Baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
Nikola Jurišić ( hu, Jurisich Miklós; – 1545) was a Croatian
nobleman
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...
, soldier, and diplomat.
Early life
Jurišić was born in
Senj
Senj (; it, Segna, la, Senia, Hungarian language, Hungarian and german: Zengg) is a town on the upper Adriatic coast in Croatia, in the foothills of the Mala Kapela and Velebit mountains.
The symbol of the town is the Nehaj Fortress ( hr, Tvr ...
, Croatia.
He is first mentioned in 1522 as an officer of
Ferdinand I of Habsburg
Ferdinand I ( es, Fernando I; 10 March 1503 – 25 July 1564) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1556, King of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia from 1526, and Archduke of Austria from 1521 until his death in 1564.Milan Kruhek: Cetin, grad izbornog sabo ...
's troops deployed in Croatian forts in defense against the invasion of 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) ...
under
Suleiman I, advancing towards
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
. Between 1522 and 1526, he obtained knighthood.
[Nikola Jurišić](_blank)
in the Croatian Biographical Lexicon
''Croatian Biographical Lexicon'' ( hr, Hrvatski biografski leksikon) is a multi-volume biographical and bibliographical encyclopedia in Croatian, published by the Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography. It contains biographies of prominent Cr ...
(in Croatian)
After the
Battle of Mohács
The Battle of Mohács (; hu, mohácsi csata, tr, Mohaç Muharebesi or Mohaç Savaşı) was fought on 29 August 1526 near Mohács, Kingdom of Hungary, between the forces of the Kingdom of Hungary and its allies, led by Louis II, and thos ...
in 1526, the king made him the supreme army commander of the armed forces defending the borders (''supremus capitaneus'', ''Veldhauptmann unseres Kriegsfolks wider Turken''). Jurišić in turn helped Ferdinand of Habsburg become the king of Croatia by brokering the
1527 election in Cetin. In 1530, Jurišić was sent to
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
to negotiate with the Ottomans for peace.
Siege of Güns (Kőszeg) in 1532
In 1532,
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Nikola Jurišić defended the small border fort of
Kőszeg
Kőszeg (german: Güns, ; Slovak: ''Kysak'', sl, Kiseg, hr, Kiseg) is a town in Vas County, Hungary. The town is famous for its historical character.
History
The origins of the only free royal town in the historical garrison county of Vas ...
(
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
) with only 700–800 Croatian soldiers with no cannons and few guns, preventing the advance of the Turkish army of 120,000–140,000 toward
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
.
[ Turnbull, Stephen. The Ottoman Empire 1326 – 1699. New York: Osprey, 2003. pg 51]
There are two versions of that battle.
*In one version, after Suleiman I
led an army of 140,000 towards Vienna, Nikola Jurišić and his 800 soldiers responded to the calls of the Habsburg Emperor to defend the city. While passing through western Hungary they saw helpless women and children in the small fort of Koszeg, and decided to defend it. The fort was on the route to Vienna, so Suleiman II attacked it, and after three days of fighting Jurišić wrote: "...I and 89 of my knights are tired and low on supplies. If we hold another day it will be a miracle..." Before the final charge women and children prayed to
Saint Martin for two hours, and the final battle started. After ten minutes of battle the Turks retreated, and reported they saw a flaming knight with flaming sword.
* In the second version, the city was offered terms for a nominal surrender. The only Ottomans who would be allowed to enter the castle would be a token force who would raise the Turkish flag. Suleiman withdrew at the arrival of the August rains and did not continue towards Vienna as previously planned, but homeward. He had been delayed nearly four weeks, and during this time a powerful army had been collected in Vienna, which the sultan did not intend to face. By their heroism, Nikola Jurišić and his men had saved Vienna from a siege.
Later life
Following the 1537
Battle of Gorjani
The Battle of Gorjani ( hr, Bitka kod Gorjana, german: Schlacht bei Gorjani) or Battle of Đakovo ( hu, Diakovári csata) was a battle fought on 9 October 1537 at Gorjani, a place in present-day Slavonia (today in eastern Croatia), between the to ...
, he was again made the ''supremus capitaneus'' of
Slavonia
Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baranja ...
and
Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
. In 1540, he was the ''capitaneus'' of
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 ...
.
He spent the last years of his life as a secret adviser at the court in Vienna.
Jurišić died in
Kőszeg
Kőszeg (german: Güns, ; Slovak: ''Kysak'', sl, Kiseg, hr, Kiseg) is a town in Vas County, Hungary. The town is famous for its historical character.
History
The origins of the only free royal town in the historical garrison county of Vas ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
.
See also
*
Jurišić Jurišić is a Croatian surname. It is derived from the personal name Juraj (George). It may refer to:
* Tomislav Jurisic, karate, box and MMA fighter
* Helen Jurisic, mixed martial artist, World kick boxing Champion
* Nikola Jurišić (c. 1490 ...
*
Little War in Hungary
Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt
* ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film
*The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...
*
Ottoman wars in Europe
A series of military conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and various European states took place from the Late Middle Ages up through the early 20th century. The earliest conflicts began during the Byzantine–Ottoman wars, waged in Anatolia in ...
References
External links
Pallas Nagy Lexikona(Hungarian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jurisic, Nikola
Military commanders of Croatian kingdoms
15th-century Croatian nobility
16th-century Croatian nobility
Austrian nobility
People from Senj
16th-century Croatian military personnel
1490 births
1545 deaths
Croatian Roman Catholics
Barons of Croatia
Croatian military personnel in Austrian armies
Hungarian nobility
Hungarian soldiers
Hungarian people of Croatian descent
Habsburg Croats
15th-century Croatian people
16th-century Croatian people