Story Highlights
- Historical event:
- 22 June 1593
- The victory over the Ottomans echoed loudly in Europe. Pope Clement VIII sent a letter of gratitude to Thomas Erdödy, who was also commended by the mighty Spanish king Philip II. As a reward, Thomas was named a knight of the Order of Saint Saviour.
On this day, the most famous Croatian victory over the Ottoman Turks occurred near Sisak.
By this time, the Turks were extensively ravaging Croatian territory, mounting raids even in neighboring Slovenia.
Ottoman military commander Hasan Pasha Predojević was particularly notorious. He built a bridge over Kupa near today’s Petrinja in 1592 and used it to infiltrate his troops into the area between Sava and Kupa.
The highlight of his arrogance was during the summer of 1592, when he camped by the river Lomnica in Turopolje and ravaged the entire area south of Zagreb from there, burning 40 villages in Turopolje area and its surroundings.
Reportedly, he even went hunting from his camp near Lomnica, as if he owned those lands. The following year, Hasan Pasha tried to conquer Sisak, a strategic fort at the confluence of Kupa and Sava rivers.
It is interesting that the commanders of the Sisak defense were priests, because the fort was owned by the Kaptol in Zagreb. When Hasan Pasha attacked Sisak, the united army of Croatian Ban Erdödy and Austrian commanders Eggenberg and Auersperg came to the fort’s aid.
On this day there was a battle. Hasan Pasha carelessly placed his army in a bad tactical position, with Kupa River behind their backs.
When the Christian army managed to turn back the Ottomans, they fled and most of them drowned in the Kupa. The victory over the Ottomans echoed loudly in Europe.
Pope Clement VIII sent a letter of gratitude to Thomas Erdödy who was also commended by the mighty Spanish King Philip II. As a reward, Thomas was named a knight of the Order of Saint Saviour.
