Balkan campaign of 1529

Balkan campaign of Suleiman
Part of the Ottoman-Habsburg wars
Date 1529 Location Hungary Result Ottoman victory; Ottomans re-occupy Raab, Komárom, Esztergom and Buda
Belligerents
Habsburg Austria Holy Roman Empire Spain Bohemia Papal States Croatia Hungary (Kingdom of Ferdinand's)	Ottoman Turks Moldavia Hungary (Kingdom of Szapolyai's)
Commanders and leaders
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor	John Szapolyai Suleiman the Magnificent Petru Rareş voievod of moldavian's
Strength
Unknown, 16,000 reserve troops in Vienna	Over 120,000 soldiers
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

Following Ferdinand I's daring assault on Ottoman Hungary, Suleiman launched a campaign to take the Austrian capital Vienna and thereby strike a decisive blow, allowing him to consoldiate his hold on Hungary.

March

Suleiman's march to Vienna was also an attempt to assist his vassal, John Szapolyai who claimed the throne of Hungary. Suleiman sent his army of 120,000 strong north on the 10 May 1529 . His campaign was marked by speedy success- on September 8 Buda surrendered to the Ottomans and John Szapolyai was installed as King of Hungary. Suleiman then went further taking Gran, Tata, Komoron and Raab so that much of Ferdinand I's gains the previous two years were lost. On 27 September, Suleiman reached Vienna.

Aftermath

The arrival of the Sultan's massive host in Central Europe caused much panic across Europe - Martin Luther, who had believed that the Turks were God's punishment against the sins of Christians modified his views and wrote the book the War with the Turks in 1529 urging that "the scourge of God" should be fought with great vigour. However, when Suleiman began besieging Vienna it would prove to be his first and most decisive blunder.

References

• Madden, Thomas F. Crusades the Illustrated History. 1st ed. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan P, 2005
• Turnbull, Stephen. The Ottoman Empire 1326 - 1699. New York: Osprey, 2003.