Bujdosné Pap Györgyi et al.: Mozgó frontvonalak. Háború és diplomácia a várháborúk időszakában 1552-1568 - Studia Agriensia 35. (Eger, 2017)

Florin-Nicolae Ardelean: On the Foreign Mercenaries and Early Modern Military Innovations in East Central Europe. Castaldo's Army in Transsylvania and the Banat

1552. In January 1553 when the Transylvanian diet gathered, Castaldo was able to obtain a small sum of money to pay his remaining troops. Most of his remaining soldiers were concentrated near Déva. Their numbers were significantly diminished compared to the previous year, only 720 cavalry and 700 infantry received wages. Most of them were locals, Serbians and Hungarians. Only Jean de Villey and and Luys de Barientos are mentioned as foreign captains.9

In theory Castaldo was in control of all the Transylvanian military structures (the noble levy, the peasant militia, the Székely levy, and the military contingents from the fiscal estates) but he was aware of their unreliability. This is why he chose to strengthen the Habsburg military effectives with new recruitments among the local population. Some nobles, and their banners, entered the service of the Habsburgs in exchange for regular wages. These recruitments were prioritized in the regions where the Ottoman threat was the greatest, like the Banat. On the 12th of August, 1551 Bernardo de Áldana reported on the situation from Temesvár and its surroundings. Among other facts of military importance like spy reports, he also mentions the fact that several Serbian voievods and other local nobles should be taken into service and receive regular wages.10 Centorio also refers to this matter saying that the Habsburgs recruited Serbians and other locals to prevent them from joining the Ottoman army. Thus András Báthory was given resources to enlist 4000 Serbians who were stationed near Lippa.11 However the Habsburgs were unable or unwilling to keep most of these Serbians in their service. In a letter dated 27 September 1551, Áldana informs the emperor that most Serbians from the Banat have joined the Ottomans.12 Other Serbian captains whose families had a longstanding tradition in the service of the Habsburgs like Miklós Cserepovics (Crepovic)13 or Péter Bakics (Bakic)14 continued to play an active role in the fight against the Turks in the Banat area. In May 1552 the Grand Vizier Ahmed Pasha wrote to Crepovic and other Serbian captains (the document also mentions György Klincici and Péter Bojici) trying to convince them to join the Ottoman camp. These Serbian captains

9 Veress £71.

10 ÖStA HHStA Hungarica AA Fas. 60, Konv. B, £ 16-19.; Korpás 1999. Doc. 35., 109.

11 Centorio 1566.99-100.

12 Korpás 1999.Doc.41., 120.

13 Nikola Crepovic began his carier in the service of Szapolyai János but later joined the Habsburgs. In 1550 he was loyal to Isabella Szapolyai andbesigedthe fortres of Nagycsanád held by supporters ofMartinuzzi. In February 1551 he joined the Habsurg camp once more and fought against the Turks togheter with the troops of Castaldo. During the first seiege ofTemesvár he was taken prissoner but was later ransomed. Cerovic 2005.17.; Feneçan 2016.317-319.

14 Bakics Pál and his five brothers moved to Hungary in 1525. In the following years he proved his loyalty to the Habsburgs by taking an active role in the conflicts with the Ottoman empire. Péter Bakics is mentioned as an important leader of the Serbians who fought in the service of the Habsburgs during 1552. Picot 1873.48 —53.; Radonich 1919.72 -79.

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