The battle of Mojac is a battle that took place in the 16th century on Hungarian territory. Also called the battle of the 17th century, which took place near this settlement. These two battles were of great and fundamental importance for the Central European countries, whose fate was closely connected with Turkish rule in the region.
These events were the result of the Ottoman Empire’s policy of expanding its territory at the expense of Slavic and German states, which naturally provoked a response from local peoples and countries, which resulted in an open confrontation.
Background of the first battle
The battle of Mochac in 1526 was the result of complex internal and external contradictions that had accumulated inside the Kingdom of Hungary at the turn of the 15-16th centuries. At this time, royal power in the country greatly weakened, the state was torn by internal strife and contradictions, which led to numerous peasant uprisings, as well as to the resistance of national minorities against the policy of Magyarization. In addition, the economy was also in a rather difficult state. The fact is that due to the separation of the country from international trade routes and the decline of the Danube Road, the material situation of the population was at a rather low level. All this contributed to the success of the Ottoman army in the battle.
Alignment of forces
The battle of Mochach in 1526 took place at a small settlement on the right bank of the Danube River. Here the Hungarian and Ottoman forces came together, the latter two times superior in strength and strength to their rival. Sultan Suleiman I commanded them, and the Hungarian army was led by King Lajos II. The backbone of his fighting forces was mercenaries from neighboring Slavic countries, as well as a number of German principalities. However, his strength was significantly weakened by the fact that the Croatian knights did not have time to help him, as well as the support of the Transylvanian prince. The Hungarians made the main bet on the cavalry, which, according to their plan, was to crush the Turkish infantry under the guise of guns.
Battle progress
The battle of Mojac began with the attack of the Hungarian cavalry on the Turkish infantry. Initially, success accompanied them, and they began according to the plan to crush enemy units. Seeing such success, the Hungarian army intensified the onslaught and began to pursue the retreating enemy, but very soon came under the crossfire of Turkish guns. Having a significant numerical superiority in forces, the Turks began to push them to the Danube and did not give the opportunity to retreat in an organized manner. The remnants of the Hungarian troops fled, the remaining were captured and executed. During the retreat, the king himself died along with his detachment. The battle of Mojac opened the way for the Ottoman army to the Hungarian capital, which fell two weeks later.
Effects
The significance of this battle had dire consequences not only for Hungary, but also for Central Europe. This defeat led to the spread of Ottoman influence and dominance on the Balkan Peninsula. The kingdom itself was divided into two parts: Ottoman Hungary was formed on the conquered lands, and the peripheral northern and western parts were annexed by the Austrian Habsburgs. The neighborhood of the Ottomans posed a serious threat to European states, which led to their unification to fight Turkish rule.
The background of the second battle
The battle of Mohac in 1687 was an important stage in the Great Turkish War, which was a series of conflicts of the 70-80s between the Ottoman Empire and the united European states. As part of this confrontation, several wars took place, among the participants of which was our country. However, a major conflict erupted between the Austrian Habsburgs and the Turkish side.
A direct clash began in 1683, when the imperial side managed to recapture the Turkish siege of Vienna, after which the initiative passed to the Europeans. The Austrians managed to achieve a number of successes, in particular, they won a number of fortresses, but their main achievement was the capture of the Hungarian capital Buda.
Battle
After that, the imperial troops decided to oppose the Turks. Their forces were divided into two parts under the command of Karl of Lorraine and Maximilian II. The Austrians managed to push back the Turks, despite the fact that the latter were quite well armed. At the same time, the victory turned out to be quite easy, the losses of the Europeans were very insignificant, while the Turks lost their main forces and weapons.
This defeat led to a crisis within the empire, to a coup d'etat and a change of power. After this battle, the Habsburgs received the right to the Hungarian crown and tried to make sure that the battle of Mojac in 1526 and the defeat in it were forgotten. For this, they gave their victory in 1687 the same name, although the battle took place a few kilometers from this village.