Quote:
Austro-Turkish WarSituated at the confluence of the Rivers Danube and Sava, Belgrade held a garrison of 30,000 men under Mustapha Pasha. The Imperialists besieged the place in mid-June 1717, and by the end of July large parts of the city had been destroyed by artillery fire. By the first days of August, however, a huge Turkish field army (150,000–200,000 strong), under the new Grand Vizier, Halil Pasha, had arrived on the plateau east of the city to relieve the garrison. News spread through Europe of Eugene's imminent destruction; but he had no intention of lifting the siege.
With his men suffering from dysentery, and continuous bombardment from the plateau, Eugene, aware that a decisive victory alone could extricate his army, decided to attack the relief force. On the morning of
16 August 40,000 Imperial troops marched through the fog, caught the Turks unawares, and routed Halil Pasha's army; a week later Belgrade surrendered, effectively bringing an end to the war.
Belgrade, Battle ofQuote:
(16 August 1717) Following their success against the Russians in 1711 and the Venetians in 1714, the Turks declared war on Austria in 1716 hoping to recapture those parts of Hungary which they had lost by the Treaty of Carlowitz in 1699. The Austrian commander-in-chief, Prince Eugene of Savoy, wanted to attack Belgrade but the Turks under the Grand Vizier Silahdar Ali Pasha reached the city first and then advanced to besiege Peterwardein. Eugene intercepted and defeated the Turks before Peterwardein on 5 August 1716.Eugene besieged Belgrade in 1717. It was a strong fortress situated in a triangle of land between the Danube and the Sava, and garrisoned by 30,000 Turks. There was every danger that a Turkish field army under the new Grand Vizier, Halil Pasha, would advance to the relief of Belgrade. The Austrians protected their camp with lines of circumvallation and contravallation. The siege progressed slowly. During the first week of August, the Grand Vizier's army of 120,000 camped on a high plateau and bombarded the Austrian positions. After two weeks, the Austrians were on the point of collapse as sickness spread through their ranks. Leaving 10,000 to watch Belgrade, Eugene surprised the Turkish camp with his remaining 60,000 men early on the morning of 16 August. The Turkish army, the majority of which was composed of untrained levies, fled in panic towards Nish. Belgrade surrendered...
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