Battle of Brașov explained

Conflict:Battle of Braşov
Battle of Kronstadt
Partof:Long War (Ottoman wars)
Date:July 17, 1603
Place:Brașov
Coordinates:45.65°N 61°W
Result:Monarchy victory
Combatant1:Habsburg Monarchy
Pro-monarchy SzékelysWallachia
Combatant2:Principality of Transylvania
Commander1:Radu Șerban
Commander2:Mózes Székely

The Battle of Brașov (German: Schlacht bei Kronstadt; Hungarian: Brassói csata) was fought on July 17, 1603, between the troops of Wallachia led by Radu Șerban and the Habsburg monarchy on one side and the Transylvanian troops led by Mózes Székely on the other side.

Mózes Székely was killed on the battlefield, and the Wallachian lord Radu Șerban became ruler of Transylvania until September 1603, when Giorgio Basta and the imperial commissioners took control of the country in the name of the emperor.

Context

The decade previous to the battle was a tumultuous one for Transylvania, during which the Habsburg Empire seemed to be losing its grasp on the province.[1] Prince Sigismund Báthory was nominally elected to be its leader in 1581, at the age of nine, and between 1593 and 1601 he had abdicated the throne three times in favour of other members of the family in order to please the imperial interests.[2]

After brief spells during which Transylvania was controlled by Wallachian prince Michael the Brave and subsequently by mercenaries of Habsburg general Giorgio Basta, military leader Moses Székely instigated the native Transylvanian forces to rebel and, with the support of Turkish-Tartarian auxiliary forces proclaimed himself Prince of Transylvania on 8 May 1603.[3]

Székely's attempt to replace the Habsburg presence in Transylvania with a government that was friendly to the Ottoman Empire was unacceptable to Radu Șerban, who ”could not allow Wallachia to be caught in a vice between the Ottoman Empire south of the Danube and a Transylvania that swore fealty to it”.[4] Much of the Transylvanian nobility sided with Șerban, against the excesses of the Ottoman-backed usurper, with Brașov itself remaining loyal to the Habsburg. The also pro-monarchy Székelys (Szeklers) of Háromszék and Csíkszék June 8, joined Radu Șerban's forces under captains Bedő and Máttyus (3,000 cavalry and infantry).[5]

Battle

In July 1603 several smaller Wallachian-Habsburg forces crossed the Carpathians and engaged in skirmishes with Mózes Székely's troops around Feldioara, resulting in an early strategic victory. Unsure of his chances in open battle against the bulk of the Wallachian army, Székely adopted a defensive posture, entrenching his army (consisting of 4000 Hungarians, 2000 Tatars, and 25 light cannons) near Râșnov in an improvised camp surrounded by linked carts.[6] On the 15th of July Radu Șerban crossed the mountains and joined the rest of the forces. In total, the Wallachian-Habsburg army consisted of 10,000 men: two flanks of 2000 soldiers each and a main army of 6000 men led by Șerban himself.The left wing was led by the Hungarian György Rácz, while the right wing was led by the Serbian mercenary Deli Marko.

The main battle took place on 17 July, when the Wallachian troops attacked the defending camp. Following prolonged close combat, the defenders started suffering heavy losses and broke ranks, attempting to flee. Șerban gave the order to follow and cut down those who were trying to escape This included Mózes Székely who, refusing to surrender, attempted to flee to Brașov to save his life, but Rácz's cavalry overtook him. The prince defended himself bravely, until finally a Székely cavalry Katona Mihály, seriously wounded him and Rácz beheaded him.

Aftermath

Radu Șerban became ruler of Transylvania until September 1603. Despite initial fears from Giorgio Basta that Șerban would try to claim Transylvania for himself after the battle, mirroring Michael the Brave, Basta and the imperial commissioners took control of the country in the name of the emperor.

Depictions

The Battle of Brașov is the most recent battle included in the Allegory of the Turkish War, a volume of oil sketches on parchment created by German painter Hans von Aachen around 1607, while he was acting as the court painter of Emperor Rudolf II.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Book: History of Transylvania: From the Beginnings to 1606. Kopeczi. Bela. Mócsy. András. Makkai. László. Columbia University Press. 2002. 9780880334792. I. en. Zsigmond Báthori, Michael the Brave, and Giorgio Basta. http://mek.oszk.hu/03400/03407/html/118.html.
  2. News: Sigismund Bathory, principele ușuratic care și-a întemnițat soția după noaptea nunții, părăsit din cauza impotenței. Guță. Daniel. 10 January 2016. Adevărul. 19 February 2019.
  3. Book: Keul, István. Early Modern Religious Communities in East-Central Europe: Ethnic Diversity, Denominational Plurality, and Corporative Politics in the Principality of Transylvania (1526–1691). BRILL. 2009. 9789004186842. Gow. Andrew Colin. Studies in Medieval and Reformation Tradition. 143. Leiden, Boston. 149–150. en.
  4. Book: Xenopol, Alexandru D.. Istoria românilor din Dacia Traiană. Alexandru Dimitrie Xenopol. Cartea Românească. 1925. VI. Bucharest. 7–18.
  5. Book: Jaques, Tony. Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A-E. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2007. 9780313335372. Westport, CN, London. 160. en.
  6. News: Bătălia de la Brașov, 17 iulie 1603. I.M.. 1900. Gazeta Transilvaniei. 19 February 2019. 47–51.
  7. Book: Representing Imperial Rivalry in the Early Modern Mediterranean. Fuchs. Barbara. Weissbourd. Emily. University of Toronto Press. 2015. 9781442649026. Los Angeles, Toronto. 71. en.