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{{Short description|1493 battle of the Hundred Years' Croatian-Ottoman War}}
{{TOCleft}}
{{Infobox Military Conflict|
{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict=Battle of Krbava field|
| image = Battle of Krbava Field.jpg
| caption = ''Der Crabaten slacht'', from [[Weisskunig]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Jahrbuch der Kunsthistorischen Sammlungen des Allerhöchsten Kaiserhauses (ab 1919 Jahrbuch der Kunsthistorischen Sammlungen in Wien): Der Weisskunig — Wien, 6.1888 |url=https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/jbksak1888/0315/image,info |website=Heidelberg historic literature – digitized |publisher=University of Heidelberg |access-date=19 October 2024}}</ref>
|partof=the [[Ottoman-Croatian Wars]]|
| conflict = Battle of Krbava Field
|date=[[September 9]], [[1493]]|
| partof = the [[Ottoman wars in Europe]]<br />[[Hundred Years' Croatian-Ottoman War]]
|place=Krbava field, southern [[Croatia]]|
| date = 9 September 1493
|result=Ottoman victory|
| place = [[Krbava]] field, [[Kingdom of Croatia (1102–1526)|Kingdom of Croatia]]
|combatant1=[[Ottoman Empire]]|
{{Coord|44.6|N|15.7|E|display=inline,title|type:event|format=dms}}
|combatant2=[[Croatia in the union with Hungary|Kingdom of Croatia]]|
| result = Ottoman victory<ref>Eastern Europe: An Introduction to the People, Lands, and Culture By Richard C. Frucht, p. 422</ref>
|commander1=Bosnian Sandjak-beg [[Hadum Jakub Pasa]]|
| combatant1 = [[Ottoman Empire]]
|commander2=Ban [[Mirko Derenčin]] †|
| combatant2 = [[Croatia in the union with Hungary|Kingdom of Croatia]]
|strength1=8,000 [[light cavalry]]|
| commander1 = Hadım Yakup Pasha of [[Sanjak of Bosnia|Bosnia]]<br />Ismail Bey of [[Sanjak of Kruševac|Alaca Hisar]]<br/>Mehmed Bey of [[Sanjak of Üsküp|Üsküp]]
|strength2=2,000 [[heavy cavalry]]<br/>8,000 [[infantry]]|
| commander2 = [[Emerik Derenčin]]{{Executed}}<br/>[[Bernardin Frankopan]]<br/>[[Ivan Frankopan Cetinski]]{{KIA}}<br/>Nikola VI Frankopan<br/>Franjo Berislavić<br/>Petar II Zrinski{{KIA}}
|casualties1=Some 1,000 killed|
| strength1 = 8,000{{sfn|Klaić|1988|p=228}}–10,000{{sfn|Klaić|1988|p=231}} light cavalry
|casualties2=Some 7,000 killed|
| strength2 = 2,000{{sfn|Mijatović|2005|p=99}}–3,000{{sfn|Klaić|1988|p=231}} cavalry<br/>8,000{{sfn|Klaić|1988|p=231}} infantry
|image= |
| casualties1 = 1,000{{sfn|Pavličević|1997|p=77}} killed
|caption= |
| casualties2 = 5,000{{sfn|Pavličević|1997|p=77}}–7,000{{sfn|Mijatović|2005|p=99}} killed<br/>1,500{{sfn|Klaić|1988|p=231}} imprisoned
}}
}}
{{Campaignbox Ottoman–Croatian Wars}}
The '''Battle of Krbava field''', was fought between the [[Croatia in the union with Hungary|Kingdom of Croatia]] and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] forces on [[September 9]], [[1493]] in southern [[Croatia]]. It resulted in the total defeat of the Croatian army led by [[Ban (title)|Ban]] [[Mirko Derenčin]].
{{Campaignbox Ottoman-Hungarian War}}
[[File:Tvrđava Udbina.2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Battlefield]] as seen from [[Udbina Castle]]]]


The '''Battle of Krbava Field''' ({{langx|hr|Bitka na Krbavskom polju, Krbavska bitka}}; {{langx|hu|Korbávmezei csata}}; {{langx|tr|Krbava Muharebesi}}) was fought between the [[Ottoman Empire]] of [[Bayezid II]] and an army of the [[Croatia in personal union with Hungary|Kingdom of Croatia]], at the time in [[personal union]] with the [[Kingdom of Hungary]], on 9 September 1493, in the [[Krbava]] field, a part of the [[Lika]] region in Croatia.<ref name="HE" />
==Background==


The Ottoman forces were under the command of Hadım Yakup Pasha, [[sanjak-bey]] of the [[Sanjak of Bosnia]], and the Croatian army was led by [[Emerik Derenčin]], [[ban of Croatia]], who served under King [[Vladislaus II of Hungary|Vladislaus II Jagiello]]. Earlier in the summer of 1493, the Ottomans undertook a raid through Croatia into [[Carniola]] and [[Styria]]. Around the same time, clashes had been raging in Croatia between the [[House of Frankopan]] and the Croatian ban, but news of the Ottoman incursion forced them to make peace. The Croatian nobles assembled a large army and intercepted the Ottoman forces that were returning to the Sanjak of Bosnia. Poor tactics, and the choice of an open battle done by ban Derenčin against more experienced [[Ottoman cavalry]], resulted in the total defeat of the Croatian army.
After the fall of the [[Medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnian Kingdom]] into the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] hands in [[1463]], the southern and central parts of the Kingdom of Croatia remained unprotected, the defence of which was left to Croatian gentry who kept smaller troops in the fortified border areas at their own expense. The Ottomans meanwhile reached the river [[Neretva]] and having conquered [[Herzegovina]] ([[Rama]]) in [[1482]], they found their way toward [[Croatia]], skilfully avoiding the fortified border towns. Through the concquest of the Kingdom of Croatia, the Ottoman light cavalry pushed its way towards the towns of [[Carinthia]] and [[Carniola]], threatening thus to a border area of [[Venice]] as well.

There were no immediate territorial gains for the Ottoman Empire, but in the following decades the Ottomans gradually expanded into southern Croatia.

==Background==
{{See also|Siege of Sokolac}}
After the fall of the [[Kingdom of Bosnia]] into Ottoman hands in 1463, the Ottomans quickly expanded westward, threatening the southern and central parts of the [[Kingdom of Croatia (1102–1526)|Kingdom of Croatia]].<ref name="Mikaberidze">[[Alexander Mikaberidze]]: [https://books.google.com/books?id=jBBYD2J2oE4C Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia (2 volumes: A Historical Encyclopedia)], 2011, p. 491</ref> Since then, Ottoman raids were becoming more frequent. These raids were being carried out by the [[Akinji|Akıncı]], irregular light cavalry of the [[Ottoman Empire]]. They would ride into Christian territory and plunder the countryside during spring and summer, avoiding the fortified border towns and direct military conflict. These continuous raids forced the local population to abandon their land, leaving the frontier castles without supplies.{{sfn|Goldstein|1999|pp=30–31}} One such raid began in September 1491, with the Ottoman cavalry crossing the [[Kupa River]] and reaching [[Carniola]]. On their way back, the Ottomans were intercepted by the army of Croatian ban Ladislav of Egervár and Count [[Bernardin Frankopan]] near [[Udbina]], and were defeated in the [[Battle of Vrpile]]. The defeat at Vrpile forced the Ottomans to stop their attacks during 1492. After [[Hadım Yakup Pasha]] became the sanjak-bey of the [[Sanjak of Bosnia]], the Ottomans renewed their raids.{{sfn|Mažuran|1998|p=38}}


==Preparations==
==Preparations==
In the summer of 1493, Hadım Yakup Pasha raised an army of 8,000 light cavalry (''akıncı'') and attacked [[Walled city of Jajce|Jajce]], but failed to capture its [[Jajce Fortress|fortress]]. From there he turned northwest and entered Carniola and Styria, plundering the countryside.{{sfn|Klaić|1988|p=228}} The same year, a war broke out between the newly appointed [[ban of Croatia]], [[Emerik Derenčin]] ({{langx|hu|Imre Derencsényi}}), and the [[Frankopans]], allied with Karlo [[Kurjaković family|Kurjaković]] (of the [[Gusić family|Gusić]]'s), for control over [[Senj]] and several other towns. By mid-July 1493, counts Bernardin Frankopan and Ivan VIII (Anž) Frankopan, had the upper hand in the war and were besieging Senj. The siege was lifted after an army led by ban Derenčin was sent to help Senj, and the Frankopan army retreated to [[Sokolac Castle|Sokolac]]. In the meantime, the Frankopans were accused of cooperating with the Ottomans, although their estates were also being ravaged. News of the incoming Ottoman army forced them to make peace.<ref name=Sisic>Ferdo Šišić: Povijest Hrvata; pregled povijesti hrvatskog naroda 600–1918, Zagreb, p. 245</ref>


On their way back, the Ottomans sacked [[Modruš]], in northern [[Lika]], then owned by the Frankopan noble family. The Frankopans and ban Derenčin wanted to intercept the Ottomans, and gathered an army of around 3,000 cavalry and 8,000 infantry from all parts of Croatia, however a part of the army consisted of peasants from the surrounding areas of Krbava.{{sfn|Klaić|1988|p=231}}{{sfn|Mijatović|2005|p=99}} [[Ivan Frankopan Cetinski]], one of distinguished Croatian nobles advocated ambushing the Ottoman army in nearby ravines and canyons.{{sfn|Mažuran|1998|p=38}} Ban Derenčin, however, as supreme commander, dismissed such idea, accusing Croats of cowardice and opted for a battle on the open field. Cetinski, as written by Tomašić, replied by telling: "This isn't like riding from one town to another in Hungary. Today, you shall see how Turks fight their battles" and accused him back of causing the dissolution of Croatian Kingdom. Ultimately, Derenčin's opinion prevailed<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Klaić|first=Nada|title=Izvori za hrvatsku povijest do 1526. godine|publisher=Školska knjiga|year=1972|location=Zagreb|pages=358–359|language=Croatian}}</ref> and Croatian commanders agreed to face the Ottoman army in an open battle at the [[Krbava]] field, near the town of [[Udbina]] in central Croatia, although [[Ivan Frankopan Cetinski]] argued that an ambush in the canyons and ravines would be a better option.{{sfn|Mažuran|1998|p=38}}
In order to stop such invasions, in the summer of [[1493]] the Croats rallied their troops under the command of Viceroy Emerik Derencin at [[Krbava]] field (near today's [[Udbina]]) in central Croatia, and lay in wait there to trap the Ottomans. In the meanwhile, the Ottoman Sandjak-beg Hadum Jakub Pasa with some 8,000 light (but heavily armed) cavalry was returning from a pillage expedition to [[Styria]] and Croatian [[Zagorje]].


==Battle==
Croatian feudal army under the command of Viceroy Derencin at Krbava field had some 2,000 heavy feudal cavalry and some 8,000 infantry from all parts of the Croatia. The Croats overestimated their powers.
[[File:Innsbruck 1 339.jpg|thumb|right|Cenotaph of [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian I]] in [[Hofkirche, Innsbruck]], depicting the Battle of Krbava Field]]
[[File:Battle of Krbava plan.png|thumb|right|Plan of the battle and troop disposition]]
The Ottomans entered the Krbava field through the lowest and narrowest local mountain pass of Gorica, unlike two years earlier through the Vrpile pass where they suffered a huge defeat.{{sfn|Mijatović|2005|p=54}} Before the battle, Hadım Yakup Pasha ordered the execution of Christian captives near Jelšani (present-day [[Jošan]]) so that they could not help the Croatians in the midst of battle. Turkish historian H. E. Efendi, also notes that he held "a heated speech" to his men in order to "invoke their wrath against the enemies of The Only God".<ref>N. Klaić, 362</ref> After a meeting with the commanders, he sent a part of his army, around 3,000 cavalrymen, to set up an ambush in the forest near the Krbava field.{{sfn|Mijatović|2005|pp=65–67}}


Although the plan was to fight the Ottomans on the open plains, the Croatian army was initially deployed on the slopes of the eastern part of the Krbava field, near the village of Visuć. The army was set up to face the enemy frontally, and divided into three groups. The first one was composed of soldiers from [[Slavonia]], commanded by Franjo Berislavić, the second section was under the command of Ivan Frankopan Cetinski, while the third was commanded by Nikola VI Frankopan and Bernardin Frankopan. Croatian infantry and cavalry were equally distributed among the three sections. The main commander of the army was ban Emerik Derenčin.{{sfn|Mijatović|2005|pp=65–67}} The Ottoman army was also arranged in three groups.{{sfn|Mažuran|1998|p=38}} The first one was commanded by Ismail Bey, sanjak-bey of the [[Sanjak of Kruševac]], the second one by Mehmed Bey of the [[Sanjak of Üsküp]] (Skopje), while the middle group was under the command of Hadım Yakup Pasha.{{sfn|Mijatović|2005|p=122}} [[Ishak Bey Kraloğlu]] (Sigismund of Bosnia), son of the King of Bosnia, [[Stephen Thomas of Bosnia|Stephen Thomas]] (died 1461), also took part in the battle on the Ottoman side.<ref>Ljubez, Bruno (2009), Jajce Grad: prilog povijesti posljednje bosanske prijestolnice, HKD Napredak, p. 149</ref>
The sunrise of September 9, 1493 marked the beginning of one of the bleakest day of Croatian history.


The Ottoman plan was to draw the Croatian forces further west next to the woods where they had set up an ambush. Ismail's right wing made the first move, heading towards the Croatian left flank. The Croatian army left the slopes and rushed at the Ottomans, starting a battle in the open field. The battle was fought closely with swords, with no use of bows.{{sfn|Mijatović|2005|pp=65–67}}{{sfn|Kekez|2009|p=83}} The Ottoman forces were at first pushed back, and started a [[Feigned retreat|feigned retreat]], which lured Croatian army into pursuit that led them into the ambush.
==The Battle==


The 3,000 Ottoman cavalrymen located in the wooded area of the Krbava field crossed the Krbava River and attacked the Croatian rear. Then the main Ottoman forces of Hadım Yakup Pasha, also waiting hidden in the forests, commenced a frontal attack. Thus, the Croatian army was attacked from the front, right, and the rear.{{sfn|Mijatović|2005|p=70}} The Croatian left flank of Bernardin Frankopan could not withstand the attacks of the Turkish light cavalry and began retreating. However, most of the Croatian infantry was surrounded and could not retreat. The Croatian army suffered a total defeat and only a small number of men managed to reach safety in the nearby [[Udbina Castle|fortified town of Udbina]].{{sfn|Mijatović|2005|pp=71–73}}
The Croatian army rushed at the Ottomans. After first luring Croats into plains, where light cavalry were in advantage over heavy feudal cavalry, surrounding it from the front, one flank and rear. Croatian army suffered a total defeat in which the cream of the old Croatian nobility perished to a man, including [[Mirko Derenčin]].

The battle started around 09:00 and ended in the afternoon hours. According to H. E. Efendi, in battle climax, Derenčin went into a duel with one of the akinjis who struck him off his horse, only to be dragged off to pasha with rope tied around his hands and neck. Pasha then had him shackled up and paraded next to killed and captured Croatian soldiers, whose ears and noses he had ordered to be cut off.<ref>Klaić, Nada, 363.</ref> Derenčin died in captivity, while his brother, and his son Pavao, were killed in battle. Nikola VI Frankopan [[Tržac (Cazin)|Tržački]] was also captured, but was ransomed and released. Among the killed Croatian nobles were Ivan Frankopan Cetinski, Petar II Zrinski, Juraj Vlatković, and ban of Jajce Mihajlo Pethkey. Count Bernardin Frankopan and Franjo Berislavić managed to survive the battle.{{sfn|Mijatović|2005|pp=71–73}}


==Aftermath==
==Aftermath==
[[File:Zapis popa Martinca.jpg|thumb|upright|One of the oldest records of the battle, written by [[priest Martinac]] in [[Glagolitic]] script on 27 September 1493]]
Although the Croatian nobility suffered a heavy defeat, described by older historians and chroniclers as the "first dissolution of the Croatian Kingdom",<ref>Ivan Tomašić: ''Chronicon breve Regni Croatiae''</ref> the Ottoman Empire had no territorial gains as a result of the victory at Krbava field.{{sfn|Pavličević|1997|p=23}}<ref>{{harvnb|Goldstein|1997|pp=22–24}}, cited in {{harvnb|Kekez|2009|p=66}}</ref> Since the losses were heavy, in local tradition the Krbava field became known as the "Field of Blood" ({{langx|hr|Krvavo polje}}).{{sfn|Mažuran|1998|p=39}} Peace between the kingdoms of Croatia and Hungary and the Ottoman Empire was signed in April 1495. The next major Ottoman incursions occurred in 1512 and in 1513, and resulted in the Croatian victory at the [[battle of Dubica]].{{sfn|Mijatović|2005|p=149}} Following the battle, and in later decades, due to constant Ottoman attacks, local Croatian populations moved into safer areas; north-west Croatia, the coast and the islands, and also outside the country.{{sfn|Goldstein|1999|pp=30–31}} Franjo Berislavić became the ban of Jajce in 1494.{{sfn|Mijatović|2005|pp=71–73}}


==Historical records==
The defeat was resounding. In one single day, around 7,000 Croatian soldiers lost their lives, including many of Croatian feudal nobleman of the time.
Accounts of the Battle of Krbava field have been recorded in various modern and older historical sources. Among the oldest ones are the report of the papal delegate Antonio Fabregues written on 13 September 1493, in Senj, a record from the Bohemian traveler [[Jan Hasištejnský]] on 23 September 1493, in his travel book, the account by the Glagolite [[priest Martinac]] in the Novi Vinodolski Breviary in 1493, and the account of the battle written in a letter to [[Pope Alexander VI]] by the [[Nin, Croatia|Nin]] Bishop [[Juraj Divnić]] on 27 September 1493. In 1561, the battle of Krbava field was described by the chronicler Ivan Tomašić in his ''Brief Chronicle of the Croatian Kingdom'' (''Chronicon breve Regni Croatiae''), and in 1696, [[Pavao Ritter Vitezović]] described it in ''Kronika aliti szpomen vszega szvieta vikov''.<ref name="HE">{{citation |contribution-url=http://www.enciklopedija.hr/Natuknica.aspx?ID=33815 |contribution=Krbavska bitka |title=[[Croatian Encyclopedia]] |year=1999–2009 |access-date=January 5, 2014 |publisher=[[Leksikografski zavod Miroslav Krleža]] |language=hr}}</ref> From the Ottoman side, the battle was recorded by Ottoman historian [[Hoca Sadeddin Efendi]] in his ''Crown of Histories''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Klaić|first=Nada|title=Izvori za hrvatsku povijest do 1526. godine|publisher=Školska knjiga|year=1972|location=Zagreb|pages=358–359|language=Croatian}}</ref> The numbers for involved soldiers and casualties given in older historical sources are mostly exaggerated.{{sfn|Pavličević|1997|p=20}} Since news of the defeat spread quickly, the reports written immediately after the battle were made under the impression of the heavy loss.{{sfn|Mijatović|2005|p=98}}


==See also==
The defeat at Krbava field shook all the social strata in Croatia; however it did not dissuade the Croats from making even more decisive and persistent attempts at defending themselves against the attacks of the much more powerful enemy.
* [[Hundred Years' Croatian–Ottoman War]]
* [[Udbina Castle]]
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}


==Bibliography==
{{Croatia-hist-stub}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|editor-first=Dragutin|editor-last=Pavličević|last=Goldstein|first=Ivo|author-link=Ivo Goldstein|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MUfjAAAAMAAJ|title=Krbavska bitka i njezine posljedice|chapter=Značaj Krbavske bitke 1493. godine u hrvatskoj povijesti|pages=22–27|year=1997|language=hr|location=Zagreb|publisher=[[Croatian Heritage Foundation]] & Department of Croatian History, [[Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb]]|isbn=9789536525119 }}
* {{cite book|first=Ivo|last=Goldstein|author-link=Ivo Goldstein|title=Croatia: A History|publisher=[[C. Hurst & Co.]]|year=1999|isbn=978-1850655251}}
* {{cite journal|first=Hrvoje|last=Kekez|url=https://hrcak.srce.hr/79728 |title=Bernardin Frankapan i Krbavska bitka: je li spasio sebe i malobrojne ili je pobjegao iz boja?|journal=Modruški zbornik|volume=3|issue=3|year=2009|pages=65–101|language=hr|format=PDF|access-date=9 September 2019}}
* {{cite book|first=Vjekoslav|last=Klaić|author-link=Vjekoslav Klaić|title=Povijest Hrvata od najstarijih vremena do svršetka XIX. stoljeća|volume=IV|location=Zagreb|year=1988|language=hr}}
* {{cite book|first=Ive|last=Mažuran|author-link=Ive Mažuran|title=Povijest Hrvatske od 15. stoljeća do 18. stoljeća|year=1998|language=hr}}
* {{cite book|first=Anđelko|last=Mijatović|title=Bitka na Krbavskom polju 1493. godine|publisher=[[Školska knjiga]]|location=Zagreb|year=2005|isbn=953-0-61429-2|language=hr}}
* {{cite book|editor-first=Dragutin|editor-last=Pavličević|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MUfjAAAAMAAJ|title=Krbavska bitka i njezine posljedice|year=1997|language=hr|location=Zagreb|publisher=[[Croatian Heritage Foundation]] & Department of Croatian History, [[Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb]]|isbn=978-9536525119 }}
{{refend}}


[[Category:1493]]
[[Category:Battles of the Ottoman Empire|Krbava Field 1493]]
[[Category:Battles of Croatia|Krbava Field 1493]]



[[de:Schlacht auf dem Krbava-Feld]]
{{Wars and battles involving Croatia|state=autocollapse}}
[[hr:Krbavska bitka]]
{{Ottoman battles}}
[[sr:Битка на Крбавском пољу]]
{{Authority control}}
[[sh:Krbavska bitka]]

==References==
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Krbava Field}}
*Fred Singleton, ''A Short History of the Yugoslav Peoples''. Cambridge University Press, 1989.
[[Category:1493 in Europe]]
[[Category:1493 in the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Battles involving medieval Croatia|Krbava Field 1493]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Ottoman Empire|Krbava Field 1493]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1493]]
[[Category:15th century military history of Croatia]]
[[Category:Hundred Years' Croatian–Ottoman War|Krbava Field]]
[[Category:History of Lika]]

Latest revision as of 20:53, 31 October 2024

Battle of Krbava Field
Part of the Ottoman wars in Europe
Hundred Years' Croatian-Ottoman War

Der Crabaten slacht, from Weisskunig[1]
Date9 September 1493
Location
Krbava field, Kingdom of Croatia 44°36′N 15°42′E / 44.6°N 15.7°E / 44.6; 15.7
Result Ottoman victory[2]
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire Kingdom of Croatia
Commanders and leaders
Hadım Yakup Pasha of Bosnia
Ismail Bey of Alaca Hisar
Mehmed Bey of Üsküp		 Emerik Derenčin Executed
Bernardin Frankopan
Ivan Frankopan Cetinski †
Nikola VI Frankopan
Franjo Berislavić
Petar II Zrinski †
Strength
8,000[3]–10,000[4] light cavalry 2,000[5]–3,000[4] cavalry
8,000[4] infantry
Casualties and losses
1,000[6] killed 5,000[6]–7,000[5] killed
1,500[4] imprisoned
Battlefield as seen from Udbina Castle

The Battle of Krbava Field (Croatian: Bitka na Krbavskom polju, Krbavska bitka; Hungarian: Korbávmezei csata; Turkish: Krbava Muharebesi) was fought between the Ottoman Empire of Bayezid II and an army of the Kingdom of Croatia, at the time in personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary, on 9 September 1493, in the Krbava field, a part of the Lika region in Croatia.[7]

The Ottoman forces were under the command of Hadım Yakup Pasha, sanjak-bey of the Sanjak of Bosnia, and the Croatian army was led by Emerik Derenčin, ban of Croatia, who served under King Vladislaus II Jagiello. Earlier in the summer of 1493, the Ottomans undertook a raid through Croatia into Carniola and Styria. Around the same time, clashes had been raging in Croatia between the House of Frankopan and the Croatian ban, but news of the Ottoman incursion forced them to make peace. The Croatian nobles assembled a large army and intercepted the Ottoman forces that were returning to the Sanjak of Bosnia. Poor tactics, and the choice of an open battle done by ban Derenčin against more experienced Ottoman cavalry, resulted in the total defeat of the Croatian army.

There were no immediate territorial gains for the Ottoman Empire, but in the following decades the Ottomans gradually expanded into southern Croatia.

Background

[edit]
See also: Siege of Sokolac

After the fall of the Kingdom of Bosnia into Ottoman hands in 1463, the Ottomans quickly expanded westward, threatening the southern and central parts of the Kingdom of Croatia.[8] Since then, Ottoman raids were becoming more frequent. These raids were being carried out by the Akıncı, irregular light cavalry of the Ottoman Empire. They would ride into Christian territory and plunder the countryside during spring and summer, avoiding the fortified border towns and direct military conflict. These continuous raids forced the local population to abandon their land, leaving the frontier castles without supplies.[9] One such raid began in September 1491, with the Ottoman cavalry crossing the Kupa River and reaching Carniola. On their way back, the Ottomans were intercepted by the army of Croatian ban Ladislav of Egervár and Count Bernardin Frankopan near Udbina, and were defeated in the Battle of Vrpile. The defeat at Vrpile forced the Ottomans to stop their attacks during 1492. After Hadım Yakup Pasha became the sanjak-bey of the Sanjak of Bosnia, the Ottomans renewed their raids.[10]

Preparations

[edit]

In the summer of 1493, Hadım Yakup Pasha raised an army of 8,000 light cavalry (akıncı) and attacked Jajce, but failed to capture its fortress. From there he turned northwest and entered Carniola and Styria, plundering the countryside.[3] The same year, a war broke out between the newly appointed ban of Croatia, Emerik Derenčin (Hungarian: Imre Derencsényi), and the Frankopans, allied with Karlo Kurjaković (of the Gusić's), for control over Senj and several other towns. By mid-July 1493, counts Bernardin Frankopan and Ivan VIII (Anž) Frankopan, had the upper hand in the war and were besieging Senj. The siege was lifted after an army led by ban Derenčin was sent to help Senj, and the Frankopan army retreated to Sokolac. In the meantime, the Frankopans were accused of cooperating with the Ottomans, although their estates were also being ravaged. News of the incoming Ottoman army forced them to make peace.[11]

On their way back, the Ottomans sacked Modruš, in northern Lika, then owned by the Frankopan noble family. The Frankopans and ban Derenčin wanted to intercept the Ottomans, and gathered an army of around 3,000 cavalry and 8,000 infantry from all parts of Croatia, however a part of the army consisted of peasants from the surrounding areas of Krbava.[4][5] Ivan Frankopan Cetinski, one of distinguished Croatian nobles advocated ambushing the Ottoman army in nearby ravines and canyons.[10] Ban Derenčin, however, as supreme commander, dismissed such idea, accusing Croats of cowardice and opted for a battle on the open field. Cetinski, as written by Tomašić, replied by telling: "This isn't like riding from one town to another in Hungary. Today, you shall see how Turks fight their battles" and accused him back of causing the dissolution of Croatian Kingdom. Ultimately, Derenčin's opinion prevailed[12] and Croatian commanders agreed to face the Ottoman army in an open battle at the Krbava field, near the town of Udbina in central Croatia, although Ivan Frankopan Cetinski argued that an ambush in the canyons and ravines would be a better option.[10]

Battle

[edit]
Cenotaph of Maximilian I in Hofkirche, Innsbruck, depicting the Battle of Krbava Field
Plan of the battle and troop disposition

The Ottomans entered the Krbava field through the lowest and narrowest local mountain pass of Gorica, unlike two years earlier through the Vrpile pass where they suffered a huge defeat.[13] Before the battle, Hadım Yakup Pasha ordered the execution of Christian captives near Jelšani (present-day Jošan) so that they could not help the Croatians in the midst of battle. Turkish historian H. E. Efendi, also notes that he held "a heated speech" to his men in order to "invoke their wrath against the enemies of The Only God".[14] After a meeting with the commanders, he sent a part of his army, around 3,000 cavalrymen, to set up an ambush in the forest near the Krbava field.[15]

Although the plan was to fight the Ottomans on the open plains, the Croatian army was initially deployed on the slopes of the eastern part of the Krbava field, near the village of Visuć. The army was set up to face the enemy frontally, and divided into three groups. The first one was composed of soldiers from Slavonia, commanded by Franjo Berislavić, the second section was under the command of Ivan Frankopan Cetinski, while the third was commanded by Nikola VI Frankopan and Bernardin Frankopan. Croatian infantry and cavalry were equally distributed among the three sections. The main commander of the army was ban Emerik Derenčin.[15] The Ottoman army was also arranged in three groups.[10] The first one was commanded by Ismail Bey, sanjak-bey of the Sanjak of Kruševac, the second one by Mehmed Bey of the Sanjak of Üsküp (Skopje), while the middle group was under the command of Hadım Yakup Pasha.[16] Ishak Bey Kraloğlu (Sigismund of Bosnia), son of the King of Bosnia, Stephen Thomas (died 1461), also took part in the battle on the Ottoman side.[17]

The Ottoman plan was to draw the Croatian forces further west next to the woods where they had set up an ambush. Ismail's right wing made the first move, heading towards the Croatian left flank. The Croatian army left the slopes and rushed at the Ottomans, starting a battle in the open field. The battle was fought closely with swords, with no use of bows.[15][18] The Ottoman forces were at first pushed back, and started a feigned retreat, which lured Croatian army into pursuit that led them into the ambush.

The 3,000 Ottoman cavalrymen located in the wooded area of the Krbava field crossed the Krbava River and attacked the Croatian rear. Then the main Ottoman forces of Hadım Yakup Pasha, also waiting hidden in the forests, commenced a frontal attack. Thus, the Croatian army was attacked from the front, right, and the rear.[19] The Croatian left flank of Bernardin Frankopan could not withstand the attacks of the Turkish light cavalry and began retreating. However, most of the Croatian infantry was surrounded and could not retreat. The Croatian army suffered a total defeat and only a small number of men managed to reach safety in the nearby fortified town of Udbina.[20]

The battle started around 09:00 and ended in the afternoon hours. According to H. E. Efendi, in battle climax, Derenčin went into a duel with one of the akinjis who struck him off his horse, only to be dragged off to pasha with rope tied around his hands and neck. Pasha then had him shackled up and paraded next to killed and captured Croatian soldiers, whose ears and noses he had ordered to be cut off.[21] Derenčin died in captivity, while his brother, and his son Pavao, were killed in battle. Nikola VI Frankopan Tržački was also captured, but was ransomed and released. Among the killed Croatian nobles were Ivan Frankopan Cetinski, Petar II Zrinski, Juraj Vlatković, and ban of Jajce Mihajlo Pethkey. Count Bernardin Frankopan and Franjo Berislavić managed to survive the battle.[20]

Aftermath

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One of the oldest records of the battle, written by priest Martinac in Glagolitic script on 27 September 1493

Although the Croatian nobility suffered a heavy defeat, described by older historians and chroniclers as the "first dissolution of the Croatian Kingdom",[22] the Ottoman Empire had no territorial gains as a result of the victory at Krbava field.[23][24] Since the losses were heavy, in local tradition the Krbava field became known as the "Field of Blood" (Croatian: Krvavo polje).[25] Peace between the kingdoms of Croatia and Hungary and the Ottoman Empire was signed in April 1495. The next major Ottoman incursions occurred in 1512 and in 1513, and resulted in the Croatian victory at the battle of Dubica.[26] Following the battle, and in later decades, due to constant Ottoman attacks, local Croatian populations moved into safer areas; north-west Croatia, the coast and the islands, and also outside the country.[9] Franjo Berislavić became the ban of Jajce in 1494.[20]

Historical records

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Accounts of the Battle of Krbava field have been recorded in various modern and older historical sources. Among the oldest ones are the report of the papal delegate Antonio Fabregues written on 13 September 1493, in Senj, a record from the Bohemian traveler Jan Hasištejnský on 23 September 1493, in his travel book, the account by the Glagolite priest Martinac in the Novi Vinodolski Breviary in 1493, and the account of the battle written in a letter to Pope Alexander VI by the Nin Bishop Juraj Divnić on 27 September 1493. In 1561, the battle of Krbava field was described by the chronicler Ivan Tomašić in his Brief Chronicle of the Croatian Kingdom (Chronicon breve Regni Croatiae), and in 1696, Pavao Ritter Vitezović described it in Kronika aliti szpomen vszega szvieta vikov.[7] From the Ottoman side, the battle was recorded by Ottoman historian Hoca Sadeddin Efendi in his Crown of Histories.[12] The numbers for involved soldiers and casualties given in older historical sources are mostly exaggerated.[27] Since news of the defeat spread quickly, the reports written immediately after the battle were made under the impression of the heavy loss.[28]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Jahrbuch der Kunsthistorischen Sammlungen des Allerhöchsten Kaiserhauses (ab 1919 Jahrbuch der Kunsthistorischen Sammlungen in Wien): Der Weisskunig — Wien, 6.1888". Heidelberg historic literature – digitized. University of Heidelberg. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  2. ^ Eastern Europe: An Introduction to the People, Lands, and Culture By Richard C. Frucht, p. 422
  3. ^ a b Klaić 1988, p. 228.
  4. ^ a b c d e Klaić 1988, p. 231.
  5. ^ a b c Mijatović 2005, p. 99.
  6. ^ a b Pavličević 1997, p. 77.
  7. ^ a b "Krbavska bitka", Croatian Encyclopedia (in Croatian), Leksikografski zavod Miroslav Krleža, 1999–2009, retrieved January 5, 2014
  8. ^ Alexander Mikaberidze: Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia (2 volumes: A Historical Encyclopedia), 2011, p. 491
  9. ^ a b Goldstein 1999, pp. 30–31.
  10. ^ a b c d Mažuran 1998, p. 38.
  11. ^ Ferdo Šišić: Povijest Hrvata; pregled povijesti hrvatskog naroda 600–1918, Zagreb, p. 245
  12. ^ a b Klaić, Nada (1972). Izvori za hrvatsku povijest do 1526. godine (in Croatian). Zagreb: Školska knjiga. pp. 358–359.
  13. ^ Mijatović 2005, p. 54.
  14. ^ N. Klaić, 362
  15. ^ a b c Mijatović 2005, pp. 65–67.
  16. ^ Mijatović 2005, p. 122.
  17. ^ Ljubez, Bruno (2009), Jajce Grad: prilog povijesti posljednje bosanske prijestolnice, HKD Napredak, p. 149
  18. ^ Kekez 2009, p. 83.
  19. ^ Mijatović 2005, p. 70.
  20. ^ a b c Mijatović 2005, pp. 71–73.
  21. ^ Klaić, Nada, 363.
  22. ^ Ivan Tomašić: Chronicon breve Regni Croatiae
  23. ^ Pavličević 1997, p. 23.
  24. ^ Goldstein 1997, pp. 22–24, cited in Kekez 2009, p. 66
  25. ^ Mažuran 1998, p. 39.
  26. ^ Mijatović 2005, p. 149.
  27. ^ Pavličević 1997, p. 20.
  28. ^ Mijatović 2005, p. 98.

Bibliography

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