Misplaced Pages

Tiszántúl

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

Crișana ( Hungarian : Körösvidék , German : Kreischgebiet ) is a geographical and historical region in north-western Romania , named after the Criș (Körös) River and its three tributaries: the Crișul Alb , Crișul Negru , and Crișul Repede . In Romania, the term is sometimes extended to include areas beyond the border, in Hungary ; in this interpretation, the region is bounded to the east by the Apuseni Mountains , to the south by the Mureș River , to the north by the Someș River , and to the west by the Tisza River , the Romanian-Hungarian border cutting it in two. However, in Hungary, the area between the Tisza River and the Romanian border is usually known as Tiszántúl .

#194805

61-564: Tiszántúl or Transtisza or Crișana (literal meaning: "beyond Tisza") is a geographical region of which lies between the Tisza river , Hungary and the Apuseni Mountains , Romania , bordered by the Maros (Mureș) river . Alongside Kiskunság , it is a part of Great Alföld , however today, the denomination is mostly restricted to the area with an extent only to the present border with Romania . It

122-469: A pincer movement , and in the center the Hungarian heavy knights and infantry were repulsed and suffered heavy casualties, especially from the well-positioned Ottoman cannons and well-armed and trained Janissary musketeers. The Hungarians could not hold their positions, and those who did not flee were surrounded and killed or captured. Nearly the entire Hungarian royal army was destroyed in about two hours on

183-502: A breakdown of communication between Louis and his brother-in-law, Archduke Ferdinand. Ferdinand was unaware of the urgency of the situation. To make the matter worse, Louis and the Hungarian court failed to inform him that they had decided to fight a decisive battle on the plain of Mohács (this decision was made on 26 August, one day before Ferdinand's departure: in a conference in Louis's camp in Bata,

244-693: A defensive position. The question was who could force the other to start the attack on the battlefield, that is, to attack positions that could then be defended with cannons and arquebuses. The currently known division of the Hungarian army by arms includes: 3,000 armoured knights from the Hungarian noble banderiums , the king's bodyguard (1,000 armoured knights), 4,500 light cavalry (mainly hussars of Serbian origin), 6,700 mainly Hungarian infantry, 5,300 papal infantry (mainly German Landsknechte , but Italian and Spanish contingents were also represented in smaller numbers) and 1,500 Polish infantry, with an unknown number of artillerymen. Available data do not allow

305-635: A detailed reconstruction of the rest of the army. The geography of the area meant that the Hungarians could not know the Ottomans' ultimate goal until the latter crossed the Balkan Mountains , and when they did, the Transylvanian and Croatian forces were farther from Buda than the Ottomans were. Contemporary historical records, though sparse, indicate that Louis preferred a plan of retreat, in effect ceding

366-501: A law against the export of Hungarian-made arquebuses for the Ottoman Empire. Contrary to popular belief, the Hungarian infantry was so well equipped with arquebuses that, it had an unusually high firepower in a comparison with contemporary Western European standards. Both armies faced a tactical challenge, namely that they could not move their firepower very well. As a result, they were only able to use it effectively if they fired from

427-636: A politically united people. The resulting degradation of order paved the way for Ottoman pre-eminence. King Louis II of Hungary married Mary of Habsburg in 1522. The Ottomans saw this Jagiellonian–Habsburg marital alliance as a threat to their power in the Balkans and worked to break it. After Suleiman I came to power in Constantinople in 1520, the High Porte made the Hungarians at least one and possibly two offers of peace. For unclear reasons, Louis refused. It

488-408: A tactical challenge, namely that they could not move their firepower very well. As a result, they were only able to use them effectively if they fired from a defensive position. The question was who could force the other to start the attack on the battlefield, that is, to attack positions that could then be defended with cannons and arquebuses. Only half of the jannisaries used arquebuses and muskets,

549-440: Is known concerning these Jews during the period of the grand princes , except that they lived in the area and engaged in commerce there. The largest city in the region, Oradea ( Hungarian : Nagyvárad ), was most probably established during the early years of Hungarian rule. It is first mentioned in 1113 under the name "Varadinum" in a diploma belonging to Benedictine Zobor Abbey . The Romanian name Oradea originates from

610-513: Is located within the Pannonian basin and bounded in Romania by Maramureș to the north, Transylvania proper to the east, Banat to the south, and Hungary to the west. The region consists of the current Romanian counties of Arad (most of it), Bihor and some parts of Sălaj , Satu Mare , parts of Maramureș County (Codru, Chioar) and Hunedoara counties. Nowadays it is sometimes considered part of

671-567: Is mainly a flat area, being part of the Great Hungarian Plain . The area is divided by the tributaries of the Tisza: the Körös and Maros rivers. The largest city of the area is Debrecen , other county capitals being Nyíregyháza and Békéscsaba . This Hungarian geography article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Cri%C8%99ana In ancient times , this area

SECTION 10

#1732851711195

732-661: Is possible that Louis was well aware of Hungary's situation (especially after the Ottomans defeated Persia in the Battle of Chaldiran (1514) and the Polish-Ottoman peace from 1525) and believed that war was a better option than peace. Even in peacetime, the Ottomans raided Hungarian lands and conquered small territories (with border castles), but a final battle still offered Louis a glimmer of hope. Accordingly, another Ottoman–Hungarian war ensued, and in June 1526 an Ottoman expedition advanced up

793-403: Is said to have lamented: "I came indeed in arms against him; but it was not my wish that he should be thus cut off before he scarcely tasted the sweets of life and royalty." The result was catastrophic for the Hungarians, with their lines advancing into withering fire and flank attacks, and falling into the same trap that John Hunyadi had so often used successfully against the Ottomans. Beside

854-499: The Croatian count Christoph Frankopan , numbering around 5,000 men. The Ottomans deployed the largest field artillery of the era, comprising some 300 cannons, while the Hungarians had only 85 cannons, though even this number was greater than other contemporary Western European armies deployed on the battlefields during the major conflicts of Western European powers. The number of regular professional paid soldiers ( Kapıkulu ) employed by

915-504: The Danube . In the early 1500s, Vladislav II (ruled 1490–1516), Louis II and Croatian nobles repeatedly asked Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I for help, but during Maximilian's reign, assistance for Hungary remained a plan. After the first chain of fortresses fell however, assessing the threat to his own provinces, Archduke Ferdinand (later Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I ) made a significant effort to help his brother-in-law. When Nándorfehérvár

976-703: The Eastern Hungarian Kingdom . In 1552, the Ottoman Empire occupied the southern part of Crișana and included it in the newly established Temeşvar Eyalet . According to the Treaty of Speyer (1570) , the rest of Crișana became part of the Principality of Transylvania , a successor state of the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom. John Sigismund Zápolya abdicated as King of Hungary and in return, Maximilian II of Habsburg recognized John Sigismund's authority over

1037-476: The High Porte throughout the Ottoman Empire did not exceed 15,000–16,000 men in the first third of the 16th century. During this time Suleiman could raise an army between 50,000–60,000 for campaigns. The Ottomans obtained most of the arquebuses for their janissary army from Hungarian and Venetian gunsmiths. This phenomenon was so widespread and severe, that in 1525 the Hungarian Parliament had to pass

1098-691: The Kingdom of Hungary , which was then part of the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary . During Habsburg administration, Crișana did not, on the whole, have special status such as that of Transylvania or the Banat ; briefly, from 1850 to 1860, it was organized as the Military District of Großwardein . After disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Crișana was divided between Romania (eastern part) and Hungary (western part). Romanian Crișana

1159-648: The Sava and Drava Rivers. At Mohács the Hungarians numbered some 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers. The only external help was a small contingent of Polish troops (1,500 soldiers and knights) led by the royal captain Lenart Gnoiński (but organized and equipped by the Papal State). The Ottoman army numbered perhaps 50,000, though some contemporary and modern-day historians put the number of the Ottoman troops at 100,000. Most of

1220-505: The absolutist King Matthias Corvinus in 1490, the Hungarian magnates , who did not want another heavy-handed king, procured the accession of the notoriously weak-willed King Vladislaus of Bohemia , who reigned as King Vladislaus II of Hungary from 1490 to 1516. He was known as King Dobře (or Dobzse in Hungarian orthography), meaning "all right", for his habit of accepting, without question, every petition and document laid before him. The freshly-elected King Vladislaus II donated most of

1281-466: The arquebuses for their janissary army from Hungarian and Venetian gunsmiths. This phenomenon was so widespread and severe, that in 1525 the Hungarian Parliament had to pass a law against the export of Hungarian-made arquebuses for the Ottoman Empire. Contrary to popular belief, the Hungarian infantry was so well equipped with arquebuses that, it had an unusually high firepower in a comparison with contemporary Western European standards. Both armies faced

SECTION 20

#1732851711195

1342-509: The Balkans. As the first of Suleiman's troops, the Rumelian army, advanced onto the battlefield, they were attacked and routed by Hungarian troops led by Pál Tomori. This attack by the Hungarian right caused considerable chaos among the irregular Ottoman troops, but even as the Hungarian attack pressed forward, the Ottomans rallied with the arrival of Ottoman regulars deployed from the reserves. While

1403-584: The Battle of Bicocca (1522), King Francis I of France tried – unsuccessfully – to ally himself with King Sigismund I of Poland . The Hungarian royal court also rejected the French offer. However, John Zápolya, the Voivode of Transylvania , showed a willingness to cooperate with the French, although the formal treaty was not signed until 1528. King Francis I of France was defeated at the Battle of Pavia on 24 February 1525 by

1464-633: The European princes for help, but only King Henry VIII of England offered aid (which arrived only in 1527 to Queen Mary of Hungary in Pozsony) and the Pope offered 50,000 gold pieces, while neither Charles V nor Ferdinand Habsburg (Archduke of Austria, the Hungarian king's brother-in-law) did anything. The fact is that the Habsburgs' armies were still on the battlefields of Italy. The general apathy that had characterized

1525-578: The Habsburg pressure on France, in 1525 Francis asked Suleiman to make war on the Holy Roman Empire, and the road from Turkey to the Holy Roman Empire led across Hungary. The request of the French king coincided well with the ambitions of Suleiman in Europe and gave him an incentive to attack Hungary in 1526, leading to the Battle of Mohács. At the news of the war, the young King Louis II of Hungary appealed to

1586-461: The Hungarian hand cannon "Szakállas puska" in the 15th century. Hungary had a long tradition of unusually extensive use of handheld firearms ( arquebus ) as early as the 15th century, for example in the famous Black Army of the late ruler King Matthias Corvinus (r. 1458 - 1490). The Hungarians abandoned the use of the bow and crossbow completely in the last decade of the 15th century and switched entirely to firearms. The Ottomans obtained most of

1647-404: The Hungarian name Várad , meaning "fortified place". The city was one of the most important cultural centres of the medieval Hungarian state: two Hungarian kings, Ladislaus I (1077-1095) and Sigismund (1387-1437) were buried there. After the canonization of Ladislaus I in 1192, his shrine at Várad became a Catholic pilgrimage site. After the Battle of Mohács (1526), the region became part of

1708-488: The Hungarian right advanced far enough at one time to place Suleiman in danger from Hungarian bullets that struck his cuirass , the superiority of the Ottoman regulars and the timely charge of the Janissaries overwhelmed the attackers, particularly on the Hungarian left. The Hungarians took serious casualties from the skillfully handled Turkish artillery and musket volleys. The Hungarian army was surrounded by Ottoman cavalry in

1769-450: The Hungarian royal estates, régales , and royalties to the nobility. Thus the king tried to stabilize his new reign and preserve his popularity among the magnates. Given the naive fiscal and land policy of the royal court, the central power began to experience severe financial difficulties, largely due to the enlargement of feudal lands at royal expense. The noble estate of the parliament succeeded in reducing their tax burden by 70–80%, at

1830-543: The Ottoman Balkan forces registered before this battle were described as Bosnians or Croats. The Hungarian army was arrayed to take advantage of the terrain and hoped to engage the Ottoman army piecemeal. They had the advantage that their troops were well-rested, while the Turks had just completed a strenuous march in scorching summer heat. The earliest type of Turkish hand cannons are called as "Şakaloz", which word came from

1891-630: The Turks advanced up the Danube River and took Nándorfehérvár (present-day Belgrade , Serbia ) – the strongest Hungarian fortress on the Danube – and Szabács (now Šabac , Serbia). This left most of southern Hungary indefensible. The loss of Nándorfehérvár caused great alarm in Hungary. On October 18, 1523, the Hungarian aristocrats united for the recapture of Belgrade, pledging funds that would support an army of 60,000 troops and 100 cannons—an undertaking that

Tiszántúl - Misplaced Pages Continue

1952-447: The aid funds he had brought, arguing that: "if the Hungarians were capable of assembling such an enormous force, then they had no need for the money." The huge 60,000-strong royal army – led by the king, but recruited too late and too slowly – neglected to take food along and bad organization of logistics. Therefore, the army disbanded spontaneously under pressure from hunger and disease without even trying to recapture Belgrade from

2013-538: The approaching danger, did not immediately heed their king's call for troops. Eventually, the Hungarians assembled in three main units: the Transylvanian army under John Zápolya , charged with guarding the passes in the Transylvanian Alps , with between 8,000 and 13,000 men; the main army, led by Louis himself (beside numerous Spanish, German, Czech, and Serbian mercenaries); and another smaller force, commanded by

2074-540: The battle marked the end of the Jagiellonian dynasty in Hungary and Bohemia, whose dynastic claims passed to the House of Habsburg . During the battle, the Ottomans utilised the firearm kneeling position, the first of its kind , with 200 tüfenks ( muskets ) forming "nine consecutive rows and they fired their weapons row by row" in a "kneeling or standing position without the need for additional support or rest". This method

2135-552: The battlefield. During the retreat, the twenty-year-old king died when he fell backwards off his horse while trying to ride up a steep ravine of the Csele stream. He fell into the stream and, weighed down by his armor, was unable to stand up, and drowned. Suleiman the Magnificent expressed regret at the death of his young adversary. Upon encountering the lifeless body of King Louis, the Sultan

2196-597: The chancellor Stephen Brodarics advised the king to wait for reinforcements from Austria and Bohemia, but a group of impetuous nobles managed to persuade the king to engage in an open, immediate battle on the plains of Mohacs against the numerically superior Ottomans). Ferdinand, facing religious tensions and uprisings in his own lands as well as his brothers' requests for more troops for other theaters, decided to tend to what he thought to be more urgent affairs first. According to Stephen Fischer-Galati, that literature shows that Louis himself seemed to be unable to fully understand

2257-401: The country forced Tomori to lean on his own bishopric revenues when he started to repair and reinforce the second line of Hungary's border defense system. ( Pétervárad would fall to the Turks on July 15, 1526, due to the chronic lack of castle garrisons.) Three years later, an Ottoman army set out from Constantinople on 16 April 1526, led by Suleiman the Magnificent personally. The Danube River

2318-401: The country to Ottoman advances, rather than directly engaging the Ottoman army in open battle. The Hungarian war council – without waiting for reinforcements from Croatia and Transylvania only a few days march away – made a serious tactical error by choosing the battlefield near Mohács, an open but uneven plain with some swampy marshes. Fichtner writes that before the Battle of Mohács, there was

2379-529: The eastern territories of the Kingdom of Hungary. John Sigismund became princeps Transsylvaniae et partium regni Hungariae dominus  – Prince of Transylvania and of a part of the Kingdom of Hungary (Partium). Crișana was included in the Partium. The Ottoman Varat Eyalet that was formed in the second half of the 17th century was centered on Crișana. Since the end of the 17th century, the whole region became part of

2440-704: The expense of the country's ability to defend itself. Vladislaus became the magnates ' helpless "prisoner"; he could make no decision without their consent. Europe's largest standing mercenary army (the Black Army ) of Matthias Corvinus was dissolved by the aristocracy. The magnates also dismantled the national administration systems and bureaucracy throughout the country. The country's defenses sagged as border-guards and castle garrisons went unpaid, fortresses fell into disrepair, and initiatives to increase taxes to reinforce defenses were stifled. Hungary's international role declined, its political stability shaken; social progress

2501-465: The father of Prince Morout's grandson Menumorout who succeeded Zvataplug and wed his daughter to Árpád 's son Zoltán of Hungary father of Taksony of Hungary . Jews living in the area transmitted a letter written about 960 CE to King Joseph of the Khazars by Hasdai ibn Shaprut . About the same time Ibrahim ibn Jacob says that Jews went from the same area to Prague for business purposes. Nothing else

Tiszántúl - Misplaced Pages Continue

2562-676: The historical region Transylvania , although it did not fall fully within the boundaries of the historical principality. Hungarian Körösvidék is covered by the areas of Hajdú-Bihar County and Békés County . The southern part of Crișana, near the Mureș River, was called Pomorišje by the Serbs . The most important cities are: Battle of Moh%C3%A1cs Ottoman victory Ottoman Empire Mediterranean The Battle of Mohács ( Hungarian: [ˈmohaːt͡ʃ] ; Hungarian : mohácsi csata , Turkish : Mohaç Muharebesi or Mohaç Savaşı)

2623-437: The king, some 1,000 other Hungarian nobles and leaders were also killed. It is generally accepted that more than 14,000 Hungarian soldiers were killed in the initial battle. Suleiman could not believe that this small, suicidal army was all that the once powerful country could muster against him, so he waited at Mohacs for a few days before moving cautiously against Buda. On 31 August, 2,000 Hungarian prisoners were massacred on

2684-757: The lands of the Habsburg monarchy and was administratively divided between the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary , the Habsburg Principality of Transylvania and the Habsburg Military Frontier . Following the abolition of the Theiß - Muresch section of the Habsburg Military Frontier (in 1750) and the abolition of the Principality of Transylvania in 1867, the whole area was included again into

2745-576: The most modest parish had to turn to the merchants of Augsburg." The Fugger family controlled the distribution of the Roman Catholic Church's indulgences , which, among other reasons, soon led to an international scandal and then to strong social unrest. After 1517, European public opinion became increasingly preoccupied and divided by the Reformation launched by Martin Luther. The religious upheaval

2806-463: The need for additional support or rest". This method was later adopted by the Chinese , with writer Zhao Shizhen deeming Turkish muskets superior to European ones. Volley fire with matchlocks was also first used in this battle by Janissaries . The Ottomans deployed the largest field artillery of the era, comprising some 300 cannons, while the Hungarians had only 85 cannons, though even this number

2867-483: The newly installed Turkish garrisons. In 1523, Archbishop Pál Tomori , a valiant priest-soldier, was made captain of Southern Hungary. In Europe, especially in Germany, negative trends had started to unfold. The Fuggers, who had taken control of the finances, "by around 1503 had a veritable monopoly of 'favoritism' in Germany, Hungary, Poland and Scandinavia, to the extent that any priest who wanted to get access to even

2928-408: The other half still belonged to the traditional archery. The Ottomans have no numerical superiority regarding to handheld firearms during the battle of Mohács. During the battle, the Ottomans utilised the firearm kneeling position, the first of its kind , with 200 tüfenks ( muskets ) forming "nine consecutive rows and they fired their weapons row by row" in a "kneeling or standing position without

2989-533: The same area was ruled (under Zvataplug son of Morout ), by Morout's grandson Menumorout (Stallion of Morout) in the 10th century. Morout was a Prince of Poland who had supposedly subdued Bractari and ruled as Emperor of the Bulgars and Moravians. Prince Morout occupied Crișana and the people that are called Cozar inhabited that land in reference to the Cozlones . Prince Morout's son Zvataplug appears to have been

3050-648: The seriousness or immediacy of the Turkish threat. It was possible that Louis based his confidence on the assurances of John Zápolya and his supporters, who promised to help. Magnates who feared Habsburg interference desired a total Hungarian effort to either contain (militarily or diplomatically) or reach a truce with the Porte. The Ottomans had advanced toward Mohács almost unopposed. While Louis waited in Buda, they had besieged several towns ( Petervarad , Ujlak , and Eszek ), and crossed

3111-492: The troops of the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V . After several months in prison, Francis I was forced to sign the Treaty of Madrid . In a watershed moment in European diplomacy, Francis formed a formal Franco-Ottoman alliance with Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent as an ally against Charles V. The French-Ottoman strategic, and sometimes tactical, alliance lasted for about three centuries. To relieve

SECTION 50

#1732851711195

3172-489: The unified leadership that the ban had held until that time. Alfred Kohler opines that the coordination effort attempted by Ferdinand, Mary and Louis failed because the young Hungarian king showed a lack of vigour, which was also recognized by Hungarian nobles. Mary, on the other hand, was much more decisive and vigorous, but the non-Hungarian advisors she relied on created distrust. The Hungarians had long opposed Ottoman expansion in southeastern Europe, but in 1521

3233-408: Was an extremely important transport route for the Ottoman army in the region, so it was clear to everyone that the Ottoman army would follow the line of the Danube. For about 400 km (250 mi) along the banks of the Danube between Pétervárad and Buda there was no single Hungarian fortification, town, or even a village of any sort. The Hungarian nobles, who still did not realize the magnitude of

3294-410: Was an unprecedentedly huge and costly military force by contemporary European standards. The opinion of the papal legate in the Hungarian royal court, January of 1524 I note that by raising an army of 60,000, the Hungarian government effectively scored an 'own goal', losing numerous financial supporters from Western Europe. Even the papal legate, by the end of January 1524, denied the disbursement of

3355-418: Was being besieged, he summoned his estates and proposed sending troops to Hungary. In the end, 2,000 German infantry troops were sent. From 1522 to the 1526 defeat at Mohács, field troops from Austria frequently arrived but were not placed into fortresses at the border as regular garrisons yet. Even though this military aid purportedly strengthened this area of the border, it had the undesired effect of dissolving

3416-746: Was compounded by the German Peasants' War of 1524–1526, which mobilised considerable forces and, in addition to the material damage, caused more than 100,000 deaths. Between 1521 and 1526, the Western European powers were preoccupied with the current episode of the Italian wars (which lasted from 1494 to 1559, with minor interruptions). France first sought allies in Eastern Europe against Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. French envoy Antonio Rincon visited Poland and Hungary several times between 1522 and 1525. After

3477-470: Was deadlocked. The arrival of Protestantism further worsened internal relations in the country. In 1514, the weakened and old King Vladislaus II faced a major peasant rebellion led by György Dózsa , which was ruthlessly crushed by the nobles , led by John Zápolya . After the Dózsa Rebellion, the brutal suppression of the peasants greatly aided the 1526 Turkish invasion as the Hungarians were no longer

3538-480: Was fought on 29 August 1526 near Mohács , Kingdom of Hungary , between the forces of the Kingdom of Hungary and its allies, led by Louis II , and those of the Ottoman Empire , led by Suleiman the Magnificent . The Ottoman victory led to the partition of Hungary for several centuries between the Ottoman Empire, the Habsburg monarchy , and the Principality of Transylvania . Further, the death of Louis II as he fled

3599-475: Was greater than other contemporary Western European armies deployed on the battlefields during the major conflicts of Western European powers. The Hungarian deployment for battle consisted of two lines. The first had a center of mercenary infantry and artillery and the majority of the cavalry on either flank. The second was a mix of levy infantry and cavalry. The rest of the Ottoman force consisted of feudal Timarli cavalry and conscripted levies from Rumelia and

3660-406: Was later adopted by the Chinese , with writer Zhao Shizhen deeming Turkish muskets superior to European ones. Volley fire with matchlocks was also first used in this battle by Janissaries . It has been argumented that the size of the Ottoman army was the main reason for the defeat of the well-armed Hungarian army, which could not withstand an enemy three times its size. After the death of

3721-837: Was settled by Celts , Dacians , Sarmatians , and Germanic peoples . In the first century BC, it was part of the Dacian Kingdom under Burebista . In the Middle Ages , it was ruled by the Hunnic Empire , the Kingdom of the Gepids , the Avar Empire , the Bulgarian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary . Hungarian maps based on the Gesta Hungarorum call it Kazárország. According to Simon of Keza 's 13th C. Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum ,

SECTION 60

#1732851711195
#194805