Balkan campaign of 1529

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Balkan campaign of Suleiman


caption=
partof=the Ottoman-Habsburg wars|date=1529
place=Hungary
result=Ottoman victory; Ottomans re-occupy Raab, Komárom, Esztergom and Buda
combatant1= (Kingdom of Ferdinand's)
combatant2= (Kingdom of Szapolyai's)
commander1=Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
commander2=John Szapolyai
Suleiman the Magnificent
Petru Rareş voievod of moldavian's
strength1=Unknown, 16,000 reserve troops in Vienna [Turnbull, Stephen. The Ottoman Empire 1326 - 1699. New York: Osprey, 2003. pg 50 ]
strength2= Over 120,000 soldiers [Turnbull, Stephen. The Ottoman Empire 1326 - 1699. New York: Osprey, 2003. pg 50 ]
casualties1= Unknown
casualties2= Unknown

Following Ferdinand I's daring assault on Ottoman Hungary, Suleiman launched a campaign to take the Austrian capital Vienna and thereby strike a decisive blow, allowing him to consoldiate his hold on Hungary.

The March

Suleiman's march to Vienna was also an attempt to assist his vassal, John Szapolyai who claimed the throne of Hungary. Suleiman sent his army of 120,000 strong north on the 10 May 1529 . His campaign was marked by speedy success- on September 8 Buda surrendered to the Ottomans and John Szapolyai was installed as King of Hungary. Suleiman then went further taking Gran, Tata, Komoron and Raab [Turnbull, Stephen. The Ottoman Empire 1326 - 1699. New York: Osprey, 2003. pg 50 ] so that much of Ferdinand I's gains the previosu two years were lost. On 27 September, Suleiman reached Vienna.

Aftermath

The arrival of the Sultan's massive host in Central Europe caused much panic across Europe - Martin Luther, who had believed that the Turks were God's punishment against the sins of Christians [Madden, Thomas F. Crusades the Illustrated History. 1st ed. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan P, 2005 pg ] modified his views and wrote the book "the War with the Turks" in 1529 urging that "the scourge of God" should be fought with great vigour. However, when Suleiman began besieging Vienna it would prove to be his first and most decisive blunder.

References

*Madden, Thomas F. "Crusades the Illustrated History". 1st ed. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan P, 2005
* Turnbull, Stephen. The Ottoman Empire 1326 - 1699. New York: Osprey, 2003.

Notes