Horváth M. Ferenc (szerk.): Vác The heart of the Danube Bend. A historical guide for residents and globetrotters (Vác, 2009)
Tartalom
VÁC IN THE OTTOMAN ERA THE CASTLE AND ITS INHABITANTS Evliya Chelebi Turkish traveller According to most of the historical works about Vác, between 1541 and 1544 the town and the castle were taken by the Turks three times and recaptured by the Hungarians twice. However, the final occupation dated to 1544 is not proved by the Ottoman sources. They indicate that Suleyman's army must have conquered Vác before September 1543, very likely in August, as a "by-product” of the siege of Esztergom, and it was not until the end of the 16th century that the Hungarians were able to regain it temporarily. After its occupation Vác became the northernmost outpost of the Ottoman province starting to get established at the time and occupying only the narrow eastern strip of Transdanubia on the bank of the Danube. Being the only defence post of Buda on the north, it had a vital strategic role until 1552 when the Turks captured the castles of Alógrád to the north. For this reason the Ottoman high command settled a strong garrison of 408 soldiers in the castle. Based on the description of Evliya Chelebi, the Turkish globe-trotter who visited Vác in 1663, historical works write about a garrison ten thousand strong; however, the castle and the walled town could not have held as many people as that together with their families and the civil inhabitants. Today four hundred soldiers seem to be an extremely low number, but at that time a garrison of 300-500 people was considered large both in the Hungarian and the Ottoman border fortresses. Out of the 408 soldiers posted to Vác in 1543 only 340 were present. The sultan's treasury in Buda covered the pay of 327 soldiers in Vác in 1544,321 in 1545,214 in 1546 and 263 in 1549. From 1544 on another twoTurkish-occupied castles, Visegrád and Szonda helped Vác to defend Buda from north, which could have been the reason for the decrease in the number of defenders. The great change was brought about by the campaign of the main Ottoman army in 1552, which conquered the castles in Nógrád county producing a defence line around Buda from the north. Vác lost its prominent defensive role. In 1557 there were only 150 soldiers stationed here, while in the following year 103. During Janissary
