• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • 1
    CommentGo Back
Download
 
[b]Tactics[/b][i] Hungary's mix of Knights with essentially Asiatic horse archers created a style of tactics broadly similar to that of Poland and the Serbians. The aim of Hungarian tacticswas to create situations where the charge of the knights would be decisive. The lighthorse were used in open battle to clear away enemy skirmishers and prevent those of theenemy interfering with the deployment and charge of the knights. Knights through out the period either deployed in multiple lines or in deep columns. This mirrors thedevelopments in Polish tactics. Both styles of deployment allowed maximummanoeuvrability for the Knights and provided reserves to prevent encirclement by hostilelight horse.The Hunyadi period saw a shift along the lines of the Polish armies, infantry came to play an important supporting role. Like the Polish armies the Hungarians used infantryand Tabor wagons to create a strong centre from which their cavalry could operate andanchor their internal flanks. Bonfinius describes a Hungarian battle formation called thescorpion where infantry formed its body and the warwagons and cavalry formed the pincers. This brief description sounds very much like the Polish Crescent formation (it being based on the Mongol Grand Hunt). The objective was to sweep away the enemyflanks or force them inwards and crush their centre on the hvy infantry and wagons of thecentre.[/i]------------------------------------------------[b]Rozgony June 15 1312[/b]Charles Angevin defeats the last serious opposition to his rule, the 'prince' Matheusand his allies. The King's forces included local contingents from the town of Szepes and aforce called 'crusaders' in the Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum. These were probablyGerman mercenaries. Matheus' army was commanded by Demetrius and Aba, supportersof Matthius. They drew up their forces on the slopes of the valley of the river Harnad in avery favourable defensive position possibly with the Crusaders in reserve. Charles drewhis army up opposite them but appears to have refused to advance. The forces of Matheusappear to have launched an impetuous charge against Charles and made significant progress,. Initially Charles' army was thrown back, the royal standard bearer and severalhigh ranking Nobles being killed. Charles appears to have been narrowly avoided captureor death and subsequently fought under the banner of the Crusaders. The crusaders tippedthe balance and when Demetrius and Aba were killed the rebels fled. The Chronica deGestis Hungarorum records that Charles suffered significantly more casualties than their enemies.[i]Main Source- Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum[/i]------------------------------------------------[b]Ambush in Wallachia Nov 9 1330[/b]
 
King Louis with an army raised mostly from Transylvania and with large numbers of Cuman light horse invaded Wallachia to force them back under Hungarian rule. After initial successes Louis army started to suffer from supply problems. A truce was reachedwith Voivode Bazarad and Louis' army was allowed to retreat. However in a narrowdefile with one end blocked by a log and stone wall the Wallachians ambushed theHungarian army. Losses were apparently massive and the King only escaped byexchanging surcoats with one of entourage. This battle secured Wallachia's independencefrom Hungary.[i]Main Source- Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum[/i]------------------------------------------------[b]Nicopolis 1396[/b]A combined army of Crusaders and Hungarians is defeated by the Ottomans. This battle is covered in detail in David Nicolles excellent book, Nicopolis 1396------------------------------------------------[b]Sava October 1441[/b]Hunyadi and his personal forces along with troops raised in Transylvania attempted todrive off Ottoman troops raiding around Belgrade. Unable to pin down the OttomansHunyadi started withdrawing to Transylvania. An Ottoman army under the Bey of Semendria blocked the Hungarian retreat. Hunyadi deployed his army with his heavyinfantry in the centre, flanked by his foot archers and auxiliary infantry. Either side of theinfantry centre were the Knights and heavily armoured mounted crossbowmen. In frontof the cavalry were deployed the light horse. Behind the infantry centre there was areserve of knights under Hunyadi. Precise details of the battle are not known however themain source Bonfinius states that the reserve played a decisive role in winning it. The pursuit apparently went as far as the walls of Semendria. The lack of supporting sourcesto Bonfinius has lead to this battle being regarded as an inflation of a minor skirmish. Itdoes not however detract from the deployment description which is entirely consistentwith other sources for later Hungarian battles.[i]Main Source- Ioan Thuroczi, Chronica Hungarorum 1488Historia Pannonica sive Hungaricarum rerum decades IV et dimidia- Bonfinius[/i]------------------------------------------------[b]Alba Iulia late February, early March 1442[/b]Mezid, Bey of Vidin led an Ottoman army of some 16,000 to 20,000 men in aninvasion of Transylvania and besieged the city of Sibiu (Hermanstadt). Sibiu was one of the Saxon towns of Transylvania and straddled one of the few routes large enough for armies to safely traverse the Carpathian mountains. Mezid's attack was well timed asHunyadi's army had only recently disbanded after its victorious return from Serbia. The
 
unexpected attack by Mezid placed Hunyadi in a difficult position. If Hunyadi waited for his well trained 'regulars' to muster it was possible that the Ottomans would take Sibiu,severely weakening Transylvania's border defences. Hunyadi instead declared a generalmuster of all able bodied men and ordered them to mass at the fortress of Alba Iulia.Mezid hearing of the muster either sent or lead a detachment of the Ottoman army todisrupt or disperse it, leaving the rest to continue the siege of Sibiu. Hunyadi, with all thetroops that had already gathered advanced to met the Ottomans and discovered themdrawn up some miles north of Alba Iulia. The Ottomans were deployed in the valley of the river Mures. Their right flank resting on the valley heights and their left anchored onthe river and occupying the near by village of Santimbru. The Ottomans apparentlyconcealed a significant reserve within the village itself. Hunyadi took the offensive andlaunched a strong attack with his right flank against the Ottoman left. This was presumably because it appeared to be the weakest and/or most easily accessible. TheOttoman reserves however appeared to have successfully contained the attack while theOttoman centre launched a counter attack against Hunyadi's centre. Hunyadi's centre isdescribed as staggering then retreating under the onslaught. This rapidly turned into arout. At this juncture Hunyadi ordered a general retreat back to the fortress of Alba Iulia.The Ottomans do not appear to have pursued the Hungarians as Hunyadi seems to haveextracted the majority of his troops, certainly they were sufficiently intact to advance onSibiu only weeks afterwards. The Ottomans instead scattered and looted the surroundingarea before returning to the main army at Sibiu. It is probable given the lack of pursuit bythe Ottomans and the relative lack of casualties that this was a small scale battle and thatthe Hungarians had a numbers advantage. The Ottoman deployment was unusual in thatthey anchored both flanks of terrain difficult to cross. Usually the Ottomans preferredopen battlefields where their light horse to flank and envelope their opponents. This alsosuggests that their army was smaller than that of the Hungarians.[i]Main Source- Ioan Thuroczi, Chronica Hungarorum 1488Historia Pannonica sive Hungaricarum rerum decades IV et dimidia- Bonfinius[/i]------------------------------------------------[b]Hermanstadt (Sibiu or Nagyszeben) 22 March 1442[/b]Reinforced by additional levies, including contingents of Szekeler and Saxons under the Royal 'Jude' Anton Trautenberger, Hunyadi advanced on Sibiu. The Hungarians alsohad a detachment of Transylvanian Wallachians under Basarab, son of Dan II, whoHunyadi wanted to place on the throne of Wallachia. Mezid, Bey of Vidin drew up hisarmy somewhere near Sibiu, the precise location has never been identified.Dispositions of the armies are not known however certain assumptions can be madefrom the source descriptions of the battle. Both armies appear to have deployed stronginfantry centres with cavalry on the wings. Additionally Hunyadi strengthened at leastone of the flanks with Tabor warwagons. Both armies also appear to have had a reserve.The Ottomans a infantry reserve massed behind their centre. The Hungarians had a hvycavalry reserve under Janos Hunyadi either behind the centre or on one of the flanks.
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
01 / 21 / 2011This doucment made it onto the Rising List!
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...