Eger

The castle of Eger (Erlau in German) is in northern Hungary. As it is, after much hesitation I have added it to the Ottoman Occupied Lands, because after a heroic period, it was finally taken by the Ottomans. Eger guarded the roads to the mining towns in the west of Upper Hungary and to the east to the great city of Kassa (Kosice, Kaschau). Have a look at the animation video of Pazirik Kft, which shows us the construction of Eger before 1552:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTqOhKt-Ncc

The town was already an episcopal center in the time of Saint Istvan in 1009. Its stone castle was built after 1248. The famous wine production dates back to the 14th century, but red wine was produced later. During the Ottoman wars, contrary to legend, the warriors drank white wine. (Note that I use the Oriental name order for Hungarian names, where the surname comes first).

Enjoy this trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkA2JoADHds

The famous siege of Eger in 1552

In the autumn of 1552, Captain Dobó István and his 2200 soldiers successfully defended the fortress and northern Hungary from the expanding Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman army was led by Kara Achmed Pasha and consisted of 35-40,000 men from the Rumelian army (and an Anatolian contingent) and the troops of Ahmed Pasha of Buda. The Ottomans had 16 zarbuzans (very large siege cannons), 150 medium and small pieces of artillery, and a fleet of 2,000 camels, which proved very useful in collecting and transporting wood to the site for the construction of temporary siege platforms.

The defenders had 6 large cannons and about a dozen smaller ones, as well as about 300 trench guns with plenty of ammunition. During the siege, Dobó’s officer, Bornemissza Gergely, devised primitive but deadly shells and bombs the size of powder kegs to use against the attackers, as well as a water mill wheel filled with gunpowder which he rolled into the Ottoman ranks. His secret was to make the gunpowder not just explode, but create more fire. He loaded these weapons with oil, sulfur, and flint to shower the enemy with flaming missiles.

The Ottomans had expected an easy victory, but the bravery of the castle’s defenders and Dobó’s inspired leadership resisted and repelled repeated Ottoman attacks. Even after the storage tower containing 24 tonnes of black powder exploded, causing extensive structural damage, the invaders were still unable to find a way into the castle. The defenders lost about a third of their ranks, including those killed or permanently maimed in battle.

There was considerable infighting between the two Ottoman leaders, Pasha Ali and Pasha Ahmed. Ahmed was the senior of the two and contributed twice as many troops to the combined army, but Ali showed more strategic talent and proved his skill with artillery, severely damaging the castle walls with his battery of just four large siege cannons.

During the siege, the Ottoman army ran out of gunpowder and cannonballs (which were carved from marble) at least twice, limiting Ahmed’s use of heavy artillery for a week or more. The end of autumn arrived earlier than usual, with heavy rains and freezing night temperatures. Reduced rice rations and allegations of corruption among officers caused discontent among the Ottoman troops. After 39 days of bloody, brutal, and intense fighting, the Ottoman army withdrew, beaten and humiliated.

Despite the failure at Eger, the Ottomans had no reason to lament the campaign of 1552, for they had taken Veszprém, Temesvár, Szolnok, and Lippa, as well as some twenty-five Hungarian fortresses. Despite the disparity in troop numbers, Eger’s strong walls and the high morale of its defenders enabled the fortress to withstand five major assaults and continuous cannon fire (not counting those stuck in the walls of the fortress, almost 12,000 cannonballs landed inside the fortress before the siege ended).

The women of Eger also took part in the fighting on the walls and their heroism became legendary. (It was all the more humiliating for the Muslims.) The point is that Dobó István and his soldiers successfully defended the fortress and it was the first time the Turks were defeated after the Battle of Mohács in 1526. The famous Hungarian poet Balassi Bálint served here for several years from April 1578. After the victory, Dobó and his officers resigned in protest against King Ferdinand’s refusal to provide material support for the defense.

The first notable writer to refer to the story was the Hungarian Renaissance poet and musician Tinódi Lantos Sebestyén (c. 1510-1556), whose account may have been partly based on eyewitnesses. The Siege can also be read in English because, in the 19th century, there was a Hungarian writer, Gárdonyi Géza, who wrote his novel “Eclipse of the Crescent Moon”.

Bornemissza Gergely was appointed to take command of the fortress. He was later ambushed, captured, and hanged by the Ottomans. The fortress of Eger defied Ottoman attacks until 1596, when 7,000 defenders, mostly foreign mercenaries, surrendered to the Ottoman forces personally commanded by Sultan Mehmed III. The city remained in Ottoman hands for 91 years. The minaret, built at the end of the 17th century, is a reminder of this period. Among all the buildings of this type, the minaret of Eger is located at the northernmost point of the former Ottoman Empire.

During the Turkish occupation, Eger became the seat of a vilayet, an Ottoman domain comprising several sanjaks. Churches were converted into mosques, the castle was rebuilt and other buildings were constructed, including public baths and minarets. It was the northernmost city in the Ottoman Empire where a minaret could be seen. The Ottoman warriors of Eger Castle gained a formidable reputation in the region.

The liberation of Eger castle in 1687

At the beginning of April, Caraffa moved his troops from Kassa (Kosice, Kaschau) towards Eger, which had already been guarded by Hungarian light cavalry units to block the route of any wagons that might be carrying food into the fortress. Lieutenant-Colonel Count Giovanni Battista Doria was appointed to lead the army blockading the fortress. His first troops arrived in June, approaching Eger from the south. Doria’s headquarters were in the village of Maklár and he set up camp on a small hill overlooking the town from the south.

A famous film was made about this siege in Hungary in the 1960s, but I have heard false rumors that a new version is being made in Hollywood. I doubt there will be a new film any time soon. Eger has become an emblem of national defense, a symbol of patriotic heroism, and the superiority of a national army over an unmotivated foreign mercenary force.

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Looking at the pictures taken in 2020-2021, there are still many things to complete in Eger Castle. Here are more photos of Eger castle, the first two sets were taken by Lánczi Imre and Ádám Attila in 2020-2021: