Battle Of Șelimbăr
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The Battle of Șelimbăr, or Battle of Sellenberk (; ), took place on 18 October 1599 between the Wallachian army of
Michael the Brave Michael the Brave ( or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593–1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711), Transylvani ...
() and the
Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
n- Hungarian army of Andrew Báthory (). The battle was fought near the village of Șelimbăr () close to
Sibiu Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...
(; ).


Background

Michael the Brave Michael the Brave ( or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593–1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711), Transylvani ...
marched into Transylvania to fight against the Ottomans. The neighboring rulers Andrew Báthory in Transylvania and Ieremia Movilă in Moldavia were friendly towards
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
. In 1598, Michael signed a treaty of peace with the Ottomans, however both sides knew that the issue was far from settled. When Transylvania fell under the influence of Poland, which preserved friendly relations with the Ottomans, a hostile ring closed around Wallachia. Only the Habsburgs were prepared to ally themselves with Michael. The treaty, signed in Prague on 9 June 1598, made Wallachia a vassal state; in exchange, the emperor undertook to cover the cost of providing 5.000 mercenaries to the principality. The voivode wanted to secure a land link to his ally. With Emperor Rudolph's assent, he launched an attack on Transylvania. He informed the
Székelys The Székelys (, Old Hungarian script, Székely runes: ), also referred to as Szeklers, are a Hungarians, Hungarian subgroup living mostly in the Székely Land in Romania. In addition to their native villages in Suceava County in Bukovina, a ...
that he was attacking Transylvania on behalf of the Emperor Rudolf and, if they join him, their traditional freedoms will be restored. At this the Székelys joined the forces of Michael ''en masse'' so that Székelys comprised one third of his army of 36,000 soldiers. Michael entered Transylvania through Buzău Pass. Another Wallachian army corps, composed of 6,000 warriors from
Oltenia Oltenia (), also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions – with the alternative Latin names , , and between 1718 and 1739 – is a historical province and geographical region of Romania in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Da ...
, led by Radu Buzescu Ban Udrea and Serbian hajduk commander Starina Novak, crossed the
Transylvanian Alps The Southern Carpathians (also known as the Transylvanian Alps; ; ) are a group of mountain ranges located in southern Romania. They cover the part of the Carpathian Mountains located between the Prahova River in the east and the TimiÈ™ and ...
through
Turnu Roșu Pass Turnu Roșu Pass (, , , , all of these names meaning ''Red Tower Pass'' in the respective languages) is a mountain pass in the Romanian Carpathian Mountains, Carpathians, connecting Vâlcea County (Wallachia) and Sibiu County (Transylvania). It i ...
. The junction was made on October 16.


Battle

Michael had approximately 40,000 men at his command. Many of them did not fight, however, preferring instead to remain in the camp and protect the women and children of the
boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...
s who had joined them in this campaign out of the fear of possible Tatar attacks in Wallachia. The army of Andrew Báthory numbered approximately 30,000 men, but during the battle many defected to Michael's army, including the
Székelys The Székelys (, Old Hungarian script, Székely runes: ), also referred to as Szeklers, are a Hungarians, Hungarian subgroup living mostly in the Székely Land in Romania. In addition to their native villages in Suceava County in Bukovina, a ...
, who despised the ruling Báthory family. The Wallachians gained the upper hand at the beginning of the battle, but were pushed back quickly by the charge of the Hungarian
Hussars A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...
. The Transylvanians then had the opportunity to win the battle, but Andrew Báthory refused to commit his rearguard to battle, giving the Wallachians a chance to regroup. The resulting charge against the Transylvanian army was a success, Andrew Báthory fled the field (only to be later assassinated), and Michael headed with his victorious army to the city of
Alba Iulia Alba Iulia (; or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; ; ) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the river Mureș (river), Mureș in the historical region of Transylvania, it has a ...
(Gyulafehérvár), as the Diet recognised him as voivode and imperial governor. Casualties were at least 1,200 to 1,500 on the Transylvanian side, and 200 to 1,000 men killed on the Wallachian side. The inhabitants of
Sibiu Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...
(Hermannstadt, Nagyszeben) buried the bodies in a mass grave known today as Michael the Brave's Knoll.


Aftermath

Michael's victory resulted in him taking over the administration of Transylvania on behalf of Emperor Rudolf. It has to be said, however, that the governments of Wallachia and Transylvania remained separate, and Michael never attempted to connect Transylvania to Wallachia, nor interfere in Transylvania's system of government (by the Estates). What is more he also invited some Székelys and other Transylvanian Hungarians to assist in the administration of Wallachia, where he wished to transplant Transylvania's far more advanced feudal system. Especially during the period of the Romanian national awakening, his victories were interpreted as the first unification of the Romanian people, and Michael remains a Romanian national hero.


See also

* Battle of Sellenberk (1916)


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Selimbar, Battle Of Conflicts in 1599 Battles of the Long Turkish War Battles involving Hungary Battles involving Wallachia Battles involving the Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711) Military history of Romania History of Sibiu County 1599 in Europe 16th century in Romania