Siege of Vienna (1485)

For the battle of Vienna in 1945, see Vienna Offensive. For the battle of Vienna in 1683 that marked the beginning of the political hegemony of the Habsburg dynasty, see Battle of Vienna. For the 1529 Ottoman invasion, see Siege of Vienna.

Siege of Vienna
Part of Austrian-Hungarian War (1477-1488)
Matthias marching into Vienna
Date 29 January 1485 -1st June 1485 Location Vienna, Lower Austria, Holy Roman Empire Result City surrender, Hungarian Victory
Belligerents
Holy Roman Empire	Kingdom of Hungary
Commanders and leaders
Hanns von Wulfestorff Caspar von Lamberg[c] Bartholomeus von Starhemberg[c] Andreas Gall[c] Ladislaus Prager[c] Alexander Schiffer[c] Tiburtius von Linzendorf[c] Leonhard Fruhmann[c] Johann Karrer[c]	Matthias Corvinus[d] Peter Geréb de Vingard [d] Stefan Zápolya[d] Stephen V Báthory Laurence of Ilok[d]
Units involved
Imperial Army	Black Army of Hungary
Strength
2,000 foot soldiers 1,000 cavalry 20,000 civilians reinforcements: 200 cavalry 300 fusiliers 60 archers[a]	10,000 foot soldiers 18,000 cavalry

The Siege of Vienna was a decisive siege of the Austro-Hungarian War in 1485. It was a consequence of the ongoing conflict between Frederick III and Matthias Corvinus. The fall of Vienna meant its merging to Hungary from 1485 to 1490. Matthias Corvinus also moved his royal court to the newly occupied city.

The siege

Vienna in 1493

In the year 1483-84 Vienna was being already cut from the Empire since all of his concentric defense ring had fallen namely Korneuburg, Bruck, Hainburg and later Kaiserebersdorf. One of the most important battle was Battle of Leitzersdorf, which prepared the possibility of the siege in the next year. City was perished by famine though Emperor Frederick III succeeded in providing some vital supplies with a breakthrough of sixteen vessels on the Danube to the city. On the 15th January, Matthias called the city to surrender but captain von Wulfestorff refused to do so in a hope of an Imperial relief. The blockade was fully sealed when Matthias attacked Kaiserebersdorf. There he was an unaware subject of an assassination attempt when a cannonball nearly killed him. He suspected of treachery as the aim was too precise from a long distance that only one who knew the whereabouts of the King could fire it so. He accused Jaroslav von Boskowitz und Černahora of bribery who was the brother of his mercenary captain Tobias von Boskowitz and Černahora. Without any chance to clear himself Jaroslav was decapitated. His brother Tobias was became so frustrated he returned to the service of Frederick and led his campaigns of reconquer after the death of Matthias in 1490. After Kaiserebersdorf was captured in mid-1485 the fate of Vienna turned inevitable.

Matthias placed his armies on the Hundsmühle flour mills and in Gumpeudorf on the south of the Wien River^[b]The King previously imported seventeen siege guns to Austria, and ordered the constant shooting of the city and the construction of two siege towers one of which had been burnt by the resisting militia of Vienna. Matthias intruded into Leopoldstadt in May 15 that made the final assault feasible. The Viennese people realized this and negotiated to deliver the inner city to the Hungarian King. Their only condition was the reassurance of their citizen privileges and a free passage. On 1 June in head of a military parade Matthias entered the downtown fort.

Aftermath

In the Salzburg manifest Frederick ordered the Austrian States to refuse Matthias' demand for the assembly of an Imperial Congress. He also put forward that soon to be Emperor Maximilian I would come to an aid. According to tradition this is the origin of A.E.I.O.U. a said to be secret message to all Austrian provinces. At the end of the Matthias' campaign Hungary controlled all of Upper Austria as well and remained under his control to his death in 1490.

Administrative issues

Matthias deprived Vienna of its staple right, a right that violated the commercial interests of the nearby countries so much, they formed the Visegrád Group to secure a bypass route detouring the city. The city in counterpart enjoyed a tax free status under Matthias rule. He also delegated a member, Stefan Zápolya to the Council of Vienna but left the rest of city fathers intact. He rewarded him the city of Ebenfurth and appointed him as the captain of Vienna and governor of the Austrian provinces incorporated into Hungary. The bishop of Pécs Sigismund Ernust was promoted the vice-governor while Nikolaus Kropatsch took care of the military affairs. The prominent captains received houses in Vienna.

Footnotes

• ^a Geissau pp. 35
• ^b Geissau pp. 36–37 (Hundsmühle and Heumühle were Middle age flour mills in Vienna next to the "Am Gries" marshes on the right bank of the Wien river)
• ^c Geissau pp. 41–42
• ^d Geissau pp. 52