Coron 1534 Tunis 1534 Baghdad 1537 Klis 1537 Corfu 1538 Diu 1539 Castelnuovo 1541 Buda 1543 Nice 1543 Esztergom 1548 Aden 1548 Van 1551 Tripoli 1552 Muscat 1552 Hormuz 1552 Temesvár 1552 Eger 1556 Oran 1559 Bahrain 1563 Oran 1565 Malta 1566 Szigetvar 1570–71 Famagusta 1574 Tunis 1578 Gvozdansko 1592 Bihać 1593 Sisak 1596 Eger
17th	1601 Nagykanizsa 1621 Khotyn 1638 Baghdad 1663 Uyvar 1664 Novi Zrin 1648–1669 Candia 1672 Kamenets 1683 Vienna 1684 Buda 1684 Santa Maura 1685 Érsekújvár 1686 Buda 1686 Pécs 1688 Negroponte 1688 Belgrade 1690 Belgrade 1695 Azov 1696 Azov
18th	1711 Brăila 1715 Nauplia 1716 Corfu 1716 Temeşvar 1717 Belgrade 1733 Baghdad 1734–35 Ganja 1737 Ochakov 1739 Belgrade 1788 Ochakov 1788 Khotin 1789 Belgrade 1789–90 Izmail 1799 El Arish 1799 Jaffa 1799 Acre
19th	1801 Cairo 1806 Belgrade 1821 Patras 1821–22 Acropolis 1821 Tripolitsa 1822 Missolonghi 1823 Missolonghi 1825–26 Missolonghi 1826–27 Acropolis 1828 Kars 1828 Varna 1854 Calafat 1854 Silistra 1854–55 Sevastopol 1855 Kars 1877 Plevna
20th	1912–13 Scutari 1912–13 Adrianople 1915 Van 1915–16 Kut 1916–1919 Medina
Ottoman defeats shown in italics.

• Habsburg–Ottoman wars in Hungary (1526–1568)
• Conflicts in 1541
• Sieges involving the Ottoman Empire
• Sieges involving the Holy Roman Empire
• Battles involving the Ottoman Empire
• Sieges of Budapest
• Suleiman the Magnificent
• Sieges involving Hungary
• 16th century in Hungary
• 1541 in the Ottoman Empire
• 1541 in the Habsburg monarchy
• Eastern Hungarian Kingdom