Hungary's Defeat at Mohacs

There are many different interpretations of the reason for the Kingdom of Hungary's crushing defeat at Mohacs on the 29th August 1526. The standard Hungarian interpretation states that Hungary was a weak state, poorly governed with tax embezzlement widespread and an outdated military which was simply unable to cope with the technologically superior Ottoman army. However, it has been proven in recent years that this view of Hungary is simply not true.

The reasons why this view is so prevalent among Hungarian historians is that it fits in with their country's self image as the underdog, hopelessly encircled by huge powers. Louis II is presented as a Christ like figure, sacrificing himself for his country in a moral victory, but military defeat.

However the reality is that Hungary was in a decent position prior to Mohacs, but a series of poor decisions and the Hungarian's underestimation of the Ottoman forces contributed to their ultimate defeat. The Hungarian had a large army of around 25,000 troops, of which around 50% were infantry. The army had around 80 field cannons, and used an integrated battle plan, deploying small units of troops so that they were able to support each other, with blocks of infantry supported by small cavalry squadrons. The Sultan was aware of Hungary's military strength from previous encounters with them, and thus was aware that it would take a huge force to defeat them.

The first mistakes the Hungarians made were in their treatment of their border fortifications. The garrisons on their frontier were left without financing and as such fell into a deep state of ill repair, leaving the Hungarian borders vulnerable to an Ottoman attack. With their superior technology and tactics, including canons, the Ottomans easily overwhelmed the Hungarian border defences. The ease with which the Ottomans besieged and took the important buffer city of Belgrade in 1521 prompted Louis into an offensive action whenever the Ottomans advanced towards Buda, which contributed to their defeat at Mohacs.

The young king Louis II also made a number of mistakes which contributed to the Ottoman victory at Mohacs. He disbanded the banderia due to a lack of funds, and a number of the large magnates followed suit. In light of the Ottoman threat from the south, the King and estates agreed to a general tax to fund a mercenary army. This army was designed not to supplement, but to replace the standing forces, and as such Hungary was left with a tiny, irregular army in contrast with the huge professional army of the Ottomans. Moreover many of the taxes which were designed to fund the army were embezzled, leaving them ill-equipped to fight effectively.

Moreover, Hungary was left to fight the huge Ottoman army alone, with no help forthcoming from any of the large Western European armies. The Habsburg Empire was tied up with France to the West, the Polish were fighting the Tatars and Bohemia seemed ambivalent to Hungary's difficulties. Without help from the larger European armies, Hungary was always going to struggle against the combined might of the Ottoman forces.

Troop numbers also contributed to Hungary's defeat. The Ottomans were well aware of Hungary's military capability, and in an effort to defeat them commissioned two armies- one from the Balkans and one from Turkey. As such the Sultan had around 70,000-80,000 regular troops and Janissaries, with around half as many irregulars. This dwarfed the 25,000 Hungarian troops which gathered at Mohacs, and was a significant factor in the Ottoman victory.

Disorganization also played a huge role for the Hungarians at Mohacs. When Louis II left Buda to march on the Ottoman army, he only brought with him 3,300 troops. Even when they arrived at Mohacs, Louis only had around 25,000 troops, with detachments from Transylvania and Croatia failing to materialize. Szapolyai’s smaller army did not reach Louis on time, but the king ignored advice to wait for Szapolyai, and instead launched an attack.

Initially however, the Hungarians had a degree of success at Mohacs. As the first wave of Ottoman troops attacked the Hungarians, they were roundly beaten by the Hungarians under the leadership of Pal Tomori. However the Ottoman forces rallied and overwhelmed their opponents. The elite Janissaries began to damage the Hungarians left flank and the Ottoman artillery decimated the Hungarian lines, scattering their forces across the battlefield. Unable to hold their positions, the Ottomans advanced steadily, with the Hungarians either killed or in headlong retreat. With their forces defeated and their king drowned in a river, the Hungarian forces had been throughly routed, with around 14,000 troops killed during the battle.