Nikola Šubić Zrinski - battle of Siget Video Code
Nikola Šubić Zrinski - battle of Siget
This a tribute to Nikola Šubić Zrinski, a great Croatian hero who deserves more appreciation in our country.
Tip: read quickly!
Nikola Šubić Zrinski or Miklos Zrinyi (in Hungarian)(1508--1566) was a Croatian soldier in service of the Habsburg Monarchy and member of the Zrinski noble family.
He distinguished himself at the siege of Vienna in 1529, and in 1542 saved the imperial army from defeat before Pest by intervening with 400 Croats, for which he was appointed ban of Croatia.
He later beat the Turks in the Battle of Babócsa and the Battle of Somlyo.
Zrinski resigned as ban in 1561.
In 1566, from August 5 to September 7, his small force (2,300 soldiers) heroically defended the little fortress of Siget against the Turks (90,000 soldiers and 300 cannons), led by Suleiman the Magnificent in person. The Croatian forces of Zrinski repulsed 3 all-out Turk assaults for several weeks. Despite their inferiority, the imperial army did not send them any reinforcements.
After days of bloody struggle, the defenders retreated into the Old City; with the majority of Croats already dead, this was their last stand. The Turks tried to lure Zrinski into submission, offering him rule over all of Croatia but to no avail. Zrinski said: "nobody will point his finger on my children in contempt." During the Siege Suleiman died on 7th September. But the news was kept secret so that it would not ruin morale at the end of the siege.
The next day the final battle was conducted. The castle of Siget was burnt down to ruined walls and the all-out attack by the Turks began who swarmed against the Old City, drumming and yelling. Zrinski prepared for the last charge, addressing his men: "..Let us go out from this burning place into the open and stand up to our enemies. Who dies - he will be with God. Who dies not - his name will be honoured. I will go first, and what I do, you do. And God is my witness - I will never leave you, my brothers and knights!
Zrinski led an exit force of 600 troops from the castle. He was heavily wounded at his chest and his head by Turkish bullets. At the end, his dead body was beheaded. The Turks took the fort and effectively won the battle. Only 7 defenders managed to get through Turkish lines. The Turks suffered heavy losses, estimated at 18,000 cavalrymen and 7,000 elite janissaries and several high-ranked officers.
Croatian composer Ivan Zajc created a masterpiece opera titled Nikola Šubić Zrinski which debuted in 1876. It is a patriotic play which depicts the heroic Croatian struggle against the Turks. It is still in production today.
A square surrounding a large park in the center of Zagreb is named after N. Š. Zrinski, commonly known as Zrinjevac.
Check out wikipedia for more information on him and the battle of Siget (Szigetvar- in Hungarian including the text of the last part('U boj') of the opera ''Nikola Šubić Zrinski'' which is also the bacground music of my movie
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