Palla Ákos szerk.: Az Országos Orvostörténeti Könyvtár közleményei 24. (Budapest, 1962)

The deads of the battle of Mohács

Since that visit to the battlefield 125 years have elapsed. Historiography has gathered many data: Turkish, Italian, German sources furnished material for completing - and partly for correcting - the story of the battle's process. In the last 150 years scores of historiographers and writers of military history studied the problem of the battle. They were mainly concerned with the question where, on this plain of Mohács which extends over an area of 50-60 km

2 did the big fight take place, which positions did the Hungarian as well as the Turkish lines occupy, which was the central region of the battle and where to look for the burial place of the dead. About two thirds of the Hungarian army numbering 25-26 000 perished in the battle of Mohács (1526). The strength of the Turkish force may be estimated at 75 000, though about one third of the army were irregular troops and marauders. No, Hungarian data exist about the losses of the enemy; Turkish sources mention an incredibly small number. A certain amount of the corpses could have been buried in the trenches the army started to build for the protection of its carts and connon. A German traveller, S. Gerlach, interpreter to the Eperor's ambassador to Constantinople visiting the battlefield in 1575 noted that about half a mile from Mohács he saw the sunken-in spots of these trenches in which the dead were interred. We know that the fight was most fierce before the cannon-stands of the Turks extending in a length of about 1-1V2 km. A few historical data lead us to surmise that the Turkish artillery too was entrenched; in that case surely these trenches were used as tombs. Howewer, it may be safely assumed that these dugouts were quite insufficient to hold the great number of dead. The inner battlefield ran northwest-southeast for about 2 km and and was about 500-600 m broad. Dead warriors and animals were lying around in great numbers; they were taken be means of carts, improvised stretchers and even by man-power to these ready-made ditches. Those who met death in the last phase of the battle and during its aftermath, the pursuit fo the fleeing army stopping only near Mohács and the village Lajmér, were probably interred in newly dug graves of various sizes.