Battle of Mohacs: Ottomans Crush Hungary, King Killed
The Battle of Mohács on August 29, 1526 lasted about two hours. The Ottoman army of Suleiman the Magnificent — estimated at 60,000 to 100,000 men — destroyed the Hungarian army of roughly 25,000. King Louis II of Hungary drowned while fleeing, his horse falling on him in a marsh. Twenty thousand Hungarians were killed in the battle or the rout. Buda fell three weeks later. Medieval Hungary as an independent kingdom ceased to exist. The territory was divided between the Ottomans, the Habsburgs, and the Transylvanian principality for the next 160 years. August 29 remains a day of national mourning in Hungary.
August 29, 1526
500 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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