Deák Antal András: A Duna fölfedezése
Tartalom - III.A DANUBIUS PANNONICO-MYSICUS, 1726
T II E DISCOVERY OF THE DANUBE Marsigli directed the construction of bridges at fords and the building of ramparts during sieges. He had a cannon stand built from sand bags on the bank of the Nitra river, and then, preparing for the siege, gathered 1500 people to raise a bulwark in three nights. During the attack, he was among the first to break into the castle when a stone flake hit his face. Losing consciousness, he fell into the moat. He was nursed back to health, first in Vienna and then in Sopron. It was probably during this period that he met Samuel Rohfrey who became one of his informants on Hungarian history. 3 6 During his recuperation he had sufficient time to deal with the plans for his next major task, the occupation of the Buda castle. In the spring, he was able to present a thoroughly worked out siege plan to Karl von Lotharingen. He joined the army that moved through Komárom, Esztergom, Visegrád and Szentendre to retake Buda. Marsigli, who assiduously drew maps and took notes on his journeys, observed at Vác that the Danube did not flow in the direction indicated on earlier maps but took a definite turn from the north to the south. 37 During the siege of Buda, he directed the construction of mines. He was wounded once more with shrapnel mangling his left arm. After the victory, General Rabatta summoned him and thanked him for his useful services as engineer. Stimulated by scientific curiosity, Marsigli grasped the opportunity and asked permission to inspect the castle. He made sketches and notes and rescued valuable old books from the burning ruins. In a ground plan he indicated the locations of the more remarkable buildings in the castle, among others the renown baths of Buda, the drawings of which were published in the Danubius. With this, Marsigli's adventures on the stretch of the Danube above Buda came to an end. What he told the Royal Society about himself in the introduction to the promotion of his Danube monograph: miles sum, I am a soldier, seems to have been true for this period of his life. Those who read it knew that Marsigli's self-characterisation was not complete. He was not a simple soldier but a miles eruditus, a learned soldier. In the last 15 to 16 years of the war, including the establishment of the borders, he proved absolutely worthy of this honourable tribute. With the liberation of Buda, the theatre of war shifted to the southern part of the country and Transylvania. We shall give an even more sketchy account of Marsigli's military career and the events of war in this region. 3 8 He marched towards Eszék with Karl von Lotharingen's army in 1687. At Nagyharsány they met the Turkish army that had set out to recapture Buda. In the bloody battle, the Christian troops scattered the Turks and forced them into the swamps. This victory opened the road to Transylvania. Marsigli had a bridge built on the Danube at Baja, across Mohács island, and they proceeded toward Szeged. Nevertheless, they were not able to fight their way through the swamps, which were filled by the flood waters of the Tisza. They detoured northwards toward Szolnok, where they intended to cross over the bridge across the Tisza. Marsigli mentioned in his diary that this region was already inhabited and cultivated. His words imply that the land they had left behind was desolate and uninhabited. The campaign proved successful. The army retook Transylvania. Karl von Lotharingen had a coin minted with the inscription Capta Transylvania. 3^ As the campaign ended they started back to Vienna. On the way they blockaded the castle of Eger and Marsigli attended the negotiations for its surrender. Pasha Rostan, the Turkish negotiator, desired that Marsigli be the hostage to insure their free withdrawal. His wish was accepted. The same situation was repeated a year later when Vidin was 3 6 Scientist from Gyulafehérvár. See note 131. 3 7 The Danube maps and drafts held in Bologna support this theory. 3 8 The description of the following events of war and Marsigli's actions are discussed by László Gróf in his Cartographica Hungarica - no. 3. May, 1993: 25-29. 3 9 The Capture of Transylvania 101
