The bravest Hungarians – myth, literature, history; part 2

There is a wide range of stories connected to the bravery of Hungarians. We already wrote about several aspects of Hungarian culture, famous people of Hungarian history, for example, György Dózsa and János Hunyadi. Today, as a continuation of our previous article, we will introduce you to another 3 famous Hungarian figures of history. This time the article is dedicated to the bravest Hungarian people. Time elevated them to legendary heroes who are often called ‘vitéz’ – a word dedicated to the biggest heroes – in Hungarian.

If you have not yet read the previous article of the series or are simply interested in some of the most famous Hungarian figures, you can do it HERE.

Count Miklós Zrínyi IV

Captain of ‘Szigetvár’

In 1561 Zrínyi applied for the position of castellan of ‘Szigetvár’. It was an unwanted position by many. For Zrínyi, the position requiring of ‘vitézség’ (doing what must be done without any acknowledgement) was not unusual. His grandfather’s death and military career have inspired, almost predestined Zrínyi for this role. His vocation, Christian commitment and the unflagging love he felt for his homeland might have also contributed to his decision. Zrínyi’s assignment started a new era in the defence against the Turks.

The Sultan’s army arrived at the castle on 5^th August 1566, and the heroic battle has started. Miklós Zrínyi’s defending force consisted of 2,500 people, while the opposing force had about 50,000 soldiers. The unusually hot summer was in favour of the Turks, who consistently pushed the defenders to their limits. The defenders were waiting for the supporting force from Győr, but it never came, it was never able to due to the long distance and lack of naval support. Zrínyi and his defenders were on their own. The enormous numerical superiority of the Turks has pulverised the Hungarian defence and Zrínyi decided to make a final assault on the attacking forces.

In the morning of the 7^th September, the Turks have set the inner fort on fire and launched their assault. At this time, Zrínyi prepared for his final fight, he changed and held his speech for his soldiers and they blasted out the castle’s doors to make their final, heroic stand. According to the description of eyewitnesses, they fired a cannon from the throat of the gate and Zrínyi alongside his ‘vitéz’ soldiers charged through the bridge into the Turk forces. During his final and unfortunately futile assault, Zrínyi held a round shield and the sabre he received from his father in his hands.

Zrínyi and his company of ‘vitéz’ Hungarians have sacrificed themselves to finish their glorious battle with honourable death. With this decision, Zrínyi also prevented the Turks from capturing him and using him as a hostage later during the peace negotiations.

Thanks to the heroic sacrifice of the Hungarian defenders, the campaign of the Sultan has failed. They held the Turks back for so long that combined with the news of the Sultan’s death; the enemy was unable to continue fighting. After this battle, the Turks have not launched any attacks against the Hungarian Kingdom for 30 years, and Central Europe was saved from the conquest of the Turkish forces.

István Dobó

István Dobó along with Ferenc Zay became the castellan of the castle of Eger in 1548. Under the captaincy of Dobó, the castle was further reinforced.