The Second Battle of Mohács was fought between the forces of Ottoman SultanMehmed IV, commanded by Süleyman Paşa, and the forces of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, commanded by Charles of Lorraine. The result was crushing defeat for the Ottomans.
Battle
In accordance with the strategy set up by Süleyman Paşa, the Mamelukscitation needed attacked the left flank while the Balkan mercenaries took the right flank in the rear. While these swarmed the flanks, the well equipped Ottoman Turks (led by Süleyman himself) charged into centre of the Habsburg army, killing about 5,000-8,000 Habsburg soldiers. The Habsburg army was outnumbered but managed to turn the tide: first the Mameluks lost their position and suffered huge losses, then the Balkan mercenaries fell into panic and fled. Now, the remaining Ottoman Turks were outnunumbered and were all killed, including Süleyman Paşa.
The battle was a crushing defeat for the Ottomans, destroying their ambitions to expand further into Europe. After the battle, the Turkish army revolted and Sultan Mehmed IV was deposed. For a year the Ottoman Empire was paralysed, and Leopold's forces were poised to capture Belgrade and penetrate deep into the Balkans.
References
^ Chandler: A Guide to the Battlefields of Europe, p.251. All statistics taken from Chandler.
Chandler, David. A Guide to the Battlefields of Europe. Wordsworth Editions Ltd, (1998). ISBN 1-85326-694-9
Penguin, 1961, Second Edition 1987 (including Preface to Second Edition and a new chapter 'From E.H. Carr's Files: Notes towards a Second Edition of What is History?')
