Rákóczi’s favorite princely seat, the castle, and the town of Eger fell into the hands of the Kuruc troops on 2 January 1705 by a surrender treaty. The prince stayed here often afterward, receiving in Eger the envoy of the French King Louis XIV, the Marquis of Alleurs, and the envoy of the Russian Tsar Peter the Great, but it was from here that he started his ill-fated campaign in Silesia in the summer of 1708, which led to the disastrous defeat at Trencsén.
After their victory at Trencsén, the Imperials slowly pushed forward and gradually reconquered the country from the Kuruc. Rákóczi tried his best to strengthen Eger. It was difficult to find a successor to the ailing brigadier Vas Sándor, who died on 6 April 1709, and he finally chose brigadier Perényi Miklós, who arrived at his new post on 27 April. He tried to make a thorough assessment of the situation and to increase the military strength of the fortress, but the plague epidemic and the catastrophic financial situation of the country made it an almost impossible task.
Under the leadership of the French military engineer Jean de Riviére, the walls were reinforced and the south-eastern cannon battery was replaced by an inner bastion for the guns (the ” Nice Bastion “, the ” Calvary “). The walls were also reinforced with battlements, but lack of funds prevented further work. Many of the soldiers escaped or were sent to other theatres of operations. Perényi asked for his release in September, but Rákóczi persuaded him to stay.
In the autumn and winter of 1709, Jászberény, Rimaszombat, and Putnok were also lost to the rebels. Rákóczi saw in the castles of Eger and Szolnok the key to the defense of the Tisza and north-eastern Hungary. However, the area was supplied with artillery and ammunition from Eger, so there was hardly any properly equipped artillery.
On 17 October, Szolnok fell and Colonel Francis Wallis invaded Heves County. The Imperial ring around Eger was tightened. Perényi’s urgent appeals for help could no longer get through the roads controlled by the imperial forces. The first units of General Cusani’s cavalry and de Viard’s imperial regiments arrived at the castle on 23 October, and the main army arrived the next day.
The citizens and the Kuruc soldiers in the city immediately surrendered, but Perényi flatly refused the call to surrender. However, the sub-commander, Réthey Ferenc, and other officers expressed their dissatisfaction, began to correspond with Cusani, and disinformed Rákóczi about the mood in the castle. The commander of the castle did not respond to the new summons, and his rebellious officers attacked him. They demanded a similar treaty with Cusani to the Forgách-Zinzendorf surrender letter, to which Perényi replied, “First have my head cut off, then make a truce!”
On 25 October, the Imperial cannons fired, but the small projectiles did little damage. On 11 November, the Hajdús broke out of the castle and smashed the southern and western siege lines, taking the tools with them.
On 6 November Cusani withdrew from Eger, replaced by Francis Wallis. Field Marshal Pálffy János and Croatian Ban also wrote to Perényi, expressing his incomprehension at his stubborn defiance. However, the castle commander persisted.
He had a good reason. According to the imperial inventory taken at the time of the surrender, the castle contained a considerable amount of gunpowder, food, wine, 34 large and small caliber cannons, and 14 mortars. The number of Kuruc guards is unknown, but they could not have been few.
Zinzendorf’s surrender agreement for an 8-month truce was unacceptable to Pálffy, so Wallis was ordered to besiege the fortress. On 15 November, construction of the siege walls began in the town and on the Almagyar hill overlooking the fortress. In addition, three mines were dug from the town. The bombardment caused extensive damage to the castle and a severe water shortage.
The prince encouraged Perényi to persevere, and encouraged his resistance, but more and more of the officers of the castle rose up against the captain. When word got out that the Imperials were digging a mine, the officers, especially Réthey, attacked Perényi harshly and demanded his surrender. The sub-commander was not afraid to insult Rákóczi and Bercsényi:
“What did Rákóczi and Bercsényi give me? They gave me the horse-dung, nothing. The bad dogs had already told enough lies that their help would come, but if the bad dog had wanted to come, he could have come from the wide India, but no one came.” To the face of Perényi he said, “Foolishly for thy lordship’s harshness we shall not die! Your lordship commands a dog! I hold nothing of your lordship!” Perényi continued to resist, but he was no longer in control. The 200 Hajdú troops assigned to guard the mines were all gone by the next day.
The series of attacks left him with no choice but to agree to negotiations. The officers of the castle drew up a 16-point draft treaty, which included a no-harm clause, an armed free retreat, the return of property and exemption from compensation for damages. On 30 November, Réthey and Gebhard Lőrinc took the letter down to Wallis, who got them drunk and then pressed a more stringent document into their hands. And he harassed Perényi with all kinds of financial demands to humiliate him even more. The gates opened on 1 December, but it was not until 4 December that Pálffy ratified the treaty in Pest.
Finally, on the 7th and 8th, the defenders handed the castle over to the Imperials. Réthey and most of the officers and soldiers defected to the Imperials, but Perényi and some of his soldiers returned to Rákóczi. The military events of Eger Castle ended with this capitulation.
Source: Szibler Gábor
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