8/18/2019 Battle of Sisak http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/battle-of-sisak 1/13 The ceasefire in the Ottoman-Habsburg wars, concluded in 1568, and extended until 1593, did not bring eace to the !roatian border" The Tur#s still raided !roatia, $ran%s#a and &ta%ers#a from 'osnia" The defense of !roatia was remo(ed to the ri(ers $ua and $orana" )or some time !roatia still held the exosed, but strongl* fortified 'iha+" )rom isa# to the fortified $arlo(ac the #ra%ina of the $ua !onfinia !olaiana. was defended b* castles with ermanent garrisons of harami, who recei(ed their ermanent catain 1589" 'an Toma /rdedi acti(el* sought to secure the reli0uiae reli0uiarum of the #ingdom of !roatia" n the first *ear of his reign he defeated Ottoman Tur#ish raiders returning from $ran%s#a at lun%" Two *ears later he defeated the sand2a#-beg of a#rac-!ernica at (ani+ 'ut the (ictories did not ease the ressure on !roatia" n 1591 Hasan-a4a redo%e(i+ became the 'osnian beglerbeg" He strengthened the Ottoman 'osnian ro(incial forces, e0uied them with better horses and erected a bridge at radi4#a so that he could maneu(er between 'osnia and la(onia with greater ease" n the beginning of ugust he attac#ed isa#, but retreated after a four da* bombardment before the arri(al of the forces led b* ban /rdedi and the sureme catain of the la(onian #ra%ina, tefan rasswein" fter recei(ing ermission from the sultan 7urat for more serious actions against !roatia, in the sring of 159 he built the eni Hisar fort later named etrin%a. at the confluence of etrin%ica into $ua" t was to be a base for attac#s on isa#" The +eha%a deut*. of Hasan-a4a, :ustem-beg, erected a bridge across $ua at 'rest, while Hasan-a4a assaulted 'iha+ and catured it on the 19th of une" ;on his return to la(onia from &ta%ers#a he defeated the troos of the !roatian ban on the 19th of ul* at 'rest, and again bombarded isa# on <th ul*" He lifted the siege on the 9th" '* the beginning of une 1593, Hasan-a4a mo(ed on isa# for the third time" The large guns and the train were carried b* 9 4a%#as b* the a(a to radi4#a" n %ust se(eral hours he catured =ren>ina on the 1<th une" On the next da* he made cam on the right ban# of the $ua" The sources disagree considerabl* on the si?e of his arm*" He most robabl* did not ha(e more than 1@@@ combatants A %anissaries, a?as, siahis, a#ind2is" Onl* a small number could ha(e been armed with firearms" n this camaign articiated the sand2a#-begs of B(orni#, $lis-Ci(no, Ci#a, Hercego(ina, a#rac-!ernica, o2ega, Oraho(ac, 'iha+ and Du>itrn, and the catains of etrin%a and radi4#a" The arm* robabl* also contained some troos from the sand2a#s of Osi%e# and $r#a" fter recei(ing the news of Hasan-a4aEs mo(e on isa#, troos began to gather at (eta $lara, near Bagreb" bout 5@@@ feudal troos of !roatia and $ran%s#aF #ra%i4ni#s, merial troos, and us#o#s" 'an Toma /rdedi came with his coman* and feudal troos, in all 1<@ troos" !olonel :urecht /ggenberg with :eitenau imerial regiment of 3 comanies A about 15@@ men" !olonel ndreas (on uerserg, the sureme catain of !roatia, with 3@@ ar0uebusiers armored horsemen. of $arlo(ac, 1@@ ar0uebusiers of $oro4#a under catain !hristoh Obrutschan, @@ feudal horsemen of $ran%s#a under catain dam :auber and 16@ mus#eteers from $arlo(ac and $oro4#a under catains eorg and igismund aradeiser" !olonel 7elchior :Gdern with 5@@ ilesian horsemen archers armed with firearms." Cieutenant !olonel rasswein, catain of the la(onian #ra%ina with <@@ soldiers" etar /rdedi, catain of us#o#s, with 5@@ us#o#s" 7artin ietschni# with about 1@@ horsemen of the 7ontecuccoli regiment" To this number se(eral hundred more light horsemen can be added hussars. and irregular infantr*" The Habsburg-!roat forces had 1I6@ ar0uebusiers or mus#eteers, not counting mus#eteers that must ha(e been resent in other units" The arm* of Hasan-a4a was numericall* suerior, but the !hristians had the edge in fireower, efficienc* and strength" Onl* the unified command ga(e some ad(antage to the Tur#s" The !hristian arm* mo(ed on isa#" fter defeating an Ottoman detachment of 3@@ men it reached the castle Belina on the 19th une" t remained there on the next da*, awaiting ura% Brins#i from 7eJumur%e" ince he did not arri(e, the arm* roceeded on the 1 to Ko(i grad on the a(a" after disuting in a council it was decided to fight the battle immediatel*, without reconnaissance" isa# was defended b* 'la2 Lura# and 7ati%a )inti+ with 3@@ soldiers, and some recruits and (olunteers from the (icinit*, and about 1@@ men /ggenberger from lo(enia" n all, 8@@ men" fter erecting a bridge o(er the $ua, Hasan ositioned his guns on the left ban# of the ri(er, and targeted the gate and the tower b* the $ua" He soon breached a segment of the wall" caling assault was reulsed, but the garrison was demorali?ed" On the mo(e from Ko(i grad to isa#, uerserg ositioned the !hristian force in two battle lines, as was usual in the imerial arm*" n the first line went !roatian soldiers, light horsemen hussars., infantr* and uersergEs troos, and in the second line :GdernEs and 7ontecuccoliEs horsemen and :eitenauEs infantr*" n such order the arm* mo(ed on"