Battle of Mohács
The Battle of Mohács (Hungarian: [ˈmohaːt͡ʃ]; Hungarian: mohácsi csata, Turkish: Mohaç Muharebesi or Mohaç Savaşı) 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 the battle marked the end of the Jagiellonian dynasty in Hungary and Bohemia, whose dynastic claims passed to the House of Habsburg.
| Battle of Mohács | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Ottoman wars in Europe and Ottoman–Hungarian wars | |||||||
Battle of Mohacs by Bertalan Szekely | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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Ottoman Empire |
Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Croatia Serbian Despotate Crown of Bohemia Holy Roman Empire Duchy of Bavaria Papal States Kingdom of Poland Hungarian Slovenes | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Suleiman I Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha Malkoçoğlu Bali Bey Gazi Hüsrev Bey Behram Pasha |
Louis II of Hungary † Pál Tomori † György Zápolya † Stephen VII Báthory Pavle Bakić Radič Božić | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
50,000–100,000 men 300 guns |
25,000–40,000 men 80 guns (only 50 arrived on time) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| ~1,500–2,000 |
14,000, 20,000 or 24,000 killed 2,000 prisoners executed | ||||||
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 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.