Battle of Krbava Field 1493

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1493: The Battle of Krbava Field
The start of the 100 Years’ Croatian-Ottoman War
by Željko Zidarić, September 2022
Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

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1463: The Fall of Bosna
After realizing how difficult Beograd is to take, Sultân Mehmed1 II shifts

his attention towards the rich mines of eastern Bosna,2 along the Drina
River, the border between Bosna and Serbia. Slowly but surely, finding
little resistance, Mehmed’s army moves westward through Bosna — it is
said that; Bosna šaptom pade (Bosna falls with a whisper). Mehmed’s
next major target is Jajce, the ages-old capital of the Bosnian kings in
the heartland of Bosna located at the scenic confluence of the Pliva and
Vrbas rivers.
After the death of the Magyar king, Ladislaus the Posthumous, Mátyás
Hunyadi, the son of the great general János Hunyadi, is proclaimed
king on January 24, 1458. Stjepan Tomašević, the King of Bosna,
understands the coming danger and therefore, at the Diet of Buda in
1462, becomes a loyal vassal of Hungary and soon receives money and
soldiers from the Kingdom of Croatia and Hungary to strengthen his
fortresses. With great force, in May of 1463, the Sultân marches to
Bosna, hunts for King Tomašević, finds him, convinces him to
surrender by offering a guarantee of safety, but on June 5, beheads him,
his uncle, and some nobles, in front of the walls of Jajce. The lands of
the conquered Kingdom of Bosna become the Sançak of Bosna, with
Sarajevo3 as the capital city. Soon after the Sultân’s departure, the
lands around Jajce are liberated by Vladislav Hercegović. Jajce is
besieged and liberated by December 25, 1463. Under Magyar
suzerainty, the western parts of Bosna, not under Osmanlı control, are
organized into the Banovina (Banate) of Jajce, with the city of Jajce
designated as the capital. The Banovina becomes a military frontier,
which Mátyás Hunyadi calls a bulwark and shield against the western
advance of the Türks. In the southeast of Bosna, northern Hercegovina
falls in 1465 and the coastal areas are taken by 1485.
To defend the Danube, Sava, and Tisza rivers, in 1475 King Mátyás
Hunyadi formally establishes a force of 10,000 riverboat marines using
330 šajka/naszád riverboats that are similar to small galleys. Southern
bases are at Beograd, Slankamen, Petrovaradin, and with others as far
1 The Arabic name was originally Mehemed, and then lost the middle e to morph
into the archaic Turkish Mehmed. Mehmet is the present-day variant.
2 Bosna in the local language and Bosnia in English.
3 The area of the city was originally known as Vrhbosna (Peak of Bosna) and first
attacked by the Turks in 1416, and taken in 1451. A new city was established in
1461 and Vrhbosna was renamed to Saraybosna (Palace of Bosnia), during the
Osmanlı occupation. The name was later modified to Sarajevo, first mentioned in
1507, with “evo” being a Slavic suffix for place names.

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up the Danube as Komárom. By the time of King Lajos (Louis II)

Jagiellon, the river fleet is only 1/10th of its peak strength — with only
about 50 boats and 1,000 men. Since the riverboat marines are, in the
16th century, primarily ethnic Serbs, they come to be known by the
Serbian name Šajkaši but there are Croats and Magyars in the force.
Mátyás, as brave as his father, at the Battle of Breadfield in Erdély1,
defeats 30,000 Osmanlı raiders, on October 13, 1479. Hunyadi, with his
Black Army, also fights against the Habsburgs2 and takes Wien (Vienna)
on June 1, 1485, when Kaiser (Emperor) Frederick III runs away.
Hunyadi makes Wien the capital of Hungary.
The Osmanlı Empire, led by one man with one vision, and little internal
discord, is strong and by the end of the 15th century, Greece, Macedonia,
Albania, and Serbia are part of the Osmanlı Eyalet (beğlerbeğlik,
province) of Rumeli (Rumelia, Land of the Romans). The Empire of
Bulgaria disintegrates and becomes a part of Rumelia. Wallachia and
Moldavia become vassal states of the Osmanlı Empire. After the Sançak
of Bosna assimilates most Croatian lands, some call it Türkish Croatia.
The Sançakbeğ of Bosna, given much freedom, supported by the beğs3
(governors) of Hercegovina, Albania, Serbia, and even Bulgaria, with
their horsemen, often raid into Dalmatia, the Croatian lands south of
the Dinaric Alps, and then further west into the Lika region. By these
raids, the horsemen earn their living and the sançakbeğs seek to
impress the Sultân in the hope of being rewarded and promoted.
In the spring of each year, raiders from Bosna ride through the
mountain passes into Dalmatia to plunder and terrorize the countryside
— towns are burned to the ground, villages laid waste, churches and
monasteries are destroyed. It is said that the Türks leave nothing but
earth and water behind them. After several years of raids, killings, and
slave-taking, the nobles and peasants flee to safer lands in Croatia and
along the Dalmatian coast.
As the Bosnian countryside depopulates, agricultural production falls
and the frontier fortifications weaken. The local sançakbeğs, with a
never-ending supply of soldiers, weaken walls and then the Sultân’s
massive army smashes them.
Of the Türks it is said that they are not like farmers that plow a
field, sow seeds, tend the garden, then pick the vegetables and
give thanks - they come to a garden and merely harvest.
1 Erdély in Hungarian, Erdelj in Croatian, Erdel in Türkish, Siebenbürgen in German.

2 House of Habsburg also spelled Hapsburg , and called House of Austria.
3 The rank of beğ in old Turkish and bey in new Turkish is the lord or master.

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Start of the 100 Years’ Croatian-Ottoman War
1491: Battle of Vrpile
After the conquest and occupation of Serbia, Albania, Montenegro,1 and

finally Bosna in 1463, Croatia, Dalmatia, and Slavonia become
neighbours of the Osmanlı Empire and the front line of the Osmanlı
expansion into Europe. Sançakbeğs from Bosna and sançaks farther
east make regular small-scale raids into Croatia as part of their strategy
of depopulating the lands and causing economic damage before taking
the lands. King Hunyadi’s Black Army and Croat nobles are, for a while,
able to hold back the Osmanlı attacks. The weakening Black Army
tempts the Osmanlıs to make attacks into Erdély (Transylvania) but Pál
Kinizsi, a savage fighter, in 1490 and again in 1492, defeats them and
they leave with bloody heads.
In 1491, Hadım2 (Eunuch) Yakup Paşa,3 a servant and long-time friend
of the Sultân Bayezid II, arrives in Bosna and takes on the duties of
sançakbeğ. His first desire is to take the fortress at Jajce, the old capital
of the Kingdom of Bosna, and the main stronghold in the southwest and
one of the bulwarks protecting Croatia; the other two are Klis and Senj.
The military commander at that time is Imre Derencsény4 (Croatian:
Emerik Derenčin), a man the Osmanlıs record as being magnificent,
damned/cursed, and cruel.
1 Montenegro does not exist at this time and the name is used for simplicity.
Properly it is the principalities of Zeta, Duklja and Travunĳa which lose their
independence to Rascian rulers before being conquered by the Ottomans.
2 A eunuch is a male that has been castrated. A partial castration is the removal of
the testicles and a full castration includes the removal of most of the penis. Since
the mortality rate for victims of castration was lower for boys than for mature men,
castration was done at a young age, between 4 and 12 years of age, but most
often between 8-10 years of age. In Europe, between 66-75% of castrated males
died either of blood loss, infection, or the urethra closing and the boy not being
able to urinate. In African cities, the mortality rate might have been up to 90%.
3 Not much is known about Yakup Paşa but most likely he is the son of Bosnian
Christian parents. As a boy he was taken into captivity, beaten, brainwashed and
forced to accept the Muhammadan religion and with that a new worldview by
which he remembers his family and past with embarrassment and disgust. During
his youth he was designated to work in the Imperial Harem and thus was castrated.
From there he was moved to the Inner Service of the Palace and after proving his
abilities became a soldier — a man that was intelligent, cunning and cruel.
4 He was of the Balogh clan, descended from a German knight
named Altmann von Friedberg, who settled in Hungary circa 1046 AD.

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During the previous years, Derencsény invests much money and effort
to strengthen the fortress and garrison and thus Jajce makes life
difficult for the akınçı horsemen raiding into the west. Yakup Paşa
prepares a grand plan by which he, and several neighbouring
sançakbeğs, will besiege Jajce but first he needs a diversion by which to
distract the Croatian and Magyar nobles. Rather than attack Croatian
lands, which have been devastated and are now desolate, Yakup Paşa
organizes a raid further northwest, into the wealthier Austrian
provinces of Carniola and Styria.1
Mihaloğlu Hasan Beğ is sent, with 10,000 (possibly up t0 17,000)
akınçı, to cross the Una River, ride across Croatia to raid south of
Zagreb, and then into Carniola to plunder many places and take
thousands of captives. At the same time, Yakup Paşa besieges Jajce.
Reports coming from Jajce confirm that the Osmanlı army is large and
well organized, causing the garrison to lose hope of surviving after being
besieged for a while. But, the defence holds and Yakup Paşa fails.
In early September, after a month of devastating the lands of Carniola,
Hasan Beğ departs from Metlika and marches for home in Bosna. The
route they take is one used often before, travelling southeast, past the
scenic lakes at Plitvica, through the valleys of the Lika region, towards
the town of Vrpile, then to Udbina, and finally through mountain passes
into Bosna. The Croats learn of the Osmanlı raiding party and Ladislav
de Egervár, the Ban2 of Croatia, Slavonia, and Dalmatia,3 mobilizes
Croatian nobles to stop the Osmanlıs. Joining the Ban are Count
Bernardin Frankopan, Mihajlo Frankopan Slunjski, Ivan Frankopan
Cetinski and Petar II Zrinski and his son Pavao III Zrinski.
After travelling 150 km, the raiding party is slow due to the heavy
plunder they carry and the tired captives that are destined for slave
markets. Bernardin Frankopan develops a devious plan to allow the
raiders to travel freely towards Vrpile and then ambush them at the
pass (gulch, small valley). The Croats allow the raiders to enter the
pass, then block both sides of the valley and attack. The akınçı, taken by
surprise, with nowhere to run are at a great disadvantage and, it is said,
the Croats do not attack as people but as enraged lions killing the
1 Present day Slovenia was at that time divided into the Austrian provinces of
Styria in the north and Carniola in the south. Styria was known as Steiermark in
German and Štajerska in Croatian. Carniola was known as Krain in German and
Kranjska in Croatian.
2 The Ban is the Viceroy of Croatia. Palatine is the Hungarian equivalent.
3 At this period of history the present-day nation known as Croatia is divided into
three kingdoms: Croatia in the west, Slavonia in the north, and Dalmatia along the
Adriatic. For simplicity Croatia will be used for all three.

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‘Türks’. Carniolan men taken captive take weapons from dead or

wounded Türks and join the fight against their captors.
In the valley, there is no a battle but a massacre. Hasan Beğ, with a few
of his men, flees into the woods and saves himself. Most of the raiders
are killed in battle, many drown in the Una River while trying to escape,
and about 1,500 are taken captive. About 18,000 Christian captives are
released. Frankopan receives much glory for the cunning plan that
resulted in few Croatian casualties.
Hadım Yakup Paşa, on the news of the massacre, is enraged as never
before and then spends the next year (1492) healing his wounds and
rebuilding his army so that he can personally get vengeance on the
Croats that caused him such an embarrassment. While in the mining
town of Vareš, he orders his blacksmiths to make new swords, sabres,
knives, and halberds. Yakup Paşa then calls on all the best soldiers in
the region to join him.

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Observations of the Akıncı
Konstantin Mihailović,1 a Serbian captive forced to fight in the Sultân’s

army, with the Yeŋiçeris (Janissaries) from 1455–63, wrote of his
experiences and insights into the Osmanlı military culture.
Of the Osmanlı Akıncı raiders, he writes:2
The Türkish raiders are called in their own language akandye
[akıncı], which means “those who flow”, and they are like
torrential rains that fall from the clouds. From these storms come
great floods until the streams leave their banks and overflow, and
everything this water strikes, it takes, carries away, and moreover,
destroys, so that in some places they cannot quickly make repairs.
But such sudden downpours do not last long. Thus also the
Türkish raiders, like rainstorms, do not linger long, but whatever
they strike they burn, plunder, kill, and destroy everything so that
for many years the cock will not crow there.
The Türkish raiders are voluntary. of their own free will they ride
on expedition for their livelihood. They call these same Türks
gogmary which means ‘herdsmen’, for they live by means of
livestock and raise horses, because they expect that somewhere
they will call them on an expedition. They are ready, it is
unnecessary to issue them orders or to pay them a wage or to
stand their expenses. If any of them does not want to go on a
foray himself, he will lend his horses to others for half [of the
spoils]; if they win some booty and bring it back, they accept it as
good, but if they bring nothing, then they say: “We have no gain,
but we have great works of piety, like those who toil with us and
ride against the Christians, because we support one another.” And
whatever they seize or capture, whether male or female, except for
boys, they will sell them all for money. The emperor himself will
pay for the boys, as mentioned previously.
1 In 1455, 20 year-old Konstantin Mihailović, with his two brothers, was captured
after the battle at Novo Brdo in Kosovo. By 1456, he was in Sultân Mehmed's
army and fought in the siege of Beograd. In 1461 he fought in Trebizond, then in
Wallachia, and against Vlad Drakul. In 1463, when Zvečaj in Croatia was taken by
Magyar king Mátyás Hunyadi, Konstantin and a unit of Yeŋiçeris was captured.
After his story was learned, Konstantin was set free. In the later years of his life, he
lived in Poland where he writes his, “Memoirs of a Yeŋiçeri”, sometime between
1497 and 1501. See the Backstory book for more information.
2 “Memoirs of a Yeŋiçeri”, written by K. Mihajlović and translated into English by
Benjamin A, Stolz, in 1975. Transalated into Serbian by Đorđe Živanović,
“Janičarove uspomene ili Turska hronika”, Belgrade, 1959.

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1492: Battle of Villach
In the summer of 1492, while Columbus is preparing to sail westward in

search of the New World,1 Sultân Bayezid tries to take advantage of the
chaos in the court of Vladislaus II, the weak new king,. Bayezid besieges
Beograd, but as did his father Mehmed II, in 1456, he fails.2
Also at this time, an Osmanlı commander named Ali Paşa, the
Sançakbeğ of Smederovo,3 from the akınçı4 family of the Mihaloğlu,
with 20,000 akınçı,5 raids deep into Carniola,
Styria, and eventually into Carinthia.
During previous raids, they devastated The akınçı families
only one or two nations but this time they
The most famous akınçı
ravage all three. The pains caused by the
raider clans, with the
plague of the Renner und Brenner6
prestigious title uç beğ
(Runners and Burners) are felt deep (marcher-lord), are the:
within Austria. Like locusts they attack;
• Mihaloğlu (oldest),
first, they feed in Croatia, then separate
into three armies and feed in Styria, • Malkoçoğlu,
Carinthia and Carniola. During their • Evrenosoğlu,
rampage, they commit inhuman atrocities • Turahanoğlu.
that surpass all previous and subsequent
raids — reports spread that babies have had
their heads smashed against walls so their brains fall out, some children
are impaled on fences, young girls are defiled (raped) in front of their
1 Columbus left Spain on August 3, and arrived in the Bahamas on October 12.
2 In April he goes to Edirne and in May marches to Beograd. There is confusion
about his movements but he may have gone to Albania to stay away from the
plague that hit İstanbul and parts of the Balkans.
3 Smederevo in Serbian, Szendrő in Magyar, and Semendire in Türkish.
4 The akınçı are organized into families with hereditary leadership that form a sort of
Osmanlı Gazî (warrior) nobility. The Mihaloğlu family is the oldest, being descended
from Köse Mihal, a Greek-Byzantine Christian lord in Anatolia who became a
companion of Osman I, the founder of the Osmali Empire. The other main families
are the Evrenosoğulları from Anatolia, of Greek-Byzantine origins, the Turahanoğlu
from western Anatolia, of Türkic Yürük origins, and the Malkoçoğlu (aka Yahyali) of
Serbia, previously named Malković.
5 Irregular light cavalrymen on fast horses that use guerrilla tactics in battle.
They are not paid by the High Porte and thus lived off plunder and captives.
6 The German phrase Renner und Brenner represents the Osmanlı raiders,
typically comprised of akınçı, Tatar and local horsemen, seen as savage destroyers
who ravaged Croatia, Hungary and neighbouring Austrian lands. They are the
greatest terror of the time, considered to be Geißel Gottes (Scourge of God).
Later, the phrase comes to represent the very worst of mankind.

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mothers, wives in front their husbands, and men are bound together
like dogs. The raiders, in their camp, surround themselves with a fence
of spears on which they mount Christian heads.
At Tarvis (near Tarvisio, 35 km southwest of Villach) there is such a
massive slaughter that the country roads are covered with mutilated
bodies and severed limbs. Another army of Osmali locusts rides to Celje
in Lower Styria. Horrific stories spread, claiming that like cannibals,
they cut open the slain, tore out intestines, and girded themselves with
them as if they are sashes. The corpses they roasted and devoured.
Such barbarity is not carried out only by the Türks because the Magyars
often rival the Türkish cruelty, and sometimes surpass them. For
example, after rescuing the Szöreny fortress, being besieged by the
Türks, Pál Kinizsi, the king’s captain-general, cruelly tortured the
Türkish prisoners to death: some being sewn into bags and thrown into
the water, some being ground under millstones, some tied to the
paddles of mill wheels, some being flayed and cut up, some being
roasted and others thrown to hungry pigs to be devoured alive.
To save his Austrian Hereditary Lands, Kaiser (Emperor) Maximilian I
mobilizes troops and under the command of Rudolph von Khevenhüller
and other Carinthian nobles1 sends them to stop the raiders. They come
together at Villach,2 on the Drava River, and wait there. At the end of
their raiding, as the Osmanlıs, with lots of booty and prisoners, try to
ride out of Carinthia, Khevenhüller’s army blocks their way. Near
Villach, Ali Paşa is forced into a fierce battle that lasts a few hours
during which 15,000 Christian captives break free and attack the rear of
the raider army. Surrounded and fighting on two sides, the akınçı
raiders are defeated. By the end of the battle, about 10,000 Osmanlıs
are dead3 and 7,000 taken captive. The Christians lose about 7,000
soldiers. During his retreat, the akınçı leader Ali Paşa is allegedly shot4
but he escapes. Ali Paşa is so feared by the Austrians that rumours are
spread claiming that he was killed in the battle.
Hadım Yakup Paşa, in Bosna, continues to rebuild his army.
1Including Hans Ungnad, Niklas Lichtenstein, Pankraz Dietrichstein, Leonhard von

Coloniz, Christoph von Veistriach, Georg von Weisseneck, and Niklas Rauber,
2 South-central Austria, about 100 km northwest of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
3 In the mid-19th century, it was said that the mound created by the dead bodies
and the mound of earth thrown over them still identified the place where the battle
happened and the number of dead.
4 Possibly shot by Rudolph von Khevenhüller or Leonhard von Coloniz.

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1493: Battle of Krbava Field
September 9, 1493.
Krbava Field, near Udbina, 100 km north of Zadar Croatia
The Croats, free from attacks in 1492, go back to internal squabbles. In

early 1493, the Frankopan clan, led by Ivan VIII (Anž) Frankopan
Tržački (Brinjski), supported by the Blašković and Zrinski clans,
besieges the city of Senj, the most important Croatian port on the
Adriatic coast,1 which was taken from them 24 years, in 1469, earlier by
King Mátyás Hunyadi.
In Bosna, by early in the year, Yakup Paşa has mobilized an army of
8,000 experienced and courageous akınçı raiders. In the spring, to
avenge the defeats at Vrpile (1491) and Villach (1492), he begins his
campaign by telling his soldiers “Let us now go on a ghazwa so that we
may earn the title of Gazî.” In April, he besieges Jajce and sets his camp
in the same place where Sultân Mehmed had previously encamped. The
ban (commander) of Jajce,2 knowing how weak his garrison is, sends a
priest to Yakup Paşa with an offer of a ransom if the siege is lifted but
Yakup Paşa is not interested in money and counters with an invitation
for a personal duel between him and the ban. From Jajce the ban and
his entourage charge at the siege army with such force and bravado that
Yakup Paşa and his soldiers scatter like dust in the wind. Impressed by
the crazy bravery of the garrison Yakup Paşa, believing little can be
gained at this time, decides to take Jajce at another time and departs.
By May, the raiders are marauding around Knin, about 150 km to the
southwest, then ride to Slunj, cross the Kupa River, maraud around
Zagreb for about two weeks, and then ride into the Austrian Hereditary
Lands of Carniola and Styria. Yakup Paşa takes roughly the same route
towards Laibach (Ljubljana) that Hasan Beğ took in 1491 — possibly to
show the Austrians that he is not afraid of them. For almost a month
the Osmanlıs raid, kill, burn and pillage across Styria and Carniola, and
destroy the cities of Celje (Cilli), Ptuj (Pettau), and Maribor. The
Austrians mobilize a counter-attack. Jakub Cakl (Jakov Sekul, Székely),
the captain of Habsburg forces in Styria, with Jakob von Karaman and
1 In the mid-15th century, the Venetians considered Senj the Gate to Italy because
if it was taken, there would be no resistance to the Turks until they enter Italy.
2 There is confusion about who the commander of Jajce is: some say it is Mihály
Pethkey but other sources claim that he, and Boldizsár Batthyányi, became the
commanders after June of 1493. Ferencz Haraszthy was ban until June of 1493.
Some say it was László Kanizsai but he was ban of Croatia in 1493, after Krbava.

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other German nobles, brings an army of German mercenaries to push

the Osmanlıs out of Austria and back into northwestern Croatia.
King Vladislaus II sends newly appointed Croatian co-Ban Imre
Derencsény1 and János Both2 of Bayna to protect his interests in Senj.
In July, the Frankopan action3 to take Senj grows stronger until Ban
Derencsény arrives with, allegedly, about 4,000 horsemen and 2.000
footmen. The siege of Senj ends and Frankopan retreats to the castle at
Sokolac, in Brinje, about 25 km east of Senj, which he had retaken in
1490. Derencsény besieges Sokolac, and during the battles János Both
is killed by a musket ball. At about this time Count Karlo Kurjaković4
dies, possible of wounds suffered in battle.5
Ban Imre Derencsény and the Frankopan family agree to a truce for the
sake of stopping the common enemy. The majority of Croatian
noblemen who recently fought against Derencsény, except for Ivan VIII
Frankopan, join Derencsény to attack the foreign raiders on their
return. Croatian nobles, including Franjo Berislavić and Petar II
Zrinski, mobilize an army of about almost 3,000 heavy cavalrymen and
up to 10,000 infantrymen, many of whom are peasants with primitive
weapons and no combat experience.6
In late July, Yakub Paşa, returning to Bosna from Styria, crosses into
northwestern Croatia, devastates the region of Zagorje (north of
Zagreb), and then marches south. By early August, the raiders come to
the beautiful town of Modruš, in northern Lika, owned by the noble
Frankopan family, and sack it. The raiders plunder all the houses, of
the nobles and peasants, as well as the churches and monasteries —
nothing and no one is spared. In addition to many goods and much
money, in a hidden place, they find an armoury belonging to the
1 He was captain of Senj, then Jajce, and appointed Ban of Croatia in April 1493.
2 János Both of Bayna (of Esztergom county) was appointed ban in 1492.
3 Some Magyar accounts claim that Ivan ‘Anž’ Frankopan made an agreement with
the Osmanlıs of Bosna by which Yakup Paşa would attack in Slavonia and thus the
Magyar army would be concentrated in the north, leaving Frankopan free in the
south to take Senj. Can this be true? Maybe, maybe not. As we know Yakup
Paşa does not go into Slavonia and he sacks the Frankopan city of Modruš.
4 In 1408, his ancestors, Ivan and Karlo, were 2 of the 21 founding members of
the Order of the Dragon. The Order was founded by Sigismund von Luxembourg,
King of Hungary, fashioned after the military orders of the Crusades, requiring its
initiates to fight the enemies of Christianity, in particular the Ottoman Empire.
5 There is confusion about when and where Karlo dies. Some accounts claim he
dies at Krbava but other accounts state he did not join Derencsény’s army.
6 Some sources claim the Croatian army has 13-15,000 men. Another source
says there are 3,000 horsemen, 2,000 foot soldiers and 3-5,000 peasants.

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Frankopan family, containing many swords, spears, arrows, and other

weapons that are distributed amongst the raiders. Yakub Paşa then
marches southeast towards the scenic lakes at Plitvice, where he can go
east to cross the Una River near Bihać but he chooses not to. It is easy
to wonder why he does not enter Bosna at the earliest opportunity.
Possibly, the passes are full of Magyar troops, maybe he wants to
weaken the Frankopan clan, the strongest opposition in the region, or
he wants an open battle with Derencsény to establish his dominance.
After reports arrive to Derencsény that the raiders are riding back to the
Sançak of Bosna through Croatia, Derencsény marches the army to the
area about 7 km northwest of Udbina, and the army waits.
In early September, somewhere between Plitvice and Udbina, the
raiders hide in the woods and hills for three days while Yakub Paşa’s
spies1 scout ahead and report that there is no ambush ahead of him, and
that the Christian army is waiting near Udbina, in the Lika region.
Spies report that while the Croats are greater in number, they have
fewer cavalry and the peasant infantry is poorly armed. Yakub Paşa
marches again, and somewhere along the route south, the raiders come
to the Sadbar (Szádvár) Pass,2 a valley that is blocked by felled trees and
rocks. Some accounts state that the raiders are surrounded by Croatian
soldiers who do not attack, while other accounts state that Yakub Paşa
sends envoys to the Croats.
Negotiation
Most likely on September 6, rather than fight the two sides begin to
negotiate. Yakup Paşa knows that his army is tired, loaded down with
booty and slowed by the many captives, and that the Croatian army is
disorganized, and therefore he stretches out the negotiations for two or
three days so that his soldiers can rest. After Yakup Paşa learns that
Jakub Cakl is coming near, he begins to worry because he does not want
to fight both the Croats and Germans. To speed his return to Bosna, he
offers to pay a large ransom for safe passage and swears to God that he
will not pillage, burn, or do any harm to the Croatians. The offer of a
1 Yakup Paşa is constantly being informed about the status of the Croatian army in
front of him. Not only does he have well-trained soldiers he also has a well-
developed spy network including scouts that reconnoitre the lands ahead of the
raider army and also local peasants that are willing to sell information.
2 The next part of the story is confusing due to sparse and conflicting information.
The location of the “Sadbar (Szádvár) Pass” has been lost to history, but most likely
it was somewhere between the Plitvica Lakes and Krbava Field.

13
ransom is refused1 and the Croats make a counter-proposal that the

raiders must free their captives and surrender their booty. Yakup Paşa
tells the Croats that the plunder and captives are not from Croatia but
from Austria, so why should they care.
With negotiations at a stalemate,2 Yakup Paşa accuses Derencsény of
being dishonourable by standing in his way when he has done no harm
to Derencsény. Insulted by this accusation, Derencsény calls Yakup
Paşa to the field of battle — at Krbava. As Yakub Paşa marches towards
Krbava, under the cover of night, close to the field he sends almost
3,000 of his horsemen through the forest, along the Krbava Creek,
towards the rear of the field of battle, and there to stay hidden and wait
until they are needed. Then, knowing that a battle is inevitable, fearing
the possibility of his captives rising against him, as happened at Vrpile
and Villach, Yakub Paşa orders all the captive men of military age killed.
While the Croats and Magyars wait for the arrival of the raiders, Ban
Derencsény, with his son Pál3 and his brother by his side, debates with
the Croat nobles about the strategy for the battle. In the camp are the
Frankopan brothers Ivan, Bernardin, and Nikola, and many nobles, the
most notable being Karlo Gušić of Krbava and Petar II Zrinski who
brought with them many soldiers. Also present are Franjo Berislavić,
and Juraj Vlatković, the ban of Jajce. A messenger from Jakub Cakl
arrives at the camp and informs Derencsény that Cakl is on his way with
a few hundred horsemen and a few thousand footmen and urges
Derencsény not to go into battle before he arrives. Derencsény does not
wait because he, the new Ban of Croatia, does not want to share the
glory of victory with a German.
During the battle planning, a heated verbal duel is fought between Ban
Derencsény and Count Ivan Frankopan Cetinski. The Count, an
experienced soldier, knowing that the Croats are weak in horsemen and
knowing well the strength and tactics of the akınçı raiders, recommends
not to fight in the open field. Frankopan recommends, as the Croat
nobles favour, to use guerrilla tactics similar to those used successfully
1 There is confusion about who refuses the ransom offer. Some Magyar sources
claim the Frankopans believe they have the advantage and therefore want to fight,
while others say Derencsény refuses because he wants to prove himself in battle
and demonstrate the power of his army to prevent any future collaboration between
Croatians and the Venetians or the Osmanlıs.
2 Yakup Paşa cannot agree to the Croat demand to surrender all booty and
captives because he would appear weak and great morale problems would result if
his raiders returned home empty-handed. The Croat nobles, after their victories at
Vrpile and Villach, believe they can win this battle also.
3 Pál Derencsény may have between 13 and 16 years of age.

14
at Vrpile two years earlier. He proposes to trap and ambush the

Osmanlıs in a pass through the hilly area at the northern entrance to
Krbava Field, and there fire on them from a distance with muskets, and
then allow the infantry to attack them in the ensuing chaos and
confusion. The Croats prefer a guerrilla style battle in the hills and
valleys because these are their lands and they know how to fight on
them. Derencsény opposes the idea because he wants an honourable
knightly battle of strength on the open field1 rather than using cunning
to fight between the rocks and trees. Derencsény taunts the Croats and
accuses them of cowardice. Allegedly, during the discussions:
Derencsény says: Ha! You Croats have always been easily
frightened (are cowards)!
Ivan Frankopan responds: Today we will see who is the imbecillis
miles (weak soldier, shirker, one who retreats first). Today, you
will be the beginning of the end (disintegration) of the Croatian
nation. Ban, this is not like in Hungary riding from town to town,
and have fun playing cards (duel).2 You will see today how the
Türks fight.
Derencsény says: We will see.
There is no consensus but a decision must be made. Derencsény, the
highest-ranking officer, has had success fighting the Osmanlıs while
commanding Jajce and therefore his decision stands.
Battle
On September 9, civil twilight is at about 05:00h (hours)3 and about 30
minutes later, the sun rises across the field that is still very wet from the
great thunderstorm of the previous night. While Imre Derencsény and
his officers plan for battle, as a strong wind blows, Yakup Paşa forms his
raiders on the field. Derencsény sees about 5-6,000 or so raiders on
horses and believes that he has the advantage — but he is not aware of
the 3,000 enemy horsemen hiding in the woods. On the Croatian side,
there are about 2-3,000 horsemen and 6-9,000 footmen.
1 There is speculation that the Croats prefer guerrilla style battles in the hills and
valleys because these are their lands and they knew how to fight there.
2 Original: “bane; ni to po Ugrih od grada do grada jahati, ter se hartati”. He warns
that a battle with the Osmanlıs on an open field is not the same as the battles at
the medieval knights' tournaments that are often held in Hungary at that time.
3 In this story the 24 hour military clock is used and h indicates hour.

15
At about 06:00h, Imre Derencsény gives his battle orders to the army
and ends by saying, “May God help us in our endeavour”. Both sides
organize themselves on the field; each side is divided into three units.
Croatian units are led by: Nikola VI Frankopan of Tržac and
Bernardin Frankopan on the left, Franjo Berislavić of Grabar and
Juraj Vlatković on the right, and Ivan Frankopan Cetinski in the
centre, with Ban Derencsény the supreme commander.
Osmanlı units are led by: Ismail Beğ, Sançakbeğ of Kruşevac with
soldiers from Serbia on the left, Mehmed Beğ of Üsküp (Skopje)
with soldiers of southern Rumelia on the right, and Yakup Paşa
commanding the middle. İshak Beğ Kraloğlu,1 son of the last
King of Bosna, Stefan Tomaš, also fights on the Osmanlı side.
At about 09:00h, as Yakup Paşa looks at the well-armoured heavy
horsemen opposing him, he is impressed with the foe but he stands
confident. An Osmanlı horn sounds, the army shouts its beloved battle-
cry, “Allāhu Akbar” (Allāh is the greatest). Ismail’s unit on the right
makes a strong assault the Croatian left wing, the Croats charge, and the
battle begins. Osmanlı horsemen charge at the infantry, and then ride
through them with such ferocity that many Croats and Magyars
footsoldiers are killed. Some of the Croat peasants are frozen in fear but
they recover and fight back. The soldiers on both sides fight face-to-
face with honour and valour using swords, halberds, and pikes, without
any muskets or arrows.
During the battle, Bernardin Frankopan shouts to Derencsény: “Now, I
say to you, the bravest man, when you are in the middle of the battle
with the enemy, fight with a fiery soul (spirit) and since you were the
originator (architect) of the battle, give us unbeatable courage for a
victory.” By another account, Derencsény rides behind Bernardin
Frankopan in battle and shouts to him, “Hold on hero, hit the enemy,
and ensure that by your valour you are victorious!”. Bernardin charges
forward and strikes like a lightning bolt causing much bloodshed.
To make a long battle short, the Croats, using decoys and feints, succeed
in some early advances but Yakup’s raiders, who are more afraid of
failing their master than they are of the enemy, do not give up and
continue to fight. After a few hundred Osmanlıs are killed, the Croats
believe the battle will be theirs but Yakup Paşa, a good battle tactician,
signals the akınçı on the field to make a retreat towards the woods.
1 İshak Beğ Kraloğlu aka Kraljeviç was born circa 1449, christened Sigismund
Tomašević, and. He was captured while trying to escape during the Osmanlı
conquest of Bosnia in 1463. Later, he converted to Islām, became a companion
of Mehmed the Conqueror, and in 1473, fought in the Battle of Otlukbeli.

16
Derencsény, believing that victory will soon be his, orders the Croats to
follow but then, a Türkish horn sounds and the 3,000 horsemen hiding
in the woods, with a loud battle-cry, charge out towards the Croats who
have been lured into an ambush. The Croats are now being attacked on
three sides, front, rear, and right, and they have no way to escape. At
some time, Franjo Berislavić on the right wing flees into the woods.
Yakup Paşa, it is said, leaves the battle twice to perform prayers, once
for the Zuhr prayer at noon, and for the Asr prayer when the sun is half-
way from zenith to setting.
The akınçı horsemen surround the Croatian footsoldiers who have no
way to escape and a massacre begins — slashing with their sabres, they

17
slaughter the peasant soldiers. Early in the fight, Ivan Frankopan

Cetinski is killed by a spear, and soon after his troops fall. Young noble
Juraj Vlatković wants to save Frankopan’s body from Osmanlı
mutilation and a terrible fight is fought around Ivan’s body. Vlatković
fights like a lion but suffers three deep wounds, falls from his horse, and
dies. The Croat nobles and horsemen continue to fight but many of the
well-armoured but slow Croatian horsemen are killed by the fast akınçı.
Among the Croatian peasants, confusion grows, and some panic.
The momentum of battle shifts, and is now on the side of the raiders.
The light and fast akınçı attack and kill many well-armoured but slow
Croatian horsemen. Bernardin Frankopan’s footsoldiers, fearing they
cannot fight any longer, begin to retreat but Bernardin rallies them to
continue fighting. Peasants flee in greater numbers and run towards
the Krbava creek, which, due to the earlier heavy rains, is now a fast-
flowing river, and many peasants drown while trying to cross it.
As peasants flee from the field, Ban Derencsény rides to force them to
return to the battle and that is when he is surrounded. The wild akınçı
shout and fight more viciously but Derencsény continues to fight
valorously until a spear hits his horse. When a second spear hits, the
horse falls and so does Derencsény but he does not surrender. He
stands and continues to fight on foot. Some raiders, thinking they will
finally finish him, come close but the tall and strong Magyar swings his
heavy sword and kills many of them before he is finally wounded,
captured, and put into chains. During Derencsény’s final fight, his
brother and son see his plight and with some of their remaining
horsemen try to rescue Derencsény but akınçı swords cut them all down
and Derencsény is taken captive.
Soon, some high-ranking nobles are taken captive and the Croatian
army is massacred. At some time late in the battle, Bernardin
Frankopan with a handful, most likely 6, of his soldiers escapes across
the Krbava Creek and into the castle at Udbina, which is only a few
hundred metres away. By 16:00h, the battle is over.
The battle, which lasts between 6 and 9 hours, does not happen in one
place but as the battle moves, a wide trail of corpses about 1,400m long
is left behind. A Croatian survivor of the massacre, who lost his brother
and six uncles in the battle, reports that are were so many corpses that a
man could walk across the field by stepping from one corpse to the next.
The witness also says that almost 10,000 people were killed with entire
clans being almost wiped out. Possibly about 5,000 Croats, 2,400
Slavonians, and 2,000 Magyars, with about 1,000 Osmanlıs of Bosna
lie dead on the field.

18
About 1,500 men are taken captive, some nobles to be ransomed and
many boys (pages) that are destined for the slave markets. It is claimed
that only about 200-300 soldiers of the Croatian army escape the
horrific battlefield. Bernardin Frankopan with a handful, possibly six,
of his soldiers escapes. Of the Orešković clan of Lika, about 500 men
are believed to have come to Krbava and of those only 10 return home.1
Afterwards
The first massacre happened during battle, and on the bloody field
many Croatian high nobles lie dead; among them are Ivan Frankopan
Cetinski, Petar II Zrinski2 and his son Pavao II, Juraj Vlatković, Mihajlo
Pethkey, and Ban Derencsény’s brother and son. In addition to the
soldiers, 17 priests and monks, while some claim 70 members of the
clergy, of the 90 that joined the army, have been killed.
A second massacre happens after the battle when, to prove his strength
and terrorize the Croats, Yakup Paşa orders the execution of prisoners.
Following Osmanlı tradition, the raiders quickly go across the
battlefield to cut off the heads of the fallen Christian enemy to collect a
bounty of one ducat per head. Some raiders present between 20 to 25
heads to Yakup Paşa who quickly
realizes that all the heads will be
too heavy to carry to İstanbul
and thus gives an order that
only the heads of the nobles will
be kept and that from the
regular soldiers the noses and
ears be cut off and placed on
long strings.
To clearly show his Christian
enemy the superiority of Allāh’s
army, to show the scale of his
impressive victory, and to instil
fear in any future opponents, he
demonstrates what awaits
vanquished soldiers. To
produce long-term
psychological effects on civilians
1 “The History of Lika, Croatia: Land of War and Warriors”, by J R Oreskovich, 2019
2 Petar II Zrinski is the father of Nikola III Zrinski, who is the father of
Nikola IV Zrinski (c. 1508-1566), future Ban of Croatia and the hero of Sziget.

19
and soldiers, Yakup Paşa gives the gruesome command that the
noseless and earless heads of the Christian soldiers, on a few places, be
stacked in high piles. Yakub Paşa then proclaims: “I am Derviş (Sufi)
Yakub Paşa of Bosna, and by the help of Allāh I achieved this glory!”
The battlefield is left littered with headless bodies. The raiders do not
care and no locals remain to bury the Christian bodies that are left on
the field where the wolves and beasts smell the blood and come to feast.
On September 23, the corpses still lie unburied on the field.
Shortly after the battle, Yakub Paşa returns to Bosna with his plunder,
spoils of war, captives, and thousands of noses, while his raiders
continue to pillage the region for the next two months. He then
ransoms the the captured Croatian and Slavonian nobles, among them
being Nikola VI Frankopan Tržački.
On September 28, called by István Zápolya, the Palatine of Hungary, a
Parliament of Magyar nobles is held in in Buda. The nobility blames
King Vladislav for the defeat and troubles in the kingdom, and the king
accuses the nobility of fighting each other instead of the enemy, and
that no one responds to calls to arms. László Kanizsai is appointed Ban
of Croatia and given a small army with which to protect Croatia.
A month after the battle, Derencsény comes into contact with
merchants from Dubrovnik and asks them to speak to King Vladislav II
to ransom him, which they do on October 17. After mid-November, the
raiders leave Croatia and return to Bosna.
Count Nikola VI Frankopan is ransomed by his wife Elizabeta Peć de
Gerše (Erzsébet Pethõ de Gerse), who mortgaged her city of Samobor to
raise the money. After August 20, 1503, when King Vladislaus II,
concludes a seven-year peace treaty with Sultân Bayezid II, the
remainder of the surviving noble prisoners of war are released.
Later, Yakup Paşa takes Imre Derencsény to İstanbul and presents him
to Sultân Bayezid. When Beyazid asks Derencsény to convert to
Muhammadanism and to fight for him, Derencsény, standing
honourably, adamantly refuses. Beyazid respects Derencsény and does
not kill him but banishes him, with two servants, to an isolated island
where Derencsény dies three months later of an unknown cause;
possibly of the harsh weather, disease, poison, or by suicide. [see SI]
In late 1494, before the conclusion of a peace agreement, the Croats and
Magyars seek to avenge the defeat at Krbava. The commander of Jajce,
with 4,000 horsemen, rides into Osmanlı-occupied Serbia and near
Beograd attacks two forts that are full of booty from the Osmanlı raids.
The Magyars later accuse Bernardin Frankopan of cowardice for fleeing
the field, and blame the loss on him.

20
On September 19, for the great victory, the Sultân rewards Yakup Paşa
with money and valuable gifts. Later that year, or in 1494, he is
appointed beğlerbeğ of Rumelia. Three years later, he was promoted to
vezir, a position he holds for four years until he fall ill and relinquishes
the position. He dies soon after.
Consequences for Croatia
The massacre at Krbava is the biggest defeat of the Croatian army since
the times of the Tatar1 invasions (Battle of Grobnik Field, 1242). The
news of the massacre at Krbava Field quickly spreads across Croatia and
the grief is so great that only a heart of the hardest stone does not cry at
the loss. Mothers and fathers have lost sons, daughters lost fathers and,
it is said, in every village there are at least six new widows with young
children. This does not include the multitude of young men and women
taken as captives for the slave markets. In a panic, all the people of the
region flee and the lands between Mount Velebit and the Una River are
empty of people. Witnesses report that the worst part of the ordeal was
that the enemy did not look like Türks but like our Christian brothers.
In addition to the loss of nobles, the armies of the Bishop of Nin and the
noble families Zrinski and Frankopan have lost almost all their soldiers
and now must depend on help from Austria because the Croatian-
Magyar King Vladislaus II has his own battles that he must fight and
can’t spare soldiers. In late 1493, King Vladislaus II appoints Magyar
noble László (Ladislaus) Kanizsai as Ban of Croatia.
Peace treaty negotiations between King Vladislaus II and the Sultân
begin in 1494 and a three year truce is signed in April 1495. Afterwards,
short truces are renewed until 1512, but, while there are no large
strategic campaigns, raids across the borders continue in Croatia
resulting in many people moving to safer areas; in northwest Croatia,
the coast and islands, and also outside the country.
To avoid being attacked, some Croatian noble families with lands on the
border frontier, including Blagajski, Kurjaković, and Zrinski, begin to
pay tribute to the Osmanlıs and must allow free passage across their
lands for raiding parties. The Frankopan family continues to fight for
two more centuries against the Osmanlı attacks coming from Bosna —
they lose lands and heads but give the Osmanlıs many great defeats.
1 The Tatars are skilled fast horsemen but are not well disciplined for battles in
formation or in sieges. They most effective when given independence of action.

21
On December 8, 1496, Vladislaus II grants a coat of arms to the

Kingdom of Slavonia, which as the Shield of Hungary prevents the
Osmanlı raiders from riding into southern Hungary.
Of Krbava, in 1497, Hans Schürpfen writes: “Before we arrived in Zadar,
we spent two days exploring one field and the lands, on the side which
is called Croatia. Those lands the Türks strongly devastated and took
away the people. If help is not given to them, the Türks will conquer all
the lands.” Little aid arrives and the Croatian nobility begins to look
away from Buda and towards Wien and Venice for support. They even
threaten that they would submit to the Türks and become vassals to
avoid the destruction they are now suffering.
— May God have mercy on the people.
Krbava Field comes to be known as the Krvavo Polje (Bloody Field) and
the start of the Hundred Year Croatian–Ottoman War that continues
until the Battle of Sisak in 1593. The battle also marks the beginning of
the downfall of the Croatian Kingdom and the duo plorantis saecula
Croatiae (two centuries of Croatian sorrow).

22
The death of Imre Derencsény
After the battle, Ban Derencsény is brought to Yakub Paşa who asks him
who he is and if he is the Ban of Croatia. Derencsény denies that he is
the Ban. Many times Yakub Paşa asks and many times Derencsény
denies until one of Yakub Paşa’s servants, who used to be a Magyar that
defected to the Türkish side, now considered a Potur (half-Türk),
recognizes Derencsény from the days of his Christian life and reports
that this indeed is Derencsény, who continues to deny his identity.
Yakub Paşa then gives the order to send him to the executioner and
finally, Derencsény admits who he is.
Yakub Paşa puts Ban Derencsény in chains and takes him to the
battlefield to show him how many Croats had been killed and taken
prisoner. As they walk among the corpses, they find the body of
Derencsény’s son Pál and Yakub Paşa has the head cut off.1
While Yakup Paşa holds Ban Derencsény as a prisoner, he acts with
unimaginable cruelty at every meal, at lunch and dinner, by placing on
the table, in front of Derencsény, on a plate, the heads of his son and
brother. Upon seeing this grisly display, Derencsény weeps and asks,
“Why do you not kill me rather than force me to look at this cruel and
hideous scene?” Yakup Paşa responds to him, “Imre, you suffer as you
should because you were the first to break our trust, and you
condemned so many brave soldiers and heroic knights. What damage
had I done to your lands? Why did you view my intentions, to return
home with my sword sheathed, with such distrust? Thus, do not hope
that death will rescue you from this problem. I will strive to increase
your misery and prolong your life for as long as possible.”
Yakup Paşa sends a report to Sultân Bayezid informing him that on the
battlefield at Krbava he killed 9,000 Croats and that he has taken
thousands captive, including 30 of their noble leaders. Later, with the
battle trophies, including cannons, flags, 5,700 noses, and Ban
Derencsény, to be presented to the Sultân, Yakup Paşa marches to
İstanbul. Along the way, Derencsény breaks free and takes a sword
from one of the soldiers guarding him and kills the soldier in the hope
that Yakup Paşa will have him executed, but Yakup Paşa once again
promises him a long and miserable life.
After they arrive in İstanbul, Yakup Paşa is summoned to the High
Porte where he is congratulated for the victory by which he opened a
new door through which the Osmanlı Empire can attack into Central
Europe and for this, he is magnificently rewarded with much gold,
1 Some stories claim that Pál was taken captive and beheaded in front of his father.

23
awards, a tall strong horse with gold-plated gear from the Sultân’s own
stables, and an expensive sword presented by the Sultân himself. He is
promoted to the rank of Beğlerbeğ (Governor) of Rumelia. Yakup Paşa,
tells Bayezid that, if Allāh so wills, he will take Beograd (which Bayezid
failed taking the previous year), place his lowliest slave as the
commander, and cause the Magyar king to flee from in front of the red
Osmanlı flag. He continues to fight in many battles and later in 1498,
he is appointed Third Vezir.
When Derencsény arrives in the High Porte, he acts stoically, some say
arrogantly and rudely, in front of the Sultân. When Beyazid asks him to
convert to Muhammadanism and to fight for him, Derencsény, standing
honourably, refuses and says that he will hear of it no more. Beyazid
respects Derencsény and does not kill him but banishes him, with two
servants, to an unknown isolated island — some say a prison.
When Pope Alexander VI learns that Derencsény is the Sultân’s
prisoner, he offers to exchange Cem, Bayezids’s younger half-brother,
who, in 1481, fled to exile in Europe after he failed in his claim for the
Osmanlı throne. Bayezid does not want Cem to return to İstanbul and
therefore declines the offer. During the treaty negotiations, the Magyar
king asks for the return of Ban Derencsény but he had died three
months after being banished, either of illness or by suicide.

24
Report of Antonio Fabregues
The papal envoy Antonio Fabregues, in Senj, reports to Rome

about the defeat of the Croats at Krbavsko Polje (Krbava Field).1
September 13, 1493. Senj.

Sanctissime pater post pedum oscula beatorum.
Alas, there was a very great mourning and wailing across this wretched
and desolate Corvacia and all of that province on their knees come to
me begging for help. All the peasants who remained, live in the woods.
Let Your Holiness know that on the ninth day of September of this
month, the Turks, desired to return to their own country with a great
booty of Christian captives from parts of Germany (Austria), and as they
marched across parts of Corvacia (Croatia) with their prey (plunder),
the Ban and his sons, and all the lords of all Corvacia, confronted them
in order that they might recover the said prey from their hands. Then a
most bitter battle began among them, in which the Turks captured the
said Ban, who was with two thousand horse and six thousand infantry;
of which scarcely three hundred Christians escaped and the rest being
dead or captive.
As the Turks say, there were about nine thousand horse, and among
them were two thousand from the High Porte of the Turk. With them
were two true (high) Turks and two pashas. As was reported, the Ban
was certainly taken, and his son is dead. The ban of Hiareza (Jajce) was
captured and the whole nobility of Corvatia was either captured or dead.
The count of Cetin and count Nicholas of the Frangapani are dead. Two
lords of Sregna (Zrinj) and two others from Blagay are also dead. Only
count Bernardinus of the Frangapani remains, who fled with three of
his men out of the three hundred whom he had brought with him. The
soldiers of the Count Angelus, whom he himself had sent to the plain,
all died.
In effect, Most Blessed Father, none remain in the whole of Corvacia
who can resist. Actum est de patria ista (It is all over for this nation).
The Turks are on the field and stormed the castle of Cossaza (Krbava);
they are now distant from the city Senj by a day and a half (90 km).
1This is an informal translation from Latin to English by this story teller.

Do not reference for academic purposes.

25
Let your Holiness know with certainty, that the whole of this country
will perish, because in the towns there are no provisions for eight days,
and the most serene lord king of Hungary, who is oppressed by the
Turks in different places, and also because he does not have much
money, cannot provide. This city stands with the greatest fear, because
the ban had brought with him all mercenary soldiers and munitions.
If Your Holiness and the other powerful men of Italy do not provide
suitably, then all shall perish or we will be forced to make an agreement
with the Turks. I do not want to leave because of this new cruelty.
Among other necessary provisions money must be provided to hire
soldiers as necessary and also for munitions.
I implore your Holiness to commit (mandate), and I do not know what
to do; out of fear of the Turks, I am compelled to sleep at night in some
ship in the harbor. The whole city weeps and shouts for timely
assistance. I immediately wrote to the king of Hungary about this most
active (intense) conflict. Many brothers and religious men, who had
come to Christian plain (camp) to comfort and encourage them, were
slain into small pieces by the Turks.
And no other.
Pedibus Sanctitatis Vestre humiliter me commendo.

Segnie XIII septembris M'CCCCLXXXXIII.
Eiusdem Sanctitatis Vestre servus fidelis
Antonius Fabregues.

26
1500: Prayer [for protection] against the Türks
Over the next six years, the Osmanlı attacks and atrocities against the
poor people of the land increase in frequency and intensity, prompting
the Croatian poet and Renaissance humanist Marko Marulić to write a
prayer titled Molitva Suprotiva Türkom (Prayer for protection against
the Türks). The prayer provides not only a contemporary account of the
invasions, but also clues into the emotional state of the Croatian people
as they endure the Osmanlı conquest, colonization, and oppression.
Molitva Suprotiva Türkom

Prayer [for protection] against the Türks
author: Marko Marulić , between 1494 and 1500, in Croatian
translated by Željko Zidarić into English in 2019.
An abridged version of the poem.1
(My) Almighty God, creator of all things,

Set aside your anger and have mercy on us,
Abandon your vengeance, look upon your faithful people,
Who suffer misfortune (misery) every day at Türkish hands.
Forests, villages, towns, all plundered and burned,
Men, women, children, shackled are taken away.
They kill our heroes, who fight them,
The weak they take away in chains.
Sons they take (enslave) from mothers' laps,
And dishonourable things to daughters they do.
They separate the beloved from one another, far away
To sell one there, and the other elsewhere .
Behold, how your altars they destroy,
All holy things they crush (smash) without a care.
In your holy temples they stable their horses,
Pious artifacts they trample underfoot.
Priestly vestments, used for divine service,
They refashion for themselves into kaftans.
Then, even worse, they defile innocence
Of virgins (nuns) who serve you in penance;
1 The full poem is found in the “Supplementary Information” section.

27
Your weak children they circumcise, condemn

Into greater misfortune than slaughtering them!
The power of their attacks grows so strong,
That it has become impossible to stop them.
As when fires burn in the mountains, and
Only black stones and scorched pines remain,
Thus become your towns and places,
After leaving, they return for plunder each year.
Into battle against them went Croats and Bosniaks,
Greeks and Romans, Serbs and Poles.
Behold, some go into battle, but some exist no more,
Others can't because your anger is on them.
What is the purpose of assembling armies for battle,
If He, who judges all, shows no mercy (pity).
You, my Lord, our sins please finally forgive,
So, your people are not lost, your mercy give to them.
Be merciful, break the pagan sword,
Do not allow to perish the remains of Christianity.
[skip to end of poem]
You, who are the crucified God, our Lord in heaven,
Gave us the Holy Cross, not to those who don't know you:
Deliver us from our sins and from the devil’s hands;
On the cross your limbs nailed, to redeem your faithful people.
Do not let the pagans choke us with their feet.
Nor terrify and cut us with their swords;
Take this scourge and war away from us,
And reduce this innumerable infidel force.
Breaks the hardness of their angry hearts,
Or kill them, so we do not perish by them.
You, Mother of Mercy, defend us together with your Son,
In you we have faith, and in no one else;
Then, having repelled from us the unbelievers (ungodly),
Welcome us to heaven, save us for eternity
Amen.
As a point of reference: While the lands on the east side of the Adriatic
suffer, the lands on the west side thrive. Between the years 1503-6,
Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa. After Leonardo’s death, in
1519, France’s King Francis I buys the painting for 4,000 gold coins.

28
Further reading
I am a passionate amateur historian, fascinated by the stories of Croatia

during the 100 Years’ Croatian-Ottoman War, specifically the events during
the reign of Sultân Süleymân the Magnificent (1520-1566). While Croatia was
a small kingdom, our ancestors made an impressive effort in defending our
Homeland.
If you are interested in the stories of Croatia during this period, the most
interesting story is of the siege of Sziget in 1566, when Nikola IV Zrinski made
a valiant but tragic last stand against Sultân Süleymân himself, then read my
story found on Amazon:
As Only True Men Can: Nikola Zrinski's Last Stand at Sziget

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1999232801/
To read how the story of Sziget was told in plays and operas.
Nikola Zrinski’s Last Stand: Dramatized
For background stories of the Croats, Magyars and Turks.

Lords of Honour: The Backstory
For an overview of the Ottoman conquest and colonization of southern

Europe, this book is a good starting point.
Balkan Wars: Habsburg Croatia, Ottoman Bosnia, and Venetian
Dalmatia, 1499–1617. By James D. Tracy
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HQUMVAS/
If you have any interesting information to this story, please let me know.
My email address is: zzidaric@gmail.com

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1

1493: The Battle of Krbava Field

The start of the 100 Years’ Croatian-Ottoman War

by Željko Zidarić, September 2022

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

1463: The Fall of Bosna

After realizing how difficult Beograd is to take, Sultân Mehmed1 II shifts

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

up the Danube as Komárom. By the time of King Lajos (Louis II)

1 Erdély in Hungarian, Erdelj in Croatian, Erdel in Türkish, Siebenbürgen in German.

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

Start of the 100 Years’ Croatian-Ottoman War

1491: Battle of Vrpile

After the conquest and occupation of Serbia, Albania, Montenegro,1 and

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

‘Türks’. Carniolan men taken captive take weapons from dead or

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

Observations of the Akıncı

Konstantin Mihailović,1 a Serbian captive forced to fight in the Sultân’s

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

1492: Battle of Villach

In the summer of 1492, while Columbus is preparing to sail westward in

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

1Including Hans Ungnad, Niklas Lichtenstein, Pankraz Dietrichstein, Leonhard von

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

1493: Battle of Krbava Field

The Croats, free from attacks in 1492, go back to internal squabbles. In

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

other German nobles, brings an army of German mercenaries to push

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

Frankopan family, containing many swords, spears, arrows, and other

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

ransom is refused1 and the Croats make a counter-proposal that the

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

at Vrpile two years earlier. He proposes to trap and ambush the

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

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Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

slaughter the peasant soldiers. Early in the fight, Ivan Frankopan

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

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Consequences for Croatia

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

On December 8, 1496, Vladislaus II grants a coat of arms to the

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

The death of Imre Derencsény

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

Report of Antonio Fabregues

The papal envoy Antonio Fabregues, in Senj, reports to Rome

September 13, 1493. Senj.

1This is an informal translation from Latin to English by this story teller.

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

Pedibus Sanctitatis Vestre humiliter me commendo.

Copyright Željko Zidarić, 2022

1500: Prayer [for protection] against the Türks

Molitva Suprotiva Türkom