Battle of Hermannstadt

The Battle of Hermannstadt, also known as the Battle of Szeben, was fought between the army of the Hungarian Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire on March 18 and March 22, 1442, near Marosszentimre (now Sântimbru, Romania) and after Szeben (Hermannstadt) (now Sibiu, Romania). The Hungarian forces were commanded by John Hunyadi. Hermannstadt was Hunyadi's third victory over the Ottomans after the relief of Smederevo in 1437 and the defeat of Ishak Beg midway between Semendria and Belgrade in 1441.

Battle of Hermannstadt
Part of the Ottoman wars in Europe Hungarian–Ottoman Wars
The battle of John Hunyadi at Szeben (Chronica Hungarorum, 1488)
Date 18 March and 22 March 1442 Location Marosszentimre and Hermannstadt (Szeben), Kingdom of Hungary (today: Sântimbru and Sibiu, Romania) Result Marosszentimre, 18 March: Ottoman victory Szeben or Vaskapu, 22 March: Hungarian victory[1]
Belligerents
Kingdom of Hungary	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
John Hunyadi György Lépes †	Mezid Bey †
Strength
Unknown	16,000 men
Casualties and losses
3,000[2]	15,000[3]–20,000

Confusion over the location of the battle

The battle in Transylvania within the Kingdom of Hungary between Hunyadi and Mezid Bey: Older historiography places at Szeben,^[4][5][6] while modern historiography places the battle at the Iron Gate Pass (Vaskapu in Hungarian).^[7][8] According to historian Tamás Pálosfalvi, the location of the victorious battle has already been convincingly identified by Ottokár Székely near the Iron Gate in south-western Transylvania (Hunyad County). This conclusion is supported by numerous contemporary documents, however, according to Pálosfalvi, unfortunately, some authors continue to rely on the incorrect claims of earlier historiography.^[7]

According to historian Tamás Pálosfalvi, Hunyadi was not present at the first battle.^[7]

Background

In 1438, Sultan Murad II personally led the largest raid on Hungary in living memory,^[9] an Ottoman expedition in Transylvania.^[10] The Ottoman invasion ravaged southeastern Hungary for 45 days, during which the Ottomans faced little resistance, except at Szeben (today Sibiu, Romania), where the resistance of citizens caused significant Ottoman casualties.^[11]

In 1441 John Hunyadi came to power. Hunyadi attacked the Ottomans in Serbia and at the Battle of Smederevo got the best of Ishak bey. The Ottoman Sultan, Murad II, proclaimed in the autumn of 1441 that a raid into Hungarian Transylvania would take place in March 1442.^[12] In early March 1442, the marcher lord Mezid Bey led 16,000 akinji cavalry raiders into Transylvania, crossing the Danube to Wallachia at Nicopolis and marching north in formation.^[13]

Battle

On March 18 bishop György Lépes' forces (2,000 men) clashed with Mezid near Sântimbru. The Ottomans won by force of numbers and Hunyadi was forced to retreat, but Mezid did not pursue Hunyadi. Lépes was taken prisoner and Mezid beheaded the bishop.^[14]

Hunyadi's army regrouped near Hermannstadt. Simon Kemény (sometimes: Kamonyai) swapped his armour for Hunyadi's armour so that the Turks would believe he was Hunyadi. Kamonyai was to execute a head-on attack, while Hunyadi went around Mesid's army. Kamonyai was killed in action, however Hunyadi with the Hungarian heavy cavalry charged Mesid, crushed the Turks and killed Mezid. Hunyadi was able to ransom Lépes's head with Mesid's head.^[15]

Aftermath

When John Hunyadi defeated Mezid Bey and the raiding Ottoman army in the southern part of the Kingdom of Hungary in Transylvania, Hunyadi chased the Ottomans beyond the Hungarian borders and the Hungarian army penetrated Wallachia at the Red Tower Pass, Hunyadi forced Voivode Vlad II Dracul to again be a Hungarian vassal. Later continuing his campaign, Hunyadi also forced the Moldavian voivodes Ilie and Stephen II, who until that time had recognized the authority of the Polish king, to renew their loyalty to the Hungarian king.^[5]

The defeat of Mezid Bey in Transylvania and the surrender of the Wallachian and Moldavian voivodes incited Sultan Murad II to revenge; he was resolved to a general, large-scale retaliatory campaign against the Kingdom of Hungary for the following year, which he intended to lead personally. In order to immediately avenge the defection of the Wallachian voivode and the defeat of Mezid Bey, the Sultan entrusted one of his famous lieutenants, Beylerbey (governor) Şehabeddin of Rumelia, who volunteered for this task with great confidence wishing to punish Wallachia and Transylvania. Sultan Murad II tasked him to not dare return before the conquest of the two territories had been achieved.^[16][17]

In the Battle of the Iron Gate, near the Danube, Hunyadi wiped out Shehabbedin's army in the second greatest victory of Hunyadi's career, surpassed only by the rout of the Ottoman sultan's army in 1456 at the Siege of Belgrade.^[17]