Ságvári Ágnes (szerk.): Budapest. The History of a Capital (Budapest, 1975)
The Medieval Sister Cities
Buda was governed by a pasha, who acted at the same time as the sultan’s representative over the whole Turkish-occupied Hungary. He did not live in the Royal Palace; presumably this was not permitted by the sultan, afraid of giving him too much power. The pasha’s palace first stood beside the Danube, but was later moved to the Castle, next door to the medieval Franciscan Church near the palace. The sultan also took every precaution to prevent his representatives from building a position of independent power in Buda, and consequently changed them frequently, executing more than one of them. In the 145 years of occupation 99 pashas succeeded each other in the governorship of Buda. There were of course substantial Turkish garrisons in the cities, but most of them were not Turkish in origin, but Moslems from Bosnia or Albania. Turkish troops were also stationed in Pest. Buda’s trading connections also took a different direction. The exchange of goods with the East and with the Balkans increased, and trade with the West naturally lessened. Despite the fact that Buda remained the capital of the Turkish-occupied territory, it lost its position as a national trade centre. Eastern Hungary was the principality of Transylvania, and it was Vienna which played a central role in the economy of Western and Northern Hungary. Buda was in fact no more than a Turkish garrison town and a medium-sized frontier fortress. The fall of Buda, its conquest by the Turks, was indeed a shock to the countries of Western Europe, and attempts were made to retake it. In 1542 a powerful army of the German Holy Roman Empire attempted its reconquest, but in vain. Further attempts during the Fifteen Years’ War, towards the end of the sixteenth century, also failed, but in the course of these sieges a large part of the suburbs was destroyed, and only one or two of the villages surrounding the city survived the Turkish era. The turn of the tide came between 1680 and 1690. It was in 1683 that the Turks attempted to conquer Vienna for the last time. The army of the Grand Vizier Kara Mustapha, was however completely destroyed under the walls of Vienna by the troops of the Polish king, Jan Sobiesky, and this opened the way for the liberation of Hungary from Turkish rule. But the Turks had only lost a battle; they were not yet vanquished. A long struggle, including battles and costly sieges, had to be waged before the Turks were finally defeated. In 1684 Buda was besieged. The Turks, defending themselves valiantly under the leadership of Pasha Sheitan Ibrahim, repelled the besiegers, though considerable damage was done to the walls and buildings of the city. The next siege in 1686 was successful. From all parts of Europe soldiers joined Hungarians in the camp of the liberating army. The general in command, Prince Charles of Lotharingia was seconded by the Bavarian Elector Maximilian. The Turkish defenders were commanded by the ninety-ninth and last pasha of Buda, Abdurrahman, who was of Albanian origin. The army of Prince Charles attacked from the north and the forces of the elector from the south. Finally, on 2nd September 1686, they breached the walls, and with the death of Pasha Abdurrahman, who died fighting on the northern part of Castle Hill, the struggle ended, and Buda was liberated. The Buda that was liberated was a heap of rubble. Contemporary drawings show the ruins of the Royal Palace, and contemporary descriptions confirm that the whole town lay in ruin. Nor did the inhabitants survive the destruction; a document issued by the City Council under the old seal of Buda in the year preceding the siege has survived, but in 1686 it was no longer known who the members of the City Council were or how the seal of the city looked. 24
