October 28th, 1595 - The Battle of Giurgiu

Conflict: Ottoman-Habsburgs Wars

Combatants: Habsburgs vs. Ottoman Turks

Location: Poland

Outcome: Habsburg victory

In order to oppose the threat of Mohammed III's Ottoman Empire, Prince Sigismund Bathory of Transylvania allied with the Habsburgs of Austria. The combined forces defeated Sultan Mohammed (or Mehmed) III's Turks and conquered Wallachia in the Battle of Giurgiu.

Mihai Viteazul fighting the Turks, Giurgiu, October 1595 by Johann Adam Lonicer

Points of Interest:

• The Ottoman-Habsburgs War of the late 16th century is sometimes known as the Long War, the Long Turkish War, or the Thirteen Years' War.

• In 1606, after ten years of borders 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.