| Battle of Grocka | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Ottoman wars in Europe and Ottoman-Habsburg wars | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Ottoman Empire |
 Austria |
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| Commanders | |||||||
| Grand Vizier Silahdar Damat Mehmed Paşa[1] | Marshal Wallis[2] Wilhelm Reinhard von Neipperg[3] |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 100,000[1] | 40,000[2] - 56,000, +light cavalry[1] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 3,000[1] - 7,000[2] | ||||||
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The Battle of Grocka, also known as Battle of Krotzka,[4][5][6] was fought between Austria and the Ottoman Empire on July 21 - July 22, 1739, in Grocka, Belgrade.[7][8] The Turks were victorious and took the city of Belgrade. The battle was part of the Ottoman-Habsburg wars.
Battle
The Austrians had direct orders from emperor Charles VI to engage the enemy at the first possible opportunity. On the morning of July 21, the battle commenced, and lasted for the length of the day. The Ottoman forces, better prepared and outnumbering their opponent, intended to resume fighting the next day, but the Austrians decided to retreat during the night. However, the Ottomans followed them and the next day forced the Austrians to surrender.[2]
Consequences
The defeat at Grocka had an enormous psychological impact at the Austrian Court. After a series of resounding victories against the Turks under Eugene of Savoy, a short and victorious campaign was expected again this time. The unexpected defeat made the Austrians eager for peace. The Turkish diplomats took advantage and obtained the very advantageous Treaty of Belgrade, in which all Austrian conquests in the Balkans were given back, including Belgrade, with the exception of the Banat.
Austria paid a high price for neglecting to maintain an efficient army and to look for a worthy successor for Eugene of Savoy.
Fieldmarshal Wallis, charged with negligence, was court-martialled and condemned to imprisonment in the castle of Spielberg. He was released three months later, when he was pardoned by the new Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.
References
- ^ a b c d Nicolle, David (1983). Armies of the Ottoman Turks, 1300-1774. Osprey Publishing. pp. 33–34. ISBN 0850455111.
- ^ a b c d Abbott, John Stevens Cabot (1859). The Empire of Austria: Its Rise and Present Power. Rickey, Mallory & Company. pp. 406–407.
- ^ Wheatcroft, Andrew, The Enemy at the Gate: Habsburgs, Ottomans, and the Battle for Europe, (Bodley Head Random House, 2008), 240.
- ^ Laffin, John, Brassey's Dictionary of Battles, (Barnes and Noble Inc., 1986), 231.
- ^ Bruce, George, Harbottle's Dictionary of Battles, 3rd Edition, (Van Nostrad Reinhold Company, 1979), 135.
- ^ Dupuy, R. Ernest and Trevor N. Dupuy, The Harper Encyclopedia of Military History, 4th Edition, (HarperCollins Publishers, 1993), 689.
- ^ Lund, Eric A. (1999). War for the Every Day: Generals, Knowledge, and Warfare in Early Modern Europe, 1680-1740. Greenwood Press. pp. 180. ISBN 0313310416.
- ^ Bodart, Gaston (1916). Losses of Life in Modern Wars, Austria-Hungary: France. H. Milford. pp. 39.
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