October 24th, 1596 - The Battle of Keresztes (or Mezőkeresztes)

Conflict: Ottoman-Habsburgs Wars

Combatants: Austrians vs. Ottomans

Location: Hungary

Outcome: Ottoman victory

On October 24th and 25th of 1596, Mohammed III's Turkish forces invaded Hungary and attacked the Austrian defensive positions of Prince Sigismund Bathory of Transylvania and Archduke Maximillian of Austria, only to be repulsed with heavy losses. Ottoman cavalry, however, managed to strike the counterattacking Austrians from the rear on the third day, sending their soldiers into rout. The Austrians lost over 20,000 men but Turkish losses were likely as high.

Battle of Mezőkeresztes 1596 by an unknown artist

Points of Interest:

• This period is sometimes known as the Long War, the Long Turkish War, or the Thirteen Years' War.

• After ten years of border fighting, the Ottomans agreed to recognize Austria and end demands for tribute in exchange for Transylvania.

Portrait of Mehmed III, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1595-1603) by John Young

Sigismund Báthory, Prince of Transilvania (1573-1613) by Dominicus Custos

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Sources:

Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.