The Age of Wars of Religion 1000-1650 an encyclopedia of global warfare and civilization---Cathal J. Nolan, Vol.2

The Long War

when dated from 1591 . In either case, it was a protracted order conflict between the O.I. and the A.H. over BAlkan territories. Conflict in the Balkans was long marked by small wars as local beys and Austrian nobles fought over control of some castle or valley. Sixty years of relative peace between the ottomans and austria was broken in 1591 not by the initiative of the sultan or emporer but the private raiding into the Militargrenze by the governor of bosnia , hasan pasha.

Two years later Vienna was late paying its annual tribute of 30000 ducats. Grand vezier Kica Sinan Pasha used this as an excuse to follow-up Hasan PAsha's petty raids with a full Imperial expedition led by his son. The war thus expanded, though still without real enthusiasm in either Constantinople or Vienna . Bitter frontier fighting broke out in the Militargrenze as the two empires fought over the principalities of Transylvania, Moldavia and Wallachia.

Sisak fell to Hassan Pasha in september 1593 but was recovered because the Ottomans were unprepared to resume large-scale warfare on their westwrn front. In may- june 1594 , the austrians besieged the strong fortress of Eszetergom.

Caught unprepared for a real war in the Balkans , the ottomans sent in relief only, 2000 locally recruited Voynuqs , who promptly defected. Is took months more for a large Ottoman army to assemble.

Before it departed , a vicious and complex fight broke ot over the office of the grand vezier following the death of sultan murad 3. One rival candidate undermined the other's expedition to Wallachia. This split the kapikulu Askerleri and brought tensions within the capital to a fighting pitch : at one point the Janissary Corps attacked the sipahis , the the sultan's elite cavalry regiments , in their barracks .

THE major clash of the war on the frontiers was a three-day fight at Keresztes , on October 24-26, 1596. An army led by Muhammad 3 bombarded and stormed the Austrian fortress Eger . In 1600 the ottomans also conquered kanisza and annexed the borderlands dividing Croatia from Hungary. The campaign season of 1601 was lost to another court struggle in Constantinople over who should command . The war sputtered on for another five years without major clashes or a real decision. The highwater mark for the Austrians was a failed siege of Buda and Pest 1602. Finally , Sultan Ahmad 1 forewent tribute from Austria in exchange for Vienna’s recognition of his suzerainty over Transylvania. The terms were codified in the Treaty of Zsitva Torok- November 1606. See also Celali Revolts.