Horváth M. Ferenc (szerk.): Vác The heart of the Danube Bend. A historical guide for residents and globetrotters (Vác, 2009)
Tartalom
100 Hungarian warrior The war was fought over the big castles in Buda, Esztergom, Fehérvár, Győr, Eger and Kanizsa. This meant immense ■ - problems for the smaller ... . -FT castles lying nearby as well iSils because the passing Christian or Ottoman armies attacked them too. Vác was situated on the Esztergom-Buda-Hatvan-Eger line which was under constant attack. Consequently between 1595 and 1605 there was hardly a year when it did not change hands, sometimes more than once (1595: Christian, then Turkish; 1596: Christian; 1597: Turkish, then Christian; 1598: Turkish; 1599: Christian; 1602: Turkish, then Christian; 1604: Turkish; 1605: occupied by István Bocskai from the Principality of Transylvania). During this time it did not have to withstand any sieges, but it did not help much: whenever the Christian or Muslim army was Christian captives escorted by Turks István Bocskai approaching, the Christian or Muslim garrison left the castle, but before leaving they burnt down or damaged it in order to render it useless for the enemy. At the time of the peace negotiations of 1606, Vác was owned by István Bocskai, Prince of Transylvania, who had fought a successful war against the HabsburgsJhe Muslim negotiator insisted on getting it back but without success: after the Peace of Zsitvatorok it went into the possession of the Hungarian Kingdom. The sultan's diplomacy carried on protracted negotiations to gain it back, but did not succeed: in 1619 it went into the hands of Gábor Bethlen, Prince of Transylvania. First the Turks started bargaining with him, too, but then they did not wait for the outcome of the negotiations and on 2 November 1620 Karakash Mehmed Pasha of Buda took the castle with his army. The second Ottoman period of Vác began. Ottoman-Hungarian single combat at the Castle of Esztergom István Bocskai and his attendants
