The First Battle of Zenta
On October 20, 1686, the Christian armies won a brilliant victory over the Turkish-Crimean Tatar troops trying to rescue the besieged Szeged at Zenta. The commander of the detachment sent from the siege camp of Szeged, General Veterani, arrived in Zenta on the 19th, where the vanguard of the relief troops sent from Grand Vizier Suleiman in Belgrade had already arrived.
Veterani managed to take Zenta, a palisaded fort occupied by the Turks, and drive out the Crimean Tartar army camped near the town. The hussars of Count Barkóczy Ferenc led the attack against the latter. After the first easy victory, however, the second column of the Turkish army arrived, which was broken only in a much longer and more difficult fight.
About 2000 Turkish and Tatar corpses were left on the battlefield, and the spoils of war included 20 prisoners, 20 cannons, 24 flags, 5 large janissary drums, 2 pairs of smaller drums, 3000 horses, 500 camels, 400 mules, and more than 100 buffalo carts. The Turkish garrison of Szeged surrendered on October 23 after hearing the news of the victory.
Baron Károlyi István, a hussar captain, the eldest son of Károlyi László, the chief Comes of Szatmár, who had already distinguished himself in the recapture of Buda, died a heroic death in the battle of Zenta. According to the consistent testimony of several witnesses, he was fatally stabbed in the chest, but his body was not identified.
A decade and a half later, an impostor tried his luck with his identity, as if he had escaped from a long Turkish captivity. The adventurer, falsely called Károlyi István, caused a lot of trouble for the only male member of the family, Károlyi Sándor, who tried to treat him fairly and carefully, lest he be accused of trying to dispossess his presumed-dead brother of his inheritance.
Only after a long trial was it discovered that one of Károlyi István’s henchmen with a troubled past, a reformed nobleman from Ugocsa, Nagy Gergely, had taken advantage of his resemblance to the long-dead captain general, but in the end he was not punished by the severity of the law, but – according to contemporary Cserei Mihály – was the victim of murder: his wife’s serfs beat him to death.
Turkish prisoners of war in Buda, 1686
This map above tells us that there were many Turkish prisoners in Buda, barely two months after its taking. Although many of the captives had been taken away from the city, still many of them are kept on Margit Island, says the document.
According to a reliable FB group that is researching the history of the Italian engineer Count Marsigli, the following Ottoman prisoners were listed in a document issued in Buda on 25 October 1686:
(Visit their page if you can read in Hungarian: https://www.facebook.com/Gróf-Marsigli-a-katona-és-tudós-egy-talján-polihisztor-emlékezete-382983911733731/)
“Here is the list of the Turkish prisoners held in the castle of Buda on 25 October 1686:
Mustafa odabasi, Hussein gönüllü. Omer, a Janissary from the 13th oda, Mustafa müezzin aka church-proclaimer;
Court Janissaries: Kara Mustafa, Kara Hussein, Kudschuk Ahmed. Mehemmed Abd’ullah. Omer. Jusuf. Dshigritscheli. Halil Bascha. Mehemmed. Ismail. Suleiman. Kiose Ali. Ismail Stanboli. Kudschuk Veli. Deli Hussein. Mustafa Vradsch. Ahmed. Hadsi Mehemmed. Ibrahim. Tat Hassan. Kudschuk Ahmed.
Koniali Ismail was sent to Eger to the barber-surgeon of Savoy;
Giudschi Jussuf. Hassan. Ali Bascha. Saka oghla Mustafa. Abd’ullah. Kudschuk Mehemmed. Deli Mehemmed. Deli Ahmed. Hassan. Kiurd Ismail. Kiennan. Ahmed. Mustafa. Hassan. Ali. Mehemmed. Ahmed. Hussein. Veli. Deli Hussein. Dschin Ali. Topal Hussein. Kara Ahmed. Schismann Hussein. Icimseli Mustafa. Osmann. Deli Hussein. Osmann. Kara Mehemmed. Starmboli. Ahmed Mehemmed. Dscureckdschi Ibrahim. Mustafa. Aivas. Ibrahim. Mehemmed. Mlavikli Mustafa. Tireli Ahmed. Tiriaki Mehemmed. Tossiali Mehemmed. Borlu Mehemmed. Pir piri Schalin. Ersurumli Ibrahim. Kara Mehemmed. Kara Mustafa. Eskidischi Ahmed. Mustafa. Ghiridli Mehemmed. Ali Ismidli Ibrahim. Amassiali Ali. Edreneli Aivas. Basardschikli Ali.
Artillerymen: Balalli Schaaban. Uskudarli Ali. Filibeli Ibrahim.
Iskilip Osmann, a servant in the bath.
Mustafa. Kiridschi Hussein. Sakisli Mehemmed. Ghiridli Mustafa. Tos koparan Ibrahim. Abbas Bascha. Aivas. Hussein. Redscheb. Suleiman. Ibrahim. Hadschi Hassan. Mehemmed. Ismail. Akdsche Ibrahim. Boldschi Ahmed. Jussuf Abd’ullah. Deli Ahmed. Ibrahim. Hussein. Mehemmed.
Djebedjies: Bosnak Ibrahim. Deli Hassan. Pir piri Hassan Bascha. Endreneli Kara Mustafa. Endreneli Mustafa. Iskilipli Ali. Iskilipli Musa. Almadschi Hassan. Seresli Mehemmed. Borgaschli Ahmed.
Sergen gechdis with a red flag: Hussein. Tokatli Ali Suleiman. Mehemmed. Hidir. Jusuf. Mahmud Karloghlu. Ali. Hussein. Husseim. Koniali Ahmed. Ahmed.
Silahtars (sword bearers) with a yellow flag: Mussa Amassiali. Tokatli Osman. Osman dschikdli Mehemmed. Amassieli Mustafa. Gordesli Murad. Nighsarli Omer. Ersurumli Bekir.
Sipahies with Timar-lands from the Sanjak of Saghkol: Samakovli Hassan. Scharkioli Ahmed. Scharkioli Schaaban. Ahmed. Hassan szpáhi szolgája. Mehemmed Alaaschahissarli.
Sipahies from the Sanjak of Szendrő (Smederovo): Halil Poschrefzali. Mehemed Poschrefzali. Jusuf Poschrefzali. Ahmed Krivadscha. Ali Nischli. Ahmed Nischli. Osman Nischli.
Sipahies from the Sanjak of Küsztendil: Haaschi Ramedan Kuruchnik. Redscheb Kraschnoa. Salih Bapamidsche. Hassan Tekie.
Sipahies from the Sanjak of Konya: Ahmed.
Sipahies from the Sanjak of Ohr: Kudschuk Mehemmed. Seinel. Omer. Kassim. Ibrahim. Mustafa Tunk. Oschrili Hassan.
Hussein, a servant in a bath.
From the cavalry sejmen of Pasha Abdi: Ali. Ali. Hassan. Mahmud. Deli Hassan. Deli Mustafa. Deli Ali.
Those who came from the Nahije of Debre: Osmann. Dschaffer. Redscheb. Osmann. Mehemmed. Hussein. Mehemmed. Dervisch. Hussein. Mustafa. Hussein. Ahmed. Seinel.
Those who came from the Sanjak of Szkenderije szandzsákból való: Ibrahim.
All kinds of servants: Ali, servant of the Agha of Schakahiatsche agáé. Ali, Ismail, serves of Agha Ahmed of Szerém (Sirmium); Jussuf, serf of Bey Mehemmed of Szerém. Mehemmed, serf of Agha Ibrahim of Poschrefzaiaga. Hussein, of Agha Hassan of Szendrő. Mustafa, of Agha Ahmed of Leskoza, Halil, from the kitchen of Pasha Abdi. Hassan, the kitchen lad of Topcu Agha Ahmed. Mustafa, the kitchen lad of Agha Topcu Kam Hassan. Schalim, the stable boy of Sipahi Ahmed of Voliva.
Women: Malikie. Meriem. Scheheri. Attie. Kadire. Raise. Four of these women belong to Count Veterani.
The number of Turkish men and women is 208 persons.”
There was a reference in this document to 1,380 Ottoman captives who were guarded not in the castle but on the Margit Island on the Danube:
“We call the attention of the military Council to the fact that there are altogether 1,680 Turks under guard in Buda, including women and children. The commanders must be informed that the ransom that can be gained for them can be spent on the rebuilding of Buda. It is better to ransom out Christian captives than letting the Turk captives perish.”
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