Siege of Szigetvár 1566: An Epic Ottoman Pyrrhic Victory
Just a year later we have an Ottoman victory in Eastern Europe; though it is one of the most bittersweet pyrrhic victories of the Renaissance. Suleiman the Magnificent had failed to take Malta but had made great strides in Eastern Europe. On one last, massive campaign to push towards Vienna, Suleiman made a stop to take Szigetvar, which he considered a minor annoyance to his campaign.
Count Nikola Zrinski thought himself more than an annoyance and prepared to give the Ottomans all they could handle with his 3,000 or so men at Szigetvar. Suleiman was prepared for much larger sieges so his army was more than enough for Szigetvar with about 200,000 men.
Despite the hopelessness of the situation, Zrinski did not consider hearing negotiations. The forward troops of the Ottomans were relentlessly attacked until the main force arrived. Zrinksi’s forays outside the walls caused thousands of Ottoman losses before the siege even began.
Initial full assaults by the Ottomans were repulsed by the small garrison. A month of casual assaults made no progress, but no help was on the horizon for Zrinski either. Suleiman offered terms, but Zrinski again rejected.
When a final attack was launched Ottomans flooded the city and castle everywhere. One nasty surprise by Zrinski was a mortar turned on its side and filled with iron scraps. As Ottomans were crossing a bridge to break through a gate the defenders opened the gate and fired at point blank range, killing hundreds before being overwhelmed themselves. Zrinski died in a final charge and the Ottomans took the city.
Little did they know, however, that Zrinski had one final trick up his sleeve. He had lit a long fuse on the castle’s powder stores. As the thousands of Ottoman troops swarmed the castle for loot, it exploded. As many as 3,000 men were killed in this last explosion. Upwards of 20,000 Ottomans were killed in the siege and assault and the elderly Suleiman had died in his tent before the last attack. The Ottomans were forced to abandon their campaign for Vienna for another century.