All About History

11 SEPT 1697

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01 Ottoman artillery ineffectiv­e

The Ottoman field guns on the far bank of the Tisza open up on the Austrian army, but because they’re out of range they are ineffectiv­e. In contrast, the Imperial guns wreak great havoc on the Ottoman infantry, causing substantia­l casualties and throwing their formations into disorder.

02 Sipahi charge repulsed

A small force of Turkish sipahi on the near side of the river charges the Austrian lines, but Imperial dragoons shatter the attack.

03 Full-scale Imperial attacks

Prince Eugene orders his entire army to advance against the Turkish infantry on the near bank and drive it into the river. The close coordinati­on between the Imperial infantry and cavalry give them an advantage over the Ottoman infantry.

04 Bottleneck on the bridge

Sultan Mustafa orders the bulk of his sipahi on the far bank to cross the long pontoon bridge to assist the hard-pressed infantry on the near bank. The pace of their advance is extremely slow because of the narrow width of the temporary bridge. They have no effect on the battle.

05 Discipline­d musketry

Imperial musketeers shatter Ottoman formations. Eugene directs his cuirassier­s to exploit weak spots in the Ottoman perimeter. The blackbreas­ted cuirassier­s hack and slash their way into the Ottoman perimeter, where they cause havoc.

06 Cuirassier­s outflank janissarie­s

At Eugene’s direction, a portion of the cuirassier­s on his left wing splashes through the shallows to an island near the shoreline, ride south on the island, and then recross to the shore in order to get behind the janissarie­s. The plan works perfectly and the janissarie­s find themselves assailed from front and rear.

07 Slaughter on the riverbank

The Imperial musketeers cut down the remaining Ottoman janissarie­s bunched up along the river bank. Thousands of Turkish foot soldiers plunge into the Tisza River hoping to swim to safety. Most of them drown.

08 Sultan abandons crippled army

Sultan Mustafa orders troops on the left bank to guard the bridge to prevent the Imperialis­ts repairing it and crossing, but fearing for their lives they hide in the marshes. The sultan and his bodyguards flee on horseback for the safety of Temesvar, taking with them the sacred standard and the mantle of the Prophet.

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