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The Battle of Una ( hr, Bitka na Uni) was fought on 29 and 30 October 1483 between the regional Ottoman forces, mostly from the
Sanjak of Bosnia Sanjak of Bosnia ( tr, Bosna Sancağı, sh, Bosanski sandžak / Босански санџак) was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire established in 1463 when the lands conquered from the Bosnian Kingdom were transformed into a sanjak and ...
, and the
Kingdom of Croatia Kingdom of Croatia may refer to: * Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102), an independent medieval kingdom * Croatia in personal union with Hungary (1102–1526), a kingdom in personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary * Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg) (152 ...
near Brod Zrinski (modern-day Novi Grad in
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
) at the Una River crossing and was one of the first major Croatian victories against the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. The Croatian army was led by the
Ban of Croatia Ban of Croatia ( hr, Hrvatski ban) was the title of local rulers or office holders and after 1102, viceroys of Croatia. From the earliest periods of the Croatian state, some provinces were ruled by bans as a ruler's representative (viceroy) an ...
Matthias Geréb Matija Gereb (or Mátyás Geréb) was the ban of Croatia from 1483 to 1489. He was the son of John Geréb de Vingárt (Hungarian branch of the Croatian House of Kačić), who was a vice-voivode of Transylvania, and Zsófia Szilágyi from the ...
and several members of the
House of Frankopan The House of Frankopan ( hr, Frankopani, Frankapani, it, Frangipani, hu, Frangepán, la, Frangepanus, Francopanus), was a Croatian noble family, whose members were among the great landowner magnates and high officers of the Kingdom of Croati ...
, joined by other Croatian nobles and the
Despot of Serbia The Serbian Despotate ( sr, / ) was a medieval Serbian state in the first half of the 15th century. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is generally considered the end of medieval Serbia, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire and ...
,
Vuk Grgurević Vuk Grgurević Branković ( sr-cyrl, Вук Гргуревић Бранковић; ca. 1439 – April 16, 1485) was a Serbian nobleman who was the titular despot of Serbia from 1471 until his death in 1485. He inherited the title of '' despot'' ( ...
. Their goal was to intercept the Ottomans that were moving towards the Una River. In the battle that lasted for 2 days the Ottomans were defeated and soon a 7-year truce was signed with Sultan
Bayezid II Bayezid II ( ota, بايزيد ثانى, Bāyezīd-i s̱ānī, 3 December 1447 – 26 May 1512, Turkish: ''II. Bayezid'') was the eldest son and successor of Mehmed II, ruling as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. During his reign, ...
.


Background

Following the fall of Počitelj on the
Neretva River The Neretva ( sr-cyrl, Неретва, ), also known as Narenta, is one of the largest rivers of the eastern part of the Adriatic basin. Four HE power-plants with large dams (higher than 150,5 metres) provide flood protection, power and water s ...
in 1471, the whole land between
Cetina Cetina () is a river in southern Croatia. It has a length of and its basin covers an area of . From its source, Cetina descends from an elevation of above sea level to the Adriatic Sea. It is the most water-rich river in Dalmatia.Naklada Naprijed ...
and Neretva rivers except the coastline fell into Ottoman hands. To prevent further Ottoman expansion, King
Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several mi ...
named
Nicholas of Ilok Nicholas of Ilok ( Hungarian: ''Újlaki Miklós'', Bosnian and Croatian: ''Nikola Iločki'', ; 1410–1477) was a Hungarian nobleman, Ban of Croatia, Slavonia, Dalmatia and Macsó, Voivode of Transylvania and titular King of Bosnia from 1471 ...
titular
King of Bosnia This is a list of rulers of Bosnia, containing Ban (title), bans and kings of Medieval Bosnia. Duke (1082–1136) Bans (1136–1377) Kings and queen (1377–1463) All Bosnian kings added the Stephen (honorific), honorific Stephen to their bap ...
. The
Kingdom of Bosnia The Kingdom of Bosnia ( sh, Kraljevina Bosna / Краљевина Босна), or Bosnian Kingdom (''Bosansko kraljevstvo'' / Босанско краљевство), was a medieval kingdom that lasted for nearly a century, from 1377 to 1463, and ...
was conquered by the Ottomans in 1463 and their last king Stephen Tomašević was beheaded by
Mehmed II Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...
. Soon Nicholas of Ilok was named Ban of Croatia and Slavonia, making them a single administrative unit. His task was to take the parts of
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
that were still held by the Ottomans, but he failed to do so. Following his death, King Matthias invaded Bosnia and reached
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...
, however, his success was temporary. In 1482 the Ottomans conquered all the remaining strongholds in
Herzegovina Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical region of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia. It has never had strictly defined geogra ...
. That same year Ottoman forces from the
Sanjak of Bosnia Sanjak of Bosnia ( tr, Bosna Sancağı, sh, Bosanski sandžak / Босански санџак) was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire established in 1463 when the lands conquered from the Bosnian Kingdom were transformed into a sanjak and ...
plundered
Carniola Carniola ( sl, Kranjska; , german: Krain; it, Carniola; hu, Krajna) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region sti ...
, while in 1483 they ravaged the surroundings of
Ptuj Ptuj (; german: Pettau, ; la, Poetovium/Poetovio) is a town in northeastern Slovenia that is the seat of the Municipality of Ptuj. Ptuj, the oldest recorded city in Slovenia, has been inhabited since the late Stone Age and developed from a Roman ...
in
Lower Styria Styria ( sl, Štajerska), also Slovenian Styria (''Slovenska Štajerska'') or Lower Styria (''Spodnja Štajerska''; german: Untersteiermark), is a traditional region in northeastern Slovenia, comprising the southern third of the former Duchy o ...
.


Battle

In early October 1483 Sultan
Bayezid II Bayezid II ( ota, بايزيد ثانى, Bāyezīd-i s̱ānī, 3 December 1447 – 26 May 1512, Turkish: ''II. Bayezid'') was the eldest son and successor of Mehmed II, ruling as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. During his reign, ...
sent a large Ottoman force of around 7,000 Akıncı, led by Harsi Pasha and Serli Hasan, that crossed the Una and Sava rivers and broke into Croatia. The most affected areas were the countrysides of
Jastrebarsko Jastrebarsko (; hu, Jaska), colloquially known as Jaska, is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia. History Antiquity In 1865, remnants of a Roman settlement were uncovered in Repišće, Klinča Sela, a village in Jastrebarsko metropolitan area ...
and Petrovina. Their army was split into 3 parts, each going its own course, with one continuing towards Carniola and
Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...
on 16 October.Anđelko Mijatović: ''Bitka na Krbavskom polju 1493. godine''; Zagreb, 2005, p. 35 Matthias Gereb, who became the
Ban of Croatia Ban of Croatia ( hr, Hrvatski ban) was the title of local rulers or office holders and after 1102, viceroys of Croatia. From the earliest periods of the Croatian state, some provinces were ruled by bans as a ruler's representative (viceroy) an ...
that year, was informed about the raid, but he lacked the forces to confront the Ottomans. Therefore, he started assembling an army with the Croatian nobles; Count Bernardin Frankopan, Ivan Frankopan Cetinski, Mihovil Frankopan Slunjski, Petar Zrinski, and ban deputy Gašpar Perušić all answering the call and were later joined by
Despot of Serbia The Serbian Despotate ( sr, / ) was a medieval Serbian state in the first half of the 15th century. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is generally considered the end of medieval Serbia, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire and ...
Vuk Grgurević Vuk Grgurević Branković ( sr-cyrl, Вук Гргуревић Бранковић; ca. 1439 – April 16, 1485) was a Serbian nobleman who was the titular despot of Serbia from 1471 until his death in 1485. He inherited the title of '' despot'' ( ...
and
Blaise Magyar Blaise Magyar ( hu, Magyar Balázs), also Blaž the Magyar, was a military commander and officer of state in the Kingdom of Hungary in the 15th century. His military career started under the command of John Hunyadi. In the reign of John Hunyadi's s ...
. A part of the Croatian cavalry was sent to track the Ottomans on distance and if an opportunity comes up to intercept them. On their way back the Ottoman armies merged into one, leading many captives which were slowing them down. Upon hearing of a large army trailing them, the Ottomans tried to evade a fight and reach the Bosnian Sanjak without confronting the enemies. As ban got bored with waiting, he marched off with his army, as he hoped to clash with the Ottomans when he encounters them. This turned out to be on the Una river crossing near Brod Zrinski (modern-day Novi Grad). At first, the Ottomans attempted to bribe some nobleman called Vuk to let them pass, but to no avail.Klaić, 166-167 Then they attempted negotiations with Croatian nobles to let them back - under conditions that they release Christian captives and pay 1 Forint for each Ottoman horseman. As these negotiations were ongoing, the Croatians noticed that Ottomans started killing the captives so talks escalated into a battle. Since there was no other crossing nearby, fighting started on dusk, 29 October. The battle was stopped by the nightfall, during which the Ottomans akinjis took position at the foot of a nearby hill. At the same time, they placed their captives on the hiltop. Fighting resumed on dawn next day and ended in a total defeat of Ottoman army. Around 2,000 Ottomans were imprisoned, while more than 1,000 fell on the battlefield. According to a report from King Matthias Corvinus, 10,000 Christian prisoners were liberated. The King sent a special letter of gratitude to Ban Matthias Geréb and the Croatian nobles and informed
Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...
about the victory on 6 November.


Aftermath

Shortly after the battle a 7-year truce was signed with Sultan Bayezid II that lasted until the death of King Matthias Corvinus in 1490. Although during that time no major battles were fought, local border clashes continued.Dragutin Pavličević
Krbavska bitka i njezine posljedice
1997, p. 46
The Sultan used this truce to strengthen his rule and prepare fresh forces for new conquests and the expansion of his Empire westward, that continued in 1490.Ive Mažuran: Povijest Hrvatske od 15. stoljeća do 18. stoljeća, p. 38 Croatia had another victory against the Ottomans in the
Battle of Vrpile The Battle of Vrpile or Battle of Vrpile Gulch ( hr, Bitka u klancu Vrpile), also known as the First Battle of Krbava Polje ( hr, Prva krbavska bitka), was fought between the Kingdom of Croatia and the Ottoman Empire in early September 1491 at t ...
in 1491, but also a huge defeat in the
Battle of Krbava Field The Battle of Krbava Field ( hr, Bitka na Krbavskom polju, Krbavska bitka; hu, Korbávmezei csata; tr, Krbava Muharebesi) was fought between the Ottoman Empire of Bayezid II and an army of the Kingdom of Croatia, at the time in personal unio ...
in 1493.Trpimir Macan: Povijest hrvatskog naroda, Zagreb, 1992, p. 120


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Una 1483 in Europe Una 1483 Una 1483
Una Una and UNA may refer to: Places * 160 Una, the asteroid "Una", an asteroid named after the Faerie Queene character * Una River (disambiguation), numerous rivers * Una, Himachal Pradesh, a town in India ** Una, Himachal Pradesh Assembly constit ...
Conflicts in 1483 1483 in the Ottoman Empire