Prince Eugene of Savoy

Overview

Prince Eugene of Savoy was the commander of the Austrian imperial army in two Ottoman wars. The Encyclopaedia of Islam has no article on him; he appears in the articles on Zenta, Sarajevo, Belgrade, Passarowitz and several Ottoman grand viziers. The sources used here give no dates of birth or death, so none are given.

Zenta, 1697

On 24 Safar 1109/11 September 1697 a decisive battle was fought near Zenta, on the Tisza, between the forces of Sultan Mustafa II and Prince Eugene. ¹ The article on the grand vizier says the Ottoman army was crossing the Tisza when Eugene's imperial army, arriving by forced march toward nightfall, surprised it. The Ottomans lost about 20,000 killed and 10,000 drowned, the sultan, who watched, fled, and the Janissaries mutinied and killed the grand vizier. ³ See also the Battle of Zenta.

Sarajevo, 1697

In September 1697, says the article on Sarajevo, Austrian troops under Eugene, exploiting the victory at Zenta, raided the city. After a brief occupation they left it burning. ⁴ The article on charitable endowments adds that much endowed property was lost in the fire of 1697. ⁵

The war of 1716-18

In 1716 Austria entered the war with Ahmad III's empire, and her armies under Eugene won three great victories, at Peterwardein, Temesvar and Belgrade. ² At Peterwardein, on 16 Sha'ban 1128/5 August 1716, the grand vizier Damad Ali Pasha died in the Ottoman defeat. ⁶ The fortress of Temesvar fell to the emperor on 4 Dhu l-Qa'da 1128/21 October 1716. ⁶

In 1717 Eugene besieged Belgrade, and the grand vizier Khalil Pasha could not relieve it; Khalil was dismissed on 18 Ramadan 1129/26 August 1717 after proposals for peace had come from Eugene. ⁶ The article on Belgrade says the imperial army under Eugene beat the Turkish army near the city on 8 Ramadan 1129/16 August 1717. ⁷ See the siege of Belgrade.

Passarowitz

The negotiations at Passarowitz began on 5 June 1718. Austria kept the eastern part of Sirmia, the Banat with Temesvar, northern Serbia with Belgrade and Pozarevac, and Little Wallachia. ² See the Treaty of Passarowitz.

Sources

Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2008), 13 volumes , vol. 11 p. 513

Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2008), 13 volumes , vol. 8 p. 299

Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2008), 13 volumes , vol. 6 p. 1020

Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2008), 13 volumes , vol. 9 p. 39

Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2008), 13 volumes , vol. 5.1 p. 50

Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2008), 13 volumes , vol. 4 p. 1007

Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2008), 13 volumes , vol. 1 p. 1224

Ahmed III

Ahmed III, the twenty-third Ottoman sultan, was born in 1084/1673 and reigned from 1115/1703 to 1143/1730. His reign brought wars with Russia, Venice and Austria: the Morea was regained from Venice, and Belgrade was lost under the Treaty of Passarowitz in 1718. The later years, the Age of Tulips, were marked by court pleasure, the arts and the first printing press in Istanbul, until a rising in Istanbul in 1730 forced his abdication; he died in 1149/1736.

At a glance